This post is sponsored by ROAM, the provider of the only end-to-end mobile commerce platform on the market enabling businesses to quickly, easily and cost-effectively deliver secure, custom-branded mobile point of sale (mPOS) solutions to their employees and customers.
For decades, the payments process was quite simple. Purchases occurred at cash registers in brick-and-mortar stores. One touchpoint. One step. Simple.
Now, things are a little bit different. Consumers interact with brands across multiple channels. They can make purchases online, in-store, or via a mobile device. As result, retailers face a new challenge: to prevent the fragmentation of their brand across these different interfaces. They also have the opportunity to integrate their brand with consumers lives like never before.
The solution is an omnichannel strategy. Retailers must unite these siloed elements of the payments process into a seamless, cohesive brand experience.
This omnichannel approach is the future of commerce. If brands hope to be successful, they must maintain the same high-quality, streamlined, secure payments experience across all channels. They must cease to conceive e-commerce, brick-and-mortar, and mobile as separate entities but instead, as extensions of a singular omnichannel strategy.
Overall, the retail industry has recognized the value of an omnichannel strategy and strived to integrate the disparate elements of their brand. Yet, one essential piece of the puzzle seems to consistently fall by the wayside: mobile point-of-sale. The payment process is a key touchpoint with consumers that shouldn’t be neglected. While some industry leaders such as Ingenico Group have managed to master the omnichannel strategy, many have yet to catch up. Too often, mobile is an afterthought in the overall brand strategy when it deserves equal attention as other consumer-facing elements.
Mobile point-of-sale, or mPOS, is of paramount importance because it has enormous potential to enhance the retail experience. Many mobile providers, like ROAM – who is the mobile solutions arm of Ingenico Group – offer white label solutions, empowering the entire mobile payments process to be custom-branded from the card reader to your very own payments app. This added opportunity to showcase your brand certainly supports an omnichannel strategy, with untapped potential remaining in how mPOS can change the buying experience.
Most importantly, mobile point-of-sale can immensely improve a customer’s buying experience both in-store and out-of-store. Out-of-store, retailers can create pop-up shops to expand opportunities revenue. They can also diversify their business by offering direct sales in the home or streamlined delivery services.
In-store, associates can use mobile point-of-sale terminals to assist customers considering purchase. Armed with a tablet, they have an entire library of product information and insights at their fingertips. They can research inventory, compare products, look up customer history, and take every possible measure to help consumers make the best buying decision.
Plus, thanks to mPOS, retailers are no longer chained to a cash register. They can devote greater attention to the customer themselves and be involved in the entire consumer purchasing process rather than just the transaction stage. Price checks, inventory, even the transaction process itself is vastly improved by implementing mPOS. Mobile terminals quite often expedite transaction, eliminating the lines and other pain points of purchase.
Overall, integrating mobile is more than just “next-gen” retail. It’s good business, which is the ultimate goal of an omnichannel strategy. From ultimately increasing customer satisfaction, improving overall brand experience, and not to forget, extra shelf space, those that do embrace brand benefits of mobile point of sale will quickly gain a competitive edge. Retailers and other merchants slow to adopt actually stifle the seamless brand strategy that represents the future of commerce.
Ingenico Group is one of the few that seem to be hitting it on all levels. They maintain a stellar brand experience – simple, fast, and secure – across all three elements of their business: smart terminals, payment services, and mobile solutions. All are integrated in a seamless omnichannel strategy. All businessesinterested in following Ingenico Group’s lead can take advantage of the brand benefits offered by mobile point-of-sale in 10 steps.
Check out ROAM to learn more about mobile payments and how to leverage mobile for your brand.
