Point of Sale email marketing

$10,007 in sales generated from one email marketing campaign.  That is what one retailer just shared with me.  Not only is the sales total very impressive but so it the fact that the retailer was able to track the full email marketing campaign from total emails sent to number of emails read to total sales generated by the campaign.  And this was all done from their point of sale system - not a third party email marketing program like Constant Contact.

This retailer uses the CounterPoint point of sale solution from DirectPOS. CounterPoint is unique in that the software has an available email marketing tool called Customer Connect (this website has a video overview: http://www.directpos.com/retail-counterpoint).  Rather than using third party email marketing programs, Customer Connect actively collects data using customer purchase history, customer segmentation (specific products that the customer has expressed interest in) and customer activity to send targeted emails automatically.

Besides normal newsletters, Customer Connect can automatically send out standard emails like "We Miss You" (for customers who have not shopped in the store within a set time frame), "Thank-You" emails (send after certain purchasing criteria are met), and more.  Because the Customer Connect is part of the CounterPoint point of sale system, the emails can be more targeted and automatic than what third party email marketing software can offer.

Even better, Customer Connect can track the full marketing campaign.  All the details are provided including number of emails sent, number of emails opened, number of emails clicked through, number of emails flagged as spam, and - most importantly - total sales generated by the email campaign.

Congrats to Northwest Pets!

Proof that the right point of sale system can help your business grow.  Northwest Pets ( https://www.facebook.com/NWPets) is celebrating the grand opening of their second Idaho location on Dec 1st.  Northwest Pets uses the CounterPoint point of sale system from DirectPOS which allows the owners to manage both stores from a single location. Congrats to the entire team at Northwest Pets!

Point of Sale Systems are Not Just for Retail Stores, Bars, and Restaurants

Looking at the names of businesses that I have come in contact with over the years, it dawned on me that not all of them are traditional retail stores, bars, or restaurants.  The ability to use smart phones or tablet computers as point of sale systems means that service related businesses (ie - lawn mowing, food delivery, waste pick-up) without physical stores can now have full fledged mobile point of sale systems that track the sale of products and services as well as authorizes payment.

Point of sale also expands into several government agencies. For example, a states transportation department or fish and game department needs to track the sales of permits and related fees.  I've found that retail point of sale systems work great for this (and has been in use for several years with some of the departments that I have personally worked with).

Many government agencies also run golf courses with pro shops, ice rinks/rec centers, or restaurants which is also a great fit for a point of sale system. Finally, I've even worked with Sheriff's and EMS services as they use retail point of sale systems to track inventory.

Point being - the point of sale 'world' extends well beyond traditional retail stores, restaurants and bars.

Brief Update on EMV

First, a quick note of thanks to those who attended my retail and restaurant point of sale workshop last week. We'll take a break and look at what types of workshops to offer in 2013.

Now, on to EMV. As you have likely heard EMV (Eurocard, MasterCard & Visa) is a new set of specifications when it comes to payment processing using chip based credit cards and terminals.  Not all the details have been released but retail stores and restaurants will likely need to have compliant hardware, software and peripherals in place or will end up paying more in merchant service (credit and debit card processing) fees.

It appears that 2015 will be the deadline to start complying with EMV standards.  Since details are vague at this point, I'll keep an eye out for more details as they become available.

-Kevin

Making Money by Owning an ATM

So, I've taken some time to analyze some ATM transaction data and come up with the following conclusions:

• You can make money through an ATM if the following criteria are met
• You charge a $2.00 transaction fee
• You pay no more than $3500.00 (very easy since our ATM's at DirectPOS start right around $3000)
• The ATM will be placed in an area that will generate 140 to 145 transactions per month
• The ATM also needs to be in a secure location as we prefer to use special bolts to anchor the ATM

If you do the math, 145 transactions per month X $2.00/transaction = $290.00.

$290.00 X 12 Months = $3480.00.

That means that the ATM is paid for in one year - after that, the $3480.00 per year is pure profit. Not a bad return on investment!  Other than stocking for cash & paper, ATM's do not require too much maintenance these days. They even run a version of Microsoft Windows so they are really easy to program as well!

You can always contact me through blogger or at 208-376-8121x234 for more information.

Point of Sale Software Updates

Clover, our Android-based retail, museum and restaurant point of sale solution, now includes the ability to record customer information. This customer information  includes email addresses. We are also offering some flex-pricing on Clover for retail stores and restaurants who want to purchase the hardware versus paying an ongoing monthly fee.

NCR CounterPoint, our Windows and iOS based retail and museum point of sale solution, now offers a much more advanced online shopping cart (information can be found here: http://www.counterpointpos.com/ecommerce/pos-integrated-ecommerce.htm) and there are free trial offers for Customer Connect (automated/proactive email marketing) and Smart Alerts (email and texts alerts based on user-defined operation criteria).

Silver, our iOS based retail, museum and restaurant point of sale solution, has no major changes to announce.

QuickBooks Point of Sale, a Windows based retail point of sale software, has no major changes to announce.

Aldelo, our Windows-based restaurant/bar point of sale solution, has no major changes to announce.

Micros, our proprietary restaurant/bar/hotel point of sale solution, has no major changes to announce.

Microsoft RMS/HQ/POS 2009, our Windows based retail and museum point of sale solution, all have new enhancements and new features but I am waiting on definitive release dates.

Another Restaurant/Retail Workshop This Week

Information on another workshop being held at the Boise Idaho Small Business Development Center this week: https://www.idahosbdc.org/workshop.aspx?ekey=40320088

This free workshop equips retail store and restaurant owners with the correct knowledge to select and budget for a point of sale system.

You Can Make Money by Having an ATM

I'm analyzing some data from retail stores, restaurants, bars and nightclubs that own their own ATM's. Appears that these things pay for themselves in the first year and then generate additional profit each month for the business.  More details later this weekend once I sort through all of the data...

Franchisees and Franchisors and Workshops

I've been on the road quite a bit (reason for so few posts recently) but have quite a bit of point of sale news and advice to share over the coming days.  I've noticed a continued increase in interest from retail franchisors and retail franchisees over the last two weeks - they really like the idea that the point of sale system creates consistency between store locations.

Another point of sale workshop coming up next week - details to follow!

Advice on Choosing a Point of Sale System

This article has some good pointers when it comes to choosing a point of sale system for your business: http://pointofsale.com/index.php/Point-of-Sale-News/pos-10-questions-and-answers-to-think-about-before-purchasing-a-new-system.htm

Another Point of Sale Workshop Scheduled

Details and registration information for my next free point of sale workshop being held at the Idaho Small Business Development center in Boise, ID:

https://www.idahosbdc.org/workshop.aspx?ekey=40320088