Apple products such as the iPad are becoming more integrated into how businesses, especially retailers, operate. These small and powerful devices offer similar functionality to larger PC counterparts but are thin and light enough to be carried around all day. Companies that want to integrate iPads with their point-of-sale systems can do so by establishing a mobile POS to complete sales anywhere in the store.

Looking ahead, Apple devices figure to play an increasing role in how payments are accepted, according to a recent IDC report. The research firm indicated the company is focusing on both the offline and online commerce experience.

James Wester, IDC practice director at IDC’s Worldwide Payment Strategies division, said Apple has made it a goal to make payments more streamlined and convenient for users.

Retailers still not realizing potential of the iPad

Despite the advantages of iPads in the retail space, businesses in this field are still not embracing the devices as much as other industries. A Good Technology report detailing mobile adoption during the fourth quarter of 2013 found the retail sector only accounted for 2 percent of iPad activations from October through December.

Retailers, consumers can benefit greatly from Apple device

Retailers interested in lowering costs, replacing old PCs and enhancing the consumer experience owe it to themselves to consider incorporating devices like Apple’s iPad into their stores. One of the main issues with stationary POS systems is that the checkout lines are often congested at one location of a store. If a shopper has a problem that requires 10 minutes to address, other people in line become frustrated and the line continues to grow.

Sales reps walking around the store with tablets in hand and an iPad POS system in place can limit such occurrences from happening. Employees using the device can assist shoppers anywhere at any time throughout the store, completing checkouts on the spot.

As Apple makes improvements to its offerings to enhance the payment experience, retailers also invested in the Apple ecosystem and devices such as the iPad will be in great position to benefit from the improvements coming their way. As the Good Technology study found, not many companies in this field have taken the leap just yet, so forward-thinking brands can get a leg up on the competition in both the short- and long-term.

Protecting Retail Staff

It is no secret that retail staff are at a very high risk of exposure to COVID-19. High volume retail environments where there are many touch-points, interactions and points of communication present a key issue for retailers. Retail locations cannot always enforce social distancing whether this is due to small retail stores or negligence on the part of customers; workers are increasingly at risk of contracting the virus. This additional risk presents problems for retailers, how can stores stay open if staff are sick, or customers are in danger?

The Key: Engineering safety controls. From safe work practices, PPE and physical barriers, retailers can create a landscape where customers & staff are protected during the shopping experience. SpacePole has created a range of tools that can be added to the point of sale in order to protect staff and consumers.

The Safeguard Screen

The SpacePole screen is a low cost and simple to install acrylic screen that creates a clear safety barrier for everyone at the point of sale. Providing social distancing and protecting store staff. Safe & contactless checkout has grown by 9% in the past 6 weeks with 74% of consumers noting this as their continued preference for the long term. A safety screen adds a key layer of protection at the point of sale, creating distance between the customer and retail staff, allowing a semi-normal store experience that is centered around safety and efficiency.

The Payment Paddle

Customers are comfortable with curbside pickup, this is not a new offering. But, it is one that has exploded in recent months. Curbside pickup & payment allows for increased flexibility and helps to minimize the risk of transmission during the payment experience. The payment paddle is designed to enable safe and speedy payment at the point of sale. A payment terminal is attached to the arm, giving retail staff 600MM of distance to ensure secure payments where only the customer has to touch the payment terminal. This helps to remove the fear that many customers have around handing cards over to retail staff and removes danger on the side of staff.

Prioritizing Hygiene

Prevention is always better than treatment, frequently disinfecting payment terminals is a new necessity. But, what about in between cleaning? Customers are constant, certainly at peak times it can be tough to keep the terminal clean. Adding hand sanitizer at the point of sale is a simple and effective method of reducing spread at a high touchpoint area of the retail location. Many retailers are already zip-tying and duct-taping hand sanitizer to the mount… the hand sanitizer dispenser can be easily attached to existing mounting systems. Enabling a visually clean, and practically convenient hygiene tool.

Teamwork Commerce + Spacepole: A Safe & Efficient Customer ExperienceKeep Customers Safe and engaged with Teamwork + Spacepole. With all of the tools retailers need to support and drive revenue in store Spacepole can help retailers during this pandemic and beyond with a variety of POS tools, mounts and hardware designed to enable a safe, efficient and engaging customer experience. Learn more: https://www.spacepole.com/

Apple’s iPad has spawned a consumer craze for tablets, much like how the company did so with the smartphone market. But the device is not just for customers interested in accessing email, browsing the Internet or playing games. These products are ideally suited for the retail space. Retailers that have yet to consider adopting iPads should rethink this stance because the benefits far outweigh any disadvantages.

Price

Depending on the size of the retail operation, a couple of iPads or a dozen won’t set back the company millions of dollars. These products are hundreds of dollars, so a small store with only a handful of employers can adopt these products without allocating their entire budget toward doing so.

Functionality

The retail sector operates under the notion that the customer is always right. In most cases, this is true. People have so many things on their minds and so many places to be that the last thing they want to do is wait 20 minutes in line to buy a single item. This is where an iPad can replace or complement a traditional point-of-sale system. An iPad POS enables employees to use the tablet to complete transactions anywhere in the store.

Ease of use

One doesn’t have to look far to see how easy iPads are for anyone to use. There’s a reason why schools adopt iPads for their students to use – they are not complicated. Employees should have no issues navigating the touchscreen or accessing the mobile POS.

The iPad may have become a worldwide sensation because of the consumer market, but retailers should not overlook how effective the products can be for their brands. The devices offer similar functionality to traditional equipment but without the physical limitations that can bog down operations and, importantly, sales and consumer happiness.

Mobile devices are driving all sorts of global traffic, a new Cisco report suggested. The study indicated the global market in 2019 will have 5.2 billion mobile users, up nearly 1 billion from 2014’s totals.

In 2014, Cisco said there were just over 4 billion mobile devices and connections on a global scale. By the end of the forecast period, this figure will nearly triple to 11.5 billion. The report added mobile connection speeds should increase from 1.7 Mbps in 2014 to 4 Mbps by 2019, with annual run rates of worldwide IP traffic expanding from 30 exabytes to 292 exabytes.

Businesses can capitalize on this trend

Companies that have yet to focus on attracting mobile audiences to their e-commerce stores or brick-and-mortar locations may want to make this a top priority the rest of 2015. A recent Adyen report found m-commerce drove roughly 26 percent of all online transactions during the fourth quarter of 2014, up 11 percent from the third quarter. Year-over-year improvements were 37 percent.

Roelant Prins, chief commercial officer at Adyen, indicated companies must possess a “mobile-first” outlook for the first quarter of this year.

We can help, schedule a demo with our sales team today: twfrance.wpengine.com

More Info: Adyen

U.S Retail Challenges

“It is scary, it is a big investment. It is scary to learn something new and change over what you are used into a new system.”

The extensive array of inventory, varied needs of order management, and complexities around the actual customer experience create a high barrier to entry for retailers. There is no guarantee that the investment will pay off, or that retailers will be able to resolve all of their issues with one system. Retailers are often hesitant to take the next step. But, the reality is that many retailers have already taken steps towards Omnichannel. Using mobile points of sale, having points of purchase on multiple channels, or using member apps to take payments or schedule orders are pieces to the puzzle. A lot of these technologies are already being used by retailers. But, they have not always worked together. Omnichannel is about creating an ecosystem where retailers can feel confident to create new solutions for their customers knowing they are backed by innovation and a secure, reliable framework for long term growth. From point of purchase to fulfillment, the process needs to be seamless, transparent and consistent to prevent friction & loss of customers in the process.

The Holistic View

“You have to be able to know your customer, you have to be able to see what they bought online, what they bought in store, their past histories, if they want to be able to return without a receipt or buy a gift card”

What Amber is referencing here is the Seamless Customer Experience. For Omnichannel retailers to succeed, they have to empower a genuine relationship with customers. Retail staff have to easily be able to access information about the customers at the POS to understand the specific customer, provide needed support and enable a seamless transaction process. This detailed view needs to be paired with analytics and consistent updates to enable an effective purchasing process. The customers needs, behaviors and orders have to be centrally monitored and accessible to reduce the friction that exists within the purchase process.

Omnichannel Drives Revenue

“Not only have sales increased because of customer experience, they are also not losing sales. They no longer have to send customers to an online location.”

Customers don’t slip through the cracks, customers want the product when they want it… they don’t want to wait until the product is available in store again. The product needs to be readily locatable, need a different size/color/style…. No problem? Having a detailed viewpoint of current inventory across warehouses, store fronts and back rooms is not optional anymore. Retailers need to instantly fulfill the product somehow, taking the purchase at the point of sale and fulfilling the order in a manner that is convenient for customers. This customer centric approach to retail is crucial for retailers to stay competitive, these processes need to be focused on the needs of consumers but supported by an extensive integration ecosystem that drives functionality and simplicity throughout the purchase process.

Teamwork Commerce + ShippyPro

Teamwork Commerce is the brain for retailers, while the solution has a wide range of features, it does not resolve every issue for every retailer, legacy systems, existing implementations and niche requirements present challenges for retailers. The need for a wide range of flexible integrations is critical. The addition of ShippyPro into the Teamwork Commerce platform was a natural choice. The solution has been whitelabelled into the Teamwork application for certain clients enabling an efficient fulfillment system, leveraging ShippyPro’s integration network to centralize shipping, easily print labels and monitor shipments at every stage using webhooks. Shippypro is the easiest way to ship, track and return your orders.

Watch the Webinar: ShippyPro + Teamwork Webinar