From POS to omnichannel ecosystem
Table of Contents
ToggleGet the synergy flowing in your retail business.
Learn more about iVend’s integrated retail technology platform.
Read more
Technology is an established essential in retail. A retail business without a point of sale system seems unthinkable. Retail technology drives growth, through enhanced customer experience and increased sales. It generates efficiency, from cost and time savings. Retailers are now building out from the core retail POS system, and integrating additional functionality. That’s when the real magic of synergy happens, creating omnichannel retail ecosystems that increase the value of their retail technology investment.
Let’s take a look at the systems that are most frequently integrated into an omnichannel retail ecosystem – mobile POS, loyalty, click and collect, and inventory management – and the very tangible benefits that retailers get when they include them in their retail technology mix.
Mobile POS
Mobile POS enables staff to interact with customers in the aisle, rather than simply at the checkout. Armed with operational information via a mobile device, they can engage with the consumer during the shopping process, not just at the end. They can:
- Provide information about the product, satisfying the 45% of shoppers who say that they would love store staff to have more data at their fingertips.
- Access the customer’s profile to help make tailored upsell or cross sell recommendations.
-
Minimise ‘showrooming’ – 83.8% of customers research in a store and buy later, but of course the ‘buy later’ is out of the retailer’s control, and may be from a competitor. Engaging with the customer in store helps to capture the sale on the spot before the customer leaves.
-
Sell goods that are not in the store – using the mobile POS to find and order it from another store, saving what would otherwise have been a lost sale.
-
Take payment, speeding up checkout by avoiding the queue.
-
Mobile POS enhances the customer experience, effectively manages inventory and increases sales by up to 10%.
Loyalty programs
Loyalty programs, integrated with the retail POS system, provide insights about buyer behaviours and preferences. Retailers can:
- Better serve customers who have browsed and researched online before coming into the store to buy – 91.4% of shoppers do this. If they are loyalty program members, staff (using mobile POS) can interact with them, understand what they have browsed, and guide to finalise the sale.
-
Tailor personalised campaigns and offers.
-
Better predict trends and inventory requirements.
-
Make customers feel valued and special.
Implementing a loyalty program is a strategy with strong payback in sales and profit: loyalty programs generate around 10% in additional sales, and just a 5% increase in customer retention can push up profits by upwards of 25%.
Click and collect/BOPIS
Click and collect, or Buy Online Pickup In Store (BOPIS) grew significantly during the pandemic, and is predicted to continue its upwards trajectory, with future growth estimated at 26%. Click and collect/BOPIS is an example of true online/offline integration, combining digital and brick and mortar channels in a single transaction. Retailers implement it because:
-
Shoppers demand omnichannel: around the world, 50% of shoppers choose to shop via click and collect
-
It offers customers the ease of online ordering, the convenience of picking up when it suits them, and no delivery fee.
-
They get more customers into the brick and mortar store, where they have the opportunity to upsell (often utilising mobile POS), or entice them with targeted loyalty program offers.
And the payoff? Offering click and collect/BOPIS for customers can increase sales by 5%.
Inventory management
When inventory management is integrated with the retail POS system, retailers have automatic updates to inventory as sales are made. They benefit from:
-
Flawless inventory management – with a real-time view of what stock is where, and how fast it is moving, they can better predict future demand, increase purchasing accuracy and eliminate stock outs.
-
Inventory visibility – a single, consolidated view of stock in stores, warehouses and distribution centres. When this is available to in-store staff, via mobile POS devices, staff can effectively offer an ‘endless aisle’ service to customers and minimise lost sales.
Integrated and flawless inventory management increases customer satisfaction, drives loyalty, generates greater sales and also drives up to 4% saving in inventory carrying costs.
As we can see, there are very tangible benefits to retailers of expanding the functionality of their retail POS system by integrating it into an omnichannel retail ecosystem.
The starting point for retailers wanting to achieve these benefits is to go beyond having a basic retail POS system, and step up to flexible, modular, cloud-based retail technology. The retail POS system is the foundation on which the omnichannel retail ecosystem is built. With more than 50% of all POS software currently over five years old, retailers need to consider whether it’s time to change their platform, in order to make the most of the benefits of integrating additional functionality that will drive very tangible retail benefits.
You may also like
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 28 | 29 | 30 | ||||
Archives
- September 2026
- August 2026
- May 2026
- November 2025
- September 2025
- August 2025
- July 2025
- June 2025
- May 2025
- April 2025
- March 2025
- February 2025
- January 2025
- December 2024
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
Categories
Recent Posts
- Fashion Forward: The Latest Trends Shaking Up the News Cycle
- Fashion Unlocked: Breaking the Code to Your Signature Style
- Mastering the Art of Effortless Style: Your Ultimate Guide to Timeless Wardrobe Essentials
- The Threads of Tomorrow: A Fashion Designer’s Journey
- Revive, Rejuvenate, Glow: The Ultimate Guide to Spa Treatments That Transform

Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.