Your physical retail space as a small business is probably the result of careful design: the materials, the displays, the lighting, access, flooring, countertops, artwork, and much more.

But what about your actual point of sale – when the customer is purchasing the product? All of us have experienced a point of sale that is very engaging – efficient, great use of technology, friendly employees. So think a bit about how your checkout area and process is designed.

The focus on the checkout area should be human interaction. So avoid clutter in the area like wires, papers and gadgets. Anything on the checkout counter should be unobtrusive and blend into the motif of the rest of the store.

There can be more than one checkout option for your customer: one conventional and one mobile. While the Apple store is a pioneer of mobile point of sale, the cost of implementing that technology is now accessible for small businesses.

Most importantly, make sure that your employees use the point of sale as an opportunity to connect with customers: getting feedback, emails, promoting products and services – in short generating customer loyalty and a return visit!