Competing With Big Business: How Apps Are Empowering SMB Retailers On Small Business Saturday
By Michael Devins of Jamf
An iOS device serves as a great communication tool out of the box, but the rich library of business apps in the iOS App Store can it easy and affordable for a small or medium-sized business (SMB) to get up and running. Turn an iPad into a cash register, create and submit expense reports on the go, and even transform business processes such as managing a sales cycle or signing contracts.
With an app strategy and mobile device management solution like Jamf Now to manage app deployments, SMBs can ensure users have the apps they need — configured and secure for their environment. So, with Small Business Saturday right around the corner on Nov. 26th, here are a few apps worth noting that are empowering SMB retailers:
1. Square: Small businesses need to accomplish critical tasks like point-of-sale transactions with the lowest friction possible. Square makes the payment process incredibly simple. SMBs can run it on any iOS device - whether that's a dedicated iPad register or via an associate out from behind the counter, taking a credit card right from an iPhone.
Competitive Advantage: Square turns the traditional merchant fee structure on its head, lowering the barrier to accepting credit cards for businesses of ANY size. It allows you to accept all major credit cards, which means your consumers can pay with any card of their choice without merchant restrictions. And, with the recent addition of Apple Pay, it is even easier for consumers to make a purchase with their card of choice and be on their way.
2. Belly: Consumers respond positively to rewards and Belly makes it easy for SMBs to implement a loyalty program. No need to start from scratch with an original program. Belly is a loyalty rewards program that works with over 12,000 businesses and six million customers. With Belly, consumers can earn rewards account across a variety of retailers and then can redeem their benefits with any retailer in the Belly network.
Competitive Advantage: SMBs can tap into this widely used loyalty program to attract new customers and reward returning shoppers, creating instant loyalty.
3. Boomtown: Businesses can't afford downtime, but SMBs also typically can't afford full-time IT. Enter Boomtown. It's like IT on demand. Call them when you need them and retain remote assistance or onsite help through a network of consultants.
Competitive Advantage: Avoid a full-time IT overhead until you need it. Ensure operations are up and running (and smooth!) during your busiest season without breaking the bank.
4. Deputy: Deputy is the ultimate app for managing the SMB employee base. Create staff schedules, manage time cards, delegate tasks and communicate with employees
Competitive Advantage: Avoid physically being in one location or even at the retailer to mange staff. Deputy allows SMB owners or managers to run their business from any location and make changes on the fly, ensuring the retailer is staffed accordingly during the duration of the holiday season.
5. Xero: Accounting can be time consuming, but SMBs can do it on-the-go with Xero. Xero is a cloud-based accounting system that can be accessed via mobile apps. It is designed to help streamline expense tracking and revenue.
Competitive Advantage: Avoid spending time more than you have to tracking revenue and expenses. Focus on strategic tasks to grow your business. And, track how your business is doing during the holiday season even if you aren't there.
Michael Devins is the Product Manager at Jamf.
The views, opinions and positions expressed within this guest post are those of the author alone and do not represent those of CBS Small Business Pulse or the CBS Corporation. The accuracy, completeness and validity of any statements made within this article are verified solely by the author.
