As retailers strive to provide a seamless customer experience, unified systems are unlocking new levels of efficiency, insight, and profitability. Retail is highly competitive, and to survive and remain relevant, modern POS platforms are transforming to keep retailers agile, connected, and ready for what’s next. Legacy POS platforms, however, still manage online and in-store sales as separate channels, creating barriers to unified commerce and limiting visibility into customers, inventory, and performance. With a modern POS platform, retailers can bridge those gaps, empowering them to differentiate through a truly connected omnichannel experience. In this piece, we break down key considerations for retailers when choosing a POS solution that grows with their business. 

Integration 

Unified commerce is crucial for retailers to execute digital transformation across the purchasing ecosystem. When inventory, orders, and customer data sync in real time between online stores and brick-and-mortar locations, employees will be better equipped to meet customer needs. Delivering consistent experiences and avoiding overselling helps the business keep customers coming back. 

Modern POS platforms offer real-time product availability across all sales channels and support in-store pickup and returns for online orders. The speed of these updates can produce valuable insights from reporting and analytics. Businesses can monitor product line performance, identify lagging locations, track customer behavior, analyze margins, and detect trends in real-time. 

In addition to integration across sales channels, interoperability ensures that a POS system shares data with ERP, CRM, supply chain, and marketing platforms in near real time. When these systems communicate, retailers eliminate silos and create a more accurate and timelier picture of operations. For instance, Shopify’s framework allows businesses to use native capabilities and third-party systems interchangeably with all major front- and back-end enterprise systems. 

Usability 

Retailers must also consider ease of use for the new user interface (UI). Selecting an intuitive POS system makes training much easier and helps teams embrace the transition quickly. To evaluate whether a platform is optimized for user experience, retailers should consider UI design and hardware design. 

UI Design 

UI design should help staff find information and take the most frequent actions with as few clicks as possible. With mobile POS user interfaces, the obvious challenge with UI design is the smaller screen, so every part of the POS user interface matters that much more. Also consider consistency across devices, especially if you’re using both a mobile POS interface and a desktop POS. 

Hardware 

POS hardware comes in all shapes and sizes. Desktop POS hardware should take up the least amount of space while still having a screen that’s functional. You also need to consider integration with peripheral devices like receipt printers, scanners, and card readers. 

Mobile POS hardware is very different because the main goal is to be able to move around with it freely.  Mobile POS needs to be small and light enough to carry with one hand and tough enough to withstand bumps and drops. Some POS solutions like Shopify now offer flexible hardware setups that allow businesses to utilize their existing hardware and benefit from significant cost savings. 

California-based lifestyle brand Aviator Nation benefited from these design components when it fully implemented and trained employees on a modern POS platform across 17 stores in under one month. With minimal hardware and complete customer visibility, the retailer improved transaction speed by simplifying the payment process. 

Scalability & Customization 

As retailers grow, they need to ensure they select a POS platform that scales alongside their objectives. Customization helps retailers tailor workflows to meet their unique needs and efficiently manage systems and processes. The POS platform needs to provide the ability to customize the solution to meet these needs through configurations and extensions.    

For example, department stores offer lots of value-added services (alterations, giftwrap, special orders, etc.) that an out-of-the-box POS may not support. Home improvement stores require installation services, while grocery stores have perishables, regulatory labeling, and traceability needs that may require custom solutions to support transactions and store compliance. 

A POS platform requires the ability to customize and scale different workflows. Leveraging automation and preconfigured templates is crucial as businesses evolve to help retailers operate more efficiently by reducing time, effort, and expense. 

Enabling New Capabilities 

As business and customer demands continue to evolve, a POS platform should evolve and support new capabilities. For example, AI-driven features such as labor forecasting and dynamic pricing are becoming increasingly common, and the POS should enable or natively support these features.   

Beyond that, retailers also need timelier and more valuable analytics that offer insights and actionable recommendations to produce meaningful, targeted personalization options, increasing sales and deepening customer loyalty.   

Modern POS systems should also continue to expand capabilities in experiential retail. Novel technologies like smart carts and shelving should be integrated with the POS for completing sales and updating prices. Self-checkout on customer phones via retailer apps and other emerging experiences are better supported by modern systems rather than legacy technology. 

Getting Started 

A modern POS system assists with more than facilitating sales: it unifies channels, provides real-time insights, and scales with innovative technology. Traditional POS no longer keeps pace with the current retail landscape, but upgrading to a modern solution allows companies to deepen customer insights and centralize operations. If existing legacy POS platforms are limiting growth, retailers must consider investing in a new POS platform that can meet the expectations of today’s customers. 

To continue the conversation about choosing the right POS for your retail business, contact Clarkston today. 

Contributions from Hannah Yang