Contactless payments will falter if they require too much of consumers

Regardless of the manner of deployment, contactless and frictionless transactions will serve as a foundational concept for the store of the future.

Whether it’s through order and pay ahead, consumer mobile checkout, POS-enabled handheld devices for associates or any other model, the goal will be to offer secure, convenient and flexible checkout options to customers.

To take on these other forms of contactless payment, the POS must offer the same functionality as stationary cash registers, including card payments, digital receipts, coupon redemption, mobile payment and CRM integration.

Additionally, as grocers offer new services like food or fuel and verticals become less strictly defined, contactless POS concepts will make it easy for customers to get what they need in different parts of the store without confusion or complexity.

Retailers must also have access to all POS transaction-related data to enhance returns and loyalty programs even with a contactless approach. This means returns should be automated securely through custom rules configurations that validate e-receipts and authorize transactions back to the original card with limited interaction.

A centralized portal to manage all programs — from loyalty to serialized coupons to in-house gift cards — gives retailers real-time enterprise-level tracking of all customer interactions, including those on mobile devices and other touchless platforms.

As we have seen during the pandemic, retailers need to rapidly adapt to dramatically changing market conditions and customer behavior in order to survive and even thrive. It’s clear that the future of checkout means contactless payment options that promote a frictionless customer experience. More and more businesses will be investing in these key payment technologies to keep up with this growing trend.