point of sale

In the beginning of February we featured a POS review of a new web based point of sale software called Cashier Live. This week the company’s announcement of the launch of their web based Pharmacy POS is our first roundup feature. The next feature is the announcement of NewLeads new and innovative “show order system” also known as SOS. Our third featured article is an easy to follow report tutorial created by TechRepublic for QuickBook Point of Sale users. The last two articles that are featured in this weeks roundup have to do with small retailers using social media. You’ll see that the numbers prove this is a marketing technique your small business needs to be using and what social media site is most successful for small retail businesses.

1. Cashier Live Launches Web-Based Pharmacy Point of Sale – Cashier Live has announced they have secured their SIGIS certification which is a first for a SaaS point of sale application which means pharmacies can accept FSA (flexible spending account) cards. The low subscription price for Cashier Live’s Pharmacy POS is sure to draw many businesses owners looking for a way to comply with the new regulations and keep it within budget.

2. NewLeads Offers a Point-of-Sale Ordering System – This new and innovative show order system (SOS) is going to be a big hit with small retailers that attend trade shows. New Leads unique point of sale system allows merchants to scan or looked up items, take orders or perform a checkout, the reseller information is attached the order, securely enter credit card information (either swiped or manual entry) and automatically print invoices or regular receipts.

3. How do I create and memorize reports in QuickBooks Point of Sale? – This is a great visual tutorial provided by TechRepublic. If you’re a user of Quickbooks point of sale and you need to know how to create and memorize reports, grab a pen and paper then start learning.

4. Adoption Of Social Media Doubled Among SMBs – Small retailers are staring to jump on the social media bandwagon according to a new study by The Center for Media Research that states the number has doubled in the last year. The author gives an interesting take on which sector of small businesses were including in the jump.

5. Social media for retailers: Focus on Facebook – This article featured at the Retail Customer Experience speaks for itself the minute you visit the site. As many of you may know we offer many articles from this excellent retail website and they too have embraced social media. Take a look at their new engaging look while you read about why your small retail business needs to be focusing on Facebook.

It’s no secret that any small retailers lack the amount of funding that’s needed to advertise to a large audience. The internet has essentially changed that fact and our first article in the weekly roundup will prove that small business owners can reach a huge audience with a very low budget. The second feature in this weeks roundup is a press release that will prove to be very helpful in learning how to analyze your point of sale data with an easy “How To” guide. We have presented you with many articles on NFC mobile POS payments and this week is no exception. Our third article gives a good insight into NFC payments with a small retailer example. The last two articles in this weeks roundup are press releases about point of sale software companies teaming up with other industry companies to provide you with a better experience using your POS software. So if you’re a Retail Pro or Cam Commerce customer you will want to read on to learn the new features available for your small retail establishment.

1. The Future of Advertising – This may be no big surprise to some of you but YouTube could be providing you with long advertisements for your business at the cost of making a simple video. This article shows in reality the true power of a viral video and it works for large and small retailers alike. This is the future of advertising and it’s time you jumped on the bandwagon and put your small business in the spotlight.

2. Accelerated Analytics Announces the Availability of “How To Guides” for POS Data Analysis Best Practices – What good is all the point of sale data you collect if you don’t know how to analyze it the correct way. Well now there’s a solution. Accelerated Analytics provides detailed “How To” guides on how to read and understand the various POS data from your reports.

3. NFC vs. Not-NFC, or “Why Put Card Data on the Phone?” A look at Mocapay – Although NFC has not yet been widely accepted in the U.S. the time is approaching quickly that it will. The author of this article goes into some of the reasons that NFC hasn’t caught on in the U.S. and showcases a company that is using it successfully.

4. Retail Pro & Mercury Payment Systems Announce Integration – Retail Pro point of sale software customers now have a new choice when it comes to processing payments. The company has teamed up with Mercury Payment Systems to provide a new solution that delivers high speed payment processing seamlessly for users in the U.S. and Canada.

5. CAM Commerce Solutions Joins HP Elite Partner Program – Cam Commerce announced that Retail Star and Retail Ice have been validated on HP point of sale systems. This assures that the POS software will run flawlessly on HP POS systems. The goal of Cam Commerce is to simplify the deploying of POS systems for their small retail business owners.

We start the roundup this week with a very simple but informative article that lays out a few questions small retailers need to ask when deciding on a POS for their restaurant. The second feature in the roundup is again a short article but I considered it important since it could save many small business owners money on credit card processing fees. Then we focus on an exciting upcoming event at the digital signage expo which is being considered the future of advertising. The fourth article this week is closest to my heart. It shows that local small retailers can still win the battle over online stores by providing physical products. The last article was chosen for the roundup due to the unusual perspective of customer feedback that caught my attention immediately. After reading the article it makes sense what the author is saying so it’s important for you to acknowledge.

1. Questions You Might Want To Ask A Restaurant POS Professional – This article lays out seven questions you need to consider when purchasing a point of sale system for your restaurant. It’s very informative giving you a list of available options that you might not have thought of or planned for. One of the questions list three available forms of POS computer you could use for your business.

2. New Credit Card Processing Systems Help Small Businesses Save Money – Leap Payments is a new credit card processing application designed to help save small retailers a few dollars. They actually offer their service at the same rate as large volume businesses. Leap Payments also promises simple account management and next day funding.

3. Digital Signage Content Strategies Book Launches at Digital Signage Expo – Digital signage seems to be the way future advertising is heading and this expo is here to prove it. Leading industry expert and speaker, Kelsen will be signing copies of his new book Unleashing the Power of Digital Signage. The book helps understand the benefits of three digital signage networks including point of sale (POS).

4. Study: Consumers desire better ‘touch and feel’ shopping experience – The word is out and customers still prefer shopping for a good old fashion physical product. This survey covered more than 3,000 people representing 18 countries. It shows that 75% of consumers want to so into a retail store when buying products. The article goes on to reveal more stats about what customers prefer when visiting a small retail business.

5. Over-reliance on customer feedback is hurting local retailers – The headline immediately drew my attention and after reading the article I could relate to the authors perspective. Simply put, if you’re a small business owner that thinks they have a great relationship with their customers, you might want to think again and read this perspective of what could be happening to your future relationships.

One of the easiest ways to run your small retail business is to know your point of sale. That means everything form software, hardware, applications, troubleshooting and more. Being knowledgeable and having the right resources will help you maintain the level of efficiency you need to have with your point of sale system. This weeks first featured article actually came from a press release but that it would be an excellent point of sale resource similar to our Wizard of POS site. Our second article focuses on a mobile point of sale application that was tested by a small businesses owner and comes highly recommended. As we roll into our third article you will read about Radiants Systems new employee theft deterrent application. The last two articles in this weeks roundup reflect on your small retail online presence, tips for your business blog and how online pricing should be handled.

1. New Online Magazine Launched for Point of Sale Industry - Expert Retail Knowledge and Breaking News on Pointofsale.com – PointofSale.com is a new website directed at giving information to business owners and small retailers about various POS topics. This online magazine covers many topics such as hardware, mobile products, specialized retail software and software for various niche retailers.

2. Leave The Credit Card, Take The Cell Phone – Marketing director of Wallace Oil, Rachel Wallace has a review of a new mobile point of sale payment solution that is affordable for small retailers. This service called Bling Nation is a mere $40 a month but could save thousands in the long term.

3. Radiant Systems Announces Launch of Widely Adopted Employee Theft Deterrent Application – Radiant Systems may be trying to redeem itself after the major security breach that is making headlines. They are introducing a new application that promises to deter employee theft.

“Aloha Restaurant Guard has been the most impactful application to our operations that we have installed since Aloha POS,” said Jim Nichols, owner of Nichols restaurant in Marina Del Rey, Calif. “We discovered that more than 40 percent of our employees were stealing, and in one instance with a single person, the overall theft equated to a loss of $10,000 per year.”

4. How to Use Your Business Blog for Brand Evangelism – If you don’t already have a blog for your small retail business, create one according to these great branding tips. If you currently have a blog for your small business, hurray, just tweak what you have to help build your brand and bring in new customers. The Noobpreneur has some expert advice on what will work to get your blog noticed.

5. The pros and cons of concealing product prices online – Some great advice on how to decide if you should display the price of a product or service online. This is a great article that features a panel of retail industry experts called BrainTrust

Company Website: CashierLive
Product Website: CashierLive
Price Range: $49-$125/month per store
Operating Systems: Web Based

CasherLive Point of Sale Software Overview

CasherLive is a new web based POS that has much to offer to any retail merchant. It’s easy to use interface offers a great way to conduct transcations and manage inventory directly online. CasherLive comes with reporting tools, support for multiple locations, training and support offered in a three tier pricing plan. They have a Basic 30 day free plan that allows you to try the software in one store on up to 3 registers with a 20,000 item inventory. Once the 30 days is up you can choose to upgrade to the Plus plan that gives you one store unlimited registers and many other features for $49 a month. If you are the owner of a chain reatil establishment youcan choose the Chain plan for $125 a month which gives you multiple stores with unlimted registers and 1,000,000 item inventory.

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Emerging technology is once again the focus in this weeks roundup. As a small retail business you need to embrace the new technology that is available in order to create a loyal young customer base. These new applications and ways to market your business are the future which will be the norm for future generations. This week we feature another new mobile point of sale application that can be used with an average POS and a customer’s mobile phone. Next, JcPenny is joining the mobile coupon realm from a different approach which may prove very profitable. We then touch on a different form of technology, websites. This is something that every small retail business should have in place to reach customers online in some way. Our fourth article is the reason why you as a small business owner need to be embracing and using these new technologies. Last we end the roundup with some tips for bookstore owners to compete with the new digital books on the iPad.

1. FaceCash: a simple, elegant mobile payment application – FaceCash is a new mobile POS application that can be run on a computer with an internet connection and barcode scanner. Payment processing is done through the FaceCash program for a fee lower than the traditional credit card networks. Users load their FaceCash account (much like PayPal) and they can use a barcode on their mobile phone to pay for their purchases.

2. J.C. Penney to launch mobile coupons – JcPenny is joining stores like Kroger, 7-Eleven and Tom Thumb in offering mobile coupons. They are testing a different 2D type barcode but it’s sure to prove effective considering the average paper coupon redemption rate is 1% and for mobile coupons it’s 15%-25%.

3. 8 Reasons Why Your Small Business Needs A Website – This is a must read and study hard type of article posted at Noobpreneur.com. It’s advice meant to reach small business owners that still believe the internet will not improve their business. Grab a pen and paper, take notes and start implementing your start to reaching customers online.

4. Why Generation Y isn’t buying your products – If the article above did not convince you that you have to embrace technology I guarantee that this one will. This article is written from the perspective of a real 23 year old consumer. He reveals some very important insight into the mind of generation Y and how to better understand their buying habits plus how to market to them.

5. What the iPad means for booksellers – The announcement of the new iPad might have some bookstore owners a bit weary but don’t worry you have the overall true experience of read a good old fashion book. The iPad offers digital copies of books through a service called iBook that delivers a close to real experience as you can get with technology. These tips for bookstore owners will help you remind your customers of the true experience of reading a book like taking it to a sandy beach, reading in the tub and passing it along when you’re done.

Combining point of sale and digital technology gives you the new and modern small retail business. Many retail establishments are far behind when it comes to new technology which with the high cost and the many available options makes this understandable. The issue arises when the customer is looking for their favorite retailers to implement the new technology options because they fail to realize the overall picture of the small business owner. This weeks round up will help bring new ideas for improving every aspect of your small retail environment allowing you to retain loyal and happy customers.

1. In-Store TV Works! So Say We All! – A report released by Nielsen suggests that through the use of DOOH (digital out-of-home) media increases sales up to 33% at the point of sale.

“These results are a clear call to retailers to increase their use of DOOH formats in the future. The results are important for us because they promote acceptance of our industry – an industry still in its early stages.”

2. ZigBee adds retail services to the mix – ZigBee, a non-profit organization traditionally serves energy management and the electronics industry has announced it will begin serving the retail industry. The goal of the company is to bring a new standard to the small retailer experience from the point of manufacture to the POS.

3. Digital Receipts, Now Please! – This is a short piece that is very easy to relate with on both the consumer and retailer end. The mass amount of work, space and time that paper receipts require. Going digital would be a great idea and Intuit is already working on it. Read more about this perfect solution for everyone involved.

4. Study: Loyalty programs are failing to connect with customers – Loyalty program have become very popular and consumers love them but this study shows how they may be failing to connect in the right way. This must read information article will help you attain deeper engagement and personal contact that will help make your small retail loyalty program a success.

5. Five great uses of social media at retail – It’s never too late to jump on the social media bandwagon to connect with your customers. This article features five retail businesses that use social media effectively to gain consumer trust. This does not just involve site like Twitter and FaceBook but also gives ideas on search friendly and content sites.

This weeks roundup again shows the growing trend in mobile technology and web trends. Our first article talks about Subways new way to order and then we move into a few trends in point of purchase advertising. As a small retailer you are always looking for new ideas to promote your establishment to the local community. Our third feature this week introduces Promotion through local shows and events. This leads into the top highlights form the National Retail Federation convention and ending the roundup is the latest technology that small retail businesses need to be learning about.

1. Subway sees promises in text ordering – Subway is now using Zingle, a text-message ordering solution to allow their customers to text a to-go order. They process makes it easy for the employees at Subway to receive orders, it has increased order correctiveness and time in delivering the order to the customer. This eliminated the need to hold on the line for someone to write down your order and possibly make a mistake. A new great way to get a quick lunch.

2. Point-of-Purchase Advertising Trends – There is an increasing need for innovative media, techniques and materials for POP advertising. This article goes into some findings that reveal information about various point of purchase advertising trends.

3. Promoting Your Store Through Local Shows – Since local shows are open to the local community it’s a great place to showcase your business. The Retail Specialty Expert lays out a few tips on how to use local shows for promoting your small retail business.

4. NRF 2010: Highlights from the show floor – The end of the 99th annual NRF convention is here and so is the Retail Customer Experience to show you the top highlights from the Expo. These are simply amazing technologies and ideas that should be learned about to gain that competitive edge.

5. The Right Technology Can Take Your Business to the Next Level – Again you need to stay up on the latest technology that could be benefiting your retail business. This article goes into some specific numbers that will have you thinking differently about how you interact with your customers and run your business as a whole. A very informative and knowledgeable article.

In this weeks roundup you’ll find three new point of sale hardware products that have been unveiled and will stand to improve POS processing power. The first is a touch enabled system released by HP, the second is Dells new OptiPlex XE and last is a mobile POS from InfoGain. We then feature a company that has breached the barrier of small retailers and social networking by integrating a way for the point of sale software to interact with popular sites such as Twitter. The last piece of the roundup this week is an extensive, informative article on the four parts of a CRM program that are crucial for retailer success in 2010.

1. HP Unveils Touch-enabled Point-of-sale System for Retail Stores – The HP ap5000 all in one point of sale solution has a touch enabled display and features a space savings design. It boasts high performance for areas such as hospitality and retail environments. Although it’s not available publicly until March be sure to read up on the latest technology offerings for the POS environment from HP.

2. Dell Unveils OptiPlex XE For Retail, Healthcare – Dell also announced their new POS hardware solution this week. The OptiPlex XE will fit into video rental kiosks or medical carts and withstands high dust and heat for 24 hour operation. The system supports a wide range of software and comes with a variety of peripheral connectors.

3. Mobile Phone POS – An interesting twist on the latest in mobile POS technology. Instead of the square why not just take credit cards with a magnetic strip built directly into the phone. Short but interesting article on the latest and greatest technology.

4. pcAmerica bridges the gap between social networking and customer loyalty – Using pcAmerica’s Restaurant Pro Express a company called Tasti D-Lite has integrated their customer loyalty account with Twitter. When loyalty customers use their card an automatic Tweet and Foursquare will be posted to their account stating how many TastiRewards points they’ve earned!

5. The 4 Cornerstones for CRM Retail Investment in 2010 – The customer is frequently the focus when it comes to building and sustaining a retail establishment. To be successful as a small retailer you must have a strong CRM system put into place and this article does a great job of explaining exactly what should be included to achieve maximum results.