Point of Sale (POS) solutions

The checkout has become an essential part of the customer journey, which now takes place both online and offline. Customers look for optimal service – including at the checkout. Above all, this means that the product names and prices printed on the receipt need to be correct and special offers need to be saved in the system. It also means that the checkout must be able to handle customer cards, staff discounts and other loyalty systems without any issues. Finally, it means that the customer must be able to settle their bills straightforwardly using the method most convenient to them. These are fundamental conditions.

Serving targeted shoppers and leisure shoppers

How you set up and configure your checkouts depends largely on your requirements and those of your customers. Do you primarily serve targeted shoppers who want to pay quickly and without any hassle? In that case, is important to focus on speed and user friendliness. Alternatively, do you want to meet the requirements of leisure shoppers who you want to keep in your store for as long as possible? If so, your POS needs to function not only as a checkout, but also as an information hub where salespeople can find information about issues such as availability, alternatives and delivery times. This hub should even provide information about the customer's purchasing behaviour.

Think borderless

Next is the fact that customer journeys are increasingly starting online. To provide your customer with a truly borderless experience, it should be possible (for example) to order a product online, collect it from one store, and then return it to another store and receive a full refund without any problems. You may even want to receive a message when a particular customer walks through the door.

Seamless integration

All these scenarios require your POS and loyalty systems to be seamlessly integrated with the other systems in your organisation. This turns your checkouts – from tablets and all-in-one to self-checkout – into a place where data is collected and where new transaction data is created. This information helps you to develop a real-time overview of your inventory status and gives you a crystal-clear understanding of your revenue.

Ctac has an excellent reputation on the retail market, including when it comes to POS solutions. Many leading retailers rely on our retail expertise and on XV Retail, our powerful hardware-independent POS solution, which is now suitable for use in eight European countries.