Shopify, a global commerce platform, launched integrated retail hardware for Shopify Point of Sale (POS) and Shopify Payments for in-person transactions.
The launch comes as new research of Australians’ shopping behaviours, conducted by Shopify, shows that despite online shopping likely to double, most Aussies still prefer to shop in-store.
Retailers have to accommodate new ways of shopping such as contactless payments, local delivery, and click-and-collect that have been accelerated by the global pandemic.
As part of a global roll out of retail solutions, Shopify has launched integrated retail hardware for Shopify POS, and Shopify Payments for in-person transactions, to retail merchants.
As traffic returns to brick-and-mortar stores , Shopify is helping merchants meet evolving shopper demands with a fully integrated POS solution unifying online and offline businesses.
According to Shopify’s survey, Aussies are increasingly turning online to make their purchases.
The research shows the number of shoppers buying mostly online will likely double post-pandemic vs. pre-pandemic, from 7% pre-pandemic to 15% with eased restrictions.
Buying in brick-and-mortar stores still tops Australian shopping preference with 64% of people choosing to buy in physical stores post pandemic, compared to 79% before COVID-19.
Shaun Broughton, Managing Director APAC, Shopify said, “We are experiencing a fundamental shift in how people shop following the global pandemic.”
“This renaissance is forcing retailers to adopt new business models, as digital disruption is fueled by customer expectations for convenience, personalisation, experience, and safety.”
The report also reveals the number of Australians buying online for click-and-collect or local delivery will continue to grow compared to pre-pandemic.
The former increased from 17% pre-pandemic to 23% post-pandemic, and deliveries from online purchases grew from 37% to 43% accordingly. On the other hand, buying through social media is predicted to stay relatively low among Aussies, sitting at 5-6%.
Further findings of the research include:
- 8 in 10 shoppers say buying local is important to them, with proximity (77%) and supporting local business owners (60%) cited as the main reasons why
- The top 3 expectations of consumers are free shipping (64%), easy returns (58%), and efficient customer service (57%)
- Free shipping is highly sought-after with close to half of consumers purchasing additional items to reach the minimum threshold to secure free shipping
- 29% of online shoppers would select pick-up from a physical store location if free-shipping is not available, and 52% expect retailers to offer ‘click-and-collect’
- 93% have used a non-cash means of payment while shopping in-store (e.g debit card, credit card, mobile wallet)
- The majority of consumers expect to be rewarded through a loyalty program whether buying online (71%) or offline (63%)
Mr. Broughton added: “Australia has quickly become an important market for Shopify, so bringing integrated retail hardware and in-store payments to our Australian retail merchants is a pivotal step in future-proofing their businesses.”
The introduction of Shopify Payments and an integrated card reader for Shopify POS provides Australian retailers with more ways to accept in-person payments, a fully unified selling experience in-store, and a single destination for online and retail payments and payouts.
Key benefits of integrated hardware and payments with Shopify POS
- The ability for retailers to accept all major payment methods, however, and wherever they need to in order to make the sale
- Seamless, secure, and reliable checkouts for both retailers and customers when completing a sale, all through a single POS system.
- Unified back office to track and manage sales, payments, and payouts across online and in-person retail all from a single location
- Frictionless returns and exchanges helping retailers assist customers with purchases made online or at other locations
- Clear and upfront pricing with a single rate for all credit cards and no hidden fees or hardware rental fees
For further information about integrated hardware and payments with Shopify POS, click here.
Shopify is working with Australian merchants including The Sheet Society and elph ceramics that have already been using Shopify POS to implement Shopify Payments and the new integrated hardware in their physical stores.
The Sheet Society: From online retailing to brick-and-mortar
The Sheet Society started as a purely online business with a loyal following powered by Shopify, but after two years of successful online retailing, the timing was right to branch into physical retail.
Customers wanted to see and feel the product, and know-how the styling would work on their beds before purchase.
Hayley Worley, founder, The Sheet Society “Expanding our business from purely online, to also opening up a physical store in Abbotsford, Melbourne, meant we needed to ensure a unified customer experience across both channels in order to boost our sales.”
“Implementing Shopify POS was key to our physical store’s success right off the bat and we also saw an increase in our online sales since.”
“Now, the Sheet Society has a 50% in-store conversion rate, a 22% return customer rate, and an online conversion rate of 2.3%. Using Shopify POS gives us peace of mind to work seamlessly.”
“Integration was done in two clicks. Now, we use it for our customer database, click-and-collect across multiple locations, returns management, and discount codes”.
Elph ceramics: Getting control of a growing business
When sisters Sophie and Eloise decided to redesign and expand their product range and grow manufacturing capacity, they turned to Shopify POS to reduce the increased complexity with their inventory and consumer data.
Sophie Rankine, co-Founder, elph ceramics “Before Shopify POS, inventory management was a nightmare and was hindering our business growth due to the lack of ability to capture customer data and update inventory levels in real-time when making sales.”
“Since implementing Shopify’s POS system, we were able to significantly reduce the complexity of, and the time spent doing inventory and updating consumer data.”
“We were able to reduce the amount of time it takes to do inventory management by 30 minutes a day. I don’t have to do stocktake manually anymore as Shopify POS does it all.”
“Since implementing Shopify POS, elph has enjoyed a 25% increase in its customer database, and a customer retention rate of close to 30%”.
