The retail environment has been changing for many years, but the pandemic significantly accelerated those changes. But while customer behavior has shifted, many foundational practices and preferences remain the same. As we move through and out of the pandemic, retail technology will play a fundamental role in meeting the competing needs of retail stores and their customers.
How Customer Expectations Have Changed
According to Toshiba, customers now expect a broad omnichannel experience that blends online and in-store services and features. Convenience is a bigger factor than ever before, and customers expect seamless service.
This is where retail technology and point of sale can significantly affect customer satisfaction and retention. A speedy checkout process, up-to-the-minute inventory tracking, ease of returns, and accurate customer information will be important parts of the post-pandemic retail experience.
5 Necessities for Retail Technology
When choosing a new point of sale system, here are five things to look for:
- Ease of Management: Retailers must be able to see the status of all POS system across all store locations in order to identify, understand and resolve issues.
- System Availability and Hardware Reliability: A malfunctioning hardware component or unresponsive screen will delay checkout and frustrate the customer. Make sure your POS system is secure, reliable, and designed for a busy retail environment.
- Serviceability: All POS systems will need maintenance and repair at some point. It’s important to purchase your system from a manufacturer or dealer with diagnostic and repair capabilities.
- Extended Lifecycles: Your point of sale system will work great on the first day. Will it still function in a few years?
- Support for Customer Applications: Today’s retail technology is used by both staff and shoppers, at multiple points during the buying process. Your POS system must be capable of displaying information in multiple ways, and to be easily used by employees and customers alike.
Do you have questions about which point of sale system is right for your business? Retail Tech is here to help! Give us a call at 1-877-580-9687.
Retail Tech carries a wide variety of new and refurbished POS hardware and equipment. We offer installation and staging, retail point of sale system repairs, and more. If you need help choosing a hybrid POS solution, contact our POS systems specialists for help finding the perfect point of sale solution for your retail store, restaurant or other small business.
