Contactless shopping refers to a safe way for customers to purchase items using debit, credit, smart cards, or other payment methods. These methods integrate radio frequency identification (RFID) and near-field communication technology (NFC). It is highly recommended that retailers opt for contactless payment methods in order to improve customer satisfaction.
Why is contactless shopping the future of retailers?
Commuters are now allowed to pay for street parking with a tap-and-go system. Fast food can now be paid for with facial recognition. And in-car payment systems allow shoppers to make transactions without ever leaving their cars.
Like contactless shopping, consumers can use their debit or credit cards with RFID technology or other payment devices to make purchases. And certainly, there is no physical contact required.
Although contactless payment takes time and effort to be developed and adopted popularly and now the global pandemic adds to the pressure. In the recent market, many retailers are in the race to adopt contactless payment in their sales process.
To be more detailed, this is how a contactless payment method works. Customers are required to bring their personal smartphone near a POS terminal after inserting credit card information into their digital wallet app—such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, Fitbit Pay, WeChat Pay, Alipay, etc. The terminal uses near-field communication (NFC) and a short-range implementation of RFID to read the information about the customer’s wallet.
How contactless shopping benefited the retail industry during Covid19?
The majority of customers who have experienced contactless shopping will approve that technology helps them save a considerable amount of time at the cash register. Additionally, contactless payment is considered a potentially life-saving technology in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic since customers do not have to physically interact with any terminal and reduce the risk of being infected.
According to a new study, 27% of small business survey respondents have seen a rise in customers paying with their cell phones or contactless cards. These investments are not inexpensive for retailers, but contactless systems will help them minimize checkout time, boost sales, and shorten counter lines. The New York Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) has already implemented contactless payment systems in every station in the Bronx, as an example. By the end of the year, they should be installed in every MTA station and bus.
POS – the beginning of the journey
Point-of-sale (POS) systems are becoming greatly powerful which provides a higher level of versatility and intelligence for retail businesses than ever before. Traditional cash registers and credit card readers have been phased out in favor of tablet and cloud-based POS systems. This development has been greatly supporting retailers to manage their business as well as thrive in this competitive market.
Self-service kiosk is another highlight development when adopting POS system. The self-service market was reportedly valued at USD 28.01 billion in 2020. According to recent reports, 40% of customers prefer self-service over human interactions. 77% of consumers believe valuing their time with self-service is the best way to provide a good experience.
Many technology companies are offering POS systems with an array of other helpful features. Take ConnectPOS – a leading POS system in the recent market – as an example.
ConnectPOS is able to synchronize data across different platforms and warehouses instantly. This feature helps retailers to digitalize the behaviors of customers and track data in real-time at every touchpoint, which contributes to creating better customer experience.
This solution also provides retailers with many new possibilities with omnichannel experiences by allowing more payment and pick-up-item options as well as recognizing certain groups of customers for different purposes.
Final thought,
Perhaps contactless shopping takes time and effort to be developed and adopted popularly. Yet, the benefits that retailers can receive from this development may be much greater than they can expect. ConnectPOS has been supporting more than 1,000 businesses worldwide in preparation for a contactless future. We offer a 14-day free trial for any businesses that are paying attention to the outstanding solution. So, contact us now to experience our globally standard POS solution!
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