When Apple AAPL -0.54% began using mobile devices in their stores, people in retail started paying attention. According to a recent study from research firm IHL Group, 28 percent of North American retailers plan to adopt Mobile POS in some form by the end of 2013. The Mobile POS market will surpass $2 Billion in hardware/software sales in North America this year.
Clarification: This data is not consumer point of sales transaction value, but sales of POS equipment hardware and software.
Overall, mobile in retail is now a $5.7 Billion business worldwide and continues to grow rapidly. It is the single fastest moving trend in retail since Internet was added to the stores, according to IHL Group.
The report summary also stated that more retailers, however, are not planning to install Mobile POS at all within the next 3 years (33 percent). Naturally, the adoption of a mobile POS solution is dependent on the type of retailer and volume of transactions, but I am drawing a blank for a retail environment that could not benefit from some mobility. See link in resources below for the report blog post, which is all I read — the report is not free. But you can download a free preview.
But you do not have to be Apple to turn an iPad into a cash register in your business. The iPad on its own, with free or premium apps, can serve as a full-blown POS (point of sale) system for small and large businesses. If you have not been to a farmer’s market recently, take a look at all the merchants who can now take more than cash. Add a Square credit card reader or one from Intuit INTU +0.93%, and you are a mobile retail machine.
Years ago, I worked with a wireless software company that was building a mobile point of sale solution for wireless handhelds. They were ahead of their time — having to use ruggedized handhelds from Symbol and Intermec IN -0.2% and integrating with proprietary systems. But today, you can do all of that and more with an iPad. There are plenty of stories of how iPads and tablets, in general, are making their way beyond email or web surfing on the couch or using a tablet to show photos, but it is a serious profitability tool.
As a product reviewer, I see a lot of useless mobile stuff (to be candid) and I have seen no shortage of iPad stands, iPad cases, iPad accessories. Many are useful, some are definitely not. But I love this newest one on Kickstarter: MagBak, the World’s Thinnest iPad Mount. Elegant and brilliant are words that come to mind and it is already over-funded. I sure hope they make versions that will do the same for a variety of smartphones, too. Hint: I have an S3, S4, and Nexus 4 and would buy one of these… The reason I included this mount, however, is it makes for an even more functional point of sale system. Put up a magnet mount in your food truck, kiosk, or retail store and you have an impressive modern cash register.
The iPad can change your business processes. If there is not an app, you can get one custom built or build it yourself. The team at Sweb Development is working on custom apps, but also has a platform for building your own (on iOS or Android). Or look at the FileMaker platform that lets you custom develop your own, too. As most Forbes readers know, the iPad is not only a consumer device for fun gaming or watching videos; it is a robust business machine that can help you serve customers and get more work done out in the field or on the shop floor.
More Resources:
The use of tablets (iPad and Android-powered) is growing fast with shipments increasing at a rate of 38 percent in 2013 according to the IHL Group report Mobile POS: Hype to Reality.
I shared a few reasons in a post last year on Why Your Business Needs iPads at American Express AXP +0.35% OPEN Forum.
USAToday reported on a few unique businesses leveraging the iPad.
If you cannot bear the idea of hanging a naked iPad on the wall or leaving it on the retail counter, then check out this very cool handmade wooden register box from Happy Owl Studio called the Cashbox. LINK
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