Mobile Applications For Retail Operations

Industry research all points in the same direction: while retailers begin to dabble with the right formula for customer-facing mobile applications, they've largely accepted the value of mobile technology for operational improvements.

With acceptance of the value brought about by mobile technology in the hands of associates, the question becomes not when will we adopt mobile technology to support operations, but with which applications and platforms should we start?

On the application front, soon-to-be released research from Integrated Solutions For Retailers magazine reveals that 29.9% of retailers have plans to deploy mobile POS in 2012, adding to the 25% of retailers that indicated they've already deployed mobile POS in the November 2010 Going Mobile: Retailers and Consumers Embrace Mobility to Increase Customer Experience report from IHL Group. The three-year prediction for mobile POS in retail is 80% penetration.