One company suggests possibly making a video of your store and displays on all of the great things that you have for “mom” and posting it on your website so that when customers come in they know exactly what they are searching for.

As retailers we need to understand that mom’s, or Women, of the household do most of the shopping, and as it turns out they do a lot of online research.

The best way, it seems to get into mom’s pocketbook is to utilize your online advantages through websites, or networking this is a great way to let women know what you have in your store, your sales, and your great prices.

With this in mind we have some great ideas that will help shoppers pay for their sought out merchandise. eBay has now purchased a program called Fig, which really reminds me of food, but it is a paypal based program that people can load onto their cell phones.

This application doesn’t show any of their private information but what it does do is allow the purchaser to use their phone to pay with their paypal account.

It seems as though it is easy enough, the consumer will download the application to their phone and the retailer will need a simple USB device that will attach to their point of sale machine.

It also seems to have added security because the user’s picture will show up on the register interface so that the retailer can verify that this is the person standing in front of them. We know that everyone is going with the telephone applications so this might be an added bonus for companies to make better, more efficient sales and as internet marketing and buying continues to grow, so will paypal accounts.

On the same note Visa Inc has made a great investment on the point of sale company Square. With this, square offers retailers the ability to process their cards through their ipod or cell phone applications also.

This would make it much easier for retailers to get the “quick” check out and turnover for customers. These devices may all add to a greater end result for most retailers, and the convenience that customers are looking for.

To help with the set up of some of your newer software and devices CETW lists some of the mistakes that you can easily avoid when offering self serve and implementing this into your business.

For anyone thinking about this there are some mistakes you don’t want to make, like hiring the wrong person to set this system up for you.

Mothers Day Promotion Ideas
Giving some great ideas on how to bring mothers to your store, and how to sell sell sell for mother’s day

Are your stores connecting with today’s connected Moms?
Realizing that moms make up the bulk of the shopping decisions could help you to appeal to the necessary shopper to get your items noticed.

Where Fig Fits in eBay’s Quest for the Digital Wallet
The new program Fig and how it could work for all retailers with a simple USB connection.

Visa makes strategic investment in Square
Visa invests in the company Square who will also bring new and innovative ideas to retailers with apps to pay by “phone” or pay with phone.

CETW: Avoid these mistakes when implementing self-service
Great tips in helping retailers implement self service, you don’t want to miss out on these tips to help make it the way you want it.

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Advantages of a point of sale system for your gift shop.

• You will be able to control all inventory in real-time and keep hot selling items readily available.
• Track customers – helps you send out promotional coupons or discounts to bring customers back.
• Save time and reduce errors by entering the price of the item directly into the POS.
• Never have a pricing discrepancy
• Fast checkout lines
• See if you have an item in stock or do a special order right at the register.

Take time to consider the right Gift Shop Point of Sale Software. Find one that is affordable, easy to use and has readily available technical support. There are many options when choosing a POS. You could host your own software and database or find a web based company that handles all that for you.

Read the article below for more information on Gift Shop Point of Sale.

Show Me the Money! Saying Yes to POS

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Open to Buy is available in many retail software packages as an add-on module. Only a few software companies contain it in their core package, but with the right knowledge and a little research you can set up your own Open to Buy plan in a simple spreadsheet.

To learn more about Open to Buy here are two informative articles that give useful examples to better understand the full range of planning.

Retailing: What is an Open to Buy

Open to Buy Planning: Controlling Your Inventory

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The Retail Mastery System Contains

• Sales DVD – This unit will show you the best sales tactics and techniques. It contains a retail sales seminar with customer focus for you to show your staff. A trained sales staff will increase your overall profit.
• Sales Marketing – Goes into high impact marketing that will drive your business. Traditional marketing tends to be more expensive. You will learn new ways to build business.
• Electronic Marketing – This unit compliments the Sales Marketing, but focuses on email and website marketing. Email marketing is the most efficient, effective way to build your business.
• Staff Development – This can be one of the most frustrating obstacles in running your retail operation. You must train your staff effectively with the skills that will help your business. Also contains sample forms that you can customize to meet your needs.
• Personal Business Skills – You have to have personal business skills in order to be successful. This unit covers making more use of your time, focus, organization, and tips on making you a more effective business person.
• Assortment Planning – Deals with the issue of what to carry, why carry it, and what profit margin you will gain form it. It teaches you to look at the information in your POS or invoices to know what inventory to carry. This is an important part of retail that is not usually covered.
• Inventory Management – The process of understanding how to get the right amount, at the right time, at the right amount of money. Also covers the open to buy program in your store allowing you to reduce mark downs and increase profit margins.
• Financial Management – This unit covers basic finicail management such as working with your accounting and purchasing software. It contains the valuable information from 19 years of retail experience form Bob and gives you some insider secrets on what to do with your cash.
• Visual Merchandising – It is important that people feel good and like being in your store so they are more likely to buy your product. This unit is about your store design, signage, and the overall look of the business. It will help set you apart from the competition
• Store Operations – There are many avenues that are covered in the store operations unit. Ways to approach your staff, how to run daily operations and having a system in place so your staff knows what to do are some of the points covered. Successful businesses need to have policies, forms and communication lines set in place.
• Customer Service – This combines all the above information to help you provide the best customer service possible. The knowledge of hiring the right people, running your store correctly, inventory control and everything above will put you on top with your customers. Also contained are specific tactics & techniques you can use to train your staff and a wonderful staff video showing how to give great service.
• Bonus Book – Marketing Your Retail Store in the Internet Age

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Read more at Apple VARs Cash In On Point-of-Sale Solutions

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Biometrics (ancient Greek: bios =”life”, metron =”measure”) is the study of automated methods for uniquely recognizing humans based upon one or more intrinsic physical or behavioral traits.
In information technology, biometric authentication refers to technologies that measure and analyze human physical and behavioral characteristics for authentication purposes. Examples of physical characteristics include fingerprints, eye retinas and irises, facial patterns and hand measurements, while examples of mostly behavioral characteristics include signature, gait and typing patterns.

Source: Wikipedia

More and more point of sale systems come with support for biometric readers. As you know, speed is king in the POS world, and biometrics help improving the service speed at the counter. The biometric readers are used for two purposes: to authenticate employees and to authenticate customers.

The fingerprint scan is most widely used for authentication of employees, as it is a fast and inexpensive biometric technology. Different from other technologies such as the MSR or the Dallas key, employees don’t have to carry a token with them which can be lost, broken or transferred to another person.

Few retailers use biometrics for authenticating customers; and most of the users have a fixed group of customers such as school canteens, sports events, etc. Also in this case the fingerprint reader is used mostly, but there are special situations requiring other techniques. Iris scanning is the most accurate biometric, but systems are more expensive, slower, and can be perceived as intrusive because a beam needs to scan the iris. Self- service kiosks usually implement facial recognition as it is a passive technique. However, it is exactly this property that raises concerns about privacy.

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You want to buy a POS system and don’t know where to start? Or you have tried out and even purchased 10 different EPOS solutions and don’t know where to look for the right software and hardware? You’re facing a difficult task, as there are thousands of solutions available in the market. In this post I will try to give you some tips to keep in mind when searching for the right solution.

First of all, I will have to warn you that the perfect solution for your business might not exist. Though the features and options offered by modern EPOS systems will overwhelm you, you will find many of them of little use. Keep the focus on the most important features you must have, and then go through the once would be nice to have. You will have to compromise or custom build your POS.

The first selection

My first tip is to concentrate first on the software, and then on hardware. The reason is very easy: your software will certainly have hardware and operating system requirements. Most POS applications only support one operating system; some are designed for Windows, others for Linux and some only work on a special POS platform created by the manufacturer. Furthermore, the software won’t support all possible devices such as printers, scales, customer displays, etc. If you first choose the hardware platform, you might not be able to run the optimal software for your business.

Just like any purchase, you start by doing your homework. The first thing you have to do is write down all requirements and wishes you have. Requirements are the must-haves: you won’t even consider applications that do not have these features. Wishes are plusses, and the software with the most plusses is more favourable. It usually helps to think about processes within your business: what is necessary when you are doing purchasing, selling, inventory control, reporting… There are templates available to help you with this task, but you can also create your own comparison sheet in your favourite spreadsheet application. It can be an extensive list, each business is different, even in the same line of business people do things differently. Do not let yourself getting impress for all the features and reports an application can offer. You will probably use less than 50% of them, but you will pay full price. Only when you have done your homework you will be able to find a solution that fits your business.

After making your list of requirements, it is time to shop for solutions. First of all, never purchase your EPOS system from your local computer consultant. You definitely need a POS specialist for this job, as POS systems are very different from ‘normal’ IT solutions. Look around, and compare every solution to your list of requirements.

Other points to keep in mind

Try to find out as much as possible about the company behind the product. The quality and trajectory of the company is as important as the product. How long has the company been in business? Solutions from relatively new companies might have problems caused by a lack of market knowledge. And what happens if the company that supports your POS system goes out of business???

Look carefully at the offered training and technical support. A solution is worthless if you don’t know how to use it. And the technical support should fit your operation: you don’t want to find out that you only have support during office hours when your brand-new system fails on a Saturday.

What type of update/upgrade program do they have? Even the best companies, such Microsoft, find bugs in their products. Or they release a new version and yours become obsolete.

Finally, ask for references, if you can ask for businesses in your field, they will understand your language.

[Photo by AainaalyaA]

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In the current competetive markets, pricing is crucial. Yet, I have found that many small firms often do not have well-conceived pricing plans. And many such firms seem to panic (or ignore the problem) when large discount-oriented retailers enter their trading areas.

This is not necessary; small retailers can prosper in today’s discount-oriented environment, as long as they have a good understanding of their niche in the marketplace.

When developing your pricing strategy, there are a number of things to keep in mind. First, you’ll have to think about some basic parameters, such as your place in the market (high end, medium, or low end), whether you want to use manufacturer suggested list prices —I would suggest to raise them; see below—, how often you want to change prices and run sales…

Only when all those points have been cleared out, you can set prices for your items. Your Point Of Sale software can help you developing your pricing strategy.

The first thing you’ll need to do is to make sure that all costs are entered in the EPOS system. Whenever you make a purchase, do not only enter the purchase price of the item, but also think about adding transport costs, administrational fees and the cost of the handling time to your purchase documents. This is a very important step, as only when all costs are known, the POS system will show you the correct margins. Getting your costs correct may be the difference between making profit and losing money.

If your manufacturer suggests you prices, you have an easy job: just take the suggested price, and make it a little bit higher. Why would you want to raise the suggested price? The most important reason is that a little higher price won’t be significant enough for your customers to go somewhere else. And by raising your prices only a little bit, you’ll maximize your profit.

Imagine an item that cost you €0,50 and that has a suggested retail price of €1,-. Imagine also that you would sell 1000 units under those conditions.
If you raise your price by 10%, your margin raises by 20% and you only have to sell 833 units to obtain the same profit!!
The same principle holds for discounts: if you lower your price by 10%, your margin sinks by 20%, and you will have to sell 1250 units (25% more!) to get the same profit.

A good POS system will show you the obtained profit at the price level you choose, and will let you make price changes in a very easy way.

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After over 25 years of consulting and helping business owners like yourself analyze their business and decide to invest in a point of sale system I have found that many reasons drove their decision. I have seen their problems, listened to their complaints and caught quite a few employees taken extra benefits directly from the cash register. To simplify things just a little, let’s look at the top 10 reasons you need a point of sale system.

10. You have employees.

If you have employees you are open to theft, sweet-hearting and careless mistakes. You need a point of sale system to manage your employees, enforce your policies and insure that your money gets to you.

9. Pricing and Math Errors.

It is still amazing how many restaurants still use a calculator and hand written tickets. According to studies done by various institutions you are open to math and pricing mistakes totaling in excess of 1% of your annual volume. In a restaurant doing as little as $1,300 per day that would add up to $4,700 per year. (Less than the price of our 2-terminal Sweet Deal Package) To eliminate pricing and math errors you need a point of sale system.

8. Time In Attendance.

Employee payroll is one of the most overlooked and most easily managed portions of your profit and loss statement. If you have 12 employees and each of them clocks in 5 minutes early a day, that equates to 1 hour per day of extra payroll. Even with minimum wage plus benefits this could add up to $6 – $8 per day or over $2,900 per year. This figure doesn’t take into account the total man-hours it takes to compute time cards and then report on the hours worked for each employee. This is time that you could be spending elsewhere. If you have a few as 5 employees you need a point of sale system.

7. Reducing Theft.

This is the original reason for the invention of the cash register back in the late 1800’s. Even when most of the businesses were family owned and run there was a need for a cash register to reduce theft. In today’s world of hiring employees to help staff and manage your store there is even greater need for this type of control. For years we have known about the tendencies of people with regard to theft. 10% of the people wouldn’t steal if giving the opportunity. 10 % of the people are going to steal no matter what safeguards are in place. 80% of the people will steal if given the opportunity. Point of sale systems are put in place to guard against the 80% and make it more difficult for them to steal from you.

6. Speed of Service.

There is only 1 thing we can think of that will drive customers away faster than bad food and that is slow service. When a customer places their order their own internal clock is running in overdrive. No matter how long they took to look over the menu and to place their order, once they have given your server or cashier their order their hunger clock is speeding along faster than a fan on high! You need a fast, reliable way to get orders into your system. This should mean a terminal that is fast, easy to understand and quick to respond to the touch of the server, cashier or bar tender. The system should also distribute the order properly to the kitchen prep station or bar. Your point of sale system should also measure your speed of service and report on how you are doing. Reducing the time it takes to get your customer’s their food is critical and can even make up for less quality. For proof I give you some of the major fast food chains. Is their popularity based upon the best tasting, best dressed and best served burger or speed of service? If you want to speed up your customer service you need a point of sale system.

5. Enhanced Reporting.

What is the use of having a computer and not taking advantage of the power? If all you need is to have a total amount of cash in the drawer that sometimes matches to the amount of sales shown you probably don’t need a point of sale system. However, if you want more detail and information to help manage your operation and make it more profitable then you need a point of sale system. It used to be that having a good product was enough to get you by. Now it takes a lot more information in order to compete with all the other restaurants in your market that are all looking for the same customer you have seated in your restaurant. You need to understand the buying habits of your customers. What are they ordering? When are they ordering it? What is your most profitable item? How many of it did you sell? What items on your menu are not selling? If you cannot answer all of these questions with total confidence in your answers then you need a point of sale system. If you hesitate to correctly answer (without guessing) any of these questions you need a point of sale system.

4. Exporting of Data to Other Systems.

Even most small businesses today have some form of electronic accounting in place either in their operation or through an accounting service. In addition, most businesses have an electronic payroll service or software that creates payroll. Point of sale systems capture critical data for you and then export this data in formats that automatically put this information into accounting and payroll packages, eliminating hours of tedious manual input that often leads to mistakes and human error. If you have an electronic accounting or payroll service/software or even if you want to track your sales in Excel, you need a point of sale system.

3. Integrated Credit Cards.

If you are not currently taking credit cards as a form of payment you need to start today. Never mind the fees. The loss of business that you are suffering in today’s plastic minded economy will more than compensate for the fees charged. If you are currently taking credit cards through a stand-alone terminal you could be being charged exorbitant fees for the terminal when you could be processing through your point of sale system. In some cases, the elimination of the terminal rental will pay for the credit card interface in less than a year. With integrated credit card processing you are assured that the amount of the sale will match the amount charged on the credit card, eliminating the need to go back and match individual sales when the credit card batch does not match credit card sales. When high-speed Internet connections are used to process credit cards we receive approvals in less than 2 seconds. No longer is slower speed of service an excuse not to take credit cards. If you want to quickly, accurately and smoothly process credit cards you need a point of sale system.

2. Competitive Marketing.

a. Frequent Diner Modules. Who are your customers? What do they buy? How often do they visit? Of your frequent visitors, who hasn’t been in to see you during the past month? Of your frequent visitors, who has a special day coming up this month? These are questions that you should have the answer to. All the major chains and all of your competitors are after the people who come to your restaurant. They want to take them for themselves. How are you going to compete with the billions of dollars being spent to draw your customer away? By marketing your operation and your menu. Your point of sale system should be able to manage your customer base, keep up with their buying habits, how often they visit, when was their last visit and what special occasions they have coming up. Your point of sale system then should be able to sort these into groups that should be sent mailers, coupons, invitations to special events or simply told that they are appreciated and asked to visit you again. If you have competition you need a point of sale system.

b. Gift cards have become the norm for so many businesses today. An entire industry has been formed around the old concept of giving a paper gift certificate. Today, you will find gift cards at most major checkout lines. A point of sale system should be able to sell, redeem and control balances for your own gift card program. No longer do you need a book of certificates that are kept in the safe. Today, all you need is a stack of blank plastic cards with your colorful logo on them. These cards carry no balance and have no cash value until sold and a balance placed on account. As an owner you should keep a few of these cards with you. Each of these cards might have a small balance on them for you to hand out to pull customers to your restaurant or to give in case of a poor experience to help bring someone back. Think of these cards as your personal marketing tool. When the customer looks in their purse or wallet and sees your logo they will be reminded to come visit you. If you use gift certificates or gift cards you need a point of sale system.

1. You Don’t Need Any More ‘Partners’.

Sure you need gift cards. Yes you need to better understand your customer’s buying habits. You absolutely need to have credit cards integrated with your point of sale system. You need enhanced reporting and export of these reports to electronic accounting and payroll services. You need to eliminate errors, reduce mistakes and keep track of your payroll. But more than any of these you don’t need any more partners. Especially the ones that take their portion of the profits before you get yours. We are talking about the servers, waitresses, bartenders and cashiers who:

a. Undercharge customers in order to enhance their own tips. Show a $5 tab and a $50 tip. (Yes, I have seen this!)
b. Deliberately void or delete an item after it has been paid for.
c. Stuff coupons into the cash drawer in exchange for cash.
d. Don’t charge customers for soft beverages to enhance their tips.
e. Ring up a lower priced item (well brand) and serve a higher priced item (premium brand)
f. Give discounts to their friends.
g. In a buffet line, ring up a buffet and a tea. Reprint this ticket 10 times and sell and collect for themselves these reprinted receipts instead of ringing up new customers.

If you want to stay in business, you need a point of sale system.

Jerry D. Wilson is Director of Internet Sales for DirecTouch Restaurant Point of Sale. With over 25 years of hospitality point of sale experience, he has written several articles explaining the benefits of touch screen and retail point of sale software. Please visit http://www.directouchpos.com or http://www.directretailpos.com for more information.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jerry_Wilson

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