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31/12/2009 -
As ecommerce becomes an increasingly important retail platform, many merchants are starting to offer multichannel solutions such as web-enabled POS terminals and kiosks for use by both employees and customers, eMarketer reported. POS terminals with internet access can allow customers or employees to cross-reference the store's online inventory with the in-store inventory, and place orders online, which can be a huge boost to customer satisfaction.
"The ability to place online orders while in-store reduces the frustration shoppers feel when items are out of stock or part of an expanded assortment not carried by the store," said Jeffrey Grau, eMarketer senior analyst and author of the report. "Web-enabled devices also give customers access to product information and user reviews that help them make purchase decisions."
A recent survey of U.S. retailers by the e-tailing group, for example, found that 74 percent of stores give employees access to the internet for information and 73 percent give employees access to place orders, while 29 percent give customers internet access for information and 25 percent allow customers to place orders, eMarketer cited.
This next generation of POS terminals - such as those with multichannel or customer loyalty program capabilities - is an attractive option for retailers, but merchants without the resources to spend on this technology will find that up-to-date POS terminals can also provide customer satisfaction benefits by improving checkout time and security of cardholder data.
