New Point of Sale Technology

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POS and retail newsAs technology emerges yet again into another world we as retailers are under the thumb of the patron.  Many times we think that upgrading will cause problems with our current systems and it can be costly, although the benefits seem to outweigh the expensive costs when it comes to new advancements in technology.

Emerging with the POS systems are the new VeriFones that will be able to us POS systems in place of credit cards, checks and other means of payments.  The problem is that it would need to be widely accepted by retailers for it to work.  The VeriFone would work in place of the physical credit card for easier and faster check out. This may be the new wave of the future for payments.

This may only work if there are already retailers on board with the capabilities of using the verifone.  It also may help if there were a “rewards” card or some type of incentive to get our patrons to use this new way of paying.  All of the glitches need to be worked out because with peoples credit information they are not so willing to just use it for anyone.  They need the confidence that their information is secure and safe.  This can all happen with the new POS systems.

1.  Keeping tabs: Restaurant corporation integrates video with POS system – Information regarding the ease and capabilities of the POS systems used in restaurants, according to David Starmer this is a great way to help with loss prevention, integrating the POS system has helped with time, loss prevention, surveillance, as well as  ordering and a lot of help with extra “eyes” to watch the cash flow in the business.

2. VeriFone puts money near mouth, says it’ll include NFC in all new POS terminals – Continue to upgrade your business to keep up with the changing times.  This VeriFone idea could very well be the lead of the next best thing.  Keep your business in the running by changing your system to accept this type of sale, allow patrons to pay with ease and stay ahead of the changing technology to better succeed in your business.

Point of Sale Software: Big Strides

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phone-voicemail-20090608It’s been a few weeks since I’ve posted the weekly roundup. Well I’m back and will be keeping you up to date with the latest point of sale and retail news for the Holidays.

This week is all about mobile, whether it’s implementing the newest POS mobile hardware, the latest app or wooing your customers mobile is the new way to go. Old Navy has started using iPod based POS systems just in time for the busy Holiday rush. Discover has also joined the ranks of mobile technology and started offering their first contactless point of sale payment devices.

The third article featured in our roundup this week is the integration of mobile and digital signage for the new age future customer, giving them all the information they need to make an informed decision about a product. We then go into a new directory that allows mobile users to find brick and mortar retailers in their local area including their current inventory. We end the round up this week with 10 retailers that show you how mobile and retail integration should be done.

1. Gap testing Apple’s point-of-sale system at Old Navy stores – Apple has now partnered with Old Navy to run a pilot program testing the use of mobile point of sale equipment before bringing it to the mainstream market. The POS hardware has a special backing on the iPod Touch to allow for the swiping of credit cards and signature can be obtained with a stylus pen or a finger!

2. Discover Begins Rollout of Contactless Devices to Consumers – The major credit card company will begin to roll out it’s Discover ZIP, a contactless credit card and stickers to allow for lighting fast speed at the point of sale checkout. Customers will begin seeing their new payment options arriving in the mail any day now and it’s sure to be a hit during the busy shopping season.

3. A two-way integration of digital signage and mobile – This might sound foreign to you but EnQii and Kombi have joined to bring a great integration between digital signage and mobile technology. The digital signage will include a QR code, which are “quick response” matrix 2-D codes that contain data, like text, images or website URLs.

“Forever, brick-and-mortar loyalty has meant consumer loyal to brick-and-mortar; it has never had to mean brick-and-mortar loyal to consumer,” he said. “If brick-and-mortar is going to have a future, they need to solve that problem, and we’re giving them a mechanism by which they can do that.”

4. Goodzer Includes Small Retailers in Local Real-Time Product Search– Another mobile way to engage with your customers. Goodzer has launched their shopping search engine in a limited market to test the results. Currently it picks up the inventory availability of 15,000 New York City brick-and-mortar retailers, both large and small. It’s available on the web and iPhone with plans to expand to Droid and the iPad. Customers have your entire inventory at their fingertips before they enter your retail store.

5. 10 retailers show what can be done with mobile – Mobile commerce is a rapidly approaching technology that’s here to stay. This great article gives you examples of how 10 retailers are using mobile to reach their customers and expand sales. Companies such as Walgreens, ShopNBC, and the Catholic Company. Read on to see what you should be doing in the mobile market.

New Web Based POS Feature, Point of Sale Payment Success, Small Retail Optimism, Retail Marketing Lessons, Small Business in the Cloud

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Retail and POS newsThis week we will start the weekly round up of retail and point of sale news with an announcement from a Web POS company that will surely have brick and mortar retailers putting on their thinking caps. The second article comes from another announcement that PaymentMax, a point of sale payment solutions company has earned high marks from Inc. Magazine.

The last three articles we showcase this week way more heavily on the retail side of the roundup. Heading the article showcase is a very inspiring article from Bright Perspectives. The author, Bill Brown, a retail consultant promises to bring new perspectives to your traditional retail business. Then we go into a fascinating piece that gives you some sound advice from the world’s most successful businessman, Richard Branson. We end this weeks roundup with an article about cloud computing…if you’re unsure of what that means, check it out below, this is the future for many small retail establishments.

1. Point of Sale That Synchs Brick & Mortar and Online Inventory – The news of Shopkeep.com partnering with Shopify.com has many small retailers excited about the possibilities that they will be able to run their online and brick & mortar businesses from one location. ShopKeep is a web based point of sale software (see our review below) that shares a vision for retail businesses to be able to manage both their online and physical business with one easy to use software.

2. PaymentMax Merchant Services on the List of America’s Fastest Growing Companies
– PaymentMax, founded in 2004 provides merchant services for credit card processing at the POS. The company has continued to grow at a fast pace by offering a variety of payment avenues including cell phone technology. The company has found small to mid-size retailers and helped them enable their smartphones, iPads, ect for processing major credit cards. Inc. Magazine ranked the company #151 in revenue growth between 2006 – 2009.

3. The Future is Bright for Small Retailers – This inspiring article will have small retailers on the edge of their seats looking forward to the future. The article mentions the business growth of online retailers but insists there is still hope for the traditional brick and mortar retailer through adaptation and change. He states:

Do not listen to the doom merchants: the future is indeed bright for small retailers, but only for those who work smart and really “get” how to market their businesses effectively in this age of “mature e-commerce”.

4. Six marketing lessons from Sir Richard Branson – Who wouldn’t listen to some sound advice from one of the most famous entrepreneurs of all time, Mr. Richard Branson. In this great article featured at the Retail Customer Experience, Mr. Branson lays out six ways to compete ahead of the game. Richard Branson’s philosophy on starting a business:

Get the product right, put a great brand on it and then you’ll have a great success.

5. Why Cloud Business is THE Business Model for Small Business – If you have no idea what cloud computing is, you’re not alone. This fairly new term has a very simple meaning. Cloud computing is essentially “internet-based” computing and many small businesses are starting to lean toward the trend. This article will give you a Cloud Computing 101 tutorial that will have you using great applications such as Google Documents, Zendesk, FedEx and many more.

ShopKeep POS Software Review

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ShopKeep POS Software ReviewCompany Website: ShopKeep.com
Product Website: ShopKeep POS
Price Range:$0 – $129/month
Operating Systems: Web Based

ShopKeep POS Software Overview

ShopKeep is a web based point of sale software that was designed by retailers for retailers. The POS software provides a way for small businesses to ring up sales, accept credit cards/cash, track sales, manage inventory and much more using your web browser. Shopkeep allows for the importing of existing data such as items, customers and sales history. The software is PCI compliant and keeps working even if you lose your internet connection.

The company is offering a 30 day “Test Drive” with no credit card required. Shopkeep POS software has four pricing plans that start at Free and go up to $129 for the premium plan.

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