A right EPOS system can
contribute to the success of the business. Certain EPOS systems are responsible
for intricate accounting duties that demand quite a lot time and energy. EPOS
systems are able to manage inventory, reorder products, track consumer purchasing
habits etc, which could ultimately increase your overall productivity. It helps
to operate your business to operate in the most effective manner while also
saving money. You need to first consider what your business needs from as there
are thousands of EPOS systems available in the market.
Features:
Different businesses require
different epos features from one another. A retail store requires different
features than those who own a café. Some are specific to different types of
industries while others are broad enough to suit a wide range of business
structures. Determine which features are most important to you as epos systems
specialize in different areas.
Setup
Cost and Hardware Compatibility:
Setting an epos system can be a
pricey process as you need to consider both the cost of the software along with
hardware. Hardware of an epos terminal includes a computer/tablet, receipt
printer, cash drawer, barcode scanner and credit card terminal. You cannot buy
only hardware as majority of time emperium epos software for retail is only compatible with selected models. Consider the
cost of the epos software, whether it is cloud or physical software.
Investigate price changes based on number of terminals, users, licence fee for
either one off or reoccurring.
Inventory
Tracking
Inventory tracking is an
essential part of an EPOS system, especially when you have multiple branches or
a warehouse. If you intend to scale up your business, choose the right
inventory tools from the start. If you want to know the stock in the store or
any other branch, have stock or if there is any incoming stock are common
questions on a daily basis within a retail environment. Considerations should
not be limited and you should also consider if a system can allow for the
creation of purchase orders from suppliers as well and the transfer of stock
between branches. These are very important requirements when trying to manage
stock and a lot of entry-level epos systems only offer basic inventory
features. Having an epos system that does both, eliminates the need to use
multiple systems and potential restrictions when you rely on integration
between two separate systems.
Usability
Usability of an epos system is
incredibly important in a retail environment, due to the number of staff as
well as staff turnover. The system should be easy to use both for you and your
employees. On a daily basis, retail staff process sales, quotes, returns,
laybys and part payments. Therefore it is necessary that the solution is
intuitive enough so they can understand how to do each process without having
to refer back to a user manual. It reduces their chances of mistakes being made
which can potentially affect the integrity of sales data.
Reporting
In a retail environment, strong
reporting is essential, this means getting the right information to make the
right decisions. Tracking sales by rep, branch, product and even customer means
you can use this information to generate more sales. Ability to drill down data
to get very specific information, means having a greater understanding and
awareness of your business. It is important that the epos solution you consider
has this flexibility.
Cloud
Software VS Physical Software
Due the flexibility and increased
transparency software is moving fast into the cloud with being able to access
cloud software anywhere with an internet connection. If you are looking to have
an online system as being your primary epos, ensure that your connection is
safe and reliable. Physical software restrictes you to only being available on
a specific terminal, which also means getting sales data, can be technically a
lot more difficult as appose to a cloud solution. Some restrictions of
cloud-based EPOS solutions, means reliance on an internet connect and if the
internet goes down, so does the EPOS. There are some cloud EPOS that allow you
to continue to trade even if internet is lost for a period of time. It has to pay
to check this while considering a cloud-solution as a form of redundancy.
Integration
with Third Party Software
There are more to consider than
just the features of the emperium epos software for retail itself when choosing a EPOS solution. You have to consider
future proofing the technology in your business to make things easier and more
efficient. If the EPOS solution is integrated with accounting software such as
Xero and Sage it will eliminate double data entry and reduce margin for error. You
can also integrate your EPOS with E-Commerce website, or what E-Commerce
solutions it does integrate with if you are planning to open an online website.
Your orders can be centrally managed along with accurately maintaining stock
figures in real-time.
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