The Advantages of Socialised Digital POS

Keeping track of the latest social trends is pretty much a full time job in itself, so, stay tuned to Miappi and we’ll do our best to keep you in the loop.

One industry advancement that hasn’t gone unnoticed is the rise, and near ubiquity, of location-based technology. As yet, location-based social media is still an untapped resource. There are huge opportunities out there, particularly for retailers, for location-based technology to drive their point-of-sale (POS) promotions.

Plenty of retailers are dipping their toes into the world of socialised, digital POS, offering discounts and vouchers to prospective customers as they walk by. But there is so much more a socialised POS can do.

Turning engagement into conversions

Currently, the conversion aspect of social media isn’t anywhere near where it should be. Businesses are increasingly finding new ways to leverage social media data to engage, inform and interact with their customers, but there’s still one important thing missing, and that’s sales.

The integration of social networks with point-of-sale (POS) systems is one of the most promising opportunities for retail outlets, restaurants, hotels and just about every business with a high street presence.

In most shops, you can check in on Foursquare or Facebook Places. If you then end up making a purchase, the POS system will be aware of the sale, but not of the social profile of the buyer. The real potential of a socialised digital POS system is unlocked when the store uses your social profile to understand other key information. This includes who you are with, how long it has been since you were last in the store, what purchases you made etc.

Once the store makes this connection, it can then offer the most relevant products as close to the point-of-sale as possible. This can include special deals and discounts for the exact products the customer intends to buy.

The advantages of a socialised digital POS system

• Timeliness – You can send offers and discounts direct to your customers when you know they are shopping in your area.
• Relevance – You can send discounts and offers to known customers for products they have bought from your shop before.
• Measurability – You can measure unique trends over time and track precisely how your actions and engagement efforts influence customers and improve sales.
• Targeting – A socialised point-of-sale allows you to target each customer individually with offers that are specific to them.
  
• Responsiveness – Monitoring your customers’ and your competitor’s customers’ conversations is an important part of any effective socialised POS. If a customer says they have left a voucher for a competitor’s store at home, that’s your chance to send a direct tweet to the customer with your own voucher.

Take back control 

Bringing together social media and point-of-sale promotions, once two distant stars in the marketing universe, is your chance to turn engagement into sales and have a direct impact on your bottom line. Take a look at what Miappi can do and REQUEST A DEMO today.