Supercharging Customer Relationship Management with a mPOS System

The physical benefits of a mobile point-of-sale (mPOS) – speed, payment flexibility, and line elimination – are apparent, but what may be overlooked are the customer service opportunities made available by the mPOS, which could be transformative for a business when it comes to customer relationship management (CRM). Retailers using mPOS systems have the ability to reduce friction associated with implementing a CRM strategy, and the benefits of doing so are growing and may help retailers to keep a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Making it Personal

In early 2016, Millennials surpassed Baby Boomers as America’s largest generation[1], and catering to this audience is a necessity for many businesses. Among the many differences between Millennials and Baby Boomers is a desire for personalization in their shopping experiences[2], which includes products as well as the way that those products are marketed. A well-executed CRM strategy is one way that a retailer can meet this demand.

“Having the ability to quickly identify customer service opportunities can really put retailers in a competitive spot,” said Amy Parsons, Head of Global Commerce at Discover. “The mPOS allows employees to quickly assist the customer, cut down on checkout times, and most importantly, leaves the customer feeling that they’ve been heard and understood. It’s a great way to drive loyalty and return business efficiently.”

So what makes mPOS so valuable to a business? With mPOS, employees can quickly reference customer opt-in preferences on items such as product likes, brands, and other available promotions, as well as shipping and payment information to facilitate a faster checkout. They can also shift processing to an online order quickly should a product be unavailable. With transactions occurring anywhere in the store thanks to a mPOS, the employee can use at-a-glance CRM to help speed up checkout.

This also naturally carries over to online sales and marketing, with the potential to dramatically solidify the customized customer relationship and provide retailers with a path to omni-channel success. The ability to address a customer and speak knowledgeably about their preferences is precisely the kind of personalized experience this generation of customers is seeking.

Outside of a CRM strategy, it’s also important to ensure the mPOS accepts a wide variety of payment options. When it comes to payment acceptance, data shows that a greater variety of accepted card brands translated into more business[3]. Assess the cards you accept to see where there could be gaps that could cause a customer to be inconvenienced when they can’t pay with their preferred form of payment.

Solving for those customer pain points can help keep quality of experience high for the customer, and potentially drive greater loyalty through repeat business. It’s as simple as connecting with your acquirer to ensure you’re providing customers as many options as possible, and then making those options visible to them during the checkout process.

To begin accepting Discover® Global Network cards within any payments channel, simply contact your current acquirer, or find one from our list by visiting DiscoverNetwork.com. To let customers know that you accept their preferred method of payment online or in-store, simply log into the Discover Global Network Signage Portal and get free signage, from website/app acceptance marks to window decals, to point-of-sale terminal signage. To test your terminal to ensure Discover Global Network card acceptance, please visit the Test Your Terminal page on DiscoverNetwork.com.

This article was brought to you by Discover Global Network. For more insights into consumer trends and the world of payments, visit the Discover Global Network website.

The article and information provided herein are sponsored by Discover^® Global Network for informational purposes only based on independent research and are not intended as a substitute for professional advice.

[1] PewResearchCenter, “Millennials overtake Baby Boomers as America’s largest generation,” April 25, 2024

[2] PewResearchCenter, “Millennials overtake Baby Boomers as America’s largest generation,” April 25, 2024

[3] ShopKeep, “Accepting Credit Cards: 5 Benefits that Boost your Business,” May 11, 2024