You may think that technology is an expense, but it's actually an asset that can change your business and sponsor new growth. Many retail stores, restaurants, offices, and other shops can use new technology like cloud POS to increase their productivity and improve sales. The impact of technology is also helping businesses connect with their customers in new and exciting ways, leading to new revenue streams and customers as brand ambassadors on social media.

So, what can you do for your business? Here are a few things that your store could do to upgrade today.

Upgrade to a Modern Cloud POS

For those who have used POS systems in the past, you probably have experienced bugs, software issues, security issues, and slow checkouts. All of that is a thing of the past with the latest point-of-sale systems. A group of developers has changed the way that POS works now. In fact, it's become one of the single best things you can do to have an impact on your store's growth.

Some of the features of new POS systems include:

•  Faster checkouts

•  Mobile checkouts

•  Better order tracking

•  Live analytics and data tracking

•  Real-time sales reports

•  Promotion tracking

•  Employment management

•  Productivity tracking

•  Customer-facing checkout

•  Kiosk checkout

•  Better inventory management

•  Customer loyalty signup

There are so many ways to get insights into your business with a new POS as well, because it can hook into other systems, such as inventory management. What if you could automatically re-stock popular items when they are low? What if you could stock seasonal items on an automatic schedule? These are just some of the ways your POS can directly affect operations and sales for the better.

Customer Loyalty Programs

You may be able to bring people into your store through promotions, but what are you doing to keep your customers coming back for more? There are a few ways that you can do this. One of them is through marketing daily on social media, and another is through email marketing. The key to both is having your own website where customers can see their rewards and offers for being a member.

You also want to have clear ways of getting customers to sign-up for your newsletter and marketing. You could implement a sign-up on your website, social media pages, or with a mobile app.

Online Ordering and Checkout

If you have a local store that depends on foot traffic solely, you could expand your business to millions just by opening your own online store. There are plenty of ways to get your product catalog online easily and quickly with a ton of store builder options that take only a couple of hours to set up, depending on how many products you have and what you want your website to look like.

Ecommerce can make your store more successful and visible. For stores that already have a website, adding a store and secure checkout is the best way to add another revenue stream for your business and get more exposure. If you are worried about shipping items and needing more staff, you should see how those costs would balance out with selling more products overall. Perhaps you could limit what you sell online to merchandise for your store or your most popular items.