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Increasing Your Sales with No Out of Pocket
In today’s market, most of us are focusing on how to stay in business and increase profits without having to spend a lot of money in the process. Doing this can be a real challenge and at times, really frustrating. So, I like to look at this process like playing a strategic board game. It takes some real “think out of the box” along with some good team players and some creative ideas, all mixed together to reach the end of the game and win the prize as inexpensively as possible.
Retail Metrics: Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) – Days of Supply
This is part one of a five part article series detailing out Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) in running retail businesses. This article covers the first of the KPI's, Days of Supply.
Retail Metrics: Key Performance Indicators ( KPI’s) – Turn
This article covers Key Performance Indicators that you can use to better manage your retail store with. Specifically highlighting Turn: how to understand the reports you get from your POS system, what to do with them and using them to make better business decisions.
Retail Metrics: KPI’s – Stock to Sales Ratio
Retail Metrics and Key Performance Indicators for the Retail Industry.
Staffing needs in the Holiday Rush
Let your retail point of sale system save you time and money by reducing your staffing needs this holiday season
Holiday Rush?
Even in a recovering economy, the Holiday season is the most stressful of the year. Having a good retail POS system in place can make or break your season, as well as determine how many gray hairs you get!
Barcode time, UPC or bust!
Most products come from the vendor or distributor with UPC labels already affixed, but what do you do about those items that don't? Retailers should have a barcoding strategy with their POS systems to make sure they can use scanners to enter transactions for greater speed, accuracy, and efficiency.
Marketing Opportunities in Difficult Economic Times
"Business as usual" is NOT the most effective strategy for surviving/thriving during economic downturns. Consumers don't stop buying during tough times but they do buy more cleverly. And they spend A LOT more time researching their purchases, seeking advice from friends and associates and otherwise doing their homework. Recession Marketers need to refine their tactics as well. In this article we share 7 essential tips to help you sharpen up your offerings (and actually most of these tips contain useful advice for marketing more effectively in ANY economy, good or bad). You won't blossom in 2010 simply by acting as if it's business as usual. Nor is it a time to hide your budget under a bushel. As one major advertiser summed it up: "When times are good, you SHOULD advertise. When times are bad, you MUST advertise."
What's Returns Have To Do With It?
On a subject I don't talk much about, I wanted to address a subject that does affect retailers, even with a good POS system. And that's about returns. We can't ignore statistics, and these are showing us some important trends in retail fraud. We're finding that fraudulent returns total $9.6 billion a year, according to figures from the National Retail Federation, and a Return Exchange's Retail Returns Study puts the figure at more than $17 billion annually. Returns that come through an automated system like your POS can take the burden of granting returns out of the store's hands. The merchandise tag can be scanned at point of sale and, when a customer c
16 Best Business BlackBerry Applications
The iPhone has given a welcome boost to BlackBerry applications, or apps. Many of these apps are extremely useful for businesspeople. We searched BlackBerry AppWorld for all the 5-star-rated business apps, and also searched for rave reviews of business-friendly BlackBerry apps. We ended up with 16 great apps, briefly summarized here. This topic is the eighth in our 2009 series: "Making every IT dollar count!" The complete articles are available on our website.

Loyalty Programs
In these trying times for retailers, customers are increasingly shopping based on rewards or loyalty programs. It's no longer enough to have good prices, retailers must make the shopping experience special, and the customer has to feel unique and loved. Carefully designed loyalty programs can maintain sales even in tough times by rewarding repeat customers with special pricing, benefits, and more.
10 Ways to Market When cash Is Tight
About a month ago, Staples and Angus Reid released their latest “STAPLES Canada Small Business National Quarterly Index.” It looks like we believe we are over the hump. 70 per cent of business owners expect at least some improvement to their business over the next six months (compared to 58 per cent in March 2009). Now that you’re feeling better, get out there and make sure that your customers will come to you rather than your competition when they are ready to buy. Chances are you are a little tight for cash, so here are ten low-cost ways to market better that we’ve worked out with help from Joanna L. Krotz, co-author of the “Microsoft Small Business Kit”.

POS Security for Productivity
We talk about data security and video security, but one of the simplest, most fundamental aspects of security is often overlooked or improperly maintained, anti-virus and firewall protection.
The Pro & Con of Groupon
Groupon: The Pro & Con

The Cost of Lost Sales
Accurate inventory stocking according to demand and sales history is vital to reducing lost sales and inventory overhead, thereby increasing profit, customer satisfaction, and loyalty.
Reducing Shrink
Inventory Shrink represents a major cost to retailers, and it takes a combination of resources and business practices to properly combat it.
FSA Payments
Retail Pharmacies are facing upcoming regulation changes on accepting flexible spending account payments for approved merchandise. They need to be sure they're ready and using an approved system.
The Power of Employees
Employees are as good or as bad as you make them. Proper training and sharing of tools and information can result in powerful employee activity and relationships
Which Retail Automation & POS Software Works For You?
Retail automation software is Nervous-System of Retail Business. It provides the following benefits such as * Inventory Control * Purchase * Bar-coding * Sales (POS) * Purchase & Sales Returns * Repackaging and Warehousing etc. * Stock Transfer * Financial Accounting * Physical Stock Verification and Adjustment * Customer Relationship Management (CRM) * Management Information System * Chain Store Management

The Retail Jungle…where visions become real! (Part 3)
Packaging / promotional plan/ unique selling proposition more information to think about when launching a new product!

The Retail Jungle…where visions become real (Part 2)
In site to what small business owners need to know about retail products and to prepare a launch of a new product
10 tips to choose right Retail management software.
Unlike most retailers, you may be confused with choices and alternatives available for retail management software. Further, the boom in the retail industry is attracting many spurious vendors to become retail management software companies. With just 1 or 2 installations in hand, they become retail consultants. Their motive is to make quick money. Beware of them! Please ensure that when you choose retail management software, you do it with an extra care and taking future developments into consideration. Here are a few criteria to evaluate a Retail management software / company.
10 mistakes retailer make while choosing Retail management software
Choosing a retail management system is no time for experimentation. Don't make these mistakes when you buy Retail management software.
Customer Service for the Independent Retailer
Good customer service is the difference between a flourishing store with happy customers and one that is empty and forgotten. Here is a summary of what it means to go up against the big box guys and how you can still compete with them by using the age old advice, as well as a few new tips perhaps you didn't know.

Staffing in Tough Times
Obviously budgets are tight and potentially getting tighter, but where and how do you trim budgets without negatively affecting your retail performance? We take a look at various facets of staffing and how to address them in a downturn.
Factors to Consider When Selecting a Point of Sale System
One of the most critical and possibly frightening purchases a retailer will ever have to make is a point of sale system. It is a critical purchase because it will force the retailer to reexamine their business policies, procedures and plans for the future. It is a frightening purchase because few retailers have experience in selecting a point of sale system and with such a large investment required they will have to live with their decision, be it good or bad, for quite some time. This document lists the essential items that retailers should consider in their POS buying decision.
The Marketing MYTH Of Modularity
The division of business software into separate "modules" is an arbitrary concept designed to create a false impression. It allows software suppliers to charge us different fees based on the features we want even though all the features are normally present and just the ones we haven't paid for are disabled. It also leads us to the mistaken belief that software is more robust and flexible when it's developed in a "modular" fashion.
Packaging: dressing your product in a fashion conscious market
Packaging. It’s something most people don’t necessarily think about, perhaps partly due to the fact that it is so overwhelmingly pervasive. Even just picking up groceries for the week, in a single forum we are subjected to the end results of thousands of individual design and branding endeavours; some good, some bad, and the rest forgettable.
How to Choose an Accounting Program
Most accounting software companies will have a variety of programs and upgrades for you to choose from, but which one is right for you?
The following are the most widely used methods to leverage your existing marketing channels without overspending:
Let's not make building your opt-in list too complicated or costly! Why not build it using the traffic and methods you already have in place!
The Internet Tax Man Cometh
If your small business is like most, the majority of your large purchases are made locally from companies that already collect sales tax. Furniture and computer equipment are typically the largest ticket items a small business buys, so unless you bought your desks and computers off of Ebay (which is highly possible these days) you should be OK.
Is The eBay Fee Increase Actually Good For Business
This will be the fifth rate hike in as many years for the auction giant and should really come as no surprise. Price hikes are a normal course of business. It was the size of the hike that has many sellers upset.
12 Guidelines for creating Good First Impressions
Within the first few seconds of any encounter you are evaluated by the prospect. Your appearance, demeanour and body language all contribute to quickly create a first impression. This judgement happens primarily on a subconscious level and once made is extremely difficult to reverse. The prospect’s subconscious is asking the question “can I trust this person”. Follow these twelve key lessons and learn to influence this judgement in a positive way helping you to make a great first impression.
What technology should you expect from a franchisor?
Technology and the Internet has really revolutionised the franchise market. It’s changed how franchisees promote themselves and get customers and it’s also had a big impact on the way they operate their business.

Other point of sale Related Articles

More Sales in Four Simple Steps
Trying to make a sale without a plan is like taking a cross country trip without a map. At some point you are going to get lost.

Database Marketing Using Point of Sale Data to Improve Profitability
One of the most effective and cost-efficient ways to add profits to the bottom line is the use of database marketing. This article teaches you how to uses information collected at the point-of-sale.

Closing the Sale
The final step in the sales process is the close. Despite what you might have read or heard about sales, this step should be easy and quick. It is the cumulative effect of all your hard work during the first three steps of prospecting, qualifying and presenting. If there is no sale at this point, then something was missed in your presentation or qualifying stages. The sale will happen only after you do your job effectively during the entire sales process. Following are the critical points to remember when closing a sale.

Four Keys to Making Your Cold Call Stress-Free
From the traditional point of view, cold calling conversations should constantly lead towards making a sale. We’ve been given only one path to follow, and that’s getting a “yes.”

Stress-Free Selling® - What's the Best Way to Convince Buyers to Choose You?
Recently a seminar attendee told me, "Jenae, I'm having trouble convincing people my product is the best. What should I do?" For starters, stop trying to convince people! When you approach a sale from the vantage point of "convincing others," you are focused on what you need to tell them about you. How many times have you heard, "No one cares about you until they see how you care about them?" Well then, pay attention! Start the sale by asking a ton of questions and not talking about yourself... at all. Out of this information...
Factors to Consider When Selecting a Point of Sale System
One of the most critical and possibly frightening purchases a retailer will ever have to make is a point of sale system. It is a critical purchase because it will force the retailer to reexamine their business policies, procedures and plans for the future. It is a frightening purchase because few retailers have experience in selecting a point of sale system and with such a large investment required they will have to live with their decision, be it good or bad, for quite some time. This document lists the essential items that retailers should consider in their POS buying decision.
How To Increase Your Online Sales Anytime
Hold a discount sale on your web site. Use the sale to get rid of excess inventory, gain new or repeat customers, and increase your sales. Most businesses pick a theme for their sale, like a Halloween Sale. Below are six unique sales themes you could use:

Staffing needs in the Holiday Rush
Let your retail point of sale system save you time and money by reducing your staffing needs this holiday season
Losing vs. Not Winning the Sale
If a salesperson doesn’t win a sale, then they must have lost it, right? Wrong. There is a not- so- subtle- difference between ‘not winning’ and losing. When a salesperson does ‘not win’ a sale, it indicates that there was something that the salesperson did not do to win the sale. He’s responsible for not winning. Losing the sale, on the other hand, sounds like something simply happened to him.

For Sale by Owner …Tips for Potential Buyers
The “for sale by owner” approach to selling valuable property is less commonly used for sale of commercial real estate and businesses than it is even used for residential real estate. From the buyer’s point of view, this usually would be more risky than buying a business when the seller is represented by a business broker.
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