Mobile technology again fills our weekly roundup in both the point of sale and retail news. You have to admit mobile solutions whether point of sale, smart phone apps, customer loyalty cards, digital signage, social media and many more is growing in popularity and it’s here to stay.
Our first article this week will help give small retailers a basic overview of the various mobile payment options that are available and has a great link to an actual field test cnet did using Bing Nation. The second article showcases how furniture retailers are using new mobile technology to help sell off site inventory. The third feature this week is a short real life example of a perfect process for collecting email addresses while your employees are processing the point of sale payment.
A new mobile app for consumers to earn reward point is being implemented by a few large retailers. This announcement is number four this week in our featured point of sale and retail news. Then we end this week with some great tips and advice to help small retailers avoid fraud in their retail businesses.
1. Making sense of mobile payment – This great article posted on cnet will help you understand the four and “a half” categories that mobile customer payments fall into. There is a lot of buzz going on in the retail world about mobile payments it would be a good idea to brush up on the differences between them. In the start of the article there is a link to a field test done with Bing Nation, one of the vendors offering retailers the opportunity to take payments via mobile point of sale.
2. More furniture, mattress sellers using smart technology – It was a surprise to read about a small furniture store that is using mobile technology to display inventory available for their customers to buy. This is simply a great way to offer exactly what the customer wants without the huge overhead. The small business owner states:
“We’re a small store and a custom order store to a large extent, so our folks are used to really trying to demonstrate the possibilities off of one piece. We want to be able to sell many different versions. All this does is give us a very portable, quick, easy access to a lot of these options,” Harlow said.”
3. Point of Sale Email Capture: A True Story – This article is short and sweet BUT it’s a true account so pay attention. The article displays a positive experience at a point of sale checkout with a clerk collecting the authors email address for store promotions. The author even includes pictures of the form that was filled out and the welcome email that was received.
4. Retailers, Mall Group Sign on to “Walk In, Win Points” Mobile App – Four large retail brand stores announced their customers will be benefiting form a new mobile app called, Shopkick. Once shoppers start using the app they earn rewards when walking through the door of a participating merchant. This is all done by a signal sent via the shoppers mobile phone. The shopper can save up points to cash them in for various items on the retailer’s web site. Another article featured at Mashable outlines the way Best Buy is participating in the Sidekick mobile app.
5. How to Steer Clear of Fraud? The Experts Weigh In – It was shocking top learn by reading this article that 31% of all businesses that are subject to fraud have fewer than 100 employees. This is important information for many small retail businesses that tend to employ few people. These great tips will help you put in place some precautionary measures that will help you prevent your business from being a victim.