Ripping out a legacy monolithic point-of-sale system, with hardware that is a dozen years old and has limited capacity for patching and maintenance, may appear to be a simple solution for a store.
However, it is not possible due to the high expense of a full hardware replacement and the time-consuming maintenance.
That is the position. The Paper Store discovered itself in 2023. It was using Windows 7 on old hardware and unable to update to Windows 10 because to the enormous POS footprint.
“Our old POS system was smart and feature-rich, but the hardware was outdated, limiting our ability to patch and maintain. We needed to upgrade all of our hardware so that we could continue to use our out-dated POS system. New hardware was expensive and required time-consuming maintenance. “We were running Windows 7 on our legacy hardware, and when we tried to upgrade to Windows 10, the heavy POS footprint would not perform,” said Craig Hewitt, The Paper Store’s COO, in an email interview.
Because of technical limitations, the 60-year-old corporation has been unable to make even minor improvements since 2019.
Additional POS-related issues included a lengthy deployment procedure for new shops and registers, extensive store training, no store mobility, and the need for several systems to perform in-store activities such as sales, order management, and inventory management.
But, more crucially, from a customer experience aspect, the POS did not provide what every consumer expects from a business: a quick, easy transaction.
The biggest option.
The Paper Store is one of the largest family-owned and operated specialty gift stores in the United States, with 100 locations in the Northeast and Florida, 3,000 employees, and a significant online operation. Accessories, home décor, jewelry, sports equipment, stationery, and elegant apparel from top brands such as Lilly Pulitzer, Vera Bradley, and Pura Vida are available on its shelves, both in person and online. TPS Group Holdings LLC is currently the parent company of The Paper Store, which was sold in 2020.
Its capacity to listen to what customers find fresh and important has been key to its survival and success.
When the POS choice came to the forefront of operational focus, the business had two options: keep and improve the antiquated POS system or remove it and install a new POS infrastructure.
The second option, which it chose, would allow it to modernize in-store technology, empower employees, and provide customers with a satisfying and speedy checkout experience.
After reviewing many choices, the store decided on Jumpmind’s cloud-native, mobile POS to power its locations, citing Jumpmind’s demonstrated expertise and trust in its future-proof architecture.
Cloud technology helps The Paper Store to boost scalability, flexibility, and agility, allowing the business to adapt more quickly to changing market demands while smoothly expanding its physical presence.
“We picked Jumpmind for its user-friendly design, wide range of capabilities, customization possibilities, and out-of-the-box integration with our third-party systems. The Jumpmind team was receptive to our ideas and criticism; they collaborated closely with us to understand our needs and how they would be applied in their product,” Hewitt said.
The POS system has a mobile-first approach, allowing store staff to effortlessly execute tasks such as inventory management and unified commerce execution.
Such features, such as streamlining daily tasks, provide associates more time to engage and support clients, therefore increasing the customer experience.
“Jumpmind provides a modular POS platform that can be deployed on a variety of hardware options while preserving the same user experience and functionality. The Jumpmind software is cloud-based and quickly syncs with all retail locations, allowing for real-time adjustments rather than requiring flat files and trickle polling,” Hewitt said, adding that the Jumpmind Promotion tool is robust, centrally housed, and can sync with shops right away.
“Compared to our previous system, Jumpmind POS enables us to set up and deploy a register or an entire store in a fraction of the time. Jumpmind POS combines sales, store order management, and inventory management into a single, user-friendly tool.
The implementation includes the retailer’s operations, retail systems, and IT divisions.
POS and Customer Experience
In today’s digitally driven retail industry, Hewitt feels that a fluid and modern POS experience is “vital” to the customer experience (CX).
“When a customer’s time at check-out is fast, easy, and accurate, they are more likely to continue to physically return to purchase again,” I heard him say. “When the POS system is always reliable, our store crew can provide continuous customer service while also bringing the best version of themselves to work every day. A bad POS experience typically causes confusion and anger, which can lead to a poor customer experience.”
The ROI and list of further victories are important. Hewitt emphasized decreased hardware and maintenance costs, faster application deployment, shorter training times, and increased retail efficiency. It has also streamlined the customer data collecting process and reduced duplicate registrations into the brand’s loyalty programme.
While The Paper Store’s POS experience clearly shows a strong ROI, Mark Michalek, director of retail product at Jumpmind, feels that many retailers are misinformed about deploying a new POS system.
Michalek, who describes the POS as the “Swiss Army knife” of retail technology, says one of the most widespread misconceptions is that businesses can put off upgrading the POS.
“The outbreak has created significant disruptions to in-store sales. During the outbreak, digital transformation accelerated, but retailer expectations were not met,” he explained. “Associates are being expected to perform ever more functions, with different systems and often clunky user experiences, and current labor shortages aren’t helping. This results in associate unhappiness, fragmented customer experiences, and disillusioned customers.
In addition to misconceptions, many retail organizations still use obsolete POS systems.
“Most legacy POS solutions are built as monolithic systems with tightly integrated features and capabilities.” This paradigm lacks flexibility since it is unable to extend or add new features without extensive coding or customization, which incurs substantial cost and risk,” Michalek remarked.
That is why merchants must “choreograph all critical in-store functions,” he stated, because it makes it easier for associates to do tasks such as ringing up customers, aiding with return requests, inventory management, and omnichannel orders.
“POS has grown more mobile and functions as a single interface for colleagues, bringing e-commerce-like experiences into the retail environment. We provide physical merchants with the technologies they need to succeed in a digital/omnichannel future.”
Shops cannot ignore the digital transformation that has occurred since the outbreak.
“I think the events of the past few years have shown us just how unpredictable the future is,” Michalek adds. “We realize that change is unavoidable. One of the most significant benefits that Jumpmind provides is the ability to help merchants address the unforeseen needs of their business tomorrow and in the future.”