What Is The Use Of EPOS System In Retail Businesses

If you have a retail business that deal with sales, you have probably considered investing in getting epos software for small business and the necessary hardware to go with it. The recent rise of EPOS systems has set another standard for businesses and sale transactions, making it easier for your staff and customers. In case if you are still on the fence about investing resources into EPOS, here are a couple of reasons why you should upgrade.

Accept More Payment Methods

Not every person carries cash nowadays, depending on card or mobile payments when out and about an EPOS system means your business won't be turning your customers since you can't accept their payment. The ability to receive payment methods translates into more sales.

Store Loyalty Cards

Your EPOS can be set up so you can offer and accept loyalty and gift vouchers for your business. If your business has a loyalty card, it builds the opportunity of repeat business and even referrals as people feel more obligated to shop with you to gain points or use a gift voucher.

Stock Management

Stock management can be time consuming and EPOS can help you with updating your stock in real time and can also allow you to organise what products are well known for restocking. Find out easily how you can optimise the stock management on your EPOS system here.

Accurate Accounting

With your detailed stock and receipt tracking integrated with the system, your EPOS software takes into consideration for better accuracy in accounting. The data you collect from tracking stock and sales will enable you to spot errors and gives you a chance to improve.

Improve Sales Targets

A sentinel EPOS system means you can set sales targets and goals for your business and staff, enabling you to track each staff performance. This means you can identify weak staff in the team, so you know where you have to improve and boost your sales.

Flexible Reports

Getting frequent, up to date and accurate reports is good for impressing associates, partners or investors in your business. A quality EPOS system can offer reports instantly by day, week, month and year to give you a superior appreciation about the business' progress. You can also customise the report if you have to take a look at a specific time or product.

Easy to Use

You may be put off EPOS software if you are used to the ease of traditional EPOS systems, yet touch screen EPOS systems are easy but difficult to use and take little training. You can even access the system remotely in case if you have a cloud-based EPOS system.

How To Prep Your Retail Store for Christmas Sales?

Preparing you store is the initial step for setting your store up for success this Christmas season.

The best way to meet your holiday sale is to start early, so never wait! Start preparing for the busiest shopping season of the year now, with a few simple and imperative ways to prepare your retail location for Christmas deals.

1. Start Early

Christmas is around the corner and you should you should have your Christmas deals set and ready to promote. It's never too late to get a kick off on evaluating, scheduling and promoting your Christmas deals and the earlier the better!

Not sure how to begin? Here are a few simple ways to get the ball rolling on coming up with thinking of your Christmas deals.

- Run epos reports to gauge your best selling and popular products.

- Take your stock to see what surplus you have and where you may need to restock as you prepare for more foot traffic.

- Don't forget about online sales. Prepare and test your E-commerce business process and plan to keep the Christmas momentum. Is your retail store not set up for online sales? We can help!

2. Make sure Your Store Is Up to the Task

If your epos system is slow, faulty or not configured well for the business you plan to run on Christmas, you're going to run into problems that could cost you sales and result in disappointed customers and staff. Make sure that you do a couple of tests on your Christmas specials and guarantee that your POS process is working quickly and accurately. 

In this way your Christmas can go off easily and you can go off with a hitch to make seamless sales as possible. Never forget to train your staff on your sales process for the days. They're an integral part of your POS success, particularly on a significant day like Christmas.

3. Keep Your Customer Base in Loop

Use your mailing list to its fullest potential this season. Advise your customers of your Christmas discounts way before they start. Send messages, make social posts and even consider an immediate, mail approach, depending upon the demographic your store pulls in. 

In case if your retail location has a loyalty program set up, you may also need to think about offering special discounts to that group. This will make a trip to your customer store front worth their time and energy and may encourage more sign-ups for exclusive deals leading the way to the huge day.

4. Promote Your Deals Way Before They Start

One big rookie mistake retailers make is that they hold their Christmas discounts hidden from everyone - or stand by so long to formulate them - they never capture the business potential they could have if they advertise them early. When you've decided the hot deals you're serving up on Christmas: promote, promote, promote! Here's a tip for doing only that…

5. Boost Traffic to Your Website and Re-target Your Visitors

A minimal expenditure spent on advertising can go far. Also, when you have a huge sale coming up the best way to tell your customers is through social media advertising. Once again, don't wait until before or the day of. Start boosting posts that link back on your site now, and make sure you have a Facebook re-targeting pixel connected to each page of your site so you can re-target those customers come Christmas sales.

6. Maximize Your Retail Space the Day Of

Set the exterior and interior of your retail store up for the Christmas and you could even capture some extra sales. Here are a few things to consider:

- Put thoughtful products by the register to encourage impulse buys. Capitalize off your increased foot traffic with a couple of strategies that will increase your Christmas bottom line.

- Give your customers a reason to return back. For example, hand out a 10% off flyer with each Christmas sale but be strategist about the dates the promotion is available to make sure customers seek your store for their last holiday shopping.

Get some signage made. Spring for some signage to deliberately put inside and outside your physical store. Leave dates off the signage so you can use it quite a long time after year.