Delivering an optimum customer experience is fundamental within the current retail landscape which is becoming increasingly more crowded and competitive. However, when considering the customer experience, it’s important to understand each stage and your customers’ sentiments towards what you offer. During a customer’s shopping journey, the checkout process can often make or break the entire experience. Dealing with long queues is a hassle for everyone involved. Whether you’re stuck waiting or causing the hold-up, it’s frustrating. System errors, incorrect pricing, and slow service can all lead to unpleasant checkout experiences. 

According to Statista, 66% of consumers worldwide have occasionally, frequently or almost always experienced issues with long queues in-store. This could potentially result in abandoned purchases and negative brand image. Many retailers utilize discounts and sales to attract new customers in-store but as a result, these occasions often lead to the busiest period for retailers and not having the right solutions in place at the point of sale (POS) can lead to an overall negative experience. 

With consumer demands continuing to change, retailers need to ensure they are delivering a customer-focused POS experience. With help from the latest technologies such as mobile POS, RFID-powered self-checkout, now is the time for brands and retailers to supercharge their POS. 

The Role of RFID-Powered Self-Checkout In Speeding Up The Checkout Process

According to Statista, when presented with the option of self-checkout or cashier, 60% of consumers in the US prefer to check out with a cashier. This may be due to some of the underlying challenges that appear in older self-checkout systems such as errors scanning barcodes and then the need for store associates to intervene anyway. With issues like these slowing down the checkout process, these systems became more of a hindrance than an advantage to shoppers due to delivering a poor user experience.

However, with the latest developments in self-checkout systems, the technology has vastly eliminated these issues. RFID-powered self-checkout systems are gaining prominence within retail as they no longer rely on consumers manually scanning barcodes but have the ability to automatically scan entire baskets at once. 

Retailers that have deployed these systems, tag each of their products with RFID tags which are automatically scanned by RFID readers at checkout. The consumer places their basket in the scanning area and within seconds the system scans all the contents making the checkout process more efficient and user friendly, elevating the overall retail experience. 

Providing Flexibility With Mobile POS

Having limited designated in-store checkout areas leads to long queues and crowding. Most of the time these checkout tills are mandated by a very limited number of staff, resulting in slower service and unsatisfied customers. While adding more staff to checkout areas may seem like the ideal solution, this can impact wider store operations when all staff are focused on working the POS. 

To eliminate the challenge of slow-moving queues in store, mobile POS technology is gaining more recognition among retailers due to providing flexible POS solutions via portable devices such as phones or tablets. Mobile POS technology ensures regular checkout functions can still be carried out on the move. This newfound flexibility enables staff to conduct transactions from anywhere on the shopfloor, while continuing with their other tasks. With the help of revolutionary technology, retailers can deliver seamless and speedy checkout experiences to their customers during busy periods. 

Deploying Integrated Technology For Unparalleled Benefits

Sales and offers are often utilized by retailers as a way to attract new customers and keep existing ones engaged with the brand. While heavily discounted products can incentivize customers, having to stand in long queues to checkout can be severely displeasing and may cause certain shoppers to abandon their journey. Most delays are caused because staff are manually adding discounts at checkout, which can be extremely time-consuming, especially during busy shopping events. 

Deploying integrated technology at checkout terminals that can automatically apply discounts and offers can deliver unparalleled benefits, helping retailers follow an all-encompassing approach. These solutions eliminate the need for staff to manually add them during transactions, speeding up checkout times immensely. Streamlined systems mean staff can serve customers with a click of a button allowing them to shift their focus on interacting with customers instead of manually applying offers and discounts, providing an enhanced customer experience. 

Ending On A Good Note

Consumer demands have continued to change, and retailers must remain adaptive in order to keep up with these demands. Brands and retailers are investing heavily in attracting customers in-store through the incentives of product discounts and personalized deals. However, with so much investment in trying to convince customers to shop in-store, retailers need to ensure they have flexible and effective POS solutions that meet the needs of customers. 

The checkout process plays an important role in any customer’s retail journey, issues at this stage could cause individuals to abandon their baskets. Providing a customer-focused POS solution from start to finish will help retailers optimize sales and convert newly acquired customers into retained customers.

About the author

Amber Hovious, is the VP of marketing & Partnerships at Teamwork Commerce. Amber has been part of the Teamwork Commerce family for 7 years, building out the marketing strategy, business growth and approach as well as cultivating a wide array of partnership relationships to drive long-term success.