Top 7 Cloud POS Integration Categories

The Cloud is becoming Standard 

I've been thinking a lot about how SMB (small to medium businesses) independent retail and restaurant-cafe space is changing. This space is typically unique and niche targeted, think under 20 stores. This is part of the #BigIdeas2016, where cloud technologies will begin to penetrate retail, restaurant and indie stores as competing for Millennial consumers will heat up in 2016 and beyond. With the cloud comes an army of software as a service (SaaS) solutions. You will find these called integrations, add-ons, cloud-apps, etc....

The Cloud Means a Customer Analytics Revolution 

As more independent shops and stores are adopting cloud POS and mobile POS (iPads, tablets, etc.). The key point here I believe is the customer analytics this can provide which in turn leads to powerful SaaS products that help boost loyalty and marketing automation. Store owners often simply just aren't aware of what's out there! 

Let's for now and today, just look at the Retail integrations from the perspective of our local POS champion here in Montreal, Lightspeed. There may come a time when I will be lighting up their blog, so stay tuned. In fact, I can think of any number of POS or SaaS blogs that I'd be an ideal contributor for so if you accept guest blogging on yours, let me know. 

If we canvas Lightspeed's API "integrations" for just Retail, we find:

Integration Categories 

Vertical Specific Apps  

1- There are SaaS specific to your store or shop's vertical. SaaS products specifically for a bike shop for example. Whatever you independent store's industry niche, there will soon be software specialized for you. 

Marketing Automation & Analytics 

2- White Label Marketing Automation Apps. This helps you improve your loyalty rewards program, branding (since it's invisible to end users) all without fuss and able to demonstrate ROI in dollars via sophisticated customer analytics, marketing automation and loyalty program customization. 

Loyalty Networks 

3- Loyalty Coalition Networks. These are 3rd party loyalty cards that typically require you to give up your customer data and often pertain to one-time purchasing promotions. For independent stores with pre-existing high brand trust this may not be  very unique or fit into the lifestyle culture of your vertical. These include: AppCard, Perkville, etc... 

Ecommerce 

4- Ecommerce Integration. For many stores that aren't strictly brick and mortar, there is a wide range of software integrations that can improve and optimize online sales as well. 

Employee Scheduling 

5- If your staffing require optimization, this solution provides an interesting tool to improve communication and optimize work efficiency. The employee tracking via time clock and analytics can help you understand the human and labor aspects of your business better. 

 Payment and Accounting Software

6- There are a number of apps that improve accounting systems and payment options. FinTech will likely make a huge push in this domain, to further streamline the mobile wallet process of paying by smartphones and wearable devices that will have better anti-fraud mechanisms. 

Email Marketing 

7- Other apps specifically help you optimize your Email campaigns and systems. Marketing automation apps will typically feature ESP (email service provider) tools. However, for Millennials, it's really SMS campaigns that I believe will become the norm. In 2016, I'll notice a text but I may not notice or even check an Email. 

So as you can see, software integrations even in 2015 were various and helpful in multiple domains. Next time, we'll cover Restaurant integrations & move on to Vend's add-ons as well. Each cloud POS provider will have very specific apps that they work with and partners they trust who are best integrated to their system. However, in an API ecosystem, it's just a matter of time before the best apps rise to the surface. 

A few things to think bout when picking an integration that may be right for your small business, your prized shop and your unique store:

The Best Cloud POS Apps will Be Able 

1) Can it demonstrate proof of ROI in metrics that demonstrate actual sales in dollars?

2) Can having it for your store, improve your actual relationship with high-value customers who are the most profitable in your industry vertical? That is, does it boost your own native branding?

3) Does it truly streamline your business and can it demonstrate results: 

• increase store traffic (brick and mortar visits)
• spend frequency (purchase rate per visit) 
• reduce cost of acquisition of a customer (e.g. word of mouth, friend referrals, loyalty incentives to do so) 
• improve customer lifetime value (provide analytics on who your high value customers are and tools to reach them better) 
• improve customer lifecycle of the buying journey (retention campaigns, triggered campaigns) 
• improve analytics, boost personalization of promotions,  and improve average spend per a transaction? (customized loyalty rewards program to your vertical and audience)