Although the US economic slump still threatens to impact retail sales growth in 2012, the retail industry is expected to grow at a rate faster than many other industries, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). And, if the activity at this year’s annual NRF Convention & Expo is any indication of that growth, the outlook for 2012 is definitely encouraging. Clearly, New York City’s Javits Center was teeming with retailers who were seeking new technology solutions and mobile was definitely leading the way.
From our perspective, mobile has progressed to the point where retailers are determined to bring the same enticing “Apple” experience into their stores with the lure of mobile technology. Whether it’s a line-busting mobile POS solution or retail clienteling apps on tablets, many of our customers are fairly certain which mobile technology they want to deploy; It’s figuring out the crucial “next steps,” like integration, security, and choosing an MDM platform, that many continue to find challenging.
When it comes to integration, it’s important that your POS software and back office applications utilize the same architecture and business objects along with kiosk, catalog and e-commerce. In order to keep consumers engaged and loyal, it’s crucial that they receive a seamless experience no matter which channel they’re using. And, as more consumer touch points emerge, the more concerns there are about maintaining the security of business transactions in a cloud computing environment.
There seemed to be a lot of buzz about this topic, in particular, at the show last week, so it’ll be interesting to see how it evolves over the coming months.
So, we want to know: Is your business currently deploying a mobile retailing solution? If so, what were some of the challenges you experienced when deploying? Take our LinkedIn poll below or join our LinkedIn group, Retail tekSPERTS and receive some valuable feedback from other retail professionals. We’re always online, so if you’d rather just stay up-to-date on the latest developments in retail/hospitality technology, you can always follow us on Twitter @tekservePOS or connect with us on Facebook.
John Pruban, President, tekservePOS
