Point of Sale Systems for Retail: Why don't you have one yet?

Ding! Another sale, another dollar.

As his trusty old cash register is printing out a generic-looking receipt using faded ink, home decor store owner Bob’s mind is swimming in thought. He’s wondering if he’ll ever see this particular customer again. Oh, and what was her name? That’s right, she didn’t give it and he didn’t get it. He just tells himself that the store is barely a month old and he has enough time to get to know all his customers.

Bob is also wondering how much stock the store has left because she’s probably the umpteenth customer who purchased that red candle holder this week. Bob begins to second guess his inventory situation and asks one of his employees to check on it using the super high-tech log book they use. Bob reminds the employee not to forget the super high-tech pen, and he gets a thumbs-up as reassurance.

People are suddenly coming in droves and it gets very busy, very fast. Bob just realizes he sent his most senior employee to check on inventory while the other one is out sick. He’s left with two trainees who’ve been in the store for barely a week. With this many customers, the store needs all hands on deck!

Bob is left with three choices:

1. Call back the veteran sales guy and risk selling items he doesn’t have in stock, possibly having to explain the inventory situation to his customers.

2. Just wing it and let one of his trainees handle cashier duties without any formal training while he goes around the store to assist customers.

3. Let the young, inexperienced trainees handle the floor while he mans the cash register.

As you can see, all the choices lead to an unfavourable outcome:

• Some customers will understand the inventory situation, while the difficult ones will not and retaliate because of it.

• The idea of leaving someone to man the cash register without prior training is enough to give someone an anxiety attack and shouldn’t even be considered.

• Some customers can be forgiving on trainees, while others will chew them up for not being able to help.

A point of sale system for retail could have saved Bob all the trouble with inventory management, customer information and checkout efficiency. But why didn’t he invest in a POS system early on? The answer is pretty straightforward: fear.

Misplaced Fear Using a Point of Sale

Many small business owners share the same apprehensions about point of sale systems and most of it is rooted in fear. They’re afraid of new technology because they’re so accustomed to doing things the old way. They also find it difficult to change and learn new things; many may even cite that they don’t have time.

There’s also the issue of the point of sale system not working properly or not delivering on its promise. It only takes a few errant companies and buggy software to put a scare into some small business owners who have yet to try it.

The last issue they commonly have is cost. as retailers fear that they won’t be able to recoup the costs and would rather grind it out with a cash register.

A POS System means Business

In the retail game, you can’t deal with “what ifs” or hope that your customers understand your situation. Companies that have a massive following and die-hard fans can get away with a few things, but are still subject to intense scrutiny when they miss the mark.

You have to remember that you’re not the only game in town and most customers are fickle-minded and ready to jump ship at the slightest inconvenience. As a business you have to raise the level of your business prowess – you need to be fast, accurate and efficient. Having a professional-looking, streamlined POS system will speak volumes for your store and tell all your customers you mean business.

The only investment that can make you a serious contender is a POS system for retail that’s tailor-made for your store. A cloud-based, lightweight point of sale solution can work wonders for you and brings the convenience of taking orders on the fly and making sales where your customers are. Being fast and efficient will affect your bottom line, and accurate reporting will allow you to grow your store the right way.