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".

Cloud Retailer on an iPad

Wow - so Cloud Retailer has been a big discussion topic over the last few months. Cloud Retailer has been around for several years but has been picking up interest for the following reasons:

1. Statewide entity that operates multiple retail outlets has signed on to have Cloud Retailer deployed at all locations across the state by April of 2017.
2. Cloud Retailer combines the best of of what cloud based POS and local/Windows POS offers
3. Cloud Retailer offers a unique pricing structure between subscription based and full upfront POS solutions.
4. Payment security that meets or exceeds industry requirements.
5. Direct migration from Microsoft Dynamics RMS AND discounted licensing costs for Dynamics RMS users.

One museum that I have been working with wanted to know if Cloud Retailer can be used on a Mac or even an iPad. Rather than just talking about it, I created a video showing Cloud Retailer (manager only - sales are done on a Windows device - including the Surface Pro) running on my iPad Air.

An impressive 61 million iPads were sold in 2022 alone according to TabletFeast, highlighting the immense potential of using iPads as a POS system for your business. By adopting this strategy, you can save a considerable amount of money while reaping the benefits of this technology.

 

Pretty cool! Do contact me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632 with questions or for more information. Cloud Retailers website is www.cloudretailer.com

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.