Saturday, February 28, 2015

Big Upgrade for Bindo Point of Sale

Wanted to pass along that the folks at Bindo point of sale (www.bindopos.com) have released a new version of the Bindo Dashboard which allows users to perform non-selling functions from any device with an Internet browser.

Definitely a major improvement! Here is a quick video that I created showing how the Bindo Dashboard works on my laptop running Chrome (thanks to the folks at Bindo POS for allowing me access so I could give the system a "test run"):



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 (I am on Mountain Time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com. There is also a contact form to the right that can be used to reach me.

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Retail Realm Essentials - Powered by Microsoft Dynamics

Just a quick note that I should be able to share more details related to the new Retail Realm Essentials - Powered by Microsoft Dynamics point of sale software by Mid March 2015. I'm just waiting on a few specifics from Retail Realm related to license cost, hardware requirements, and license swap options for folks using Microsoft Dynamics RMS who are current on their annual maintenance agreement.

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 (I am on Mountain Time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com. There is also a contact form to the right that can be used to reach me.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Intuit and Revel Partnership

In case you have not already heard, Intuit and Revel Systems have announced a partnership that will result in the companies jointly releasing a new point of system sometime in 2015. Initial indications are that the new point of sale system will be iPad based and designed to work with the online version of QuickBooks Online Accounting.

No specific details are available related to cost or final release date but I will keep an eye out for more details and pass them along as time permits.

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 (I am on Mountain Time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com. There is also a contact form to the right that can be used to reach me.

Monday, February 23, 2015

Point of Sale/EMV Workshops & Speaking Schedule

So I am starting to line up some speaking events for 2015. I'll share details as everything is finalized but wanted to let folks know that I am including more about EMV in my workshop presentations as EMV is something that all of us will have to address before the EMV Liability Shift Date takes place in October of 2015 (in the United States).

The point of sale workshops that I conduct are completely vendor neutral and can be scaled to run anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes. Here are the main topics that I cover in the workshops:
  1. Differences between mobile and computer-based point of sale systems
  2. How to select the right point of sale system
  3. Common "gotchas" to avoid
  4. EMV and Merchant Services
  5. How to determine your point of sale "budget"
  6. How to use a weighted point spreadsheet to make a final purchase decision
Again, all of this is conducted in a vendor neutral environment (not a sales pitch at all) and folks leave the workshop with actual data and information they can use to find the best point of sale system for their business or organization.

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 (I am on Mountain Time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com. There is also a contact form to the right that can be used to reach me.

Thursday, February 19, 2015

What Microsoft RMS/HQ Point of Sale Users are Doing - Part Two

Update July 2016: Since many Microsoft RMS point of sale software would like to keep using RMS for another couple of years but still need to deal with the EMV Liability Shift Date, visit this post for more information on the Card Defender EMV add-on for Microsoft RMS versions 1.3 and higher (and HQ as well): http://retailpospondering.blogspot.com/2016/06/card-defender-emv-add-on-for-microsoft.html

Update July 2016, Retail Management Hero(RMS version 3.X) demo and overview: http://retailpospondering.blogspot.com/2016/07/new-version-of-rmsretail-management.html

Updated information on Retail Management Hero as a direct replacement for RMS as of December 3rd, 2015: http://retailpospondering.blogspot.com/2015/12/updated-information-on-new-retail.html

New video discussing options for Dynamics RMS and HQ users as of December 5th, 2015: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evVWS7dj0Bs

Update July 27th, 2015: I have now talked to over 730 stores using RMS, HQ, and Dynamics POS. The NCR CounterPoint offer have proven to be very attractive with several stores taking advantage of the offer mentioned below. Bindo POS also continues to be popular as well.

Update April 21st, 2015: 2 more stores have let me know that they are switching to Bindo Point of Sale (www.bindopos.com) from RMS.

Update March 24th, 2015: getting multiple calls from stores who were about to invest in RMS as a new or replacement POS system and the business/dealers/partners selling RMS made no mention of EMV or the end of life sale and support dates for RMS. Needless to say these stores will not be investing in RMS or recommending businesses/dealers/partners that are selling RMS without full disclosure.

Update March 9th, 2015: still talking to an average of one business per day using RMS. Trends are still about the same especially related to Bindo POS and Retail Pro but a few more RMS users have been asking about Retail Realm Essentials - especially government entities that prefer to stick with Microsoft branded point of sale software.  As always - contact me if you have questions or if you are completely confused.

Update February 3rd, 2015: I've been talking to an average of 5-7 stores using RMS each week so I will keep this information updated so everyone can compare options and plan what to do with RMS over the next few months.

A quick update on conversations that I have had over the last several weeks with multiple businesses of all sizes that currently use the Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS) point of sale software (some are using HQ as well).

As there are tens of thousands of retail stores in the US using RMS (I know about 700 of you personally!), I wanted to pass along what RMS users are doing or planning related to the RMS and HQ end of life announcement from Microsoft as well as the upcoming EMV liability shift date for users in the US.

So far, many of you have already switched to different point of sale systems:

  • 1 business went from RMS to  LightSpeed as they needed both a food service and retail POS system
  • 5 businesses went from RMS to NCR CounterPoint
  • 7 businesses went from RMS to Bindo Point of Sale
  • 5 are considering using separate EMV terminals (should run around $400-$800 but this opens the door for costly employee errors and means reconciling 2 reports at the end of each day)
  • 2 are looking at the 3rd party gateway options but are concerned about the costs of using a third party payment gateway as well as what sort of new requirement will come around in 2016 that requires another investment to keep using RMS
Of the remaining stores that I talked too (well over 30 at this point with new ones contacting me each week), all but one are planning on switching away from RMS in the next few months. A few are waiting for more details related to the new Retail Realm Essentials (powered by Microsoft Dynamics) point of sale system that should be released before the end of Q3 2015.

Many of you have also told me that you are considering Retail Pro as an RMS replacement. Retail Pro offers a very similar feature/function set when compared to RMS but is more up to date when it comes to also using mobile devices as well as traditional computers.

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 (I am on Mountain Time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com. There is also a contact form to the right that can be used to reach me.

Sunday, February 15, 2015

EMV and What it Means to Folks With Cash Registers and Point of Sale Systems

I've been fielding multiple calls and emails from businesses with cash registers or mobile/computer-based point of sale systems asking what to do related to the upcoming US EMV liability shift date. This video covers some of the questions and answers related to EMV and chip cards and contains information for businesses in the US that accept credit and debit cards as payment in person.


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 (I am on Mountain Time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com. There is also a contact form to the right that can be used to reach me.

Friday, February 13, 2015

Anyone Headed to MAGIC or IFA in Vegas Next Week?

So - I tried to clear my schedule due to several requests that I attend MAGIC and IFA in Las Vegas next week (Feb 17th - 19th 2015 for Magic at the Las Vegas Convention Center and Feb 15th-18th 2015 for IFA at the MGM Grand) but I was unable to clear my schedule.

I was, however, able to connect with some folks who will be in Vegas next week and have offered to buy dinner for anyone that is searching for a retail point of sale system.

Be sure to contact me for an invitation and more information!

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Any POS Partners/Dealers/VAR's Interested in the Idaho, Utah, E Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, or E Washington State Retail Markets?

Update September 14th, 2016 - I have signed on with a retail point of sale company that can provide onsite service. In fact, I have already been contacted by over 50 businesses in the areas mentioned below!  For retail point of sale service and support, I can be reached at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com.

As businesses and organizations continue to contact me about EMV, replacing older computer-based point of sale systems, or acquiring their first point of sale system, many have expressed that they want to work with a local company that specializes in retail point of sale systems.

I've noticed a continued trend with plenty of local companies offering point of sale systems for food service businesses, but there seems to be a lack of local retail point of sale providers. While there is no shortage of companies that sell solutions online, there are still business owners that want to support the local economy as well as receive some "hand holding" when it comes to installation, training, and on-going support.

If your business offers complete retail point of sale solutions, and would like to have a local presence in the following areas, please get in touch with me. If your business is already established in one of these locales, please let me know so we can chat more I can get the word out via email, phone, and social media. Each of these markets has folks with retail stores and museums actively searching for new or upgraded point of sale systems.

Here are the locales:
  • All of Idaho
  • All of Utah
  • All of Montana
  • Western Wyoming
  • Eastern Oregon
  • Eastern Washington State
Visit my contact page for information on how to reach me.

Saturday, February 7, 2015

Point of Sale Buying Tip: Using a Weighted Point Sheet to Determine which POS is Best for You

By popular request - a video showing how to create and use a simple weighted point spreadsheet to decide which point of sale system is best for your business or organization. This works out great in the decision making process as it uses what is most important to you when selecting a POS system for your business or organization and this decision making method can be utilized by anyone who is searching for a point of sale system.



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 (I am on Mountain Time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com. There is also a contact form to the right that can be used to reach me.

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Weighted Factor Method of Selecting the Best Point of Sale System

Due to numerous requests - I am working on getting a video and blog post uploaded that explains how to use a basic spreadsheet and factors/points to compare and choose the best POS solution for your business based on what features and functions are most important to you and your business or organization.

I hope to have this up by Sunday, February 8th, 2015.

The whole process is a lot easier that I make it sound and is not general to one type of business or geared towards any one solution.

Blog/YouTube Stats and Thanks!

Since many of you are focused on taxes and making plans for EMV, I wanted to say "thank-you" to the 300+ businesses and organizations that contacted me in 2014 and were kind enough to let me know what you ended up purchasing. Your feedback helps me stay on top of what the popular solutions are as well as gleaning feedback on service and support.

My calculations indicate that you folks have gone on to spend over $2M in various POS solutions.

Please visit my contact page for information on how to reach me.

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Which Point of Sale System is Best for You?

Tough question as the answer varies depending on several factors like:
  • Type of business
  • Type of products and services sold
  • Annual sales volume
  • Location
  • Technical knowledge of the leadership team
  • Growth plans
  • Existing technology in place and how long the existing technology has been used
Really a short answer isn't possible without learning more about your business or organization. While it would be nice to provide a short answer - the short answer would likely not be very helpful and may send you down the wrong path.

Best bet is to contact me for unbiased point of sale advice, attend one of my point of sale workshops, or even watch my YouTube videos which cover multiple aspects of searching for a new or upgraded point of sale system.

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 (I am on Mountain Time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com. There is also a contact form to the right that can be used to reach me.