Dive Brief:
- The number of retailers using mobile point-of-sale systems will grow by 300% in the next two years, according to a new report from Boston Retail Partners (BRP).
- Retailers using geolocation technologies will triple during the next two years, while 350% more retailers will support near-field communication (NFC) payments within six months.
- The survey asked North American retailers how mobile technology is “changing retail as we know it,” expanding upon BRP’s 2015 POS/Customer Engagement Benchmarking Survey.
Dive Insight:
A new survey from Boston Retail Partners says that more retailers will adopt customer-facing mobile services to enhance the shopping experience in the next two years. According to Mobile Technology–Transforming the Customer Experience, the number of retailers offering advanced mobile technologies including mobile point-of-sale terminals, geolocation, and proximity payment solutions will skyrocket.
“Mobile technology enables retailers to break down barriers between the digital environment and the physical store,” says Boston Retail Partners principal Ken Morris. “Advancements in mobile capabilities are driving retailers to upgrade and replace technology to keep ahead of the competition, and keep up with their very informed, technology-savvy customers.”
Perhaps the survey's most interesting finding is that some 350% more retailers will support NFC payments by October of this year. That’s great news for Apple Pay, so far the leading proximity payments system in the United States. “In the payments arena, mobile payments could become the next ‘killer app’ for mobile devices, much like what iTunes did for music,” Morris says.
