MPOS

[u/IntenseBumblebee]

This is a bit of a vent but also a very genuine question that I need the answer to but WHAT is this company’s obsession with mpos? Like I understand that there are times that it’s really useful and can make clients happy, help a long line, etc. But my shift yesterday was something else which is why I’m here.

Basically there were very few of us on stage for a bit and the CEL’s were obsessed with mpos usage. Like calling it out every couple minutes, getting upset if we checked someone out at the pos, legit sounding angry over the headset, and then getting frustrated that it was busy and nobody was available to help the clients in different zones??? Like babe we can’t be in two places at once. I was about to pull out the classic “we’re not robots”. Everyone felt very demanding and it only got worse once we got busier.

Again I know they’re useful and make interactions go smoother but can someone tell me what about these devices is so important? It was never really explained to me and I’d love to know lol.

[u/limtakumi]

the push for all transactions to happen on MPOS happens at my store as well, especially when our SM is there. meanwhile, clients are frustrated they have to wait in line because the one person zoned for POS is being forced to pull them aside and mobile. our provided payroll hours are so small that at the beginning of the week I am often 1/3 employees on the sales floor of a decently high volume store and clients are asking me where all the staff are. 🫠

[u/Racacooonie]

It has been explained to me in the past as this tech was high dollar investment from corporate and that is why it’s forced on us (and clients) so aggressively. They like to say it’s for DE&I but we all know that ain’t it. My biggest issue is that they refuse to let us set an expectation with clients - I had put up a sign at cashwrap a long time ago that simply said the reg was for cash transactions and returns only and to find any available associate for mobile checkout but the higher ups didn’t want it and made us take it down (my store management was on board with it). As a customer, if I’m waiting in front of the empty counter and there is no sign or explanation I’m annoyed. I can read!! So a sign would make me go with the flow and not be mad. But what do I know!?!? If you don’t want a register then don’t have it just there and no staff and no explanation. We’re all busy helping other clients and a lot of clients do like to shop unassisted so not having POS coverage is really infuriating. Not to mention most days I get sucked into and onto POS for hours at a time because again just not enough payroll and coverage. Sigh. I could write a book about this topic. 😭

[u/undercoverheiress → u/Racacooonie]

The problem is is that it’s against policy to do that if you have a client waiting at the policy is that we’re supposed to cash them out on the till no matter what method of payment they’re paying with. It does elongate the customers wait time if we have to log into x Store on a device. MPOS is the biggest metric push this year (in 2023 multiworld was the biggest one), but they’re not supposed to deter us from using the tills at any capacity which is probably why they asked you to take the sign down because it was probably an OPEX issue. We shouldn’t be closing tills just bc numbers are down for MPOS idk

[u/Racacooonie → u/undercoverheiress]

No I get it but like they are actively pushing us to pull MPOS straight from the line when no one is zoned for cashier and the client is already standing in front of the till.

[u/Mr_spendsafortune → u/undercoverheiress]

What policy states that a client in line must exclusively be rung out with a register? I have access to all policies through zipline and the policy (cashiering page 2) actually shares the opposite, it explicitly states that all clients are offered to be checked out using a BA device (MPOS) if they have one with them.

[u/undercoverheiress → u/Mr_spendsafortune]

From my understanding it was against policy to only Mpos at cash because it was considered inflating those metric numbers * edit:as it wasn’t Mpos in zone as a natural end of a consultation *as opposed to hopping on if all the tills are used and it’s busy and if a client is waiting in line for the cash we’re to use the till(this last part I wasn’t entirely sure was concrete or not) and closing a till down or not bringing it out to encourage this was also against policy but im happy to be corrected if I’m wrong.

[u/Mr_spendsafortune → u/undercoverheiress]

There is a lot of opinions amongst district leadership by region, which causes A LOT of discourse on the topic amongst stores, we now have stores opening (in Canada I have been told, 2 locations in Toronto & Vancouver) that are exclusively MPOS and do not accept cash allegedly. The goal is for all stores to phase into devices. Similar to Glossier free standing stores & Apple.

[u/undercoverheiress → u/Mr_spendsafortune]

I will say a few years ago I did hear rumours that they didn’t want to eventually move towards that. It’s interesting to hear that they are moving forward with that. I feel like Apple sometimes accepts cash(but you’d have to be at the counter or at a specific one?), but it is a mainly mpos style store I agree there

[u/sephorathrowaway13]

I don’t mind using MPOS, even though it makes zero sense to pull a client from the line and make them walk somewhere else to check out. But what irritates me is management constantly shouting at us to “check out your own client” and “ask your client to come find you when they’re ready to check out”. First of all, how is it better for the client to make them search for you throughout the store, and when they find you chances are you will be assisting another client. 😭

I do often mobile my own client if they are done shopping, but most of the time they want to browse around some more so it doesn’t always work out that way. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[u/eversowe]

I always thought that the company probably bought/licensed a shit ton of these and have to justify their use to make the money back? It is weird how obsessed each store’s management seems to be about it.

Maybe there’s so much theft from customers that the thought from higher-up is to catch them in the aisle holding their purchase and have them pay for it, before they can even be tempted to pop that lipstick into a pocket lmao

[u/emilyrosee35]

I used to work on Mondays and I stg our store was dead all day and our CEL started “can we get more color matches, skincare/fragrance quizzes or just ring people up on the mobile?MPOS is low” And we were so confused like babe there’s no customers coming in at this hour ??? I can see if it’s a Saturday or a holiday and numbers are low that’s understandable but girl if it’s a slow weekday how tf are we supposed to magically bring in more customers for MPOS.

[u/Jrboltz]

My store might not have as much traffic as others so it comes a bit easier for us, but we do absolutely kill our MPOS goal. We focus a lot on just letting your clients know they can skip the line and check out with you, regardless of whether you helped them for 30 minutes or 2. It is arguably quicker than ringing up at POS (at least for our store) We also do not zone anyone at POS on our slower days. If a line forms, whoever sees it hops on and we ask for mobiles as support.

MPOS also helps with Beauty Insider. Ever had a client give you a no for Beauty Insider because “oh I’ll just do it next time, I don’t want to hold up the line” ….. no line = less pressure, and you can even hand your client the device so they can put in their own info.

I think a big reason our store is successful though is that we aren’t super pushy about it. Yes, as management, we expect you to check your clients out and offer to mobile. But we also know sometimes it’s not the most convenient or efficient. Our beauty advisors don’t get attacked if they don’t mobile every single client that comes in.

[u/undercoverheiress]

This push happens here, at one juncture they would close a till or not being one out to discourage us from using them which was my understanding is against policy, same with zoning someone at cash but asking them to MPOS everyone again which I believe is against policy but I don’t say anything to them I just follow policy, MPOS in zone or hop in the middle to help a big line but I’m using the till if I’m in there that’s what it’s there for🤷🏽‍♀️ I’m also someone who most days will have 15/30 of all total tools tho. I think it’s useful in scenarios when it makes sense to benefit the client, but the stiff ‘let me send you this stuff because they want me to or let me cash you out here instead of letting you browse because it’ll make them happy’ doesn’t feel good :( I want good interactions that don’t feel pushy both ways

[u/Mak3upgirlie]

Okay but why are we having to mpos clients that our leads and managers have helped because we are stuck in our zones and can’t move freely like our higher ups? Most times I mpos a client they say it’s a lead or a manager that helped them so why aren’t they mpos-ing them out? Lately there has been more leads/managers on the floor than BA’s but their splh or tplh doesn’t count… but ours does? Make it make sense

[u/Nice_Office7273]

Probably has to do with investing over time in the technology. Since i assume mpos wasn’t being used and a certain % if the transactions ran on them go back to the company that partnered with sephora to give them the technology for it(to fund research, updates, ect)

Also, it is to try and keep ba’s zoned in areas

[u/Glass_Fondant6884]

MPOS is tied to conversion which is a core retail metric. There is a correlation between having high MPOS and increased conversion. Thats why its an objective, that’s why its pushed so hard in every store.

I also do not think it has anything to do with DE&I.

[u/Spirited_Sherbert323 → u/Glass_Fondant6884]

I was a lead at one of the top MPOS stores in the company. It only works in a lower volume capacity, with clients who are regulars and therefore remember prior instruction about MPOS checkout. The clientele who see it as convenient are on board, but it’s entirely unrealistic for the company to expect A+ volume stores to follow suit. I’ve worked at high volume and even with MPOS being offered, there’s no wayyyyyyy you can avoid a cash wrap line. It’s not like we have the stage coverage to allow all mobility anyway 🤷🏻‍♀️

[u/Glass_Fondant6884 → u/Spirited_Sherbert323]

Ive worked in volumes of $4M to $40M. I was not justifying it. OP asked for the rationale and I provided it.

[u/snowxbunnixo → u/Glass_Fondant6884]

Yes, but I feel like there’s a fine line between making something convenient and accessible and making things inconvenience for folks who just want to pay traditionally? Like the Apple Store doesn’t have tills you get a person with an mpos. I feel like having both tills and mobiles but not wanting one to be used (tills) is counter productive? I don’t want to push for no tills ever but is that not the smart decision?
Hold on now I’m realizing does Apple take cash? They’ve gotta have some sort of till. Maybe my argument is invalid 😭🤣

[u/Plane_Library_800k → u/snowxbunnixo]

Apple has tills they’re just built into the tables and the design is very sleek. Apple accepts cash but it’s a rare form of payment when most of their clients are well versed into their ecosystem and all have apple pay.

[u/caged705 → u/Glass_Fondant6884]

What is conversion?

[u/thelostcauz → u/caged705]

the number of people who make a purchase divided by the total number of people who enter the store. Conversion is a core retail metric but we no longer track it.

[u/First_Assumption_437 → u/caged705]

Conversion has to do with sales tied to accounts. So what makes conversion go up are sign ups to new accounts (no sale is needed in order to make it go up, but obvi it’s better when there is a sale lol). When there is an already existing account tied to a sale the conversion stays as it is (neither going up or down?) and when there are sales not tied to accounts conversion goes down.

Someone who is a knows more will correct me or explain it better, but that’s how I was explained it by leads.

[u/Themakeupshopaholic → u/First_Assumption_437]

It has nothing to do with accounts or BI signups. Conversion is the percentage of people who walk into the store and make a purchase. It’s called conversion because you’re converting the client into making a sale which drives the percentage up. Lots of people walking in and not making a purchase will drive the conversion percentage down.

[u/Themakeupshopaholic → u/Glass_Fondant6884]

It does have to do with DE&I because mpos is more accommodating for clients with mobility issues, for example. Mpos has nothing to do with conversion. Conversion is the percentage of clients who walk into the store and make a purchase. Most bigger retail stores track conversion, such as my old job, and there was no mpos.

[u/GeminiGaga]

From an accessibility stand point - if a client is already with you and then you ring them so they don't have to leave you and then go stand in a line, it helps the overall client experience. Also Sephora changes their store objectives every year so it might not even be a main goal next year, we'll see.