Reasons to Integrate Your eCommerce Store Into Your POS System
A successful business is one that works efficiently. Time is money, and the more outdated business processes that you follow, the more time that goes to waste. With a modern and robust POS system, you’ll have the ability to manage your eCommerce website and your physical store at the same time. In today’s highly technical world, there are all sorts of tools and applications that allow your business to work smarter, not harder.
If you own a retail POS system and run an eCommerce site, one of the biggest advantages that you don’t want to miss out on is integrating the two. Here are reasons why you should integrate your eCommerce store into your retail POS system.
Real-Time Inventory Metrics
You can more effectively and efficiently manage your online store and your physical store by using an integrated process. By connecting your online store with a POS system, you’ll have access to real-time shared inventory numbers. With this data, you can keep tabs on stock levels for all products and set up auto reshipments as needed.
This enables you to transfer products between stores to ensure that top-selling items are always in stock. Nothing drives away customers more than out of stock items. With an integrated system, you minimize the risk of losing customers to a competitor.
As an added convenience, you can set up to POS system to automatically reorder items based on min/max stock level thresholds. With the system doing all of the heavy lifting, you can focus on other pertinent business tasks.
Real-time inventory statistics also allow you to make more informed business decisions. You want the peace of mind that the decisions you’re making are based upon factual data that is accurate and up-to-date.
No More Manual Data Entry
Many retailers run their eCommerce website completely separate from their POS system. Having two systems that don’t talk to each other creates plenty of room for problems. Manual data entry is more prone to human errors, and managing two separate systems is tedious and time-consuming.
Instead of manually entering incoming orders from your eCommerce site, transferring inventory, and combining data from both systems, why not integrate them? By integrating your eCommerce site and POS system, you can minimize errors and process sales in just a few clicks.
Integrating these two systems also allows you to better manage your inventory. There’s nothing more beneficial than being able to see real-time statistics of your product stock. By managing these systems as one system, you’ll be able to:
- Improve restocking time
- Eliminate manual data entry
- Create automated purchase orders
With an automated process, there’s no risk of human errors, which means that your inventory and sales data will be accurate. This is crucial when you’re using this data as a basis for making a business decision.
Increased Flexibility
Let’s admit it; Amazon’s has set the gold standard for what customers want when making a purchase. Customers expect products to be available and shipped to them as quickly as possible. Providing a convenient and easy shopping experience should be one of your business’ top priorities.
By integrating your eCommerce site and POS system, you can offer flexible buying and pick up items. For example, an integrated system allows customers to:
- Order online and pick up items in-store
- Have items shipped to the store
- Return online products in-store
These options are flexible and beneficial in that they allow for quicker delivery and pick up. The faster customers can have their products in hand, the better. This ensures a top-notch experience for the customer.
Improved Marketing & Customer Relationship Management
Customers who shop in-store and online are typically the most valuable to any business. As a business owner, you want to be well aware of which customers are making the most purchases from your business.
What’s beneficial about return customers is that over time, they become brand ambassadors. These are the customers that will post product reviews and encourage their friends and family members to also make a purchase.
With an integrated system, you’ll have big picture data of which customers are shopping the most often. In turn, you can reward them with a loyalty program that offers special, money savings, and access to products before they’re available for everyone.
Cross-Channel Promotions
There are many strategies ways that you can increase sales by expanding your customer base. With cross-channel promotions, you give customers the ability to save in store and online. With an integrated system, customers can use loyalty rewards, gift cards, and coupons in person or when shopping through your eCommerce site.
When properly implemented, cross-channel promotions encourage customers to shop in-store and online. This increases sales and profits and shows consumers that you value their business no matter how they purchase.
Conclusion
If you’re unsure if your company will benefit from integrating its eCommerce store and POS system, keep the above benefits in mind. While integrating will require time and money, the return on investment is extremely high.
