Could an Automated POS Improve The Checkout Process? 7 Features For Customer Satisfaction

As we enter a competitive retail world, the little changes often make the biggest difference.

While many brands focus on capturing consumer attention as they enter the store, they often forget about the most important step of the buyer journey: the checkout process.

Automating the checkout process is essential as your business grows. With the right POS system at hand, you save your employees countless time and effort as they serve long lines of customers.

In fact, the benefits associated with a modern point-of-sale system are endless. From a diverse range of payment options to the ability to store consumer data for smart predictions about future conversions. Electronic POS systems are changing the checkout game.

With this in mind, we’ve compiled a list of seven simple ways you can improve customer satisfaction when you switch to an automated checkout in 2024.

Introducing An Automated POS

A POS, is also known as a point-of-sale. It is the crucial moment a consumer completes payment for a product or service and is also known as the checkout stage.

Your POS system facilitates this payment. However, today, a POS system does so much more than that. With the ability to use purchase data to create detailed sales reports and enhance inventory management, POS systems play a crucial role in the success of your customer-facing business.

For retailers in particular, automated and mobile POS systems are becoming extremely popular post-pandemic. In fact, the global retail POS market is expected to exceed $34.4 billion by 2026.

Can An Automated POS Boost Customer Satisfaction?

The answer is yes. Automated POS systems improve consumer satisfaction for several reasons. They can seamlessly facilitate multiple forms of payment and allow for a fuss-free checkout process.

From improved efficiency to enhanced security, they benefit both the company and the consumer.

Here are seven ways to use your automated POS system to improve your customer satisfaction.

1. Improving Customer Experience

First things first, let’s discuss the customer experience as a whole. Automated POS systems aim to provide customers with a smooth checkout process and are brilliant at enhancing the customer experience.

Self-serve POS points, such as self-checkout kiosks, for example, enable customers to process their own checkout. This offers a more convenient option for those on the go.

Did you know that automated POS systems also tap into historic consumer purchasing data and can personalise the checkout process with exclusive offers and loyalty offers? These all improve a consumer’s experience with the brand and keep them coming back for more.

2. Speed and Efficiency

If your brand has an automated point of sale, you instantly speed up the delivery of your checkout process.

You reduce the minutes your customers spend waiting in line and ensure that they enjoy faster transactions.

Better still, automated POS systems speed up the scanning process by reducing potential manual input errors.

3. Minimising Human Error

Automated POS systems take the pressure off of cashiers when it comes to checking out.

For example, instead of manually entering a price, automated checkouts enable barcode scanning, ensuring that prices are accurate and customers are charged correctly.

With accurate transactions under your belt, you build consumer trust. Moreover, some automated POS systems also contain integrated inventory management features that ensure that stock is well maintained to ensure that customer favourites are in stock.

4. Real-Time Analytics

Once a customer has completed a translation, an automated POS system collects data from each purchase in real time.

Image Source: Epos Now

This data can then be turned into an analytic report that tracks sales patterns and informs decisions on inventory management, peak shopping times, and customer preferences.

Gathering as much data about your consumers as possible ensures that they receive a tailored experience with your brand and are offered specific offers and discounts based on their personalised purchasing history.

5. Flexible Payment Options

Investing in an electronic point-of-sale system, also known as an EPOS, enables you to facilitate the most up-to-date payment methods.

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These include credit/debit cards, Google/Apple Pay, and all forms of contactless payments, including those from a smartphone or Apple watch. Offering more payment options can increase your retail sales and significantly improve customer satisfaction.

Better still, if you opt for a mobile POS, you facilitate payments on the go. For example, if you’re a pop-up shop, you’re much more likely to drive conversions if your customers can pay by card.

6. Improved Security

All automated POS systems come with up-to-date security features, such as end-to-end encryption and secure login procedures that all staff members must follow.

Not only does this protect company data, but fortifying your checkout security builds trust with the consumer, improving satisfaction.

Better still, automated POS systems even update their own security features, meaning you have one less thing to worry about as a retailer.

7. Integration with Loyalty Programs

Last but not least, let’s talk about loyalty. Did you know that an automated POS system can seamlessly integrate with a brand’s store loyalty program?

As the POS software collects purchase data, it can automatically apply rewards and discounts to customer purchases. This reduces the need for physical member cards and keeps the customer coming back.

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One great example of an automated POS loyalty program comes from Hollister. Their Gilly Hicks loyalty program is instantly accessed via the in-store checkouts and allows users to collect ‘Club Cali’ points every time they make a purchase.

The Key to Long-Term Satisfaction

It’s no surprise that retail POS is on the rise. Automating your checkout process is the key to long-term consumer satisfaction.

From integrated loyalty programs to building custom trust with state-of-the-art payment security, the sky is the limit for automated POS software.