Based on the research done by Boston Retail Partners, it was found out that, “The pervasiveness and ease-of-use of mobile devices offer tremendous opportunities for retailers as the customer takes control of their own retail experience across channels. ”
62% plan to increase their use of mobile devices as the POS by the end of 2019 and

In response to –
“Customer expectations for a personalized and seamless experience require retailers to follow customers’ journeys across channels as they research, shop and purchase.”
81% plan to offer unified commerce by the end of 2020

Thus, digital disruption and customer’s adaption to it is changing the way customer is getting engaged. And as the customer expectations evolve, it drives the transformation in the retail sector. For the retail industry, customer experience is of top priority, and a huge budget is allocated to improve the same. More and more retailers have started deploying digital mobile devices in stores, like smartphones and tablets, to enhance customer engagement and increase sales by making shopping a smooth experience.

There are various applications where mobile devices are used in stores for mobility –

• Kiosks for displaying information or for self-service
• Mobile Point of Sale (mPOS) for the easy and flexible checkout process
• For inventory management
• For staff use
• For quick service inside the store

These mobile devices whether Android or iOS, are integrated with Mobile Device Management(MDM) solutions for retail. With MDM, IT departments can meet the challenges to remotely control, monitor and the secure bulk of devices with different operating systems and make, and at the same time provide access to organization’s resources on these devices to employees irrespective of their location, to improve their productivity.

Role of Mobile Device Management Solutions in Retail Sector

So, what does Mobile Device Management do differently to secure the devices & provide access to the employees – the corporate resources, data, custom business apps, etc.?

• Firstly, all the devices are configured according to corporate policies.
• Devices are locked down to use specific applications, which are imperative to carry out the job.
• Devices can be grouped and then allocated the profile accordingly to its usage and requirement.
• Devices’ location can be tracked and even a virtual boundary can be set in order to monitor & control them better.
• With MDM for retail, IT professionals will gain control of devices and take immediate action to wipe data from a stolen device, send a message to remote employees, deploy an app, real-time troubleshooting with remote screen sharing and access of the devices.

Mobile Device Management for retail is an exceptional tool to keep both your business owned data and devices secure. It facilitates the retailer to gainfully implement the enterprise mobility and enhance the customer experience by ensuring the devices are rightly configured, properly managed, supported and secured.

Benefits of MDM in Retail Sector

The benefits of MDM for retail are quite apparent for an e.g.

As businesses increasingly adopt mobile devices, security becomes more critical than ever. Make sure your company adopts a solution that protects employees, customer data and your devices from unauthorized access or use.
If your device is stolen, its access will be denied thereafter, and its location and image of the person who tried to break the code will be captured. This is how it helps to track down the thief.
Mobile Device Management also protects company data from unauthorized access. In case of stealing or device being misplaced, IT admin can remotely wipe off the data on the device.

In addition, it helps to

• Make your team more efficient
• Provide customized service
• Improve communication with & within your team

Enterprise Mobility Management Solution is a comprehensive and cost-effective way to take your retail business at the contemporary level in terms of customer expectation with safe and secure mobility management.