Retail Management Hero or Cloud Retailer: Which is a better replacement for Microsoft RMS?

Designed to help you decide whether Retail Management Hero (RMH) or Cloud Retailer is a better replacement option for the Microsoft Dynamics RMS point of sale software.

One Update: RMH is available globally while Cloud Retailer is designed only for retailers in the United States.

For questions or suggestions, please contact me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632.

Did You Receive This Postcard from RITE?

Did you happen to get this in the mail from RITE?

This was sent out to the majority of Microsoft RMS users in the United States as full support for the Microsoft Dynamics RMS point of sale software ends in July 2021. RITE will be offering some limited extended support past July 2021 but you need to contact them at 888-267-7483 or sales@rite.us for more details.

Upcoming 2020 Changes to the Retail Management Hero Point of Sale Software

Wanted to pass along some important upcoming changes the the Retail Management Hero (RMH) point of sale software. Most of this will take effect in September 2020 unless otherwise noted.

1. Retailers using the Microsoft Dynamics RMS point of sale software can take advantage of a 10% discount on RMH licenses through June 30th, 2021. You do not have to be current on an RMS maintenance agreement to take advantage of this discount.
2. RMH Central is officially in general release now. Cost is $8/month per user plus $30/month per store.
3. Perpetual pricing for RMH will be made available in September 2020. Plan on a lane license to cost around $65/lane per month ($3900 over the course of 5 years).
4. How payment processing is handled in RMH will change. Newer versions of RMH will require a MAX Pay license and staying current on an RMH Enhancement Plan. Sounds like the cost for MAX Pay will be $8/lane ($480 over the course of 5 years) with the first year being free for RMH users on an Enhancement Plan.

The perceptual pricing will help retailers who are looking to put in a POS system (or replace RMS) at a low up front cost. However, the up front cost works out to be a better value over time - even with the annual cost for the RMH Enhancement Plan.

As always, the above information is subject to change - be sure to contact an RMH Reseller for more information.

 PS - I'm feeling much better about RMH and the future of RMH thanks to some positive feedback from retailers who put in RMH over the last month or two. Hopefully the new update in September 2020 will solidify RMH as a solid POS solution for RMS and Non-RMS users.

Video Overview of Cloud Retailer Loyalty Program

When showing retailer the Cloud Retailer point of sale software program to retailers, I am often asked about the available customer loyalty module for Cloud Retailer. The video below gives a great overview:

If you have any questions about Cloud Retailer or point of sale systems in general, please contact me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632.

For Montana and Colorado Liquor Stores Using Microsoft RMS

30 Second bullet point summary if you don't have time to read further or watch the videos:

• End of Life for the Microsoft Dynamics RMS software is July 2021
• There are 50+ liquor stores in Montana and Colorado still using Microsoft RMS
• First video covers facts around RMS End of Life, what other retailers using RMS are doing regarding the RMS End of Life Deadline, and general advice
• Cloud Retailer is both a low direct replacement program for RMS and is designed for beer/wine/liquor retailers as show in the remaining videos
• We do plan on supporting RMS/HQ past July 2021 but not indefinitely
• There are support/maintenance plans available for Microsoft RMS that will be available for the next couple of years
• Contact me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632 to chat more about your specific situation. No sales pitches - just a conversation.

My understanding from speaking with liquor store retailers in Montana and Colorado is that at least 50 of you are still using the Microsoft Dynamics RMS point of sale software.  To help you with the whole Microsoft RMS End of Life deadline, a few resources are below:

Video about RMS End of Life (facts, what other retailers are doing, advice):

In addition to being a direct low cost replacement for Microsoft RMS, Cloud Retailer is also specifically designed for liquor store retailers.  Feature/Function examples include:

Age Verification:

Automatic Cash Discounts:

Supplier Purchase Planning:

Unit of Measure:

Detailed Product Attributes:

If you own or operate a beer, wine or liquor store in Montana or Colorado, and use the Microsoft Dynamics RMS point of sale software, then it is worth taking a look at Cloud Retailer.

A quick reminder that 1) Cloud Retailer is a direct replacement for RMS (keep your existing data, possible discounts for RMS users, etc) and that 2) We will continue to support RMS past the July 2021 End of Life date (but will end support at some point).  There are support/maintenance plans available for Microsoft RMS that will be available for the next couple of years - please contact me directly for more information.

Free trial versions of Cloud Retailer are available by contacting me at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com (US and Canada only please). I am also available for in person or online meetings as my travel schedule permits.

How Supplier Purchase Planning Works in the Cloud Retailer Software

A quick video overview of how supplier purchase planning works within the Cloud Retailer point of sale software.

A big time saver for most retailers!

Please contact me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632 with any questions.

Cloud Retailer: Automatic Cash Discount Demo

A quick 2 minute video showing how the Cloud Retailer point of sale software can automate a sales transaction with a cash discount.

For more information please visit www.cloudretailer.com, email sales@rite.us or call 888-267-7483.

Retail Management Hero: Retailer Feedback

As many of you know, I worked with several retailers in 2018 to upgrade them from the Microsoft Dynamics RMS point of sale software to the Retail Management Hero (RMH) software.  I'm involved with 3 retailers who are currently in the midst of upgrading from RMS to RMH and will report back on their feedback within the next 45 - 60 days.

If you need feedback sooner, please contact me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632. Thanks!

How to Directly Enter Product Cost in Cloud Retailer

Based on multiple onsite visits with retailers in 5 different states, an overview of how you can directly enter product cost within the Cloud Retailer point of sale software. Very helpful for any retailer who has "one of" products (special orders or products that will be ordered and sold once and never ordered again):

As always, you can reach me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632 for more information or general retail point of sale related questions.

Cloud Retailer Hand Held - In Depth Overview

I am putting the new Cloud Retailer hand held device through it's paces. This is nice options for retailers who want some in store mobile capabilities when it comes to purchasing, receiving,  and physical counts.

A more depth video overview/demo

For questions and more information, please contact me at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com

Cloud Retailer Hand Held Inventory Device Overview

I am putting the new Cloud Retailer hand held device through it's paces. This is nice options for retailers who want some in store mobile capabilities when it comes to purchasing, receiving,  and physical counts.

First a couple of pictures:

And a video overview:

For questions and more information, please contact me at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com

Comparison Video: Microsoft Dynamics RMS and Cloud Retailer

A 16 minute video showing some of the differences and similarities between the Microsoft Dynamics RMS point of sale software and the Cloud Retailer point of sale software. Designed as a replacement program for Microsoft RMS, Cloud Retailer allows RMS users to keep most of their existing data, transfer up to 2 years of customer purchase history, and take advantage of license cost discounts to help offset the up front costs from moving from RMS to Cloud Retailer.

For more information on POS options for your retail store (including Cloud Retailer), please contact me at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com.

Travel Schedule Q3 and Q4 2018

OK, so those of you with chains and franchises are getting serious about investing in new point of sale technology come 2019 and 2020. Many of you use Microsoft Dynamics RMS with HQ while others use quite the variety of POS programs that are outdated or lacking certain features and functions. As many of you have requested assistance with needs analysis, process improvements, budgeting, wish list creation, and solution/vendor analysis, I’ve booked travel to the following areas through the end of 2018:

• Salt Lake City, Utah
• Seattle, Washington
• Portland, Oregon
• Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Multiple parts of Idaho
• Multiple parts of Oregon

I am still working on Texas, Colorado and Arizona so please contact me as needed. Same goes if you are in an area that I am visiting and wish to meet in person for unbiased consulting or sales/service related assistance.

You can reach me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632.

Retail Realm Conference, RMH Central Launch, & Dynamics 365 for Retail

So much packed in to just 3 days with the upcoming Retail Realm Partner and User Conference! Besides the usual conference activities, there are 2 big things happening that I'm really excited about:

1. Launch of Retail Management Hero Central
2. More details on Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Retail

This is going to be a great conference - especially for Microsoft Dynamics RMS HQ users who are looking at low cost direct migration options for RMS HQ.

More information and registration details can be found at http://www.rrdisti.com/news/retail-realm-announces-2017-global-retail-technology-conference

You can reach me at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com with questions.

Cloud Retailer: An Additional Option for Microsoft Dynamics RMS Users

While Retail Management Hero and Retail Realm Essentials are great replacement software programs for retailers using the Microsoft Dynamics RMS point of sale software, some RMS users have expressed interest in a cloud based point of sale system that uses a subscription based pricing structure. With Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Retail being a bit new, I wanted to share some details about Cloud Retailer as a replacement point of sale system for RMS.

Cloud Retailer combines the best of what cloud based and locally deployed point of sale systems can offer by having the sales part of the software run locally on Windows devices and the manager/admin part of the software be accessible via a web browser (including Mac's and iPads). Cloud Retailers pricing is also designed so some costs are paid "up front" and other costs are paid monthly or annually.

Having core retail features and functions is standard with Cloud Retailer as is the ability to be customized for specific vertical markets like Beer, Wine & Tobacco, Trampoline Parks, Mobile Businesses like Locksmiths, and Parks and Recreation Organizations. Cloud Retailer can scale according to the location and number of users easily and does not require on site servers to run. The latest payment security standards are also exceeded when using Cloud Retailer with approved payment terminals like the PAX S300.

Perfect for the first time or the experienced retailer, Cloud Retailer also offers migration options for Microsoft Dynamics RMS users that not just include the transfer of your data from RMS to Cloud Retailer but also some pricing discounts that apply to all RMS users.

I've created a very basic video overview of Cloud Retailer which can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiVrZT3uBnQ

More information on Cloud Retailer can be obtained by contacting me directly or by visiting www.cloudretailer.com

Whats the Deal with Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Retail?

As Microsoft Dynamics RMS users start to think about plans for beyond July of 2021, more and more options are becoming available. While Retail Management Hero is the least expensive and least stressful migration option for most RMS users (pending the release of the RMS HQ replacement for Retail Management Hero come the end of 2017 which should scale up nicely for RMS users with multiple locations and will not be cloud based as previously reported), Microsoft Dynamics 365 has some retail/point of sale functionality that might appeal to retail chains who want a cloud based solution to save on hardware expenses.

Dynamics 365 allows for the modular based approach like Dynamics AX does and features a very robust enterprise level solution that would appeal to retailers with multiple locations and/or complex operations.

A single user license cost for Dynamics 365 - including the retail module - is $12,600 over the course of 5 years so retailers really need to balance costs/needs against other solutions. It basically boils down to factoring all costs associated with a POS system over the course of 5 to 7 years (hardware, software, network, deployment, support, updates, network, etc) against what your organization needs in a POS system.

More information on Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Retail can be found at https://explore.dynamics.com/operations-retail or please contact me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or 208-340-5632.

Launch Webinar for the Retail Management Hero Point of Sale Software

Registration link for the official launch webinar for the new Retail Management Hero point of sale software: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3810771337066541314

Retail Management Hero Release Date

Update July 2016, Retail Management Hero demo and overview: http://retailpospondering.blogspot.com/2016/07/new-version-of-rmsretail-management.html

A quick note that the official release date for the Retail Management Hero point of sale software is just a couple of weeks away. I've been traveling to meet with point of sale companies that have completed Retail Management Hero certification or plan to become certified shortly.

As a replacement for the Microsoft Dynamics RMS and POS 2007/2009 point of sale software programs, Retail Management Hero looks like an affordable and easy upgrade - plus you get to keep all your historical data (inventory, customers, etc)!

For businesses searching for a new point of sale system, Retail Management Hero will fill the void for businesses that need a reliable and fast computer based point of sale system but do not have the sales volume to justify investing in Retail Pro or NCR CounterPoint. Retail Management Hero is also a great upgrade for businesses that have outgrown the various mobile point of sale systems like Silver, Clover, Vend, Shopkeep, Lavu and Bindo,

I will post more details and hopefully create a video review/overview of Retail Management Hero as soon as I have access to a fully functioning version.

A final reminder that I'm still in need of a Retail Management Hero partner to cover areas within 250 miles of Boise, ID and Salt Lake City, UT.

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.

What Microsoft Dynamics RMS POS Users Are Doing

Update July 2016, Retail Management Hero demo and overview: http://retailpospondering.blogspot.com/2016/07/new-version-of-rmsretail-management.html

As we get closer to the May 2016 launch of the Retail Management Hero (RMH) of sale software, I figured that now was a good time to check in with the 1000+ stores using the Microsoft Dynamics RMS point of sale software that I am in contact with to so see how many of you have already replaced RMS and how many are waiting to see that RMH might offer.

The unofficial results are as follows - note this only applies to non-HQ users:

• About 20% of you have already replaced RMS with a different POS system like Bindo, NCR CounterPoint, LightSpeed, etc. The driving force for the change appears that you needed to do something sooner than later due to aging or outdated computer equipment. Lack of support for RMS was also cited as a reason for switching away from RMS.
• About 10% of you plan to keep using RMS until it completely dies - for various reasons you have no need to upgrade and are willing to risk losing data by waiting until a major failure takes place before replacing your POS system.
• The rest of you are taking a "wait and see" approach to see if RMH is a viable solution. You are planning on replacing RMS within the next 6-12 months but are in a position to research and compare different POS solutions before making a purchase.

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.

For Microsoft Dynamics RMS POS Users: Upgrade Costs & Options

Update July 2016, Retail Management Hero demo and overview: http://retailpospondering.blogspot.com/2016/07/new-version-of-rmsretail-management.html

As I have been contacted by 1102 stores using the Microsoft Dynamics RMS point of sale software over the last couple of years, an unbiased overview of the costs, pro's and con's related to switching from the Microsoft Dynamics RMS point of sale software to either the new Retail Management Hero (RMH) point of sale software or the NCR CounterPoint SQL point of sale software.

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.