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Let Customers Buy Where They Want

Optimizing store operations has led to an unintended consequence. There are many areas left without quick access to checkout terminals. In a typical big-box store, customers may walk as much as two to five minutes to reach the nearest checkout terminal. The lack of checkout terminals in areas of the store called POS deserts has a negative impact on the customer experience.  (Note: POS deserts are areas at least 50 feet away from the nearest checkout terminal.)

Research shows that most top retailers in the United States have at least 25% of store floor space in POS deserts. Providing POS capability to these POS deserts could enhance the customer experience significantly without raising costs significantly. Rather than adding more POS terminals, it is much less expensive to add mobile carts with portable power to a POS strategy that will reduce the need for POS deserts. Sales associates can be where the customers are, serving them with excellence thanks to the versatility of these mobile POS carts.

Evolve to Match Seasonal Demand

Seasonal demand for merchandise challenges efficiency in store operations, particularly in big-box environments. Stores must redeploy personnel and handle additional transaction volume based on seasonal demand. Transaction volume can also vary significantly based on seasonal factors for departments. Example:  a section for swimwear will not be particularly busy in the fall. Measuring variation in transaction counts through a Seasonality Index helps retailers determine which department should get additional help via a mobile POS station.

Based on the Seasonality Index, several departments, especially Nursery & Gardening, are particularly seasonal. Providing checkout using mobile carts with portable power for POS to these departments during seasonal months will enhance the customer experience by making purchases possible at the point of service and eliminating time consumers spend standing in line during expected busy periods. Powered mobile carts deliver these improvements in a cost-effective manner: moving an already mobile POS is much less expensive than moving fixed POS every season or missing out on sales because of static POS systems that don’t meet the customers where they are.

Benefits of Using Mobile Carts for POS

1. Special sales anywhere in the store - Reduces restrictions of a stationary POS system. If you present a demo, customers can make a purchase at the same place.
2. Price and inventory lookup - Improves customer happiness with an immediate, on the spot, answer to price and inventory questions.
3. Sell anywhere - Removes the limitations of a stationary POS. A mobile cart POS with portable power offers an opportunity to sell anywhere.
4. Durability - Newcastle Systems’ mobile carts manufactured for the toughest conditions.
5. Choices in sending receipts - A mobile cart with portable power gives the choice of having a printer for receipts or use a tablet to email receipts. With a portable powered cart, warranties or additional information customers want can be printed on the spot.
6. Free up floor space - Using mobile carts with portable power frees up much-needed floor space being used by cash registers or customer service counters.
7. Flexibility for your sales staff - Your sales team will have more flexibility to think of creative, mobile ways to meet customers’ needs.

Products and Accessories that can be used with Mobile Powered Carts

Newcastle’s mobile carts include a portable power pack which can last 8-12+ hours. (Depending on the equipment use) This extended life battery allows any POS hardware to become mobile.  Simply add computers, printers, scanners, or other accessories on a mobile powered cart, plug them in, and you are ready to go. There are many products which might be included in a POS system. Here are a few you can utilize with mobile carts to make your POS more dynamic.

• Display
• Cash drawer
• Receipt printer
• Barcode scanner
• Label/report printer
• Mag strip reader
• Scale
• Signature pad

Which types of businesses?

Here are examples of ideal retail business scenarios which can benefit from mobile carts with portable power for their POS systems::

• Those with a large retail floor such as a garden center or home improvement warehouse. Since there is a great amount of walking involved in these stores (along with the sale of heavy items), it would be very beneficial for the sales staff to have flexible POS locations. 
  
  • For example, if a garden center is holding an outdoor event to showcase a particularly appealing product then the sales staff can be ready to help customers with purchases right at the promotion location. This will also increase last minute purchases by customers who may be leaving the store since they will not have to re-enter the garden center to purchase the extra item.

• Any business in which checkout speed is essential, or has large fluctuations in the number of transactions handled on a daily basis. Each retail location is set up to cater comfortably to a certain number customers. There are occasions when the retail floor is too small to handle the surges of customers, or major changes in popularity can change throughout the year. Such a business needs flexibility to handle the needs of their customers.

Did you know? 

 47% of customers claim they have failed to make a purchase because checkout would take too long.

Integrating mobile carts and portable power into a POS process reduce wasted steps, improve efficiency and keep employees happier.  If you see the opportunity and want to learn more, you can read the case studies here and please, feel free to contact us. We will walk through the options and benefits of creating a more flexible workplace.