Friday, September 29, 2017

Retail POS and E-Commerce

As more and more retailers realize they need to have an e-commerce solution, they encounter the task of finding (or replacing) both a POS system and an e-commerce (or shopping cart) platform that integrates with their POS system.

I've had quite a few calls and emails about this over the last month or so - thus this post with some general advice:

  1. You will find that most retail POS systems only work with certain e-commerce site and vice versa. It is not a universal solution in most cases. Be prepared for this and realize that your choice of POS software may dictate the e-commerce options available to you (or vice versa).
  2. There are some exceptions but the complexity of a POS system usually drives the e-commerce options.
  3. Custom development of an e-commerce site may be an option for retailers who have a large online presence.
So, when searching, you need to weigh in on were your sales come from as well as your POS and e-commerce "wish lists" for features and functions.  If you find that most of your sales come from in-store sales, then weigh more heavily finding a great POS system. If online sales bring in the most revenue, then spend time finding the best e-commerce platform. 

Retailers whose online sales are fairly small (less than 3 to 5 orders per day), may find it easier to not have the POS system and the e-commerce site share inventory and customer information.

Each situation is somewhat unique so please contact me at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com with any questions or personalized advice.

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Annual Payment Options for Card Defender and Cloud Retailer

Wanted to pass along some information on annual payment options for the Card Defender EMV/Chip Card add on for Microsoft RMS as well as the Cloud Retailer point of sale software program.

As some folks prefer to pay the on-going support and upgrade fee's for Card Defender and Cloud Retailer by ACH, Invoice or Cheque (or a one time per year payment via debit/credit card). these fee's can now be paid annually or monthly.

This allows for more flexible billing options and mirrors the method used specific to how some companies charge for their software programs annual maintenance agreement.

Current Card Defender and Cloud Retailer customers can switch from monthly to annual billing at any point by contacting RITE at billing@rite.us or 888-267-7483.

If you have general questions, please contact me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632.

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Welcome to Some New & Upgrading Customers!

Wow!  Really happy to say "thanks" to the following retailers for selecting myself as their point of sale partner over the past month:
  • Goya Foods: General Dynamics RMS support and training
  • Everson Royce: Expansion to include Cloud Retailer and Card Defender
  • Simi Sue: Replacing Microsoft Dynamics RMS/HQ with Cloud Retailer and Card Defender
  • Takashima: Upgrading from Microsoft Dynamics POS 2009 to Microsoft Dynamics RMS and HQ along with multiple customization's and add-ons.
Would you like to be included on this list? I can be reached at kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Microsoft Dynamics RMS Users: Should I Update or Replace My Server?

One question that comes up with speaking with Microsoft Dynamics RMS users is whether they should keep investing in RMS or plan to migrate sooner to one of the replacement point of sale programs for RMS like Cloud Retailer or Retail Management Hero.

Several retailers using RMS are taking a wait and see approach while others are finding that they are facing costs specific to the upkeep of their SQL servers and wonder if they really want to keep investing in servers that they might not need in another 3 years?

I call these "trigger points" as there are things that can happen, like server expenses, that could affect how soon you look at replacing RMS.

In terms of not having to start from scratch with a new POS system, and enjoying significant license discounts as an RMS user, there are two main migration options:  Retail Management Hero (local) and Cloud Retailer (local & cloud hybrid).

For the sake of this blog post, let's focus mainly on the server investment question.

It is no secret that servers cost money and require someone with some IT skills to maintain. Some organizations lack the resources to maintain servers and find that cloud based point of sale software programs are a better option. Other organization's want locally deployed software programs and have already invested in servers and IT staff.

There are many variables here but there are clearly some short and long term cost benefits for moving to Cloud Retailer as a direct replacement for RMS instead of continued server and IT investments. I can think of a recent example of a 3 location RMS/HQ user that was spending so much on support and maintenance that it was actually cheaper for them to upgrade from RMS/HQ to Cloud Retailer!

In a much different case, I was onsite with 2 different 5 location chains using RMS/HQ and they had just invested in new servers and IT staff so moving to a cloud based POS system didn't make sense to them economically and they will go the Retail Management Hero route.

For any retailer with RMS and servers, I would highly advise formulating an action plan that addresses "trigger points" like server costs. This doesn't always mean that you will need to take action today but you will know what your organizations plan is for the next 3-5 years and what sort of "trigger points" will cause you to take action sooner.

If you need assistance developing an action plan, or just have general retail point of sale questions, please contact me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632.

Prefer to speak with a point of sale VAR/Dealer? Contact RITE at sales@rite.us or 888-267-7483,

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Important Retail Management Hero Upcoming Price Changes

***Information on new pricing for RMH as well as the phasing out of RMS user discounts can be found here: http://www.pospondering.com/2019/07/news-flash-important-retail-management.html***

Very important information related to the pricing scheme for Retail Management Hero (RMH) and RMH Central as well as the iPad version of RMH. be sure to note the effective dates as this may effect your decision related to upgrading from Microsoft Dynamics RMS to RMH. Please note that this is subject to change.

RMH, RMH Central & iPOS Pricing Scheme – New User
License Before Oct 1st 2017 Oct 1st 2017 – March 31st 2018 Starting April 1st 2018 Notes
Base License: 1 POS + 2 Manager $1190 + $215 $1250 + $225 $1250 + $225 “+ $XXX” is required first year software maintenance
POS 2 & Above $1190 + $215 $900 + $162 $900 + $162 “+ $XXX” is required first year software maintenance
Manager 3 & Above $400 + $72 Same Same “+ $XXX” is required first year software maintenance
IPOS for iPad $650 + $117 Same Same “+ $XXX” is required first year software maintenance
RMH Central – User $360/year Same Same Expected release Q2 2018
RMH Central – Store Connection $360/year Same Same Expected release Q2 2018


RMH Pricing Scheme – Lapsed RMS Users
License Before Oct 1st 2017 Oct 1st 2017 – March 31st, 2018 Starting April 1st, 2018 Notes
Base License: 1 POS + 2 Manager $250 + $215 $500 + $225 $875 + $225 “+ $XXX” is required first year software maintenance
POS 2 & Above $250 + $215 $360 + $162 $630 + $162 “+ $XXX” is required first year software maintenance
Manager 3 & Above $0 + $72 $160+ $72 $280 + $72 “+ $XXX” is required first year software maintenance


RMH Pricing Scheme – Non Lapsed RMS Users
License Before Oct 1st 2017 Oct 1st 2017 – March 31st, 2018 Starting April 1st, 2018 Notes
Base License: 1 POS + 2 Manager $0 + $215 $0 + $225 $0 + $225 “+ $XXX” is required first year software maintenance
POS 2 & Above $0 + $215 $0 + $162 $0 + $162 “+ $XXX” is required first year software maintenance
Manager 3 + $0.00 Same Same Up to 10 manager licenses total


Questions or need help? You can reach me at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com

Monday, September 4, 2017

2017 Q3 and Q4 Travel Schedule

OK - nothing too exciting but my travels will take me to the following areas for the rest of 2017:
  • Idaho
  • Eastern Oregon]
  • Central Minnesota
  • Seattle, WA
  • Denver, CO
  • Phoenix, AZ
There is some flexibility to add more stops or cities - please contact me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632 to discuss.

Thanks!