Mobile POS (mPOS) platforms are bringing new levels of convenience and flexibility to retail. Now, a sales associate at a small boutique doesn’t have to be stuck at checkout for the duration of a shift. Thanks to wireless connections, that associate can help a customer complete a transaction anywhere in the store with a tablet or smartphone.
This allows retailers to create a more inviting environment for patrons, some of whom are used to having lots of information at their fingertips from shopping online. With mPOS, stores deliver an online-like experience while going one step further – customers actually can touch, feel and try on items before pulling out their wallets. These days, a smiling face and a personalized shopping experience are appreciated opposed to an automated chat box on a computer screen.
At APG, we are doing our part to improve the retail experience. In October, we are introducing a new SMARTTill® Intelligent Cash Drawer that will support TCP/IP connectivity. TCP/IP will allow both cloud based and mobile POS platforms to run multiple tablets or other handheld devices with a single SMARTtill® Device. Retailers will now be able to accept cash at a dedicated cash check out location while still maintaining cashier accountability. No longer will cash paying consumers have to stand in the queue to complete a transaction along with customers paying by credit, debit, and mobile wallets. Cash transactions are consolidated to a single SMARTtill® Device at the point of decision.
SMARTtill® Cash Management Solutions consist of Intelligent Cash Drawers that keep track of all bills and coins in the till. This information is delivered to managers improving cash-handling efficiency and planning, reduces shrinkage caused by error and theft, and even connects to CCTV systems to help resolve discrepancies such as customers’ complaints of being short-changed.
An Enhanced Shopping Experience
Adding wireless capabilities to the SMARTtill® Solution is an enhancement that can be utilized in convenience stores, small boutiques, fast food, quick service restaurants, and gas station shops.
By communicating with POS stations and printers, the SMARTtill® Technology makes it possible not only for sales associates to move around the store helping customers, but also to reduce the number of cash drawers at each location. Multiple associates carrying tablets or smartphones can connect to a single SMARTtill® drawer.
Retailers can now place a few drawers in strategic locations in the store, typically at the point of decision. By placing a SMARTtill® Intelligent Cash Drawer by a dressing room, retailers can capture all tender types and a potential spontaneous purchase. This makes it convenient for shoppers to complete their transactions without waiting in a checkout queue. This will increase sales by reducing the number of walkouts and shrinking the physical size of retailer check-outs, creating more space for customer goods on display. Retailers now get convenience and savings while improving shopper experience.
Efficient Cash Management
One of the SMARTtill® Solution’s greatest benefits is the data it generates. The SMARTtill® Solution when integrated with LP, Cash Management or POS applications, tracks in real-time which associate uses the Intelligent Cash Drawer and when, as well as the time and related transaction details, together with the actual float level. This information granularity helps managers schedule cash lifts and top-ups more efficiently, quickly resolve discrepancies, and identify problems or training opportunities with specific employees.
In a wireless setting, these capabilities are especially relevant. When several associates use a single Intelligent Cash Drawer, the SMARTtill® Technology keeps records matching an employee to each transaction. This provides a security component by making it possible to tie a specific employee to any cash shrinkage-related issues.
The SMARTtill® Solution’s new wireless capabilities will help retailers leverage mPOS systems and cloud based systems creating a modern, flexible shopping environment for their customers.
