Early point of sale (POS) management used to simply be a case of entering a few numbers into an oversized calculator, waiting for the ping! and
making sure you handed the customer the right change. Nowadays,
customers find the sight of a traditional cash register an antiquated
quirk; a relic from the Museum of Retail Experiences.
When POS systems that used barcodes and scanners were introduced to
shop fronts across the retail industry, they quickly became an
established tool for automatically recording sales and stock levels, as
well as customer loyalty schemes and discounts. As retail sales grew, so
did the need for bigger and better POS management software.
So just how have POS Management changed exactly?
Today’s POS management systems have become faster, more intuitive machines that not only help business owners finalise a sale, but assist with the overall running of the business. In the fulfilment industry, the same POS management systems have radically improved communication between client and warehouse, leading to better business relationships and smoother supply chain management.The processes behind order fulfilment have had to adapt to a changing environment, and POS software has been instrumental in helping smooth the transition to the world’s new favourite way to shop: online. Compared to most bricks and mortar stores, which have designated opening times and depend on staff to run them, online stores are essentially open 24/7 all over the world, and a sale online will go directly to the fulfilment centre to be processed.
Retailers expanding into the lucrative business of e-commerce have unlimited resources with POS management software. Most systems can now be fully integrated with your e-commerce business, bringing benefits such as inventory management across both online and physical stores.
With Cloud based POS management systems, business owners can also check stock, view sales statistics and customer trends on the go via tablets or smartphones, or anywhere with a web connection. All the data is backed up and simple interfaces mean that even technophobic retailers can quickly launch an effective online store.
It’s a far cry from the old fashioned way of selling goods, but combining your e-commerce fulfilment with a fully integrated POS management system can make a huge difference in the amount of sales you make.
