Thursday, June 5, 2014

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.

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