Motorola Solutions has released a report that shows an increasing interest from retail, hospitality and field service industries for mobile Point of Sale (mPOS) solutions as a core strategy for improving customer service. About 66 percent of retail respondents said they were interested in mPOS, while 42 percent of retail respondents are currently piloting or starting trials within the next 36 months. The majority are focused on using mPOS for sales associates on the store floor or line-busting, according to the study conducted from December 2011 to February 2012, targeting 541 full-time employees in the retail, hospitality and field service industries in North America, the United Kingdom, France and Germany.

Retailers are embracing mPOS pilots and trials to eliminate the high cost of traditional cash registers and accept customer payments, including magnetic stripe and chip and PIN-based credit, debit, gift and loyalty cards, as well as near field communications (NFC) payments via mobile phone — wherever and whenever needed, according to a press release. Fifty-five percent of those surveyed even plan to incorporate the ability to take cash as part of their mPOS operations.

Other key finding included that:

• More than 71 percent that  indicated interest in mPOS are using or planning to use it to improve customer service and also intend to provide access to inventory management (51 percent), pricing (48 percent) and merchandise returns (42 percent) applications.
• In December 2011, Motorola's holiday shopper survey found that one-third of store visits ended with an average of $125 unspent due to missed opportunities to purchase. The survey also found that inefficient payment processes were one of the leading contributors to those lost sales. More than 43 percent of shoppers agreed that their shopping experience improved when store associates used mPOS devices.
• 16 percent of surveyed retailers currently have an mPOS solution deployed, while less than 9 percent have completely mobile or portable checkout systems.
• On average, retail respondents anticipated replacing more than 36 percent of their fixed POS as a result of migrating to an mPOS.

"As retailers battle for shoppers' hearts and wallets, mPOS serves as a valuable tool that can help turn browsing into buying. When the power of mPOS is in the hands of every retail associate, shopping becomes an experience and associates are always in a position to make the sale," said Michelle Crissey, customer solutions lead, Motorola Solutions.

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