Mobile Ordering

Posted on: 2016-12-02 1:19 PM

Mobile Payments
 
We’re getting a lot of requests for information regarding mobile payment and on-line ordering. “Thanks Starbucks.”  So this post is a primer to all of you considering adding mobile payment to your coffee shop.
 
Your POS Software
 
Will your point of sale software support a mobile connection?  If it’s supported some vendors have a list of reseller partners who can help you build an App that ties right into your system. Make sure that they’ve done it before and that they have a template that you can leverage or you could be into a big bill that will never pay back.
 
What you’ll find unfortunately is that many of the major POS software solutions for coffee shops aren’t designed to let you connect or accept orders from a mobile device.  If this is the case, you have a few options.
 
Tablet POS software
 
Some mobile ordering software provides you with a tablet to accept orders. You keep the tablet next to your cash register and when the order comes in you can manually add it to your POS. These solutions can be everything from a little clunky to elegant so check out the interface on both the POS and the App side before committing.
 
Changing your POS software
 
Sometimes what you’re doing needs to change. There are several POS software solutions out there that are designed with both mobile ordering and mobile administration in mind. Many of these can be implemented for as little as a few hundred dollars per location and for the technically inclined, some open source software is even free. 
 
Experience and Loyalty management
 
If you choose to go down this path to ensure that your customers can have all of the conveniences of the mermaid coffee-shop then there are a few other features to look for:

• Gift Card support
  • Physical and electronic gift cards
• Loyalty support
  • Tracking your customer purchases to allow them to earn rewards on future purchase
• Customer experience management
  • Make sure that your new mobile extension let your customer share their positive and negative experiences with you in an easy-to-use manner.

 
If you’re thinking of venturing down this road send up a flare. We’ll be happy to point you in the right direction.