2011 Review of CAM Commerce — Retail STAR and Retail STAR Lite

CAM Commerce Solutions - Retail STAR & Retail STAR Lite
800-726-3282
www.camcommerce.com

From the August 2011 Review of Retail Point-of-Sale Systems

Best Fit: Retail STAR is well suited for larger retail businesses that offer both brick and mortar and e-commerce sales. The partner product, Retail STAR Lite is a great starter product for small, single-location retailers looking to utilize many of the features found in larger POS products.

Retail STAR and Retail STAR Lite from CAM Commerce are comprehensive POS products well suited for retailers with multiple locations. Retail STAR is modular in design, offering a scalable product that can become more powerful over time. Retail STAR is well suited to larger retail businesses that offer both brick and mortar and e-commerce sales. The partner product, Retail STAR Lite is a great starter product for small, single-location retailers looking to utilize many of the features found in larger POS products.

BASIC SYSTEM FUNCTIONS:

Retail STAR navigation is done through the office module, where access to all system functions, including the POS module is completed. The Retail STAR screen is split in two, with system modules on the left and access to frequently used functions listed on the right. A training mode is available for new users to get a feel for the product without entering data into their working database. The POS interface is simply designed and allows users to enter a product style number, product number or simply scan the item barcode. Products can be added on the fly, and the product search function allows users to easily search for products using a variety of criteria including style code, vendor code, description or even size. Touch Screen POS is arranged somewhat differently, but both are fully customizable. Simply hit the F12 tab to tender the sale.

Retail STAR Lite can be used in single-location retail businesses and contains much of the same features as Retail STAR. If users upgrade to the more powerful product, there is no re-entering of data involved. Users can choose the modules they wish to use, and add others as needed. Available modules include AR, AP, GL, External Accounting, Sales Order/Invoicing, Job Tracking, Remote Operations, i.STAR (e-commerce), Inventory, Purchasing, Maintenance and Reports. Newly added modules include Gift Card, Frequent Buyer, Franchise Consolidator, Real Time, and Open to Buy. All employees are set up in the Retail STAR system with a unique username and password, and security profiles are then assigned to each employee. Granting rights or privileges for POS employees allows managers to grant rights such as cash register access, paid ins and outs, processing sales transactions, accepting returns, and processing voids. Managers can also create security groups for sets of employees that will require the same type of system access.

Retail STAR’s user interface is easily customized during system setup, with numerous user-defined fields available for customization. ScoreCARD provides managers with a real-time look at each store’s performance. Lookup fields are found throughout. Retail STAR also offers multi-store capability using the optional Real Time module, which stores all data in a centralized database, making it easy for all locations to access records. Multiple product pricing levels allow users to create as many variations of price levels as they desire. Products can also be assigned a pricing range, and price changes can be made based on percentage markup or markdown.