Shopify’s got a brand new point of sale device. And it can do everything.

The POS Go can scan products, accept credit card and mobile payments, fulfill in-store pickup and delivery orders, track inventory, and even manage customer information – all from the palm of your hand.
We couldn’t wait to explore this innovative piece of retail hardware, so we were thrilled when Shopify offered to give us an exclusive sneak peek.

When the device arrived at our office, Sarah Freiser, Senior Product Manager at Verbal+Visual, sat down with the POS Go to give it a review and imagine how the device could power a whole new kind of omnichannel retail space.

A Rose Is A Rose Is A Rose

It’s no secret that integrating your POS and your online store can streamline your backend and improve your customer experience. We love when we can connect a merchant’s digital store with their brick-and-mortar points of sale (just like we did with Verbal+Visual client Jonathan Adler).

But I was interested to see: could Shopify’s POS hardware impact the in-store experience for customers and sales associates in new ways? A POS device is a POS device is a POS device – right?

Part of what sets the POS Go apart is how mobile it is. The device is roughly the size of a large smartphone and, even with its specially designed case, fits comfortably in the palm of your hand (with a robust velcro strap to keep it secure). While the device is light enough to carry around, it still feels hardy enough to survive a day out on the sales floor.

How Does It Feel?

And the device feels sleek – with its smooth, black plastic case and ergonomic (dare I say attractively) shaped body. The Gorilla Glass display is bright and easy to read, and the scanners, payment readers, ports, and buttons all feel substantial and well-placed. Rather than the bulky handheld devices retailers may be used to, Shopify’s POS Go feels intentionally designed and truly usable. But it’s all that functionality that truly makes it special.

Online Personalization Meets In-Store Shopping

The POS Go combines the capabilities of a whole cashier stand's worth of equipment in one, integrating “...the POS software and hardware you need to serve customers, accept payments, and run your store’s day-to-day into a single handheld device.”

A device like this presents a lot of exciting possibilities:

More than just the convenience of an all-in-one point of sale, the POS Go brings the optimizations and personalizations of online shopping into the IRL retail experience.

Shopify describes how, “...staff can look up product availability across all store locations, view customers’ purchase history to make more informed recommendations, and access detailed product information to provide expertise that goes beyond expectations.”

That means a powerful hybrid of the personalization of online shopping, with the convenience and brand-relationship-building capacity of a brick-and-mortar store.
So what does this mean for brands?

Imagine This:

Here’s what a POS Go fueled shopping experience could look like:

You walk into your favorite store and are greeted by a salesperson holding one of these devices. With access to your past purchases, they’re able to find items in your size, tell you the items’ details and specifications, and even bring you a few new items you might love based on your past preferences.

If something you want happens to be out of stock, they can look up another location that has the same product (without leaving to log on to some stationary device), and when you’re ready to check out, they can complete your purchase without sending you to stand in line – or even arrange to have your items shipped to your home with Buy In Store / Ship To Customer (check out how Allbirds does it).

And if you’re still not ready to commit to your purchase? Not to worry, your sales associate can email your order details to you so you can complete your purchase online when you're ready (and that sales associate can still get credit for the sale). From discovery, to final purchase, this device gives store associates powerful tools for supporting customers, increasing conversions, and creating the kind of personal connections that lift up the in-store experience over the self-guided journey of shopping online.

And it couldn’t have come a moment too soon.

Back To The Store

In-person shopping is having a resurgence.

Customers have a growing appetite to discover products in-person, avoid shipping difficulties, and head-off the issues that can come with buying something sight-unseen.

That has meant a rediscovery of physical retail for both shoppers and merchants.

The question has then become whether this return to in-person shopping will mean having to accept trade-offs between the benefits of interacting with customers IRL, and the downside of it being more difficult to mobilize customer data there. But an integrated, handheld device like the POS Go can solve much of that problem.

It makes it possible for merchants to deliver the same personalized experiences that drive conversions in their online stores to shoppers in their physical locations, by giving sales people the tools to marry exceptional customer service with data.

And let’s not forget that a device like this is perfect for so much more than the traditional four-walled store: the POS Go is that it’s scalable to a whole range of in-person experiences like sales floors, pop-up shops, conventions, trade shows, curbside sales, and much more.

For Businesses and Customers

Shopify’s POS Go has exciting benefits for businesses and customers alike.

For businesses, the POS Go can:

• Be a scalable, all-in-one solution.
• Integrate online and in-person sales.
• Enhance the level of service businesses can offer shoppers at their in-store experiences.

While for customers, the POS Go means:

• Supported discovery and shopping experience with brand associates.
• Convenient, seamless checkout.
• A much wider range of options – with the ability for customers to get the exact products they want through Buy In Store / Ship To Home, View In Store / Buy Online Later, or by immediately seeing what’s in stock at other locations.

With all that being said, it’s never been a better time for your brand to give the POS Go a try. Check out Shopify’s website to learn more.