Where is the industry headed?
Insights derived from guest data, deployment of self-service options, and a greater emphasis on mobility are among notable trends that restaurants and their guests will experience in the coming future. According to Hospitality Technology’s 2020 POS Software Trends Report: Unlocking Agility, operators share that they will be looking for more features and functionality from their POS partners.
The flexibility of POS technology is going to be essential for restaurants that want to deliver against diners’ demands. When asked to identify key business drivers that will influence point-of-sale software upgrades, being able to leverage insights from the POS software stands at the top of the list. Data will rule in purchasing decisions in 2020 as restaurants set expectations that the POS acts as the funnel that filters and stores guest data. Once restaurants master guest data, they will be equipped to offer the appropriate service and menu options to diners.
Additional expectations of operators through 2019 and 2020 include the addition of mobile POS (53%) and self-service options (42%). For each of these areas to deliver the expected business returns, open architecture will be necessary. The point-of-sale system is the very heart and soul of any foodservice business and therefore needs to be as flexible and accessible as possible. As technology stacks become more complex, restaurant operators want partners who can deliver in a myriad of areas.
Customers always have somewhere else they need to be. When they stop in a restaurant, they want to spend as little time as possible, especially during checkout. That’s why some operators adopted different POS systems, even using mobile POS tablets and mobile guest ordering to make transactions faster. A mobile POS system may consist of a tablet that allows servers to move around more freely. Or it may consist of an app that enables diners to place orders using their mobile devices. However popular these have become, self-service kiosks are trailing only slightly in popularity as they aid quick-service and similar establishments to process orders faster, especially in venues where labor is at a premium.
The future points to the fact that it’s also essential to learn how to use POS systems effectively. Doing so allows restaurants to serve more guests in any meal period and bring in younger, more tech-savvy consumers through the door.