How Your POS Can Help With 2017 Retail Trends

What’s in store for retail in 2017? Some reports are highlighting personalization, in-store shopping experiences, and data collection and analysis, just to name a few. Are you ready for these trends? Your point-of-sale (POS) system can help you stay on track this year. Here’s how.

Personalization Is Important

Customers are expecting a lot more from retailers, and one of those ways is in the form of personalization. According to a survey from Virtual Incentives, 56% of consumers said receiving a personalized incentive would improve their consideration of a brand. Look for that to increase even more in 2017.

Loyalty programs can help with this. So don’t be afraid to ask for your customer’s info, or to use incentives like discounts to capture it. Then let your POS do the work of keeping track of their info, purchase history, etc. Send out personalized emails to your customers calling them by name, talk to them about their purchase history. “We know you like x, we think you might like y.”

Create Unique In-Store Shopping Experiences.

Shopping experiences will rule in 2017. The only way to bring a customer in-house vs. online is to make their shopping experience extraordinary.

One way you could do this is to provide your staff with tablets as they work the retail floor. That way they can check inventory, give info about a product, and answer any questions with a click of button. Train staff to ask for customer info from all guests they assist, and maybe even provide a coupon to be used that day in the store. Now that’s great customer service! Your POS will collect the data and be ready to pull an analysis of your customers when you’re ready to review.

Data Collection and Analysis

Retailers who pull their data from their POS and make decisions based off what they find will outperform others who don’t. More and more merchants will recognize this in 2017. That means doubling down on collecting and analyzing data in 2017 is key.

Customize your reports and receive them on schedule through your smart phone, tablet or laptop. Bepoz has hundreds of fields that can be added to any report, in addition to creating charts and graphs for a visual presentation. Don’t forget to use your software’s intelligent analysis. For example, Bepoz’s software can give recommendations. Instead of just telling you that you have 6 units of product “Y” in store “A” this software will make an intelligent analysis of this product in this store and actually recommend what you should do with it, if anything at all. There are other reports available such as supplier cost movements, by product, in whatever period you request.

However you prepare to meet the trends of 2017, don’t forget to include help from your POS software. Thinking of upgrading this year? Contact Bepoz for a consultation.