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CHOOSING A RETAIL POS SYSTEM

Introduction
Major retailers invest heavily in top quality POS systems. They do this because high performance POS systems create competitive advantages for them in terms of customer satisfaction, inventory ordering and tracking, customer personalization and cash control. Fortunately, there are POS software and hardware solutions that are affordable to the small and mid-size retailers that level the playing field in today's competitive environment. The POS solutions which we recommend emphasize functionality, ease of use, reliability, and affordability. We recommend that you invest in a good POS system - it is a critical part of any retail business.

Contents:

Benefits of an effective POS system

Choosing a retail POS software

Choosing a retail POS computer

Choosing retail POS peripherals

Buying made easy

Benefits of an Effective POS System
An effective point of sale system will:

• Greatly reduce checkout times
  Short lines lead to satisfied customers. Long lines create frustration that can inhibit customers from coming back or in severe cases can cause them to abandon their planned in-store purchase. POS hardware that is always working and POS software that is easy to use are central to the customer’s in-store experience.
  
  
• Personalize your service levels
  Small and mid-size retailers can differentiate themselves from mass merchandisers or internet e-commerce sites by providing a highly personalized level of service to their customers. Technology facilitates this human touch. An effective point of sale system collects customer preferences and buying history that can be used to tailor promotions, marketing initiatives, and in-store experiences for customers in ways that are not practical for mass merchandisers or e-commerce sites.
  
  
• Help you order the correct amounts of product
  Knowing what products to carry in a store is the art of retailing. Knowing what amounts of the chosen products to carry is the science of retailing. Good POS systems allow retailers to easily review historical sales by product by month to identify sales trends by product that may not have been otherwise intuitive. This information allows savvy retailers to order exactly the amount of product they need for each season, without ending up with too much closeout inventory.
  
  
• Help control cash
  No retailer wants to be taken advantage of by employees. A good POS system greatly helps control cash.
  
  
• Let you spend more time at home
  Time is the scarcest resource of all for most retailers. Don't be inefficient with it. A good POS system gives you the confidence to go home in full control of your business.
  

Choosing a Retail POS Software
We recommend that retailers use Microsoft Point of Sale products. They are easy to use, easy to install and set-up, and provide full functionality. Thousands of retailers across a wide variety of retail businesses use Microsoft Point of Sale software to help manage inventory, control cash, reduce costs, and improve customer service. Microsoft’s products are highly flexible and come ready to conform to your specific business needs. Microsoft also offers fantastic e-training (for RMS only) and technical support to make sure you get up and running as easily as possible.

Microsoft Point of Sale: designed for single store retail businesses.

Microsoft Retail Management Software: designed for multi-store retail businesses or more sophisticated single store operations.

Compare Microsoft POS to Microsoft RMS

Specialty Apparel Retailers: Find out how you and other apparel retailers can create easy-to-understand inventory reports, and Point of Sale (POS) displays so your cashiers speak knowledgably.

Beer-Wine-Liquor Retailers: If you're a beer-wine-liquor retailer, read how Microsoft Retail Management System's Point of Sale (POS) solution helps you keep your shelves stocked with profitable items — and help speed up checkout lines, too!

Sporting Goods and Bicycle Retailers: Your sporting goods and bicycle stores have hundreds of items big and small — from racing bikes to basketballs and gym socks. See how Microsoft Retail Management System wins points in helping you stock your shelves more efficiently, and improve customer service, too.

Gift and Hobby Shop Retailers: Overstocking is the enemy of profit at gift and hobby stores. Now, you can easily track inventory to determine your best sellers, and create POS displays to keep pace with your customer demands.

Choosing a Retail POS Computer
A PC that satisfies the minimum hardware requirements set out below can suffice in some clean, low-traffic retail environments. However, there are computers built specifically for the stressful demands of the retail environment with stronger casings, oversized cooling solutions and power supplies, and more advanced internal monitoring systems. We recommend retailers use the HP Rp5000, which gives retailers the best of both worlds, retail hardening in a POS System at a PC price, all with an industry-leading 3-year warranty.

HP Rp5000 – A POS workstation that optimizes performance/value.

Minimum hardware requirements for Microsoft Point of Sale

Minimum hardware requirements for Microsoft Retail Management

Choosing Retail POS Peripherals
As mentioned above, with POS peripherals you get what you pay for. There are several different peripherals that you can add to your system. We have created a chart below that identifies each category of peripheral and we then identify what in our view is the best economy product and the best performance/value product for each category. Please note that the best performance / value is often only slightly more expensive than the economy selection.

While in general almost all POS peripherals integrate seamlessly with the POS workstation and POS software, some peripherals come with the necessary cables and some do not. We recommend that if you are uncertain, please call us and we can confirm the completeness of your order.

Buying Made Easy
Often the easiest thing is to call us at 1-800-326-0393. We have a team of friendly product experts waiting to help you find the right solution at the right price. If you wish to shop online, we offer several pre-bundled restaurant solutions that offer the best-of-breed software, workstation, peripherals and all necessary cables and accessories to simplify the buying process. Please click on the appropriate link below:

Apparel Point of Sale Systems

Beer / Wine / Liquor Point of Sale System

Sporting Goods Point of Sale Systems

Gift / Hobby Point of Sale Systems