Review of Point-of-Sale Systems — 2006

But where do you start? If you take even a cursory look around, you’ll
realize just how many POS products are available. From entry level, one-user,
one-location systems to enterprise-level, multi-location programs, the retailer
has more choices than ever before.

One of the major points to consider is to figure out exactly what information
you need to track. Many of the products reviewed here offer an excellent standalone
POS product that is designed to integrate with third-party financial accounting
software. Others are designed as full-service solutions, offering both front
office (POS) and back office (GL, AR, AP, Inventory) functionality. Determining
your own specific requirements prior to looking at POS products will eliminate
some products up front, make your search more fruitful and save you some time.

Ringing up a sale isn’t the only thing that a comprehensive POS product
can do. Your favorite restaurant, the corner coffee shop, your neighborhood
gas station, and the exclusive boutique downtown all use varying levels of POS
products. Along with sales transactions, they can also help market more effectively
to your best customers by tracking shopping habits. If you need to know what
coffee sold the best, well, it can do that, too.

You can also track club or rewards cards, track customer points and purchases,
and reward loyal customers with discounts or special sales. The use of hardware
peripherals such as barcode scanners, receipt printers and pole displays are
an important part of a retail environment, and every product reviewed here integrates
with the majority of these items.

A visit to the POS vendor websites is another excellent way to find more information.
Online demos are usually available, and the websites often provide more detailed
information such as modules available, specific functions within each module,
and whether the product is designed as a standalone product or designed to work
in tandem with a back office product.

The needs of a coffee shop will vary greatly from those of a high-volume retailer.
The POS products reviewed here vary as well, but one of these products is likely
to fit your needs. 

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