Sunday, December 29, 2013

New Years Resolutions

As physical inventories are wrapped up and we head in to 2014, here are a few things that should be on your New Years Resolution List (all business related):

  1. I will stay current (or become current) on any point of sale software maintenance agreements which will help make sure that I comply with the new MasterCard Unique Terminal ID requirement coming up in April 2014 and the EMV requirement coming up in fall of 2015.
  2. I will learn one new feature/function within my point of sale software each month to make sure that I am getting the most out of my point of sale system.
  3. I will budget and plan ahead for new hardware that will need to be purchased in 2015 to meet EMV requirements.
Pretty easy list!

As a reminder, I am not currently affiliated with any point of sale companies or manufactures but have 14 years of experience working with retail, restaurant, and museum point of sale solutions. You can reach me at 208-340-5632 (business hours - mountain time) or kevinantosh@gmail.com if you have any point of sale related questions.

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Another Potential Major Credit Card Security Breach

Another potential credit card security breach has been reported - this time involving Target.  While it may seem like only larger retail chains are the targets of credit and debit card information theft, a small regional chain or even single  location retail stores can be  targeted as well (no pun intended).

I've posted multiple times in the past but another security breach just reinforces that you need to make sure that you are taking all precautions to protect your customers payment information.  This means that everything from your router to your firewall settings to making sure that your point of sale software is up to date needs to be checked on at least a monthly basis.

Major overhauls that will effect everyone who accepts debit and credit cards are still 1-2 years away so preventive action must be taken on your part to avoid fines and loss of revenue should your point of sale system be compromised.

Talk to your point of sale partner and the company that handles your merchant services to make sure that you are taking all the correct precautions to prevent payment information theft.

Here is a link to more detailed information from CNN on the latest potential breach:
http://money.cnn.com/2013/12/18/news/companies/target-credit-card/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Retail Pro Expands International Reach

Aside from the upcoming credit and debit card mandates coming up in 2014 and 2015, it can be tough to find any actual news related to point of sale software that isn't self-promotion or just information on software improvements.

Since I previously worked extensively with the Microsoft RMS Store Operations and RMS HQ solutions, I was able to work with a global audience that included customers outside of the United States.  It appears that the folks Retail Pro are taking advantage of the specialty retail store market outside of the United States as well.

Retail Pro is focusing expansion efforts in to Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East.  This will mean that Retail Pro point of sale software will be available in a total of 87 countries. Having a global solution helps  solidify a point of sale software program in the specialty retail market since that means that a company has the resources to adapt the software for differences in languages, currency, math, and cultural differences.  This also makes the software solution attractive to retail stores who may have multiple locations in different countries.

You can read the complete press release by clicking here.

As a reminder, I am not currently affiliated with any point of sale companies or manufactures but have 14 years of experience working with retail, restaurant, and museum point of sale solutions. You can reach me at 208-340-5632 (business hours - mountain time) or kevinantosh@gmail.com if you have any point of sale related questions.


Saturday, December 7, 2013

More information on Microsoft RMS/HQ/POS 2009/Dynamics Conference

The good folks at Retail Realm have posted more information on their  4th annual "‘Microsoft Dynamics’ Retail Technology Conference".

 It honestly looks like the 40,000+ users of the various Microsoft point of sale software programs will have to wait until April 2014 to hear more about Microsoft's plans related to Dynamics RMS Store Operations, HQ, and POS 2009.  Here are a few highlights of the conference:





Get ready for Retail Realm's 4th annual ‘Microsoft Dynamics’ Retail Technology Conference! Learn the latest news and updates directly from Microsoft about the future of RMS, RMS Next Generation, AX for Retail, Statement of Direction, and so much more! Utilize this great opportunity to connect with the reseller network, interact with Microsoft representatives, solution / hardware providers, and retail industry professionals. Find out about fresh new concepts in retailing and learn firsthand where the future of retail is headed! Don’t miss out! REGISTER for the conference today!

TIMELINE:

April 24 – 26, 2014 at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, NV
  • Thurs. PM - Afternoon Golf Event 
  • Thurs. PM - Welcome Cocktail Reception - Shadow Bar
  • Fri. AM - All-day Conference Sessions
  • Fri. PM - Exhibitor Extravaganza
  • Sat. AM - All-day Conference Sessions
  • Sat. PM - Wrap-Up / Awards Reception
You can see a video related to the conference at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5HN1rNyoDc
 

Full conference details and registration can be found on Retail Realm's website: http://www.rrdisti.com/rr-conference-2014

I'm sticking with my past advice - it you are current on your software maintenance agreement and can wait until April, keep using your current point of sale solution.

If you are not current on your software maintenance (which is a very bad thing with mandatory compliance updates coming out in 2014 and 2015 for anyone that takes credit and debit cards via a point of sale system), then I would highly suggest either getting current on software maintenance ASAP or looking for alternative solutions like Retail Pro. 

Are you in the US and in need of no cost retail point of sale advice? I'm happy to help and can be reached on my cell at 208-340-5632 (mountain time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com.



Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Point of Sale Software Reviews

As I sort through my list of ~3800 contacts, I've had a few people contact me about getting reviews from actual users of the various point of sale programs on the market.  As I have mentioned before, I meet with retail store owners after they have started using a point of sale system and get the owners "brutally honest" feedback on the system.

Rather than upload a bunch of reviews, you can contact me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or during business hours mountain time at 208-340-5632 and I will be happy to share comments from specialty retail stores using the following point of sale software solutions:
  • Cougar Mountain POS
  • QuickBooks POS
  • Registware
  • Regit2000
  • Comcash
  • Retail Pro
  • Clover
  • NCR Silver
  • Fasttrax
  • NCR CounterPoint
  • Microsoft POS 2007/2009
  • Microsoft RMS Store Operations
  • Microsoft RMS Store Operations HQ
  • Various Sam4S cash registers
I also have some limited feedback on Lightspeed point of sale.

With so many contacts, I'm sure that I have met with a business similar to yours!

Are you in the US and in need of no cost retail point of sale advice? I'm happy to help and can be reached on my cell at 208-340-5632 (mountain time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com.

Monday, December 2, 2013

Updated Information for Past, Present, and Future DirectPOS Customers

Revisions related to the sale and closure of DirectPOS:

http://retailpospondering.blogspot.com/2013/09/important-information-for-present-and.html


NCR Silver Updates

Some long overdue updates related to NCR Silver. As a reminder, NCR Silver is a tablet based point of sale system for retail stores and quick serve restaurants. The functionality of NCR Silver falls between what a cash register can do and what a computer-based point of sale system can do.  You pay a monthly subscription fee to use NCR Silver in your iOS device.

Hardware Updates: 

NCR Silver runs on Apple®i; iOSTM 6.0 & 7.0 devices. When implementing integrated credit, the NCR Credit Card Reader supports the following devices: iPad® 2, iPad with Retina display (3rd generation), iPad Mini & iPad Mini with Retina Display, iPad Air, iPhone® 4 and iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, 5s and 5c, or iPod touch® 4th and 5th generations.

Previously NCR Silver did not work with hardware designed for 3rd generation iPads or 5th generation iPhones and iPod Touches

New Features in Version 3 of NCR Silver:
  • NCR Silver now supports multiple locations and can scale to meet the needs of retail shops, cafes, bakeries, restaurants or any small business that is expanding. With easy-to-use tools and reports, owners can manage items across all their sites, see a consolidated view of site sales data, and still easily navigate to individual locations for site-level details.
  • Small business owners get more control with the ability to set user roles like Cashier or Manager and to assign permissions so they can grant or limit access to functions such as price override, discounts, returns, voids and tip adjustments.
  • A new Time Clock feature makes everyday easier for small business owners and their employees. Employees simply sign in and out through the app, and owners can export timesheets for payroll.
I've talked to a few places using NCR Silver and the response has been positive but with a note that most retail store owners indicated that they plan on upgrading to a more complete point of sale system "down the road" (ie. something that can print barcode labels and create purchase orders).

Are you in the US and in need of no cost retail point of sale advice? I'm happy to help and can be reached on my cell at 208-340-5632 (mountain time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com.