Point of Sale System for Airport Retail Stores

As a GA pilot, and frequent flyer, I really enjoy working with aviation related retailers. One great solution for retailers located in airports has been the Cloud Retailer point of sale software. Cloud Retailer offers the following when it comes to retailers whose stores are located in airports:

• Speed of a Windows software program with the "access anywhere" functionality of a cloud system
• Latest in payment processing hardware (while still being payment processor agnostic)
• Multi-location solution
• Runs on retail hardened tablets along with normal computers running Windows
• Low bandwidth requirements 
• Custom reports to comply with airport lease agreements
• Basic food service for mixed environments that include retail and basic food/beverage service
• Proven ability to handle high transaction volume situations without "bogging down"
• No need to invest in servers or similar equipment

I would really enjoy the opportunity to speak with more airport retailers (or leasing agents for airport retail space) to see what other processed needed to be included in Cloud Retailer. Please contact me at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com. I can arrange for you to have full access to Cloud Retailer at no charge for up to 60 days so you can take Cloud Retailer for a "test drive/test flight".

Retail Management Hero Running on a Mobile Device

Quick demo showing how the new version of the Microsoft RMS point of sale software - rebranded under the new Retail Management Hero (RMH) name works great on touch screen mobile devices like a Surface Pro 4.

Questions on retail POS, RMS or RMH?  I can be reached at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com for no cost retail point of sale advice.

E-Commerce, Loyalty and Similar Add-Ons for RMS and RMH

I've been contacted by multiple businesses recently inquiring about the various shopping cart, e-commerce, customer loyalty, and email marketing add-ons for the Microsoft RMS and Retail Management Hero (RMH) point of sale software programs.  A few folks have also asked what the mobile options will be for using RMH on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.  Lets try and hit the highlights and you can always contact me for more detailed information.

Microsoft RMS:

• Shopping Cart/E-Commerce: NitroSell has proven to be one of the more popular shopping cart/e-commerce add-ons for the Microsoft RMS point of sale software
• Customer Loyalty: Hero Points and bLoyal are two that I have worked with in the past
• Email Marketing: RITE Retail Emailer can do some basic email list compiling and then you can export to your own template or a third party email marketing program
• Mobile Version: There are add-ons for RMS that can work on mobile devices but these are normally special mobile devices like what you would see at a garden center or warehouse and not consumer mobile devices like iPads. 

Retail Management Hero (RMH):

• Shopping Cart/E-Commerce: NitroSell has committed to offering a solution for RMH - more information will be released in 2017
• Customer Loyalty: RMH will have some basic loyalty tracking and Hero Points will offer more enhanced customer loyalty functionality
• Email Marketing: Nothing announced yet but RMH can capture email addresses so exporting to third party email marketing program may be possible
• Mobile version: Nothing official but a mobile friendly version of RMH will likely be available sometime in 2017

How to obtain a 30 day trial version of Retail Management Hero: http://www.pospondering.com/2017/01/how-to-obtain-30-day-trial-license-of.html

Do contact me if you have any questions on the above or are in need of no-cost retail point of sale advice for your US located retail business. I can be reached on my cell at 208-340-5632 (mountain time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com

Retail Point of Sale Vendor Referrals

A quick note that I am happy to provide referrals to businesses selling and supporting different point of sale systems that you may already be using. All I need to know is the following:

1. your location (city and state - US only, please)
2. your business name and contact information
3. which point of sale system you are using
4. why the place you bought your point of sale from can not help you
5. what sort of help you need (tech support/new licenses/upgrade/new hardware/etc)

The reason for # 4 is a safeguard against people who owe a company money attempting to obtain support from someone else.

While I don't know every dealer/partner for every point of sale system, I do maintain a contact list of the partners and dealers that I trust so do visit my contact page for information on how to reach me for this type of information.

Note that this also applies if you are considering a specific point of sale system and want to know who to buy the system from.

Cloud Based Point of Sale Systems: Things to Keep in Mind

2015 has really been the year for cloud and mobile point of sale systems for retail stores, restaurants and museums. About 65% of the businesses and organizations that contact me are only considering point of sale systems that work on mobile devices and are cloud based.  A few things to keep in mind if you are looking at the cloud based point of sale systems like Clover, Vend, Lavu, Shopkeep, Lightspeed, or Silver...

1. In most cases the cloud based point of sale systems will only cost around 10%-30% less than a point of sale system that you lease to own or purchase outright (eg: Retail Pro, Sapphire, NCR CounterPoint, Retail management Hero, Etc.).  This assumes that you plan on keeping your point of sale system for 5-7 years and that you pay an ongoing monthly fee to use a cloud based point of sale system (which normally also includes support and updates).
2. You lose some control when using a cloud based point of sale system. Best example is that a traditional point of sale system puts all the hardware, software, and data onsite within your business or organization. If a router fails, you simply replace it.  With the cloud based point of sale systems you have no control if their router breaks or if their server goes down. Look at the reviews for any cloud based point of sale system and see that users mention outages lasting several hours. The point of sale companies tout off line modes or similar features but the reality is that system wide failures are possible and there is nothing you can do about it when it comes to cloud based point of sale systems.
3. Ownership: most cloud based systems are rented so you never actually own anything - very easy on your budget but you have to be comfortable with this pricing structure.
4. Hidden fees and contracts: I've been very disappointing with several of the cloud based point of sale systems who require long term contracts with early termination fees and limitations on who you can use for your credit and debit card processing services. As with any point of sale system, due diligence is required on your part when it comes to reading and signing any agreements or contracts.

Now, this may all sound somewhat negative but I actually do feel that some of the cloud based point of sale systems are great solutions (I've previously used, sold, and supported several).  However, they are only good solutions in one or more of the following situations:

• Single location or less than 10 locations with annual sales of less than $800,000 per location.
• OK with never owning the actual software but paying an ongoing fee each month.
• Low technology needs: OK with canned reports and don't have complex  inventory needs.
• No internal IT person or "computer geek": cloud based systems are generally very easy to learn and use and do not require internal IT resources.

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.

More Big News at Bindo

(my thoughts appear below the press release)

Bindo to Unveil New Restaurant POS Solution with $2 Million Investment

Leading retail technology company secures $2 million for its bridge round to develop an iPad POS solution for brick-and-mortar merchants in the F&B industry

NEW YORK, Sept. 3, 2015 - Bindo, a leading cloud-based business management solution for brick-and-mortar merchants, today announced it has debuted a beta version of its new iPad POS system, Bindo POS for Restaurant. The company also announced it has secured $2 million in funding from strategic investors eager to see the POS solution expand into new verticals.

Bindo will use the investment to launch the new POS system globally, enabling restaurant owners to have one complete and holistic business solution that can integrate telephone orders, online ordering, table management, reservations, and ingredient-level tracking all in one platform. Bindo POS for Restaurant is now available in beta at a few select restaurants, and will become publicly available in mid-September.

Bindo POS for Restaurant provides a simple way for restaurants to easily manage their inventory and sales from a centralized back-office dashboard, whilst also allowing them to accept and schedule reservations from a centralized cloud-based platform. Restaurants are given the tools to better forecast inventory and supply needs by accurately recording the ingredients that go into each dish. Bindo POS for Restaurant will also maximize seating capacity and table turnover by enabling front of house to seamlessly schedule bookings through an integrated CRM and floor planning system.

“We wanted a mobile and elegant POS solution to complement our modern restaurant theme and came across Bindo,” said Ivan Yeh, Owner of Shoku Bar and Restaurant and first-time user of Bindo POS for Restaurant. “Since deployment, Bindo has helped us cut down on excess inventory and vastly improved the way we run our operations. Best of all, Bindo’s integrated mobile credit card processing allows our servers to take orders and payments at the table, making way for that ‘wow’ factor and allowing for a better dining experience for our customers.”

“We met with so many restaurateurs who were fed up with the choice of POS systems available (both iPad & traditional POS). The iPad POS systems in the market were not sophisticated or robust enough for their needs, and the traditional systems were expensive, inflexible and difficult to use,” said Brad Lauster, Co-founder of Bindo. “Bindo POS for Restaurant fills that gap in the market with a solution that’s powerful, customizable and a pleasure to use.”

The investors that led the new funding round have decades of operational expertise in the F&B industry, and played a pivotal role in fine-tuning the customizations needed for the many restaurant-types supported by Bindo’s solution. Bindo POS for Restaurant will be available for use in private beta by signing up on bindopos.com or calling 1-800-MYBINDO.

A quick demo of the Bindo POS for Restaurant technology is also available upon request.

ABOUT BINDO

Founded in 2011, Bindo is the one-stop iPad Point-of-Sale (POS) solution that connects local brick-and-mortar merchants to their customers, giving businesses a more cohesive and competitive technology solution that complements the ever-changing and dynamic needs of their consumers. With Bindo POS, businesses will be able to better manage their stores, keep track of their customers and have access to sophisticated tools to allow their business be run more efficiently. Coming soon, the Bindo Market iPhone app will allow everyday consumers to make on-demand delivery purchases directly on their smartphones, thereby closing the Online-to-Offline loop for merchants.

For more information about Bindo POS, visit https://bindopos.com
For more information about Bindo Market, visit https://bindo.com

SOURCE Bindo

Bindo

CONTACT: Catherine Lowe, North 6th Agency, Inc. (For Bindo), +1-917-916-2609, bindo@n6a.com

Web Site: https://bindo.com

My Thoughts on the Above:

Obviously the funding and  restaurant specific version of Bindo is pretty cool news given the popularity of Bindo on the retail side.  Even though there are a bunch of mobile POS systems for restaurants, Bindo brings that right balance of price/feature/function as well as not being a company that has outgrown themselves to the point of having to outsource technical support to India. 

Bindo also has the drive to win customers and clients one at a time versus 'turning and burning'.

There is some other big news related to Bindo that is very positive as well which I hope to be able to share in a few more weeks.  

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..

How Popular is Bindo POS? Popular Enough to be Featured on CNBC along with retailer Space Cowboy Boots!

Another point of sale company makes national news. This time it is the very popular Bindo point of sale that many folks I know have recently selected as a point of sale system for their business or organization. The video segment covers Bindo POS as well as why a cowboy boot store in New York City (Space Cowboy Boots) selected Bindo POS for their business.

Here is a link to video of the segment on CNBC: http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000381734&play=1

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

New Features Added to Bindo Point of Sale

The popular Bindo point of sale system (www.bindopos.com) has seen some recent enhancements:

• Accept payments from any source by adding a custom payment button 
• Scan pre-existing custom barcodes and add these products to your inventory
• Sell items at $0.00 (like free services or give-aways)
• Allow for card present and card not present transaction tracking
• Support for smaller sized barcode labels

It is nice to see that Bindo listens to their user base and adds features and functions on a very frequent basis! More reviews on Bindo POS can be found here: https://bindopos.com/reviews

New Features Added to Bindo Point of Sale

The folks at Bindo Point of Sale (www.bindopos.com) have been hard at work adding new features to Bindo. Here is a list of the most recent enhancements:


• Mix & Match Discount - apply a discount when enough qualifying products are purchased

• Customer-facing Display - with our new Bindo Display app, your customers can see their order as you ring it up!

• Choose store credit as a payment-type for Split Tender transactions

• Add new inventory when creating an invoice

• Support for variably-priced items on invoices

• New payment-type filters on the Sales screen

• New filters on the Customer report

• Allow extensions for customer phone numbers

**Improvements:**

• Cash Management improvements

• Improve offline cash and check checkout

• Stability improvements

• Various bug fixes

Here is a video highlighting some of the new features:

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.

NRF News: New Tough All-in-One Point of Sale Tablet from Panasonic

Below is a press release related to a new all-in-one tablet point of sale system from Panasonic as I sort through the various news and announcements coming from the NRF 2015 Big Show.

It is great that the device includes the important EMV reader as the liability shift date of EMV in the United States is coming up in October of this year. I also like that the hardware has been "ruggedized" as I've had some concerns over the last couple of years related to using consumer devices, like iPads, in environments were the device is exposed to heat, cold, grease, and rough handling.

The press release is somewhat vague when it comes to explaining exactly what point of sale application is running on the tablet in terms of specific functions and what market/types of businesses the tablet is designed for (retail? food service? museums? nurseries? etc.).

As the device is not yet available, it will be interesting to see how this solution competes with the other mobile point of sale solutions already on the market. As always, you can contact me for free and unbiased point of sale advice.

Here is the full press release:

Panasonic Announces First All-in-One Mobile POS Tablet with Integrated EMV Payment Technology for Retail Running Windows 8.1

The 7-inch Toughpad FZ-R1 empowers retailers with a true omni-channel mobile platform for today's evolving shopping experience

NEWARK, NJ, January 11, 2015 – Panasonic, an industry leader in reliable and innovative mobile computers for retail, today announced at the 104th annual National Retail Federation (NRF) Big Show the launch of the Toughpad® FZ-R1 the industry's first*1 7-inch all-in-one mobile POS tablet running Windows 8.1 for retail environments and to meet the changing omni-channel customer expectations while providing secure transaction capabilities.

With its integrated EMV reader with PIN pad, mag stripe reader and NFC compatibility, the Intel®-based Toughpad FZ-R1 can handle all forms of electronic payment, giving retailers and their customers confidence that financial data is secure.

"The retail world is changing dramatically. Fraud liability is shifting from credit card companies to retailers in the U.S. this fall if they don't adopt EMV, and the widespread adoption of smartphones has upended brick and mortar retail strategies," said Dan Diliberti, senior product development manager – tablet and payment systems, Panasonic System Communications Company of North America. "The Toughpad FZ-R1 addresses these dramatic changes in the retail landscape with its integrated EMV payment technology and equips a retailer's salesforce with a powerful platform to help turn browsing shoppers into buyers and close sales right from the sales floor."

With the Toughpad FZ-R1 and the retailer's own store applications, salespeople can assist customers with product comparisons, check inventory or change an item's style color or size right from the sales floor in real time. By enabling checkout anywhere on the sales floor, the salesforce can emerge from behind the register and instead focus on the customer. They can easily pull up customer information including purchase history and other preferences, enabling associates to create cross sell opportunities and deliver that unique in-store, omni-channel experience customers now expect.

Additionally, the tablet is ideal for other customer engagement applications in retail, table service restaurants and hospitality including line busting, order taking, kiosk usage and inventory management.

Powered by an Intel® Celeron® processor and running Windows 8.1 Pro, the Toughpad FZ-R1 offers exclusive, enterprise-grade security features such as Trusted Platform Module (TPM). Other features not available on consumer-grade tablets include: a fast-charging, user-replaceable full-shift battery with optional bridge battery and high-capacity battery, ten-point capacitive multi-touch screen, integrated EMV reader with PIN pad, encrypted magnetic stripe reader, optional POS cradle, and a wide range of configuration options to allow retailers to build the ideal Toughpad FZ-R1 for their specific needs on the sales floor.

"Intel® Celeron® processors enable the media and graphics performance needed for the Toughpad FZ-R1 to drive customer interest, increase customer loyalty and turn showrooming into sales," said Joe Jensen, general manager, Retail Solutions Division, Intel. "The staff is empowered with an omni-channel mobile platform and, with a few taps or swipes, customers can adjust the design, size, color of an item and more." "Retailers today can use the point of sale to understand their customers better and provide more customized service from anywhere in the store," said Brendan O'Meara, managing director, Worldwide Retail and Consumer Goods at Microsoft Corp. "Panasonic's Toughpad® FZ-R1 mobile POS solution running Windows 8.1 will give retailers the expanded capabilities they need on a familiar platform for their employees, with an innovative, fully-integrated EMV card reader implementation in a mobile POS tablet."

Designed for the retail environment, the thin and lightweight rugged Toughpad FZ-R1 features a pre-installed replaceable screen film for LCD protection. Panasonic's entire range of enterprise-grade mobile computers are designed for reliable performance and long deployments, delivering a low total cost of ownership.

Panasonic offers a comprehensive POS system including the Toughpad FZ-R1 as part of its retail technology solutions engineered to increase management capabilities, operational efficiencies and productivity while improving the customer experience and boosting sales.

Toughpad FZ-R1: Key Specifications

· Durable: Semi-rugged, water resistant, fanless design

· Portability: 1.43 lbs., 10.12" x 5.12" x 1.08" (without protruding parts)

· Display: 10 Finger touch (Capacitive), 7" WXGA(1280x800), Aspect ratio 16:10, Anti-Reflection, includes capacitive stylus pen

· Payment: Integrated EMV reader with PIN pad, mag stripe reader

· Processor: Intel® Celeron® processor N2807 (1MB Cache, 1.58 GHz up to 2.16 GHz)

· Operating System: Windows 8.1 Models available*2

· Storage and Memory: 2-4GB SDRAM and 64GB eMMC storage, up to 64GB additional with optional micro SDXC card

· Battery: Approx. 8.0 hours (Tablet Only)3 and approx. 7.0 hours with payment4 Optional bridge battery, enabling users to switch out batteries without powering down the device.

· Charging Time: Power On (approx. 4 hours), Power Off (approx. 2.5 hours) *5

· Camera: optional 5MP, 2048 x 1536 dots, 15fps(Video) / 2592 x 1944 dots(Still), with Camera light

· Connectivity: Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC7260 Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth® v4.0 (Class 1), USB 3.0, micro SDHC card slot, headset jack and docking connector. The Toughpad FZ-R1 offers optional 4G LTE wireless broadband with satellite GPS

· Available Configuration Options: Barcode reader

Accessories The Toughpad FZ-R1 is compatible with a variety of accessories, including hand and shoulder straps, holsters, countertop POS cradle, cases, charging solutions and mobile printers.

Pricing, Availability and Warranty The Toughpad FZ-R1 will be available through authorized and select resellers and distributors in late Spring 2015. The Toughpad FZ-R1 Base model including Windows 8.1 and a standard MSR starts at $1,799. Limited development equipment is available now for lab testing and pilot tests. Please contact your Panasonic representative for more information.

Like all Toughpad devices, the Toughpad FZ-R1 comes backed by the industry's most comprehensive 3-year warranty and includes U.S.-based customer support.

For general sales inquiries, email or call Panasonic at sales.psc@us.panasonic.com or 877-803-8492.

New User Feedback on Clover Point of Sale

Some helpful feedback from a convenience/liquor store in Georgia that was using Microsoft Dynamics POS 2009 and attempted to switch to using Clover point of sale:

Here are my comments on Clover.  This physical POS design and look are beautiful.  The swivel feature is handy.  Overall transaction and payment procedure is simple and easy for customers and cashiers.

The problem I have with it is there is no Cash Payout option for purchase of delivery from vendors.  Also no vendor setup menu.

The main reason I am returning it is there is no mix and match pricing on special.  For example if I wanted to mix 3 different wines and sell them a discount, my cashiers would have to do it manually.  I can not take risk of possibly selling an expense wine at a discount because the cashier includes it in the special.  This needs to be done at the item level.

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

Best Systems for Marijuana Related Stores

With more states legalizing the retail sale of marijuana, I have received several calls and emails from folks asking for help in choosing the best cash register or point of sale system for their business.

While a cash register would work, many of you are under strict reporting requirements as well as various tax collecting and reporting requirements so I generally recommend looking at the tablet or mobile type of point of sale systems for tracking sales and inventory. An added bonus is that the tablet systems also allow for various security levels to be setup to prevent employees from giving discounts to friends or family.

Some of the tablet or mobile point of sale systems also include customer loyalty programs and the ability to print scanable barcode labels.

When looking at the various solutions, be sure to keep the following in mind:

1. If you sell by weight then make sure the system will work with a scale or allow for a price calculation based on weight.
2. Depending on how taxes are collected, make sure that the system can handle multiple taxes as well as provide a break down of various taxes collected.
3. If your state allows you to accept credit and debit cards for payment from customers, then make sure that the system will work with the place that handles your debit and credit card processing services (commonly referred to as "merchant services"). This is important as not all merchant services companies will provide credit and debit card processing services to business that sell marijuana.
4. Don't forget to ask about EMV compliance. No sense buying something now only to have to spending more money in 2015 to be EVM compliant.
5. Ask for references of businesses like your already using the point of sale system that you are considering and contact those businesses or visit in person if possible.

Be sure to contact me if you have any questions.  I can't sell you anything but I am keeping tabs on which systems have proven to be popular with retail stores selling Marijuana of which I know that Bindo POS has proven to be very popular in the state of California. More reviews on Bindo POS can be found here: https://bindopos.com/reviews

Who is the Target Audience for Mobile Point of Sale Systems?

Folks have asked me to better define what type of business would benefit from using a mobile point of sale system (one that runs on a tablet or smartphone) versus businesses that should only be searching for computer-based point of sale systems.  While it is tough to create some hard and fast rules, mobile point of sale systems are generally geared towards the following:

• Businesses or organizations whose annual gross sales are under $500,000/year
• Single location
• Businesses that move from location to location
• Seasonal businesses
• Businesses with low technology needs

The last one is tough to explain - basically if your business has simple inventory, reporting, and customer tracking requirements, then a mobile system should satisfy you. However, if you have more complex needs - especially when it comes to reporting - the the mobile point of sale systems may not be in depth enough for you and your business or organization.

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

I'm not in my store - how can I access my point of sale system?

I'm often asked just how the heck folks are supposed to access their point of sale systems when they are not physically in the store.  There are several options depending on the type of system that you have and what devices you are using. Here are the main options:

1. Mobile point of sale systems that run on smartphones and tablets:
• You can take the mobile device with you or use a different mobile device to access your system using the internet or the cell data network should your device have a data plan
• Many mobile point of sale solutions also allow you to access the non-selling part of your point of sale system by using a web browser
2. Computer based point of sale systems that are cloud based:
• Generally all you need then is a web browser and internet access on your computer or mobile device. Capabilities vary by program and what type of computer or mobile device you are using
3. Computer based systems that are not cloud based:
• You will generally only be able to access your point of sale system using a computer with remote access software or a virtual private network

If you happen to be using remote access software - make sure that the software is PCI compliant as you don't want to fail a PCI scan. Generally, the business that provides your point of sale system can help you select and use PCI compliant remote access software.

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

New 'Stuff' in Bindo Point of Sale

The folks at Bindo point of sale have been busy adding new stuff to Bindo. The most recent update includes the following:

• User Interface Improvements
• Performance Improvements
• Anonymous Gift Cards
• Ability to Edit Purchase Order Costs
• Label Print with Quantity
• Create Discounts
• Customize Email Receipts
• Return Report
• Gift Receipts
• Adjust Order Minimum for a Signature Being Required
• Item Level Atributes
• Signature Line for Delivery Receipts
• EMV Compliance (very important and one of the first point of sale solutions that I am aware to meet EMV compliance)

There is more in the works so I will try and keep everyone updated. This is one nice thing about the current generation of point of sale solutions - the updates and upgrades are included in the price!  You can learning more about Bindo by visiting www.bindopos.com. 

Do you have some point of sale questions or need some free advice or help in selecting a point of sale solution for your business or organization? I'm happy to help!  If you are in the United States you can reach me using the contact form to the right, via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com or on my cell at 208.340.5632.

Point of Sale Buying Video Buying Tip - What to Choose Mobile or Computer?

Some information related to the key differences between point of sale solutions designed to run on mobile devices versus point of sale solutions designed to run on computers. Included in the video are some key reasons why you should just focus on mobile point of sale solutions and reasons to focus only on computer based point of sale solutions.

I also share how to not only obtain some free help choosing the best point of sale solution for your business but also how to contact me related to various discounts and promotions that are being offered by trusted point of sale companies that I am familiar with.

You can also reach me via the contact form to the right, via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com, or on my cell at 208.340.5632.

Please note that the information in the video is best suited for non-food service related businesses located in the United States.

New Updates for NCR Silver

Thanks to a new iPad Air, I was able to catch up on what has been happening with the NCR Silver mobile point of sale solution for iOS devices.

There have been some significant changes in terms of an enhanced version of NCR Silver for food service businesses but the core retail version of NCR Silver remains the same.  The functionality lies between a cash register and a true point of sale system.  With newer mobile solutions like Bindo POS offering more functionality for the same price, I'm sure the development team at NCR is working to add more advanced functions and features to NCR Silver.

Here are the update highlights:

• Restaurant Pro Edition price starts at $129.00/month
• A Silver 'Guru' can assist with the setup of your system for $299.00 (looks to be combination of phone and onsite service)
• For around $30.00/month you can have integration between NCR Silver and QuickBooks Accounting

Those are the major changes - I am working on a video demo of the sales side of NCR Silver as well.

Can I help?  If you are in need of some free point of sale advice, you can reach me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632. I have over 15 years experience helping retail stores and museums select the best point of sale solution for their business or organization.

BBQ With Bindo Point of Sale

So this is pretty cool (I've done these sorts of events myself several times via an open house or even setting up a community event with a bus and food).

Bindo Point of Sale is hosting a BBQ in the New York City Area.  Here are the details:

Bindo Summer Bash

Come meet fellow merchants and enjoy a free BBQ on us!

When: Sunday, July 20 2-5pm
Where: East River Park grills on 10th Street
 East River Promenade, New York, NY 10019
RSVP: events@bindo.com by July 14

We will have a brief presentation on
Taking Back Main Street: Easy Hacks for Mom & Pop Shops

Be sure to stick around - at 4pm we will be giving out
free 60 day trails of Bindo!

Feel free to bring along fellow merchants!

More information: http://us7.campaign-archive2.com/?u=6c178b6ca0cdfc56036d5786c&id=e00241eace

This is a great way to check out Bindo Point of Sale in a casual environment and meet some of the folks involved with Bindo Point of Sale.   Maybe they can setup a livestream for those of us not in the NYC area!

Have point of sale questions and want some free advice or help?  Over the last 15 years I have worked with thousands of retail stores and museums to help direct them to the correct point of sale solution. You can reach me at kevinantosh@gmail.com, via the contact form to the right, or on my cell at 208-340-5632.

Video Review and Demo of Bindo Point of Sale

As Bindo Point of Sale has quickly become the most popular retail and museum point of sale solution on my blog site, I figured that it was time to make a quick video showing what Bindo looks like. My AirPlay software was running unusually slow so any slowness in screen changes is not related to Bindo but to my AirPlay software linking my iPad Air to my Win 7 laptop.

The feedback that I have been getting about Bindo is very positive. What one retailer mentioned kind of sums it all up: if Bindo can do more than what other mobile point of sale solutions can do for the same or a lower price, why wouldn't I choose Bindo over NCR Silver or Clover?

I do have a fully functioning copy of Bindo if you want to take a more in depth look. More reviews on Bindo POS can be found here: https://bindopos.com/reviews

Visit my contact page for information on how to reach me.

Demo Videos and Downloads

A quick reminder that several companies offer 30 day free trial periods and/or demo versions of the software.  If you are interested here are the various solutions that I have access to for demo purposes:

• NCR CounterPoint
• Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management Systems Store Operations (RMS)
• QuickBooks Point of Sale
• Aldelo 
• NCR Silver (back office only - POS pending)
• Bindo POS

I am also working on some demo videos that show some of the high level aspects of each point of sale solution. that should be ready yet this week. Since there isn't a lot of point of sale news (normally) during the summer, I figured that now would be a great time to upload some video demos of point of sale solutions.  Note that a video can only cover the general highlights unless you really want a 45 minute long video (have some popcorn ready).

Same goes for my workshop presentation videos - the actual workshop scales from 45 minutes to three hours depending on the audience. I doubt that any of you want to watch that long of a video!  Let me know if I am wrong tho!

Visit my contact page for information on how to reach me.