Whether you’re a retailer or restauranteur, bringing customer experience to the next level is a linchpin when it comes to fostering your company’s growth. This is why implementing a powerful POS is crucial to unlock your business’s full potential.

While there are plenty of tried and tested POS solutions in the market, customer demands constantly change, which prompt developers to incorporate new functions that keep up with the times. Below are some POS software trends that you should watch out for and try yourself:

1. Cloud-based POS

One of the largest developments in pos technology is the ability to host your system via cloud. According to Forbes, cloud-based POS software is amassing the market’s interest and adoption, thanks to significant advantages in expenses, usability, flexibility and performance.

It’s true. A cloud-based POS system offers both mobility and versatility. For instance, you want to find out when your enterprise’s slow season falls. Your POS system can determine the exact dates for you, thanks to past sales reports stored in the cloud.

Because data is also saved online, this enhances your system’s security, making it more robust against the most dangerous mobile security threats. Information is saved efficiently and automatically on the cloud, so you no longer have to break a sweat about back-ups.

2. Integration with other systems

Integrated POS solutions fuse the advantages of a sophisticated cash register and completely combines it with the back-office system. A fully integrated POS system will oversee both transaction and inventory, which means that all related data to client and stock information can be retrieved from a central database, which is run and updated by an enterprise resource planning system.

As stocks are sold, levels are simultaneously updated, which results in more productive stock holding management. This trend also works for organizations with multiple branches. Such grasp over inventory dodges stock shortages, which leads to lost sales and customers. As a bonus, reports and analytics on stock sales can also be released with information regarding bestsellers, seasonal demands as well as other relevant information.

As for customer information, an integrated POS paves way for loyalty programs and special offers to be awarded to particular customers. Everything about POS is centred on enhancing customer relations. Connecting customers in the system also enable enterprises to extract consumer data, which leads to more effective advertising, enhanced company-customer relations, ensured customer satisfaction and customer retention.

3. Strategic staff management

Modern pos systems have cutting-edge features that provide advantageous gains on superintending staff. POS software trends that focus on mobility are vital since mobile apps exist to enhance staff interaction.

Empowering your employees to regulate their shifts and schedule through an easy-to-use platform grants them a better work-life balance. This is especially important since employee loyalty is declining. According to Tiny Pulse, 43% of workers are inclined to leave their jobs for a 10% salary raise, due to feeble company cultures. 

Organizing staff schedules to keep up with peaks and valleys of customer flux will guarantee that you’re fully staffed during busy periods while seeing minimal inactive time during slow periods. This also makes distributing payroll easier and should provide you monitoring capacity to make sure there are no missed hours.

For restauranteurs, modern pos systems can easily integrate production metrics for staff, from working hours in comparison to serviced tables to transactions completed during their shift, which grants you a better grip on staff costs while encouraging them to exert their best performance.

4. Mobile or tablet POS

Of all POS software trends, this rises on top of the list, especially when it comes to restaurants. Driven by an increased motive to enhance customer service, expand sales and cut down costs, restaurateurs are applying mobile or tablet-based pos solutions to broaden service range and upgrade traditional terminals.

The future of POS terminals lies in tablet-based pos. When equipped with these devices, diners’ orders can be swiftly and directly transmitted from table to kitchen. Customers can also use these tablets to review their orders on their tables. Rather than handing their cash or card to a server and going through the front counter, patrons can also relish in the convenience brought by the pos solutions’ pay-at-the-table feature. Servers can also finish transactions tableside or diners can accomplish the task themselves if the tablets are integrated on their tables.

5. Increased control over inventory

One of the most important POS software trends includes inventory management. Most modern POS systems allow users to organize purchase taxes and construct divisions, inventory items, storage points and vendors. They also grant them the power to create and oversee acquisition orders, invoices, transfers, consumption, opening stock, file status as well as stock number. Besides this, stock posting processes and stock modifications can be done with a simple tap of a finger.

Don’t miss out

Old pos models are still useful, but because customer demands change, they can be quite restrictive for your business. Remember that your focus should be creating a unique customer experience so that your enterprise can only go nowhere but up. Make sure you don’t miss any of these trends and that you critically appraise and productively allocate your resources to prepare for them.

Are you looking for a most modern POS software for your restaurant business? Check out IvyPlex, a lightweight, Android POS based on the latest cloud technology and specially designed for restaurants and food courts.