The retail industry is highly competitive and to stay ahead, businesses must be fast. Recording and managing sales data is a huge task for retail businesses, especially when they are growing. The manual sales management process is time-consuming and laden with errors. This is where Cloud technology comes in. It makes business processes simpler.
A POS system is an essential tool for businesses that sell products. It automates the processing and tracking of transactions. Before the advent of the Cloud, retail businesses used a traditional POS consisting of bulky cash registers and computers on which data is saved. Cloud POS uses the internet to transmit data through a remote server. The software lets businesses accept orders, process payments, manage inventory, and sync all their transactions to Cloud. It runs on mobile devices, thereby saving businesses floor space to assist more customers and make more sales.
Round-The-Clock Customer Support
Although Cloud POS is easy to install, you might encounter issues while using it. The software’s training manual may not answer all your problems. You should check with your chosen vendor if they provide 24×7 customer support along with manuals and videos.
Customer Tracking
Repeat customers are key to profitability for a business. They bring in more revenue by not only making more purchases with businesses but also recommending them to more customers. Your chosen Cloud POS should be able to capture customer demographics, contact information, shopping preferences, and past purchase data. You can use this data to craft personalised marketing campaigns and offer purchase suggestions to your customers to increase their satisfaction and loyalty.
Data Synchronisation For Offline Use
Cloud POS system uses the internet to work. While it is great for mobility, it also means that the system will need continuous internet connectivity. It is also susceptible to power outages. You will not be able to use it to make sales, access sales data, or track inventory in real time during internet outages or in areas with poor internet connectivity. Offline mode is an important feature that you should look for in Cloud POS. It should be able to sync your data in real time and store it locally to enable you to use it offline and ensure business continuity.
Security
Retail businesses have a lot of sensitive information to lose, like the personal and payment details of their customers. Customers prefer to do business with brands that they trust. Since Cloud POS uses the internet to transfer data, security is a concern for businesses that use it as customer data is exposed to hackers. Malware that attacks computers can also infect Cloud POS. The software you choose should use measures like encryption to keep data safe and should enable you to grant permissions to your employees to use it.
Centralised Inventory Management
Inventory management is a challenge for retail businesses. A lot of valuable business time gets wasted when inventory is counted manually, and if inaccuracies occur in the process it results in inventory shrinkage and in turn unfulfilled orders and dissatisfied customers.
Your chosen Cloud POS should be able to provide you with a centralised real-time view of your inventory and sales. This means that when a customer makes a purchase, the software should subtract that item from your inventory list after its barcode is scanned. It should also allow you to set alerts to notify you when your stock is nearing depletion. These features will help you to save time on inventory counting, know the demand for your products, order new inventory accordingly, fulfil your orders on time, and ensure customer satisfaction.
Mobile Access
The best feature of Cloud POS is mobility. There is no physical system that needs to be installed or maintained at your store. Cloud POS is a mobile-based system that comes in the form of an app that can be downloaded and set up on mobile devices to be used. It allows you to make and manage sales from anywhere you have a Wi-Fi connection. In a world where mobile devices are taking over every aspect of people’s lives, mobile access is not just a nice-to-have feature in Cloud POS – it is a must-have.
