Epicor goes mobile with Retail Store POS for iPad, iPod, and Windows mobile devices, and extends mobile options for current Epicor customers through partnership with Global Bay Mobile Technologies.
In 2010, the Apple iPad made up a whopping 75% of the 20 million tablet computers shipped to customers, a recent study from Informa Telecoms & Media estimates. Analysts from the company predict that the market will expand more than ten fold by 2015, reaching 230 million units. Forecasts vary, but experts believe between 38 and 47 percent of that market will still belong to the Cupertino technology company.
And the tablet market is unlikely to be a one man show. Gartner reports that Google's Android OS is forecast to almost double its share of the worldwide media tablet market in the next four years, standing at 20 percent in 2011.
This news doesn't come as much of a surprise for most retailers, as more and more research shows that consumers are turning to mobile devices for both in-store experiences and online shopping. Forrester research predicts that tablet commerce will be the most desirable shopping platform this year and heading into 2012. And many of these tablets are being snapped up by forward thinking retailers with plans to integrate iPads into an existing point of sale set-up.
Gartner again, "In the past 12 months, ‘hot’ and much-hyped topics that continue to dominate the retail market relate to how mobile technologies and social media are providing the customer with opportunities to take more control and get a more customized and personalized shopping process anywhere and anytime.” And that means the continuing evolution of retail strategy including in-store mobile POS and customer relationship management (CRM) systems along with mobile inventory management.
As large scale POS systems are generally not inexpensive or easy to replace, businesses might be looking for a way to integrate mobile hardware and software within an existing set-up. And that's where Epicor Software Corporation and Global Bay Mobile Technologies comes into the picture. The two software solution providers have partnered to offer an innovative and comprehensive suite of mobile retail applications for businesses currently running Epicor technology.
“Our retail customers are always looking at what’s next, and today that means leveraging next-generation mobile technology,” said Ian Rawlins, Vice President of Retail Product Marketing for Epicor. “Epicor has already delivered leading-edge mobile solutions natively as part of our current suite of Epicor Retail solutions. This partnership with Global Bay allows Epicor to provide the mobile functionality in demand by retailers running older generations of Epicor store solutions. These Epicor customers can now realize all the benefits of the mobile retail enterprise, while extending their investments in their current Epicor software."
Epicor has also fully mobile-enabled its award winning Retail Store POS offering for use on the iPad, iPod, and Windows mobile devices. And the company sports a newly formed retail mobility team with the goal of assisting retailers in getting up to speed on constantly changing mobile technology.
Businesses adding mobile POS solutions will realize a variety of benefits for their customers AND their employees, including improved customer service, streamlined transaction processes, increased sales, and a better overall shopping experience. And that's sure to fuel even more growth.
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