By Richard HEITMANN, International Sales Director, AURES UK
We live in an increasingly mobile world, and it seems that nothing stands still in one place anymore. This even applies to till systems, where the very name ‘point of sale’ suggests a fixed spot where people go to pay for goods and services in a store.
But breaking the mold of the traditional checkout, Mobile POS (or M-POS) is getting sales and service moving. By running EPOS software on a tablet or even on a smartphone, charities and not-for-profits can get the benefits of greater flexibility, whether they are running retail outlets or are out on the campaign trail.
Let’s dig a little deeper into how and why taking EPOS mobile can provide a boost to charities.
Revamp service
It is sometimes said that M-POS turns ‘point of sale’ into ‘point of service’. Armed with a touchscreen device that contains detailed information on stock, pricing, your latest campaign figures and priorities, forthcoming events and so on, your staff and volunteers have everything they need at their fingertips to provide great service anywhere in the store. And, should they need to, they can also make a sale there and then, which is especially useful as busy times when there are queues at the till.
Get out and about
One of the big benefits of M-POS is that you are not restricted by location. If you are running or attending a fundraising event and want to sell some goods to generate a little extra revenue, no problem – just take your M-POS device with you and you have a ready-made digital till.
Never miss out on Gift Aid
One of the drawbacks of selling goods away from your store is that it can mean missing out on Gift Aid donations. Modern EPOS software for charities will calculate and account for Gift Aid automatically, but if you are at an event elsewhere, all of that would have to be logged by hand. With an M-POS tablet, you can run the same software you use in your shops, and Gift Aid can be applied to every sale as normal.
Sign up more donors
As already noted, M-POS tablets are not just useful for processing sales. They help charity operators with general service too, and that includes signing people up as donors or as supporters of specific campaigns. Sometimes when you get talking to someone in store and ask them if they would like to become a donor, that small gap caused by having to head over to the till to the checkout area to fill out a form or have their details inputted into the computer is enough to put them off. With an M-POS terminal, you can sign them up there and then, and of course, you can take the tablets out on the campaign trail too.
Make stock taking simpler
Stock taking can be a real chore when you have to pull every item off the shelves and carry them over to the EPOS terminal or a computer in the back room to update inventory logs. M-POS means you don’t have to do any of that, your staff or volunteers can carry the handsets around with them and log all the information they need without anything leaving the shelves.
If you would like any further information or advice on Mobile POS, its functionality/benefits to your business or indeed just information on a specific AURES M-POS product such as the new TMC 7000 or the SWING. Please email: marketing-uk@aures.com or call us on 01928 599 966.