In the world of retail, the POS system is a crucial piece of technology. It’s the place where customers complete transactions, but in some cases, it can also be a hub for inventory management, customer data, great customer experiences, and much more. There are many POS solutions available in the market, but here we dive into a comparison of two solutions that are referred to as “Next Generation” to show how vastly different the experience and ROI can be - Shopify’s POS and Mercaux's Omni-POS.

Shopify POS is a popular choice among direct-to-consumer (D2C) retailers with small store footprints, because this simple checkout tool that allows customers to pay for products in-store. Thereafter, the value derived for this solution is quite limited, specifically around pre- or post-checkout steps, such as the CX or operational benefits the store associate experiences in inventory management. This is where Mercaux's next generation composable Omni-POS differs.

Pre- and post-Checkout

If you’re investing in POS, don't accept solutions that only offer basic checkout functionality - times have changed you should be demanding more for your investment. You should be deploying solutions that also contribute towards a better pre- and post-checkout experience, such as Mercaux's Omni-POS system. This composable solution easily digests feeds from your existing technology stack and so is able to offer additional benefits such as advanced inventory management. Additionally, Mercaux's solution is designed to enhance the overall in-store experience for customers, with features such as omnichannel product availability, digital styling, or personalised recommendations being fed into the checkout experience. This valuable in-store behaviour and purchase data also feeds back out to CDP/CRM to enhance a customer's 360 profile for after-sales care and remarketing.

By opting for an Omni-POS, you get access to inventory management, in-store CX, and the ability to create mixed baskets from different channels, all under a single checkout tool. Additionally, Mercaux's system allows retailers to fulfil orders from a variety of channels, process click & collect and smart returns. Ultimately, this offers a truly frictionless checkout experience for the customer. Let's dive into a few of these features and how they contribute to a better experience for customers and store associates:

Mixed Baskets

Contrary to being a digital-native company, Shopify POS does not allow you to create mixed baskets from different locations in-store (products from that store, other stores and online). On the contrary, Mercaux's composable platform connects to a retailer’s IMS, OMS and e-commerce systems, making it easy to access omnichannel inventory and build mixed baskets of products from different channels. This is an important feature that should not be overlooked for retailers who want to give customers what they are looking for immediately, regardless if the product is in that store. As you can imagine, easier access to products ultimately leads to bigger basket sizes (UPT) and improvements to conversion.

Flexible Fulfilment

While Shopify's fulfilment capabilities may be limited, Mercaux's integration with a retailer's existing order management system (OMS) significantly enhances these capabilities. This integration enables them to fulfil orders from multiple channels, both online and in-store, providing a seamless and efficient fulfilment experience for customers. With an Omni-POS system, retailers can manage their inventory across all channels, allowing them to fulfil orders faster and more accurately, reducing the likelihood of stockouts and improving customer satisfaction.

Checkout anywhere in-store, using any device

With Mercaux’s decomposed basket and checkout layers, you can surface the checkout process on other self-service devices or store associate devices. This means that you can unshackle the transaction from the traditional cash register to any device, eliminating the line at the fixed POS desk and giving customers the choice to checkout on their terms. This is an important feature for those who want to provide a frictionless checkout experience for their customers.

If you are interested to learn more about the impact that omni-POS has on the customer journey, download this short guide to a typical in-store journey supported by Next Gen POS.