Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Openbravo POS for smartphones

Openbravo POS on tablets and smartphones


With the recent announcement last week about the smartphone support for Openbravo POS, Openbravo for Retail completes the range of possible devices that let retailer adapt to any business scenario, ranging from PC based terminals to laptops, tablet devices and now “smartphones like” devices. 

I would like to stress the "like" reference, since it is not even necessary to use an smartphone, but simply a mobile device with a supported browser and internet connectivity, with the miminum required characteristics in terms of screen size and resolution (3.5" and 480x800 pixels). As a result, retailer can use cost effective devices of around $300, like a simple iPod Touch or others. 

The beauty of this is that this new capability does not mean we are distributing a new version of our solution for smartphones, but the same solution which automatically adapts its layout depending on the size of the terminal, thanks to the responsive design principle provided by the powerful Openbravo Mobile Infraestructure. Its application to our solution was already explained by Rob Goris in this great blogpost. Tablet users will usually work with the double column layout but will be able to switch to the single column layout by simply rotating the device, while smartphone users will usually work with the single column layout.

To illustrate this, a new video is available which shows Openbravo POS features in action on mobile devicesEnglish and Spanish, which complements the one we published last week showing Openbravo POS in a sporting shoes retailer, here.

With this new capability which strenghtens Openbravo’s mobile retail offering, brick-and-mortar retailers get clear business benefits:

  • Simplified deployment and maintenance of a single and cross platform solution that can be run in multiple terminals, either traditional PC based or modern mobile devices like tablets or smartphones, providing the same functionality and user experience, instead of native mobile solutions which require to be installed on each mobile terminal. Only by using a browser.
  • Enable the go-mobile strategy, an industry imperative today, by using both iOS, Windows or Android mobile devices
  • Dramatically reduce terminal costs by using mobile consumer devices, like smartphones or tablets, instead of traditional PC-based terminals
  • Provide a better service and shopping experience to their customers
  • Empower store staff and increase service quality with a modern and more flexible solution that help staff while selling and assisting customers
  • Be more agile in front of seasonal demand situations which require more points of sale by simply adopting mobile devices during these periods
This new feature converts Openbravo for Retail in an even more compelling solution for retailers of different sizes and activity, that can access to a modern and more flexible solution, which can be easily tailored to their own special needs, giving them more agility and better TCO, while achieving real-time global visibility and efficiency on their business demands.

Are you expanding into new territories and/or new business areas, or just seeking for a solution to modernize your stores and provide better shopping experience with a state-of-the-art mobile POS solution? : 

  • Are you an independent mid-sized brick-and-mortar retailer struggling to go mobile and interested to grow on-line? Openbravo for Retail can provide you strong store, e-commerce backend and corporate functionality, with a single source of truth
  • Are you an e-tailer seeking for a complete e-commerce backend solution to better manage your growing operations? Openbravo for Retail can be easily integrated with any e-commerce platform (Magento connector available for example). If you are thinking on opening pop-up stores for showrooming, Openbravo POS with mobile devices can also be a key element for a quick up&running
  • Are you a large brick and mortar retailer and want to protect your headquarters system investment while improving your stores operations? Openbravo POS is the perfect solution, easy to integrate with your current corporate system and from a single integration point

If you want to learn more about our solution:
·        Visit our Retail website section
·        Download our product brochure (English and Spanish)
·        Dowload our solution description (English and Spanish)

Happy retailing!

Xavier Places
Openbravo’s Retail Lead