It’s getting easier and easier to get in and out of your favorite retail stores with new mobile technology! Retailers are going mobile in order to make it easier for shoppers to make purchases quickly and without having to stand in line!
No matter where customers are in the store, retail employees can checkout customers on a handheld touchscreen register devices which allows employees to swipe or scan credit cards, access the Internet, and print receipts; in addition to checking supply stock as well. This is why I love shopping in the Apple store, which was among the first retail stores to move away from stationary point-of-sale stations to mobile ones, starting in 2005. Meanwhile, the worldwide car-rental company Hertz, has been using handheld and portable printing devices since the late 1980s
Retailers such as Nordstrom, Urban Outfitters, and Macy’s have already jumped on the band wagon. An estimated 10.2 million checkout terminals were shipped last year and according to Craig Foster, senior analyst with ABI Research in Oyster Bay, N.Y., by 2016this will rise to over 30 percent!
This is only the beginning because mobile technology can eliminate lines outside, too. Plus, some stores already allowed registered shoppers to scan items on their cellphones through downloaded apps. The Retail Technology Association says, “We’re moving toward all-mobile.” You can walk in with your phone, scan the item to get more information, buy it right there, and walk out with proof of purchase on your screen. It’s like a train. The future is in each shopper’s phone.”
Source: Justine Griffin, McClatchy Newspapers via www.philly.com
