Raise Your Retail Game with Barcode-Scanning Smartphones
Since the onset of COVID-19, retailers have had to find new ways to engage shoppers and build better customer relationships. People who enter stores now expect more personalized service and seamless omnichannel integration between what’s happening in your store, on your website and in your warehouse.
Equipping sales associates with mobile phones that have built-in barcode scanners is an ideal way to provide customers with superior shopping experiences. Having a mobile phone alone helps your team access valuable product information, collaborate with coworkers and assist customers. But adding a barcode scanner to the mix takes things to a whole other level.
Retailers are often surprised by the ROI they can achieve by providing all-in-one barcode scanning smartphones. Let’s take a look at why this is not only a great idea, but a true gamechanger for retailers who want to please customers, grow sales and manage inventory better across different channels.
A profile of today’s shoppers
Today’s shoppers are complex. They are no longer simply going to the store, finding an item they need, comparing it to other items, making a quick decision and walking it to the checkout line.
They are on their smartphones comparing items in your store to items in other stores or on Amazon. They are buying online and expecting seamless curbside pickup. Or they are buying in-store but expecting home delivery.
The evolution of mobile barcode scanning
Since it was first used to sell ten packs of Juicy Fruit back in the ’70s, the barcode has become ubiquitous in retail checkouts. Barcode scanning allows cash registers to keep a running total of what shoppers owe, plus automatically update the store’s inventory to reflect each purchase. Today, the usefulness of barcode scanners has extended throughout the store for stocking, managing inventory and addressing complex shopper needs.
Empowering retail associates
Smartphone scanners make it easy for employees to assist customers by retrieving information about whether products are in stock or where to find them in other locations. By giving retail associates phones with built-in barcode scanners, you enable them to play a more active role in inventory management.
They simply pull out their phones and they can instantly access information that allows them to seamlessly integrate online and in-store points of sale, plus facilitate pickup and delivery options. This makes it much easier to keep tabs on inventory as it moves to different locations.
Smartphones equipped with barcode scanners also put your staff on an even playing field with shoppers whose smartphones allow them to hunt across an ‘endless aisle’ of online product options. All your associates need to do is scan an item to retrieve detailed product information, reviews and competitive information. Enabling your sales associates to do this all from a smartphone, instead of by checking on a computer database or calling other stores, turns them into experts who can act quickly to win more sales.
Versity smartphones from Spectralink
Spectralink Versity Series smartphones run barcode scanning technology that is purpose-built for retail. They are also lightweight and rugged, so they’re easy to carry around and won’t break if you drop them. Putting all of the tools sales associates need into one easy-to-use handheld device makes it faster and easier for them to engage shoppers, manage inventory across multiple sales channels and close more sales.
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