mPOS (mobile point-of-sale)

An mPOS (mobile point-of-sale) is a smartphone, tablet or dedicated wireless device that performs the functions of a cash register or electronic point-of-sale terminal (POS terminal) wirelessly.To implement an mPOS, a business needs an internet connection, a credit and debit card reader, and an application downloaded to whatever device it wants to use for the transactions. An mPOS can also be paired with additional POS hardware like a barcode scanner and a cash drawer.

The need for mPOS is to overcome the shortcomings of the fixed POS system and also to bridge the gap between POS systems and eCommerce businesses. Using a mobile or a similar device as an alternate POS requires less up-front investment and they are far more affordable to repair or replace than traditional POS systems. Think of a real life situation when at a retail store there is a long line at the checkout, a tired customer might give up the idea of making a purchase after looking at it. mPOS eliminates these queues and lags. In a store each employee could have such a portable register and offer rapid billing to the customers, or in a restaurant, a server could generate the bill at the table itself.