Point of Sale Buying Tip Video

I've started recording some excerpts from the point of sale workshop presentations that I conduct at retail and museum trade shows, conferences, and expos as well at small business development/success centers across the US.

This excerpt covers some of the differences between computer and mobile point of sale systems, costs related to each system, and very new differences between mobile 1.0 and 2.0 point of sale solutions.

Can I help?  Over the last 15 years I have helped thousands of retail stores and museums find the perfect point of sale system. My advice is free!  You can reach me at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com - there is also a contact form on the right hand side of my blog.

The Size of the Company Doesn't Matter

I had the opportunity to travel to the Upper Midwest recently to talk with some point of sale resellers and dealers to get a better idea of "whats happening" related to trends in the point of sale world as we come up on Q3 of 2014. Here are some thoughts and insights that I felt should be passed along:

• POS sales are up - some dealers are reporting sales increases of over 40% when compared to sales for the same period in 2013.
• For every one retail store that closes, two open (I can't verify that as fact but have seen a similar statistic reported in the media).
• Mobile POS solutions are hot right now but there are way too many mobile POS solutions currently on the market
• 90% of the mobile solutions on the market today will be gone in the next 1-2 years.
• Some stores still need the advanced functionality that a computer-based POS system offers like work orders, quotes, and layaways.
• Mobile 2.0 solutions will leave Mobile 1.0 solutions in the dust

I was having a conversation with one of the largest Microsoft Dynamics partners in the US about how  many POS solutions will disappear over the next 1-2 years and he made a good point: company size doesn't matter.

The point is, NCR could just as likely decide to drop CuunterPoint POS as a 2 person company with a basic mobile POS solution could decide to stop selling their solution.  While I would argue that a small business has a more likelyhood of going out of business, the truth is that any company could decide to pull out of the point of sale business.

What does this mean to you? The advice that I always pass along is to make sure that you always have full access to your data like your inventory and customer lists. Any contracts should clearly state what happens to the equipment if one party terminates the agreement.  Basically, just protect yourself, your data, and your business should something happen.  It may not be easy to have to switch point of sale solutions (I've helped many places in various situations accomplish it) but, having an "action plan" and being able to transfer all of your information from one system to the next will make life much easier.

Can I help?  Over the last 15 years I have worked with thousands of retail stores, museums, and government entities to help them find the best point of sale solution. You can reach me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or on my cell at 208-340-5632 for free point of sale help and advice.

Another New Milestone and a Buying Tip

Just a quick note that this rather basic blog site has taken on a life of its own as I have been getting multiple calls and emails each week from folks with point of sale questions.  Page views have well surpassed 20K as well. Still - no ads and no charges are to be found as I am committed (God-willing and according to time and budget) to providing free help for retailers and museums searching for point of sale systems.

A couple of buying tips to pass along as I am busy with some point of sale related meetings and speaking engagements:

• Please be asking about EMV when considering any and all point of sale solutions. The EMV deadline may be just over a year away but do you really want to be hit with additional EMV related hardware and software costs just a year after you invested in a point of sale solution?
• Unless you are a large multi-location chain with 25+ locations, don't expect to find one software package that is both accounting software and point of sale software.  There are very different needs (I have worked in accounting and finance as well as with point of sale software) between each type of software program.  One company can't create a single solution that does both accounting and point of sale functions well. You will end up with great accounting software and poor point of sale software or vice versa.  Best solution in most cases is to find point of sale software that allows for some degree of data sharing with QuickBooks Accounting.

If any of you have found a solution for retail stores and museums with 1 -24 locations that handles both accounting functions and point of sale functions well, please get in touch with me as I would enjoy getting a chance to find out more information.

As always, I can be reached at kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632 (mountain time) to hopefully answer your point of sale related questions.

Point of Sale Buying Tip: Dealing With New Products

It can be time consuming to find just the right point of sale solution for your specialty retail store, restaurant, bar, or similar business. A recent websearch shows that there are well over 100+ point of sale apps and software programs to choose from!  A websearch also shows that there are a lot of new programs and apps available.

Over the last 14 years I have seen multiple point of sale solutions come and go (anyone remember Regit2000?). The most common scenario is that someone develops a point of sale solution and then loses interest in continuing to support and develop the solution. Orphaned customers using discontinued solutions made up a good portion of my business when I worked in the point of sale industry.

Here are some things to consider/ask when dealing with newer point of sale programs and apps:

• What sort of funding does the company have?
• Staffing levels for support and development (stay away from 1-2 person operations working out of their basement or garage)?
• What is the timeline to product updates, new features, improvements, etc.?
• How is technical support handled and what are the average response times?
• When possible, see a live demo of the software to look for how quickly the software functions. Slow response times within the software (or app) are signs of poor coding within the software.
• Always get 2-3 references to contact as well as any valid reviews to read.
• If available, a free trial or demo of the solution is good as well since it allows you to take the program for a test drive and shows confidence on the companies part in the solution that they are offering.
• Will I always have access to my information (inventory items, customer information, etc.)?

This is not a comprehensive list by any means - feel free to comment or email me (kevinantosh@gmail.com) with your own suggestions.