Organic and natural food stores have seen a significant increase in demand in recent years. The food industry is trending health-conscious, and customers are seeking out high-quality, sustainably sourced, healthy food options. So, how do you make sure your natural food store can keep up with the growth it's experienced over the past few years?
To stay ahead, your natural food store needs to have efficient and effective systems in place to manage inventory, sales, and customer data. The best way to achieve this is to implement an industry-specific, natural food store point of sale (POS) system.
A POS system is a computerized solution that manages sales transactions, inventory employees, business reports, and much, much more. Further, a grocery-specific POS system, like Markt POS, offers features and functionalities that cater to the unique needs of your natural food store. Read on for benefits that your small business can experience by using a natural food store POS solution.
1. Baked-In Customer Loyalty Programs
What’s the best kind of customer? A return customer.
The numbers don’t lie: For 61 percent of small business owners, over half of their business’s annual revenue was from repeat customers. Still not convinced? Here’s another one for you: A five percent increase in customer retention results in, on average, a 25 percent boost in business profits, according to management consulting firm Bain.
However, only 34 percent of small business owners use a loyalty program system – and of that 24 percent, the majority use offline loyalty programs, which can’t offer real-time inventory analytics or customer insights. So, ultimately, customer loyalty programs are a terrific way to set your natural food store apart from the competition.
A major concern for those considering implementing customer loyalty programs is the time and energy commitment. That’s where natural food store POS comes in: Many point of sale solutions, like Markt POS, offer baked-in customer loyalty programs, which collect customer information, keep track of visits in the form of rewards points, and send out personalized coupons, discounts, and reward point prizes to repeat customers.
2. Direct Integration with Your Wholesaler
Natural food store POS systems can make receiving inventory, and coordinating inventory management in a high-turnover environment, a breeze. They allow you to import suggested prices, temporary price reductions, and quantities from your wholesaler. This way, you can maintain your margins, giving you more time to stock your shelves with products from organic veggies to sugar substitutes.
Integration security is a frequent concern for small businesses, but one that POS solutions can take care of. POS software ensures a secure and reliable integration, avoiding any potential errors or issues with inventory management.
3. The Ability to Accommodate Offline Transactions
Tired of Wi-Fi issues or blackouts shutting down your business? With a natural food store POS system, these worries are a thing of the past.
Modern POS solutions will perform and keep track of all your card and cash transaction information, even when the system is offline. Your sales associates can continue to process transactions without any delays, keeping the checkout process fast and efficient, even in the face of major inconveniences.
Picture this: Even if your cloud-based system is forced offline, transactions processed during the blackout period will sync as soon as you’re back online. You’ll never have to miss a sale due to a power outage again!
Point of Sale Systems and Your Natural Food Store
Ultimately, a point of sale system made for organic and natural food stores will allow you to sustain, scale, and optimize your business operations. The benefits don’t end with the above; grocery-specific point of sale systems, such as Markt POS, offer smart inventory reports, e-commerce solutions, employee tracking, and much more, to make sure your natural food store is performing at its highest level.
Ready to give our POS system a go? Schedule a free demo with our team today to distance yourself from the competition, and become your community’s go-to natural food store.
