mobile pos

POS Using Text, Point of Sale Tips, iPad POS, Small Retailer Technology 101, Employee Tips

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Retail and POS NewsMobile, emerging technology again tops this weeks roundup of point of sale and retail news. The first article we feature focuses both on a small retailer and his ability to accept mobile payments keeping his customers very happy. The second article we feature has 10 things you should not do when purchasing POS software for your business. Many of these articles exist but few are good enough to be showcased in our weekly round up. The author of this article goes a few steps ahead and points out some commonly overlooked mistakes.

The third article in this weeks round up is an interesting opinion on how the iPad will change the retail industry and I have to agree. The possibilities of endless improvement in customer service are very exciting for both retailers and consumers. The fourth article this week will help small business owners with the basics of technology for thos3eof you who feel out of the loop. Then our last feature this week will give you 8 ways to get overall improvement from your employees.

1. SMB Innovator: Brown Coffee Company Lets You Pay Via Text Message – An innovative way that one small retailer is standing above the crowd and joining the growing fad of convenience. Aaron Blanco, the owner of The Brown Coffee Company allows customers to pay for their coffee using a simple text message and a service called Venmo. Over 200 small retailers across the country have started using this service as an alternative form of payment and convenience amongst its customers.

2. Point-of-sale Software Top Ten Mistakes to Avoid – This article contains some great advice when you are looking to purchase POS software for your small retail business. Things you may not think about are mentioned such as obtaining references or one system fits all. This is an essential read if you’re looking into purchasing a new piece of point of sale software.

3. How iPads are Going to Change the Face of Retail – Although it might still be a while before the iPad and similar tablets are perfected for use of mobile point of sale hardware, the anticipation is exciting. The author of this article points out a few ways that an iPad in the hands of a customer service representative will change the face of the retail industry.

4. Technology Basics for Business – This is a very basic overview for the less technology savvy business person. A wonderfully informative article posted at the Wall Street Journal will help any novice retailer learn the basics of technology.

5. 8 Ways to Develop Your Worker’s Core Competencies – All retailers know that their employees are a reflection of their brand and their establishment. To have the best success at having an employee as a “good” influence for your retail business you should know these 8 easy ways you can help them grow with your business.

New Mobile Tablet POS, Point of Sale Improvement, Over 20 Tips for Small Retail Customer Relations, Lobbying and Low Cost Marketing

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POS and Small Retail NewsHP’s announcement of the release of the company’s new tablet PC makes the top article in the weekly roundup. The tablet will only be available to HP’s enterprise customers but it will be another option for small businesses looking for a mobile point of sale solution. The second article in the roundup is good news for the retail and hospitality industry. The newly formed partnership between ScanSource POS & Barcoding and ParTech will bring a variety of new solution to retailers.

Our retail industry news this week is full of tips for small businesses. We start off with our third article with seven must do things that will keep customer loyalty. Then we found an article with seven tips for small retailers to be successful when lobbying a government office. The last article we feature has a few common sense low marketing ideas that will work in any business, small or large.

1. HP Tablet Goes Enterprise, WebOS Tablet Due Too? – The Enterprise tablet will be released by HP in the near future and will be available to enterprise customers only. The tablet will run the Windows 7 operating system and will be able to perform mobile point of sale operations. There is not an official release date but this will offer small retailers another option for a mobile POS.

2. ScanSource POS & Barcoding Enhances Hospitality & Retail Services Offering Through Distribution Agreement With ParTech – This partnership is sure to take off in the businesses in the retail industry using or interested in using PAR’s technology solutions. Here it is straight from the president of ScanSource POS & Barcoding, Jeff Yelton.

“PAR has a laser focus on the hospitality industry, delivering rugged, robust and reliable hardware and peripherals for resellers selling into the industry. We are pleased to be the only distributor offering these high-performing solutions to hospitality resellers.”

3. Seven requirements for becoming customer-centric – As a small retailer you can never read enough tips on customer service. That’s why we feature so many articles from the Retail Customer Experience. Yet again, here’s an information packed article that will help you become more customer-centric.

4. Seven Lobbying Mistakes Small Businesses Make and What to Do Instead – This article is so unique that it makes itself valuable. There might only be a small select few small business owners that benefit from the advice given but it’s advice that hard to find. Learning how to influence your state and local government could be an essential survival skills…read more to find out.

5. 8 Low-Cost Marketing Tips for Small Retailers – This is a clear and concise article that outlines eight great tips on using low cost marketing methods. The number one tips is to develop a budget including the time you spend, after all time is money.

iPod Restaurant POS Solution, New POS Reporting Tool, Swipe Fees Hurting Small Retailers, Dumb Discounting, Retail Data 101

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Point of SaleWelcome to this weeks roundup featuring articles on point of sale and retail news. The first article we showcase this week shows how one restaurant saved money by using the iPod as a POS solution for its staff. Then we have an announcement of a new real time reporting tool for Counterpoint point of sale software. Then we move on to the third article which is all to familiar to many small retail businesses, the dreaded swipe fees. These fees are under stack by many small and large retail establishments plus the Senate is already taking steps for regulation of these fees. The fourth article in this weeks roundup is an opinion article from The Retail Specialty Expert and it talks about avoiding dumb discounting, We then end the roundup with a small tutorial on how to gain retail marketing insight from the data that you collect daily in your POS database.

1. Helping speed up flow of restaurant orders – Mobile point of sale device have been a largely talked about subject as of late, including here on the Wizard of POS. This article shows how one small restaurant chose an iPod over another POS installation for their staff to use while taking orders on the floor. The author talks about Michael Benaroch a man who developed this point of sale software to run on both a touch screen POS and the iPod.

“It takes about 20 minutes to be trained on the touchscreen, and then if you know the screen, it’s almost no adjustment to use the iPod,”

2. Radiant Systems Announces Launch of Real-time Alerting Tool for the Retail Industry – This week Radiant Systems announced the launching of a new real time reporting tool that will work alongside their Counterpoint POS software. The new tool will help small retailers monitor activities within each location and send SMS text or email alerts to prevent fraud and provide better customer service. The president of Red Bandannas states that the new software has enhanced employee morale and improved customer satisfaction since its implementation.

3. Swipe fees are hurting small businesses in North Carolina – The only thing I disagreed with in this article was the title because it’s not just small businesses in North Carolina, every small retailer across the country is dealing with these fees. This article is a good hard look of the truth of what retail businesses are dealing with currently with the large increase of credit card swipe fees. The ceiling is limitless and companies like Visa or Mastercard have no limits on how high these fees could rise. Congress has already starting discussing some regulations that might be put into place to help struggling small businesses but it’s yet to be seen if anything will really be done about it.

4. Opinion: Do not give in to ‘dumb discounting’ – For an opinion article this one hit it right on the nose. If you’re a small retailer that thinks you have to use deep discounts to draw in customers and make sales think again. This is a great source of information to see examples of large retailers using deep discounting that ultimately confuses the customer.

“Discounting is a great tool when carefully designed to increase frequency with your core and must-have customers. When applied with a shotgun, it is usually dumb discounting.”

5. Finding retail marketing insight from within your database – This informative article might give you an insight on how you could be using your point of sale data information to fine tune your marketing efforts. This in depth article goes into data discovery, analysis and data strategy.

Small Retail iPad and iPhone Mobile Point of Sale Information, Local Retail Search Result Tips, One Way to Grow Your Business

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Retail News and Point of Sale InformationYou might notice that there are only three titles in this weeks roundup post. That would be due to find three very interesting articles on small retail businesses using Apples technology as mobile point of sale devices. The mobile POS world is advancing very rapidly among small retailers and customers alike. The three articles we feature first will help give you a better visual and understanding of what an iPad or iPhone could do for your retail business. The fourth article we feature this week has 6 practices a local retailer should use to gain exposure in local search results for nearby customers. Then we end this weeks roundup with a one chapter excerpt from a book that will give you informative information for one way you can help grow your retail business.

1. Square: A Great Payment System for Churches – When I first read this article I knew for sure it was making the roundup. The author, Shaun Takenouchi, explains the background on this device, how it works and even includes pictures of the actual iPhone running the point of sale. Then he goes on to display a video demo from YouTube and as an added bonus he explains why small retail merchants of all kinds could benefit form using an iPad or iPhone equipped with a square to accept mobile point of sale payments.

2. Point of Sale usability study targets iPad & iPhone systems – Since we featured such a positive review on using these devices as mobile POS solutions we decided to give a true customer experience using it. The author of this article goes into detail on a couple negative effects that these type of mobile payments could have if you don’t know how to avoid them. After reading the observation of the customer during a transaction you will be prepared not to make the same mistakes this small retailer did.

3. Apple Readies New App for Retail Staff POS Units: Report – After featuring both articles above on using Apple Technology for a retail mobile point of sale answer we thought you might like to read what the company is planning to launch for the retail industry that is using their platform as a mobile POS. You’ll find what they have in store for retailers will get you excited about the future.

4. Six best practices for managing local retail search results – An online business listing for your small retail establishment has become a significant part of driving new customers along with higher profits. This will give you six of the best ways to handle your online retail business listing and keeping your information as current as possible.

5. Excerpt: The Retail Doctor’s Guide to Growing Your Business – the author of this book is a blogger at The Retail Customer Experience, a site we feature many articles from. In this article a chapter from his book explains how understanding the four employee personality types can help avoid the pitfalls of a bad worker. Knowing who your “drivers” are and how to help them succeed will grow your small retail business in all areas.

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