Weekly Retail News Roundup

Mobile technology again fills our weekly roundup in both the point of sale and retail news. You have to admit mobile solutions whether point of sale, smart phone apps, customer loyalty cards, digital signage, social media and many more is growing in popularity and it’s here to stay.

Our first article this week will help give small retailers a basic overview of the various mobile payment options that are available and has a great link to an actual field test cnet did using Bing Nation. The second article showcases how furniture retailers are using new mobile technology to help sell off site inventory. The third feature this week is a short real life example of a perfect process for collecting email addresses while your employees are processing the point of sale payment.

A new mobile app for consumers to earn reward point is being implemented by a few large retailers. This announcement is number four this week in our featured point of sale and retail news. Then we end this week with some great tips and advice to help small retailers avoid fraud in their retail businesses.

1. Making sense of mobile payment – This great article posted on cnet will help you understand the four and “a half” categories that mobile customer payments fall into. There is a lot of buzz going on in the retail world about mobile payments it would be a good idea to brush up on the differences between them. In the start of the article there is a link to a field test done with Bing Nation, one of the vendors offering retailers the opportunity to take payments via mobile point of sale.

2. More furniture, mattress sellers using smart technology – It was a surprise to read about a small furniture store that is using mobile technology to display inventory available for their customers to buy. This is simply a great way to offer exactly what the customer wants without the huge overhead. The small business owner states:

“We’re a small store and a custom order store to a large extent, so our folks are used to really trying to demonstrate the possibilities off of one piece. We want to be able to sell many different versions. All this does is give us a very portable, quick, easy access to a lot of these options,” Harlow said.”

3. Point of Sale Email Capture: A True Story – This article is short and sweet BUT it’s a true account so pay attention. The article displays a positive experience at a point of sale checkout with a clerk collecting the authors email address for store promotions. The author even includes pictures of the form that was filled out and the welcome email that was received.

4. Retailers, Mall Group Sign on to “Walk In, Win Points” Mobile App – Four large retail brand stores announced their customers will be benefiting form a new mobile app called, Shopkick. Once shoppers start using the app they earn rewards when walking through the door of a participating merchant. This is all done by a signal sent via the shoppers mobile phone. The shopper can save up points to cash them in for various items on the retailer’s web site. Another article featured at Mashable outlines the way Best Buy is participating in the Sidekick mobile app.

5. How to Steer Clear of Fraud? The Experts Weigh In – It was shocking top learn by reading this article that 31% of all businesses that are subject to fraud have fewer than 100 employees. This is important information for many small retail businesses that tend to employ few people. These great tips will help you put in place some precautionary measures that will help you prevent your business from being a victim.

Mobile, 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.

This weeks roundup starts off with an interesting history lesson on the creation of POS for the small retail industry. The first article is the actual accounts of how one small business owner took his vision and created the very first cash register which essentially was also the first point of sale machine. Our second article is the history of a company that has been in the POS business since 1955, founded in the garage of a smart, inspiring entrepreneur.

The third article in the roundup this week is good news for pharmacies, RxKey and flexTrax Solutions have integrated to form an interface that will improve productivity and customer support to help small town pharmacies compete with big name drug stores.

The fourth article featured this week is an inspiring story from our sponsor, MerchantOS. In the article, Ivan explains how the company has been able to grow without the using selling techniques such as hiring sales people to answer the phone. The company relies solely on their customer service and their dedication to deliver exactly what the customer needs.

Our last article in this weeks roundup is short but good. It’s a free helping hand for small business owners with small retail shops. Check out the review and find out what you could get for free.

1. History of Cash Registers and Point of Sale Systems – Did you know that the first POS appeared in the late 1800’s? Did you know that the merchant who came up with the idea was aboard a ship at the time? Did you know that the first mechanical cash register that recorded transaction was at a saloon? You can find out these interesting facts in this article that describes the history of the point of sale cash register.

2. The History of Order-Matic’s Point of Sale Systems Technology – Order-Matic announced this week that they will be showcasing their latest POS technology at conventions this fall. The company is a leader in the manufacturing of point of sale and restaurant equipment as well as helping minize operating expenses for major corporations such as Taco Bell. The history of the company is an informative read giving the small retailer a background on a company that has excelled in the POS industry.

3. KeyCentrix Inc. Creates Interface Between RxKey® Software and Point Of Sale System – The additional point of sale option, flexTRAX fir KeyCentrix’s RxKey will provide a seamless solution for pharmacies seeking to access patient data and accounts while being able to make the check out process easy for the clerk and the customer. This helps to increase productivity and enhance customer service keeping your business strong and ahead of the competition.

4. How We Sell Our Software – This is absolute proof from a small business retailer that providing the best customer service can grow your business and drive profits. Ivan at the MerchantOS blog describes how the company has been able to grow without the use of “selling” its service. The company focuses on the real needs of its clients and the support they deserve.

5. A Helping Hand for the Small Retailer – This is a review of a total freebie for small retail businesses. A company called Myshopsigns is giving retail businesses the opportunity to obtain free printable signage for their establishments. You have the choice of sale, clearance, open hours, no smoking and many more check them out at Myshopsigns.com.

HP’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.

On Fridays we usually bring you the weekly round up of retail news and point of sale reviews. This week as I was going through the various top news stories nothing stood as out as “Important Retail News” (a good thing?) so instead I decided to write an opinion as a consumer from my point of view.

Why should my opinion count and why should you listen to me as a consumer? The reason being, I shop for a family of four (which was 6 at one point in time), we are on a strict budget as many families throughout the country. Through the years it’s been coupons, discounts and only buying what is on sale. I also favor the local small retailers in my small town and luckily they are all very generous and friendly businesses.

About three months ago I started shopping at more “Big Box” stores such as Walmart and Meijer because the only stores we have in our small town consists of an independently owned very small Kroger grocery store and a Rite Aid Pharmacy. I assumed I would get better value and cheaper prices going to the larger stores…that was UNTIL both my small town Kroger and Rite Aid started ramping up their customer rewards programs.

Kroger has had a long time running customer card that allows for discounted groceries when shopping and presenting the cashier with your “card” at the POS. If you don’t have the “card” you’re in big trouble because you are going to pay extremely over inflated prices. For years we have joked about how Kroger only uses the customer loyalty card to bring people in with great sale prices only to find out they don’t get a discount if they don’t have their card. You always here the all to familiar saying in the checkout line “do you mind if I borrow your Kroger card?” The company did get smart at one point and offered for customers to enter their phone number in the point of sale, if registered with your card it will bring up your reward information.

The last few months Kroger has gone above and beyond my satisfaction as a loyal customer. The Kroger Rewards program now tracks my purchases and sends me specialized coupons at the end of the month for products I actually buy. They also have a fuel rewards program now that allows you to save a certain amount of money off a gallon of gas depending on the amount of money you spent in the store last month.

The specialized coupons (which they double up to $1) combined with the fuel rewards for discounted gas has me shopping at Kroger every week like clockwork. The friendly home town atmosphere combined with the helpful staff and super savings makes for an overall happy shopping experience.

Rite Aid has also implemented a new customer rewards program in which I was not so keen on joining and let me tell you why. For one, who needs another plastic card to add to their key chain you to have find and pull out at the point of sale? Second, Rite Aid named their card “The Wellness Card”, I don’t get my prescriptions there (we have an excellent small town pharmacist that we use) and most of the over the counter medication I purchase at Kroger with double coupons.

The other day, the courteous sale person pointed out to me that the card was valid to give you discounts throughout the store on a number of various items not just “Wellness” items. I told her, they needed to change the name. Regardless, I joined the program and am I excited. The company runs promotions like if you buy this product “x” you will receive the discount price as well as a coupon on your receipt for money off your next purchase in the store. That’s how it works…so I bought a few discounted items and received my coupon for $4 off my next purchase, wow that’s a great deal!

My complaint (a relatively small one to the manager) was that I always forget to bring the coupons back in and use them. Guess what he said….be a smart shopper and buy the things you need on sale, check out get the coupon and go back through the store and purchase the items that weren’t on sale using your coupon immediately for instant satisfaction! Well I’ll be, a nice, generous manager that puts his customer’s needs before the corporations, what a sigh of relief.

The point I’m trying to make is as a small retail business you need to do everything possible to retain and gain the customers of your local area. Every one knows that customer service goes a long way in the retail world and adopting a loyalty program is a sure fire way to get those customers shopping.

As a small business establishment you have many options when it comes to customer rewards or loyalty programs. Companies such as Repeat Rewards will help you implement a fast and easy loyalty program or have a free giveaway day at your store. There are a number of ways you could reward your customers by using your imagination and putting your self in their shoes to bring grand ideas to your store.

Small retailers can start small, print your loyalty card as a business card and stamp it each time the customer makes a purchase then offer them a discount when the card is full. An idea from our local small town pharmacist I mentioned earlier is to have a staff member clip coupons from the local newspaper and place them in a basket at the point of sale for customers to look through as they are checking out.

Start thinking of ways to gather local support from your customers while providing them with the ultimate shopping experience.  Check out some simple to implement rewards programs.

This weeks roundup has a few interesting point of sale announcements. Xsilva, the company that offers LightSpeed Point of Sale software for Mac user has released a new promising version. We then feature a website that has an incredible demonstration of using an iPhone with a new Mobile POS application called GBmobile. If you have ever had any doubts about investing in a mobile point of sale solution, watch this video and think again as you run to purchase an iPod. The third POS headline we focus on this week is a reminder for small retailers that are running a point of sale software that’s based on the Windows Operating System. Microsoft is ending security support for it’s long time stable Windows XP and retailers need to know the consequences of not upgrading their core OS software.

Our retail news of the week was slim, which we assume is good considering the majority of news takes on a bad tone. The fourth article we feature this week is more of a fun read but it could actually help some small businesses owners connect with their customers, it’s an article listing the top ten people in America who influence shoppers. You should stick around for this one because you might sell a product that would relate to one of these ten people to a potential customer. The last article we focus on is sort of a different subject relating to small retailers and social media. It’s a short tip on informing and teaching your employees about your business relationship with the various social media outlets.

1. Xsilva Systems releases LightSpeed 3.1 – This Mac POS software has been reviewed on our site and is one of the premiere point of sale software suites for the Apple Macintosh also known as the “Mac”. The LightSpeed POS popularity is largely due to the ease of use, simplicity and functionality of the versatile software. The company has enhanced the PCI security compliance, many setup features, customer merging features, matrix improvements and even the implementation of emailing customer receipts which is becoming a more frequent request with the use of the iPhone as a POS terminal. Visit the Lightspeed 3.1 full features page to see the amazing functionality of this point of sale software.

2. GBmobile Mobile Point of Sale: iPod Touch – I’m a sucker for a video demonstrating new technology that is functional and easy to use. That’s what happened when I happened upon this video looking through the weekly small retail news. The video showcases the use of an app called GBmobile on an iPhone with an adapter that reads credit cards. Watch as the person easily scans a barcode (also allows for manual price entry), swipes the credit card, processes the transaction and prints a POS receipt via a wireless printer…you’ll be amazed and it might even get the wheels turning for you to start looking into a mobile point of sale system for your small retail business.

3. Sluggish corporate ill-prepared for death of Win XP SP2 support – This announcement is a heads up to all small retailers that have point of sale terminals running Windows XP SP2. In today’s sluggish economy there may be many small businesses that can’t afford to upgrade the core software of their POS. Microsoft will discontinue support for the Security Upgrades that are required for this software by the end of the year. Read more about how this will affect your business if you’re running Windows XP.

4. Top ten people who influence American shoppers – The Retail Customer Experience is an excellent place to find the latest retail industry news and this week is no exception. This article lists the top ten people in the public eye including politics, entertainment and business, that influence what shoppers purchase in the United States.

“For the last two decades, Americans believed bigger was better—from the size of our houses to our cars to the amount of food on our dinner plates. But the economic recession, coupled with other factors like the green movement, is fundamentally changing American attitudes,” said Benett.

5. Share the Social Media Knowledge – We are not going to spoil this short but informative article by giving you a brief summary instead I will post one quote form the article that I know will get your attention:

“Its frustrating when you try to use a promotion from Twitter and the store associate asks, “what’s Twitter?””

Welcome back to the weekly roundup of Retail News and Point of Sale reviews. We missed the roundup last week due to a very busy holiday weekend but we’re back and here to bring you some weekly highlights in the world of small retail and point of sale.

Our first feature this week is the announcement of a new web based point of sale software offered by a company called Slingshot. We then go into another announcement of a new product line from Ink Jet Superstore that will give you more options when purchasing POS supplies. The third article we highlight this week is a way for small retailers to obtain a small business loan from a big ally. Next is the fourth article of the week that explains how a very reputable company can help gain your small business the exposure it needs. Wrapping up the weekly round up this week is an article that offers some statistics on where you should hire employees and why.

1. Slingshot Software Releases Web-based Point of Sale (POS) System – Slingshot, a company that provides web-based enterprise business software solutions for retailers has announced this week the deployment of their web-based point of sale software. The company states that the pos software will be

“…unique in the fact that it will allow retailers to centrally deploy and administer software, upgrades, promotions, user interface and configuration changes instantly across the enterprise.”

The only information you can gain about this new web-based POS is to request a demo from the company website.

2. Inkjetsuperstore’s New Product Line Launch– POS Supplies – Providing printer ink solutions at the lowest prices for over 10 years, InkJetSuperStore is now offering a new product line, POS supplies. The new product line includes the following items: ATM Paper Rolls, 1 Ply, 2 Ply, 3 Ply Paper Rolls, Thermal Paper Rolls, Colored Thermal Paper Rolls, Gas & Convenience Store Paper Rolls. Head on over to their website and check to see if you’ll be using their point of sale printer supplies.

3. Sam’s Club now offering small business loans – There was a lot of chatter on the web this week about Sam’s Club offering small businesses the opportunity to obtain a loan through them. The company will be testing an online program that could give qualified merchants between $5000 to $25,000 loans.

“The Sam’s Club small business loan pilot will focus on serving Main Street minority, women and Veteran owned small business owners as well as micro-entrepreneurs under the SBA’s Premier Outreach Express products such as Community Express, Patriot Express and Export Express loans.”

4. How Bloomberg BusinessWeek’s Business Exchange can Help Your Small Business Gaining More Exposure – Grow your small retail business reach by teaming up with Bloomberg Business Exchnage, a creation of BusinessWeek. This article will outline the features and benefits you could gain by joining now.

5. Why You Should Hire Employees Using Social Networks – This is a very interesting take on why you should hire employees through social media. It’s working for many small retailers out there. Head on over and read another way social media could be helping your business.

Welcome 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.

This week in our roundup comes with a huge announcement for small retailers looking to purchase mobile point of sale software. One company has just announced a large discount for retailers purchasing their POS Software in the next few days. Our second article comes from Bloomberg Businessweek with some tips for small retailers to simplify PCI compliance. The last three articles we feature were all published by the Retail Customer Experience, which if you are a regular reader, you will know we feature many articles from this informative site. This week one article talks about the emergence of digital signage in some small businesses you would not expect. The last two articles give study results on consumers and how they are buying.

1. Pingysoft announces the sale that goes stale for RingItUp Pro – If you’re a small retail business and you own an iPhone, Ipod Touch or an Ipad you are in for one big treat. Pingysoft announced today that they are offering their mobile point of sale software called RingItUp for a mere $.99. Yes, there is one catch, the price will double each day until it reaches the full retail price of $39.99. So head on over to the website and check it out to get in on one of the biggest discounts you’ll find.

2. Simplify PCI Compliance for Data Security – When it comes to being PCI compliant many small business owners feel overwhelmed by what needs to be done to assure data security. This article will outline a few tips that retailers can do to simplify the process and maintain adequate security in their retail establishments.

3. Digital signage comes to the country store – Rural America nd small retailers are embracing the advertising power of digital signage. StandVision LLC has reported that they are deploying several systems in rural stores in Illinois. Agricultural equipment, electricians and plumbing stores are jumping at the chance for this new technology that utilizes a 40-inch LCD screen.

“So when people come in to get parts for their equipment, they’re usually not that happy,” he said. “And what the digital signage actually does is give them something else to focus on … It kind of helps calm the whole situation down.”

4. Study: Grocery shoppers highly susceptible to in-store marketing – This is good news for any small market or retail store, the survey shows that up to 90% of shoppers, consisting mainly of women buy on the fly and are highly likely to purchase a product that has effective in-store marketing.

5. The four types of convenience store shoppers – this article comes with another study conducted by Cole & Weber United. It focuses on the four types of customers that enter your convenient store. One of the obvious shoppers would be your regulars and then people that live in the neighborhood. The article goes into a great description of each type and why you should know which kind of customer you’re selling to.