Covid-19 is boosting use of mobile POS

It’s no surprise in this day and age, that everything’s going mobile. We are glued to our devices and count on them to make life easier. Global pandemic aside, advances in technology have made it easier for all kinds of business to be more easily conducted on smaller form factors, particularly in retail.

Retailers are looking for technology to help them navigate the challenges raised by Covid-19 and make up for the losses they had during lockdown periods. Everyone from grocers and supermarkets to apparel and hospitality providers are using mobile technology to accelerate and encourage in-store transactions.

Mobile Scan-Pay-Go
To minimize physical contact in a retail store, mobile scan-pay-and go functionality can provide a fast and efficient shopping experience.  Shoppers can scan the product they want, add it to their cart, and pay through their device or using a self-checkout or attended lane.

So, let’s look at a real retail example of a Mobile Scan-Pay-Go solution. Flooid worked with a major multinational retailer known for its apparel, home and food products on its digital first strategy. This work was started pre-Covid, but the impact and importance of the solution has been highlighted by the current state of the world during the pandemic. The retailer wanted to provide customers with a checkout-free way to pay. Reducing waiting times in peak periods and freeing-up both staff and physical store space by reducing the number of checkout points were other objectives.

The project initially started as a mobile payment trial in a handful of London stores, but the trial was so successful that it is now rolling out rapidly to more locations in more geographies. Under the trial, customers registered with the retailer loyalty program and were able to use the retailer’s app to scan items and pay initially on an iPhone, with an Android option to follow in the near future. A barcode is generated as proof of purchase.

Here are just a few highlights:

• The project was scoped and delivered in just three months
• In trials, 20% of transactions are now made using this mobile technology
• In the same store, an average of 170 items are purchased through the app every hour
• Buying history is also tracked, allowing for personalised offers

The six-month trial has proved so successful a much larger rollout is being planned with an accelerated timeframe because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Covid-19 has changed how we shop and the team at Flooid is here to partner with you in navigating those changes. Whether using a Scan Pay Go approach as illustrated in the real-world example above or by using Flooid Mobile POS, Flooid offers expertise to provide convenient, fast transactions that improve the customer journey, while supporting social distancing. Moreover, we can help minimize interactions between staff and customers allowing retailers to add payment points anywhere in the store. Mobile checkout solutions can support social distancing and can even give you the power to reduce lines and waiting or to add in-demand customer options like curbside pickup.

Interested in exploring options around mobile? We’re here to help!