How to Get the Most Out of Your POS System
By Tad Wilkes
Published in Beverage Retailer March/April 2004
Retailers who have been around since a time when stores did not even use computers at all have watched as technology has grown beyond anyone's wildest imagination. And in recent years, the pace of those improvements seems to be faster than ever - with many programs becoming obsolete within a year after they are implemented.
"One of the things that programmers are weak in is that they don't actually use the program," says Nick Poulos, president of Pop's Wine and Spirits, Island Park, N.Y. However, POS companies never sleep. Updates help retail operators increase the efficiency of their POS systems without having to replace them, and the management benefits are exponential.
Still - like automotive speed demons who would modify a Corvette's fiery engine to make it faster - many retailers tinker with ways to boost the practicality of their POS systems to fit their unique needs.
Make no mistake, POS technology is state-of-the art for retailers. But needs change. Like a quarterback changing plays at the line of scrimmage, retailers sometimes must put thought into ways to lead the software to meet its goals. Craig Allen, owner of All Star Wine & Spirits in Latham, New York, scoured the market for a POS system to fit his needs. He found one, but he improvised to make it better fit his operation.
"For instance," Allen says, "a lot of the finer bottles of wine that are imported don't have UPC codes, so you have to create house UPCs. You can buy a barcode scanner, and a lot of people do that. They invent their own number, print out a bar and label it. But that costs a lot of money. The way we do it, with just using a pricing gun, we create our own numbers and tag them over the UPC."
Necessity Is the Mother...
The good news for storeowners is that despite the challenges of an ever-growing and ever-changing industry, POS designers have kept up with the times, constantly revamping their software to help wine and spirits retailers increase efficiency. Tony Pitale, communications manager with Innovative Computer Solutions, says some specific needs of beer, wine and spirits retailers addressed by cutting-edge POS companies include tracking and discounting customers at the point of sale to ordering product based on movement, extensive product sales analysis for purchasing, product placement, pricing to loyalty cards, kiosks and integrated credit and debit payment.
With this almost endless array of technology available from top POS companies, systems exist that can adapt to any retailer's needs. So, the key is to assess what is needed before shopping around and ask specific questions when considering which brand to buy.
Barry Gottesman, president of Data Liquor, a division of KimBar Systems, says companies take retailer requests very seriously. "Most of our features and our input are from our customers," he says.
Hands-On Training
During the shopping process, another critical factor in making your decision may be how the company's training program fits your needs. "Our system comes with a minimum of two days of on-site training," Pitale says. "Learning a new system, while using the retailer's own data, leads to greater acceptance to a system change."
Cindy Hossack, a marketing associate with Datasym Inc., says it is important for POS companies to walk retailers through a new system, integrating the new software into the day-to-day routine of the store. "We will come in and configure your system to meet your specific requirements. We manage the rollouts, a 24/7 help desk and will come in and train your staff" she says.
Gottesman at Data Liquor says companies should assist retailers in the long term and leave systems "open" so storeowners may customize them to fit their particular inventory.
Optimum Usage
Even with extensive training and the latest technology, many retailers fail to fully utilize their POS systems, says Andee Pure, sales manager for Synchronics. "I think most retailers don't get the most out of their systems, because they learn to use it based on how they have always done business," Pure says. "To get the most out of a package, a retailer needs to open his or her mind to perhaps doing things differently."
Experimentation can take a store's operations to a whole new level, Pitale says. "Good retailers use the system to the max. They explore the available options and utilize the features to their benefit."