The Retail Buzz

Take advantage of our incredible Dell laptop promotion!

If you've outgrown or are unhappy with your POS system and ready to make a change, we have a great incentive.

One Step Retail Solutions is offering new clients a FREE LAPTOP with their purchase of a complete POS solution to the first 5 customers of this promotion.

The POS solution in this promotion includes POS software, POS hardware, membership and professional services.

More info about this promotion:
http://onestepretail.com/l/laptop-promotion.php

Get the most from your retail technology systems in order to increase your survival potential. Use this retail checklist to gain a competitive advantage in 2010:

• Ensure your retail technology equipment is PCI Compliant

• Use reliable retail-hardened POS hardware to run your POS system

• Add more POS stations to help prevent long check-out lines.

• Upgrade your POS software to the latest version to better manage inventory, customers, and vendors

• Get any customized programming that tailors your system to meet unique or specialized needs

• Have an efficient reporting tool with your POS software to gain valuable insight into your business

• Optimize merchandise distribution to increase sell-through and prevent markdowns

• Ensure merchandising and finance are working together as an integrated system

• Have reliable, up-to-date security systems set up (loss prevention systems) for both your hardware and store

• Back up your files and POS system regularly (Retail Backup recommended)

• Integrate credit card processing and gift cards with your POS system

• Integrate your online store (e-Commerce) with your POS system using EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)

• Keep Technical Support contracts in place to get the help you need to run smoothly

• Review your Returns Policy to minimize returns fraud

Here are some tips for 2010:

• Gather customer information at point of sale to use for targeted promotions

• Track your customer purchases and review customer's history at POS to improve customer relations

• Have a customer loyalty program in place

• Hold periodic events at your store

• Have contests with either employees and/or customers

• Run reports regularly to gain insight that helps you manage your business better

• Train your sales employees on basic customer service and find ways to reward them for this

• Minimize return fraud using upgraded POS software and security systems

• Expand your channels of retailing (videos, blogs, social networking, etc)

• Do planned pricing to unload stock through scheduled markdowns

• Offer classes to individualize your store

• Use framed signage to show why your merchandise is unique

• Provide a shopping experience that includes respect, honesty, and trust

Visit our website for informative articles, whitepapers, and retail industry eBook - all complimentary of One Step Retail Solutions: http://www.onestepretail.com/

Retailer runs every day operations of store using POS software

Store manager Soung Kim runs Sportech, a sports apparel and footwear retailer specializing in racquet tennis, talked about his experience using point of sale technology in the every day running of the store.

Sportech has been in business for 16 years and expanded its store from 2000 square feet to 5600 square feet, and plans to expand to more locations in future.

Kim stays in tune with the business side of things, keeping close track of the store's merchandise with Retail Pro POS software to avoid over and under purchasing. He follows what is coming in and says, "It really helps keep track of the business aspect of it, as it is a business."

Kim ensures that store employees are very helpful and actually give shoppers customer service. Developing and maintaining customer loyalty has kept their customers coming back. He frequently does a large mailing to them with coupons. Sometimes he teams up with doctors and local podiatrists to come in and do a clinic to help teach his customers different aspects of using proper footwear and apparel.

To know what his customers are purchasing, Kim checks the buying history of his customers in the POS software. He uses this information to motivate customers, who are pleased that they know them by name and what their history is.

Kim doesn't work alone however. Any time he needs to discuss a problem or technology issue, he relies on One Step Retail Solutions who provides technical support for him anytime of the day, even weekends.

Kim attributes a 10% growth in business to utilizing point of sale software. He uses it daily to easily manage all aspects of running the retail store operations, enabling him to stay on top of inventory and improving the customer's shopping experience.

In a recent case study by One Step Retail Solutions on Pump Station in Santa Monica, CA, the store increased its sales 20% in the last three years. A second store opened up 3 years ago in Hollywood, CA, watching sales go up 83%. Two more stores are being planned to open up this year, 2009.

Pump Station COO Cheryl Petran attributes their growth and continued success to point of sale technology which allowed them to forecast sales and manage inventory better. With better financial planning and profit goals, Pump Station owners have been able to gain insight into what is going on in their business and use the reports to make the right decisions.

Ms. Petran feels they are out-pacing the economic downturn by forecasting smart and managing the inventory to her forecast. “Being proactive means forecasting, facing the reality of it and dealing with it,” said Cheryl Petran, COO of Pump Station.

“If you can really look at where you think you’re going to be and be realistic about it, then you can survive. I have a POS system with history that I can use for expansion. With our POS system we can quickly evaluate if our decisions were good or bad. I learned many years ago to manage your inventory smart and manage your vendors smart.”

Pump Station is continuing to expand their retail business, despite the changing economy.

Note: One Step Retail Solutions installed Retail Pro point of sale software, robust POS hardware, and hand-held scanners. The system is integrated with POS QuickBooks.