A point of sale (POS) system is the place where a customer pays for goods or services, either in person or online. POS experience is a part of customer experience in a shopping journey, which occurs when a customer pays for their item at the in-store checkout counter. From a marketing point of view, the POS is a strategic location because customers tend to make higher-margin purchasing decisions in physical stores compared to other touchpoints in their journey. Therefore, most businesses set up their POS near the exit to increase the rate of impulsive purchases before customers leave the store. To improve POS experience, businesses can follow these best practices:
- Resolve inventory issues
- Provide fast checkout
- Accommodate various payment methods
- Offer prepaid store credit
- Provide multiple options for receipts
- Implement omnichannel POS experience
- Facilitate self-service POS experience
- Improve customer service
- Collect and act on more customer feedback
- Automate rewards and loyalty programs
- Design product displays based on data-driven insights
If youre choosing a POS system for the first time, start making a list of features you must have and talk to fellow business owners who are operating in a similar space. Ask what POS systems they’re using and what they like, or don’t like, about them.
