Point of Sale System Buying Tip: SmartPhone/Tablet or PC?

Excerpt from my Point of Sale Technology workshop presentation:

Smart Phone/Tablet based Point of Sale System vs. Computer based Point of Sale System: 

Learning curve is quicker on smart phones and tablets than traditional computer based systems and you are not tied down to selling right by the computer 

Survey done by a retail technology publication (VAR Insider) indicates that about half of all retailers want a smart phone or tablet based POS system 

But….

Same survey showed that about half of all customers look for a traditional computer cash register to pay for their items

Other Factors to Consider:

• Business Volume: if your business is not generating at least $250,000+ in annual gross sales then it is tough to justify investing in a computer-based point of sale system.

• Technology Needs: if you have high technology needs (complex inventory tracking, managing online & in store customer information, specific reports, etc.) then a smartphone or tablet based point of sale system may not offer everything that you need

  
  

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 (mountain time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com.

NCR Silver Updates

Some long overdue updates related to NCR Silver. As a reminder, NCR Silver is a tablet based point of sale system for retail stores and quick serve restaurants. The functionality of NCR Silver falls between what a cash register can do and what a computer-based point of sale system can do.  You pay a monthly subscription fee to use NCR Silver in your iOS device.

Hardware Updates: 

NCR Silver runs on Apple®i; iOS^TM 6.0 & 7.0 devices. When implementing integrated credit, the NCR Credit Card Reader supports the following devices: iPad® 2, iPad with Retina display (3rd generation), iPad Mini & iPad Mini with Retina Display, iPad Air, iPhone® 4 and iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, 5s and 5c, or iPod touch® 4th and 5th generations.

Previously NCR Silver did not work with hardware designed for 3rd generation iPads or 5th generation iPhones and iPod Touches

New Features in Version 3 of NCR Silver:

• NCR Silver now supports multiple locations and can scale to meet the needs of retail shops, cafes, bakeries, restaurants or any small business that is expanding. With easy-to-use tools and reports, owners can manage items across all their sites, see a consolidated view of site sales data, and still easily navigate to individual locations for site-level details.
• Small business owners get more control with the ability to set user roles like Cashier or Manager and to assign permissions so they can grant or limit access to functions such as price override, discounts, returns, voids and tip adjustments.
• A new Time Clock feature makes everyday easier for small business owners and their employees. Employees simply sign in and out through the app, and owners can export timesheets for payroll.

I've talked to a few places using NCR Silver and the response has been positive but with a note that most retail store owners indicated that they plan on upgrading to a more complete point of sale system "down the road" (ie. something that can print barcode labels and create purchase orders).

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 (mountain time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com.

4 Additional Customers Using NCR Silver

Wow - so in the span of just a few days, 3 additional customer have signed up for NCR Silver through us.  The free trial period and our discounted promotional pricing is what helped close the sale.  The types of businesses are as follows:

• Venue concessions stands
• Multi-location fireworks stands
• Multi-location holiday stands

You may also notice that these are all seasonal businesses - another great reason to use NCR Silver through me since I can turn your account "off and on" as needed so you are only paying for NCR Silver when you are actually using it!

I'll be sure to visit with these NCR Silver users in a few weeks to pass along any feedback that they have on the program as well as the whole installation and training process.

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 (mountain time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com.