Gartner Research reveals that customers prioritise their shopping experience over affordable prices by a staggering 64%. Additionally, over 50% of respondents stated that they would not make purchases from a brand again if they had a negative experience.

In today's highly competitive retail market, offering a uniform and untroubled customer experience from start to finish can be a game-changer. As such, many businesses are capitalising on their Point of Sale (POS) systems as a means of payment and an efficient method to enhance the quality of service.

In the points below, we’ll outline six top-notch techniques to optimise the POS encounter, thereby amplifying sales and augmenting customer loyalty. First though, what does the POS experience actually mean?

What is POS experience?

The experience of making a payment at the in-store checkout counter is known as the point of sale (POS) experience, which is an integral part of a customer's shopping journey.

From a marketing perspective, businesses consider the POS as a crucial location, as customers often make high-margin purchases in physical stores rather than in other stages of the shopping process. With this in mind, many businesses strategically place their POS near the store's exit to increase the likelihood of impulsive buying before customers leave the store.

However, the POS location may vary based on different product categories and business models. For instance, in departmental stores, there may be separate points of sale for specific product groups, such as clothing, electronics, and home appliances. The staff at these counters can actively suggest products and offer advice rather than just processing payments.

Furthermore, the type of POS and its features can influence purchasing behaviour and profitability by offering flexible purchase options to customers.

The POS experience is crucial to customer retention

The significance of the POS experience lies in the ability to entice customers to revisit your store by exceeding their expectations. In a highly competitive retail industry where

customers have numerous shopping alternatives, offering a tailored shopping experience can transform regular customers into loyal patrons. A good POS experience serves as a highly effective approach to accomplishing this goal by enhancing in-store services, optimising payment technology to simplify the payment process, integrating with online ordering systems, and managing sales data across all channels.

Here are six ways to enhance the point of sale experience, in an effort to retain more customers

The quicker the checkout, the better

In today's fast-paced world, customers highly value their time and can easily get frustrated if the checkout process takes too long. To avoid displeasing customers, it's important to ensure that your payment system is quick and easy to use, even for those who are willing to wait in line. One way to speed up the process is by using an updated POS solution - here are two ways to do so effectively:

 • Utilise barcode scanning instead of manual data entry

Integrated with inventory management and barcode scanning functions, modern POS solutions can eliminate errors stemming from manual data entry, while reducing checkout time. This generates an impressive POS experience for customers.

 • Implement payments on the sales floor

Secure payment transactions can be made on the spot as soon as the customers decide to make a purchase. This eliminates the need for customers to wait at the counter to pay, but it is crucial to possess a mobile or tablet POS system for this method to work.

Enhance your customer service

Integrating your EPOS solution with your eCommerce platform is an excellent way to enhance the entire shopping experience and improve customer service. Not only does it facilitate quick payments, but it also offers a plethora of tools that can enhance the quality of service and elevate the POS experience.

Here are some ways in which an integrated EPOS and eCommerce solution can benefit your business:

1. The POS data can help you gather valuable customer insights every time they interact with your business. This data can be used to personalise and tailor recommendations based on individual customer preferences.
2. By equipping your staff with these solutions, you can provide face-to-face consultation on the sales floor - your team can easily look up more product information and provide prompt suggestions. Furthermore, in case an item is out of stock, the eCommerce POS integration can provide real-time updates on product availability in other stores.
3. Live chat support is the most preferred support channel for millennials. However, 77% of customers feel that they have to wait too long to connect to live support - for this reason, chatbots have emerged as a viable alternative. Customers receive instant answers to their queries, and business owners can reduce labour costs.

Create an automated process for your loyalty program

Implementing a loyalty program for your customers can provide a number of significant benefits, including:

· Increased retention

· Higher revenue

· Improved customer insights

· Enhanced customer experience

· Competitive advantage

By integrating a rewards program into your POS systems, you streamline this process and essentially turn your customer retention strategy into a well-oiled machine.

Create a self-service option that customers can opt for at point of sale

As consumers become more accustomed to self-service, a growing number of retailers have successfully integrated it into their business models. One notable example is McDonald's, which saw a 5-6% increase in sales after introducing self-service kiosks in select locations.

Self-service point of sale systems provide a customer-centric experience that empowers shoppers by granting them greater autonomy over their purchases. In addition to giving customers more control over their transactions, self-service kiosks can also help to reduce wait times and relieve pressure on staff at the front counter. This makes it an ideal solution for those in the food and service industry.

Accept as many payment methods as possible – convenience is key

Meeting customers' payment preferences is essential as it enables retailers to provide good products while catering to their needs. Neglecting to cater to their payment needs will lead to missed sales opportunities - therefore, retailers must offer an array of payment options to attract and retain customers.

Open-source POS systems like Bepoz can seamlessly integrate with a vast array of payment methods. Moreover, these electronic payment methods provide a speedy and hassle-free POS experience, sparing customers the trouble of rummaging through their wallets to select an ideal payment method for your store.

Give customers multiple ways to receive their receipts

Providing various choices for receipts is highly advisable. Along with printing paper receipts, sending receipts through email is an ideal option. A sizable number of customers lean towards electronic receipts due to their environmentally friendly nature, and their ability to bypass the waiting time associated with traditional paper receipts.

By implementing this POS upgrade, you can effectively bolster your brand image in the minds of your customers. The advantages of this upgrade go well beyond that, however, including the ability to:

· Synchronise data from the POS system to an eCommerce platform's centralised database when a customer provides their email.

· Create targeted email marketing campaigns promoting personalised promotions based on customer preferences and purchase history gleaned from POS data.

Enhance your POS experience, with Bepoz

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