What is MPOS? - Zebra Technologies

MPOS stands for Mobile Point of Sale and consists of a handheld mobile computer that can connect to your wireless LAN, a standalone or snap-on payment ... Thissiteusescookiestoprovideanimproveddigitalexperience.Youcanlearnmoreaboutthecookiesweuseaswellashowyoucanchangeyourcookiesettingsbyclicking here. Bycontinuingtousethissitewithoutchangingyoursettings,youareagreeingtoouruseofcookies. ReviewZebra’sPrivacyStatementto learnmore. 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MPOSstandsforMobilePointofSaleandconsistsofahandheldmobilecomputerthatcanconnecttoyourwirelessLAN,astandaloneorsnap-onpaymenttransactionreaderandifon-the-spotprintingisrequired,acompactmobileBluetooth-enabledprinterthatcanbeeasilywornonabelt. Whilethemobilecomputeralonecanprovidemanydifferentfunctionstostreamlinebusinessprocesses,addingamobilepaymentreadercanenableanytime,anywherepaymentprocessingwithanytypeofcard—includingdebit,credit,loyaltyandgiftcardsaswellasNFC. MPOStechnologycanbeusedtoincreasessalesandservicequalityacrossarangeofindustries. Serviceisthefoundationofyourbusiness.Aretailercanslashprices.Arestaurantcanrolloutnightlyspecials.Astadiumcanoffercouponsforafreebeverageatasportingevent.Butattheendoftheday,thein-storeandin-restaurantcustomerexperiencetrumpsall,wherelongqueuesandpoorservicecanquicklysoureventhemostloyalcustomerrelationship.Andonefunctionthatiscrucialtothecustomerexperienceisyourlastpointofcontactduringanypurchase—yourpointofsale(POS). Thelastthingyourcustomersdobeforetheyleaveyourestablishmentistopayfortheirpurchases.Thepaymentprocessisthelastchanceyouhaveduringaparticularvisittoleaveagoodimpression,thelastchanceyouhavetoimpactthecustomerexperience.WhilecontrollingservicelevelsatthePOSiscrucial,wiredpointofsale(POS)stationsbecomechokepointsthroughwhichallcustomerpaymentsarefunneled—regardlessofwhetheryourcustomersarestandinginlineataretailstoreoramusementparkorwhetheraserverinarestaurantiswaitingtomakepaymentforthecustomer.Ascustomertrafficebbsandflows,sodothequeuesatthePOS.Duringpeakhours,customersaresubjectedtolongqueuesandlongwaittimes. Today’smobiletechnologyletsyourbusinessshedthewiresofthetraditionalcheckoutstandandacceptcustomerpaymentswhereverandwheneverneeded. Nolongerlimitedtoafixedregister,themobilePOSallowsyoutoofferyourcustomersbrandnewconveniencesthatimprovethequalityandspeedofservice.Now,paymentcanbecompletedanywhere,withvirtuallyanycard.Retailerscanprocesspaymentsonthesalesfloor,intheparkinglotoronasidewalkonarainyorcoldday,atakioskinthemiddleofamallandmore.Restaurantscanprocesspaymentsrightatthecustomer’stable.Andeventvenuescanallowpatronsinseatstopurchasefoodanddrinksviacreditanddebitcards. HowdoesMPOSwork? AmobilePOSsolutionconsistsofahandheldmobilecomputerwithapaymentcardreaderandacompactandlightweightportableprinter.Employeessimplyswipewhatevercardsarerequiredtocompletethepurchase—includingmagneticstripeandChipandPIN-basedcredit,debit,giftandloyaltycards.Thecustomer’scardinformationisencryptedandsentoverthewirelessLAN(WLAN)orwirelessWAN(WWAN)forinstantprocessingandauthorization.Oncethechargehasbeenauthorized,thecustomereithersignsonthescreenofthemobilecomputer,orenterstheirPINonthepinkeypadtocompletethetransaction.Employeescanthenprintoutafinalreceiptforthecustomer,rightonthespot.Andforaddedconvenience,employeescanevenoffertoemailacopyofthereceipttothecustomer.AndflexibleMPOStechnologycaneitherreplacethetraditionalwiredcheckoutstand,supplementwiredPOSstations,orboth. MPOSintheRetailStore MPOStechnologycanbeimplementedintheretailstoreinseveraldifferentways: Thecreationofthe‘fullserviceassociate’ WithMPOS,aretailercanreplacethewiredPOS,freeingyourassociatestocatertotheneedsofyourcustomersfromthemomenttheyenteryourstoretothemomenttheyleave—true‘servicewithadifference’. Whilemostmerchantshavetraditionalcashregisterstoaccommodatecustomerswhowishtopaybycashorcheck,allmerchantshavefoundthatMPOStechnologydeliverssignificantbenefits—fromtheeliminationofthehighcostofwiredcashwrapstothepreventionofabandonedsalesduringbusytimes,abettercustomerexperienceandincreasedloyalty.Withamobilecomputer,associatescanringupthesalerightatthepointofdecisionaswellascheckpricingandinventory,requestdeliveryofanitemthatisinthebackroom,locateandreserveanout-of-stockiteminanotherstorelocation,upselladditionalitemsandaccessories,orevenplaceanorderfornext-daydeliveryfromthestorewebsite.Serviceisfasterthaneverbeforeandtheopportunityforalostsaleisminimized. QueuebustingtoreducewaittimesatthewiredPOS Duringbusytimes,employeescanjumpinandcompletesalesrightonthespot,withpowerfullinebustingcapabilitiesthatpreventlongwaittimestopayformerchandise—andopportunitiestoabandonpurchases. TheMPOSsolutioncanbeusedtoqueuebustintwoways.SincetheMPOSprovidesacompletepaymentstation,youcanopenasmanyadditionalPOSstationsthroughoutthestoreasneededtoeliminatelongqueues. Alternatively,associatescanusethesamemobilecomputertoscantheitemsinshoppers’basketswhiletheyareinline.Oncescanningiscompleted,theassociateprintsapreliminaryreceiptwithasinglebarcodethatisgiventothecustomer.Oncethecustomerreachestheregister,theyareonlyonestepawayfromcompletingtheirpurchase.Cashierscansimplyscanthebarcodeonthepreliminaryreceipttoautomaticallyentertheentireitemizedlistofitemsintotheregisterandpresentthetotalduetothecustomer.Thetransactioniscompletedandcustomersareontheirwayinjustmoments. ThemanybenefitsofMPOSinretail MPOSprovidesmanybenefits,allowingretailersto: Delivermorepersonalizedservice. Sinceyourassociatescannowprovideyourcustomerswithtrueon-the-spotend-to-endservice,shoppinginyourstorecouldn’tbeeasierorfaster.Thereisnoshufflingofcustomersfromsalespersontocashier.Yourassociateshavetheopportunitytobuildstrongerrelationshipswithyourcustomersthatimprovecustomerloyalty.Andtheimprovedpersonalizedservicebecomespartofyourbrand,providingarealcompetitiveadvantage. Improvecustomerconvenience:anycard...anywhere. Somecustomersprefercreditcardswhileotherswanttousetheirdebitcard.Somewillpresenttheirloyaltycardstoreceivediscountsorpointsfortheirpurchase. Othersmaybepayingfortheirpurchaseswithgiftcards.WithMPOS,yourcustomershavethefreedomandflexibilitytousewhatevercardorpaymentmethodtheywish,anywhereinyourstore—includingcontactlessNFCpaymentsmadeviatheirmobilephones. Eliminatewaittimesatcheckout. WhenallyourPOSlanesareopenandwaittimesarestillunacceptable,associateswithmobilecomputerscanbedispatchedtosetupasmanyvirtualPOSstationsasneeded,anywhereinthestore.Longqueuesneverfrustrateyourcustomers.They’reinandoutasquicklyaspossible,andontotherestoftheirbusyday. Increasesales. WhilecustomersareontheirwaytothePOS,theyhavetheopportunitytoabandonthesale.Theymaychangetheirmind,decidetolookforbetterpricingorfindalongcheckoutlinedaunting.Whenassociatescanprocesspaymentrightatthe‘pointofdecision’,theopportunitytolosethesaleduringthetriptothecheckoutlaneiseliminated.Inaddition,queuebustingwithMPOScanalsohelpincreasesales.Ascustomersdiscoverthatthereisneveralongwaitinyourstore,theywillnolongerthinktwiceaboutstoppinginduringpeakshoppingtimesforfearthatthequeuesmightbetoolong.Shoppersnolongerturnaroundwithinsecondsofenteringyourstorewhentheyspotlongcheckoutqueues.Shoppersarelesslikelytoabandontheirshoppingbasketbecausetheysimplydon’thavethetimeorpatiencetokeepwaitinginline.Inadditiontoincreasingsales,the‘no-wait’checkoutlinebecomesapartofyourbrand,adifferentiatorthatsetsyouapartfromthecompetition Modifyyourstorelayouteasilyandcost-effectively. Inthefastmovingworldofretail,trendsarealwayschanging—trendsthatcanimpacthowyouwanttodesignandlayoutyourstore.MovingwiredPOSstationsisexpensive—thesestationsaretypicallyconsideredpermanentfixtures.SincetheMPOSiswireless,thereisnoneedtomovenetworkcablingorpoweroutlets.Retailersarefreetoredesignthesalesfloorwheneveritwillbestservethebusiness,abletoeasilymovedisplays,addnewdisplays,givethestoreaface-liftorreconfiguretrafficpatternsduringholidaystoimprovesalesandthecustomerexperience. Maximizethevalueofeveryinchofyoursalesfloor. Everyretailer’sgoalistoincreaseregularclientele.ButtoaccommodatemajorincreaseswithoutcreatinglongqueuesatthePOS,you’lllikelyneedmorePOSlocations.AnMPOSsolutionallowsyoutodynamicallyaddhowevermanyPOSstationsyouneed,whenyouneedthem—withoutreducingtheavailablefloorspaceforinventoryorpromotionaldisplays.TheMPOSisruggedenoughtobeusedoutdoorsinbadweathertofurtherincreaseproductivityaswellassalesandcustomerservicelevels.Forexample,inanoutdoorlot,anassociatecanhelpacustomerchooseaChristmastree,ringupthepurchaserightonthespotandloadthetreeontothecar.AndifyouchoosetoreplaceallyourwiredPOSwithMPOSstations,younolongerneedtoallocatefloorspacefordedicatedcashwraps.Insteadyougainmoremerchandizingareastohelpincreasesales—withoutleasingadditionalsquarefootageoryourrent. ReducethecostperPOS. AnMPOSismuchmorecost-effectivethanthetraditionalPOS.Therearenoregistersorcheckoutstandfixturestopurchase,norarewiringoroutletinstallationrequired.SpacepreviouslyutilizedforwiredPOSstationsexpandstheavailablesalesfloorspace,helpingincreasethemerchandisemixandyoursales.Inaddition,unlikethewiredPOSwrapstation,spareunitsaremoreaffordable,easilystockedinthebackroom.Now,amalfunctioning‘paypoint’nolongerrequiresyoutore-directcustomerstoanotherregisteroradifferentareaofthestoretopayforpurchases.Employeescansimplyretrieveaworkingunitfromthebackroomandthe‘paypoint’isbackinserviceinjustaminuteortwo. Increasesafety. Inbigboxhomeimprovementstores,customerswithlargecartsofitemssuchasdrywall,lumberandpre-hungdoorscancreateabackupatthePOS.Ascartsladenwithlargeitemsbackupintotheaislesofyourstore,othercustomersareforcedtonavigatearoundthem,creatingpotentialsafetyissues.WithanMPOSinhand,associatescandivertcustomerswithlargecartstoanareawheretheycanbesafelyrunguponthespot,creatingasaferstoreenvironmentwhileminimizingPOSqueues. MPOSintheRestaurant WhenrestaurantsputanMPOSinthehandsofservers,allthosetripstothePOSareeliminated,givingserversmoretimetofocusonwhatreallymatters...theircustomers.ServersnolongerneedtotraveltothePOSandwaitinlinetoplaceordersfordrinks,appetizers,mealsanddesserts,ortocompletepaymentattheendofameal.Andinaddition,serverscanusethewirelesshandheldcomputertoaccessawealthofinformation,fromreal-timemenuchanges,toingredientinformation,promptsthathelpensureeveryorderiscomplete,aswellastheanswertomanyquestionsthatpreviouslyrequiredatime-consumingtriptothekitchen—suchaswhetheradishisgluten-freeorcontainsnuts. ThemanybenefitsofMPOSintherestaurant.MPOStechnologyallowsrestaurateursto: Protectservicequality:ensurethelastimpressionisagoodimpression. Customersmayhaveenjoyedawonderfulmealwithgreatservice,butiftheyhavetowaitalongtimeforpaymenttobecompleted,theirlastimpressionwillhaveanegativeimpactontheoverallcustomerexperience.WithanMPOSinthehandsofyourservers,thereisneverawait.Customerssimplypresenttheircreditorgiftcardtotheserver,whohenprocessespaymentonthespot,withoutever leavingthetable.Serverscanevenswipeloyalty cardstorecordpurchasesfordiscountsorpoints.AndsincetheintegratedkeypadinMPOSdevicesallowspatronstoenteraPINrightatthetable,yourcustomerscanusedebitcardstopayforpurchases,providingmorepaymentoptions. Improvecreditcardsecurity. Withmobilepaymentprocessingatthetable,dinershavethepeaceofmindthatcomesfromneverlosingsightoftheircreditcards.Creditcardskimmingisnolongerpossible.Thecardcan’tinadvertentlybechargedtwice.Andadiner’scardwon’taccidentallyendupinthehandsofanotherguest. Increaseserverproductivity. ByeliminatingallthetripstothePOS,serverproductivityisincreased. Thesamenumberofserverscannowprovidebetterservicetomoretables,helpingcontainstaffingcostswithoutimpactingservicequality.Andatthesametime,serverscanmakemoretips,increasingjobsatisfactionandreducingturnover. Increasesales Sincetheoverallprocessofservingtablessimplytakeslesstime,serviceisfaster,enablingmoretableturnsinfastturnoverenvironments.Inaddition,asordersareenteredintothehandheldmobilecomputer,youcanpresentserverswithcomplementaryitemstosuggest.Youcanservemorecustomers,andtheaveragechecksizeisincreased. IncreasingSalesatEventVenueswithMPOS Sportsfanshavelongneededtobringamplecashalongtowatchtheirfavoriteteamplay—cashtopaytheparkingattendantandbuybeerandpeanutsattheirseat.However,thisstadiumimplementedamobilePOSsolution,givingfanstheaddedconveniencetousedebitandcreditcardstoincreaseseat-sidesales.Now,purchasescanbemadeanywhereinthepark—eveninless-than-favorableweatherconditions.Andkioskssellingicecream,popcorn,drinksorsouvenirscanbepositionedandevenmovedduringthegametohelpmaximizesales. BenefitsofMPOS Inaworldthatgrowsmoremobileeveryday,theMPOSsolutionisanaturalevolutionforPOStechnology.Withmobility,youcanbreakfreefromthewiresthatlimitthetraditionalPOS,allowingyoutoenableallorpartofthetransactionprocesswhereverneededtoimproveandpreserveservicequality—fromcompletepaymentprocessingtopre-scanningitemsinthebasketsofshoppersinline. MPOSalsooffersanothervalue—unlikethePOS,itisnotapointsolution.ThehandheldmobilecomputerthatisattheheartoftheMPOSisamulti-functiondevicethatcanservemanypurposes.Inadditiontoallowingemployeestoringuppurchasesandaccesssales-relatedinformation,thatsamedevicecanbeutilizedafterhourstotakeinventory,conductshelfaudits,executemarkupsandmarkdowns,reconcileandprocessincomingshipments,alterelectronicsignageandevenenabletwo-waypush-to-talk(PTT)communicationsbetweenworkerswithotherZebramobiledevices.Thenumberofdevicesyouneedtopurchaseandmanageisreduced.Thenumberofdevicesyourworkersneedtocarryandmanageisreduced.Andyougetasingledeviceyoucanputtoworkeveryminuteofthebusinessday—aninvestmentwitharapidreturn. ExploreZebra'sPointOfSaleSolutions LearnMore ZebraTagsReport