Mobile Point-of-Sale Apps: Redefining the Retail Industry

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Mobile Point-of-Sale Apps: Redefining the Retail Industry

Over the past few weeks we’ve discussed apps that are used internally in the retail industry for the inventory management, procurement and self checkout processes. Today we’re going to tackle mobile point-of-sale apps, and discuss how they are changing the game in the retail industry.

Traditional vs. modern mobile point-of-sale systems

In the past, point-of-sale systems included the large and expensive hardware we’ve become familiar from retail enviornments. In just the last few years, new and innovative tablet and smartphone-based point-of-sale systems have emerged that are heavily disrupting this space. The expensive and overly-complex point of sale systems of the past are slowly being replaced by these much more cost effective and user friendly mobile systems. Both Scandit’s Barcode Scanner SDK and Product API act as essential components in the development of these apps.

Mobile Point of Sale Apps

Many mobile payment apps available on the market present a simple and sleek way to accept payments. By simply downloading an app, anyone can turn their phone or tablet into a cash register. To turn these mobile payment apps into fully fledged “mobile point-of-sale solutions”  for small and medium retailers, the peripheral devices of traditional point-of-sale systems need to be added to the feature set. With the latest mobile technologies, these peripheral can be effectively emulated virtually, thereby turning tablet-based mobile payment solutions into comprehensive mobile point-of-sale and mobile marketing solutions. For example, a merchant can scan a barcodes (to sum up individual items or redeem voucher codes) directly through a tablet or smartphone-based camera, replace receipt printers with SMS and email receipts, process item returns, incorporate customer loyalty programs and import their products to store inventory levels. This new, backpack-sized revolution puts the power of point-if-sale into the hands of every business owner. These tablet and smartphone-based point-of-sale systems deliver technology once reserved for large and established retailers, and make it available to businesses of all shapes and sizes.

Scandit’s Product API provides developers with access to a database with over 25 million product codes, helping to on-board merchants more quickly, backfill inventory databases, sum up and check inventory levels of products or get access to extended warranties.Mobile point-of-sale systems also drastically reduce hardware and labor costs for retailers. Powered by Scandit’s technology, both the front and back-facing cameras on the phone can replace the traditional laser scanner, delivering a sleek and familiar technology. Scandit’s Product API also provides developers with access to a database with over 25 million product codes, helping to backfill databases and identify products. What’s more, our innovative blurry barcode scanning technology and full screen scanning capabilities helps to save battery through faster scanning, and also supports all code types.

Build a Point-of-Sale App

So you’re convinced, it’s time to build an app. What needs to happen next?

1) Decide if you want to use an existing solution (like ZingCheckout), hire a solution provider to build one, or build one in house.

2) Decided which platforms you’d like the app to run on.

3) Assess which systems you need the app to work with. Do you use an integrated retailing system? What kind of database does the app need to make changes to inventory? (Our Product API is perfect for building out your product database)

4) Identify the features you need, and find the best software components for the job.
(Our Barcode Scanner SDK is perfect for a point-of-sale solution).

5) Build and test your app (or watch it being built).

6) Deploy and Enjoy.

Need help making a decision? Our sales staff is here to help. Contact us for more information.