Solutions

Point-of-Sale (POS) Modernization

With the acceleration of e-commerce, customers are empowered by choice and demand convenience. These changes have required POS systems to grow exponentially as a critical part of a connected commerce system for retailers. This is achieved by modernizing point-of-sale systems in-store. These machines are usually more than a decade old and typically don’t support upgrades like more advanced technologies would.

To innovate, retailers need to build a platform model that will enable:

• Cloud-native behaviors that make it easier to deploy customer-centric features like those of software upgrades
• Consistent ability to implement and monitor new hardware and software upgrades responsible for different POS functions in a way that’s scalable
• Non-disruptive, cost-effective and incremental migration of existing hardware and software assets

Based on our experience at Publicis Sapient, we have found that a modernized POS system should:

• Consider most of the retailers’ digital environments have evolved to adopt cloud-native architectures. Retailers should use aspects of existing environments to add uniformity across e-commerce and POS systems, enabling both divisions to contribute consistently when rolling out new business features.
• Use open architecture that integrates with a range of hardware, peripherals and custom software, with the ability to allow easy onboarding of talent to support the solution and scale in volume over time.
• Enable granular operational support, from managing and monitoring software on individual POS devices, to enabling troubleshooting that typically inhibits agility in digital environments. The granular management of devices also helps with controlling software rollouts at an individual device level.

POS environment changes can be costly and are an important aspect to consider when building a solution that scales efficiently. The architecture should be able to co-exist with existing POS environments and enable the retailer to modernize components gradually.

Our proven framework creates exponential value and real transformation, resulting in actionable business outcomes focused on new customer and business value, along with continuous innovation that connects experience with brand promise.

Based on our industry experience, we have developed a set of components rooted in architecture patterns, code components and best practices that help retail organizations transform their POS and create a seamless in-store experience that evolves at the pace of digital innovation.

Our framework is being used successfully by large retailers across U.S. and UK, allowing these businesses to introduce a platform that enables rollout of features like new digital payments, biometric identification and other POS system features across multiple stores.