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3 Retail Success Tips from Today’s POS Experts
When it comes to running a retail establishment, there’s certainly a lot of data to keep track of, like sales, customer data, inventory, products information, etc. Having the right technology at your disposal, like a reliable retail POS system, is one of the best ways you can keep costs down and revenue up. As one of today’s leading retail POS system providers, Eurostop has helped hundreds of businesses flourish, which is why we’ve collected some important insights for you. Here you’ll find three proven tips to help make your business a success! Invest in the Right Technology One of the most important aspects of running a successful retail business is having the right retail technology at your fingertips. This way, you’ll be able to process sales efficiently, keep track of inventory, and ensure you have the rights tools and IT infrastructure to support your company, even as it grows. For this reason, investing in a modern retail POS system is essential. Doing so will enable you to offer fast service, and collect customer data to offer personalised products and services, as well as loyalty plans, promotions, and gift cards. As a retail establishment, it’s also important that you have reliable stock control software to ensure you’re always able to meet customer demand across your stores and channels. The right merchandise management solutions allow you to manage ordering, allocation and replenishment processes effectively. Inventory management software and reliable retail POS systems can also be connected to your other business systems, such as accounting packages, enabling you to streamline your business and operations. Give your Customers what they want In a competitive market like the retail sector, making your service stand out or giving customers something unique is the key to keep them coming back. Understanding your customers and personalised service is one of the best ways to drive customer loyalty and ensure repeat purchases. The right retail POS system can offer you a host of solutions to help you reward your top customers, as well as reach out to new ones. A few of the best ways to communicate with your customers are through targeted email campaigns and integrating a targeted reward program with your retail POS system. Ensure Your POS System is GDPR Compliant When dealing with customer personal data, it’s essential to invest in a POS system that’s GDPR compliant. This means having the right retail technology that will allow you to collect and hold data securely, protect the processing of their personal data and manage their data according to their customer’s rights and requests under the GDPR.. Let Eurostop be your retail POS system provider! Do you want to increase efficiency and ensure that your customers always get what they want when visiting your stores? If so, the team from Eurostop would love to hear from you. To learn more about our services, contact us online today or call +44 (0) 208 991 2700.
Stock control software – three essential things on your checklist
Using the right technology to improve your stock control helps to streamline your business, reduce costs and ultimately increase productivity – and profit. Before investing in the latest technology to manage your inventory, we’ve put together three essential things to include on your checklist: Stock control software saves time and money Stock control systems track and facilitate supplier purchase orders, deliveries to warehouse or stores, allocation and replenishment, markdowns, stocktakes and transfer of stock across your company. A specialised system that deals with these processes end-to-end ensures that you have the right tools to manage stock throughout your business. A stock control system is essential for ensuring that you have accurate stock data. Manual systems and keying in of barcodes are prone to data errors or shrinkage, which can be time consuming to deal with and also result in unhappy customers, which in turn affects your brand reputation. The correct stock to meet demand, and technology that enables you to access product information and process sales means you have a seamless process and can serve your customers quickly and efficiently. The initial investment really pays off once you start experiencing the benefits of the correct solution. Plus, the right vendor and system will make it easy to add new stores and product lines, without having to worry about investing in additional IT systems as your business grows. Connected stock control for the best customer experience Stock control software is great for checking inventory, what’s in and what’s going out. But for true inventory management, you need connected systems. Whether a customer purchases online or instore, if your back office systems are connected you can fulfil orders or meet customer demand at the right location, making the best use of your stock. With an accurate overview of stock across your retail estate you can ensure that you do not have surplus stock sitting in your warehouse or the incorrect store. Staff in store can check for particular product lines, sizes and colours on a customer’s request. With accurate reports you can quickly identify hot sellers or less popular lines across different channels, ensuring that you merchandise and manage stock levels appropriately. Tracking returns as they come back into stock also ensures that you manage inventory without wastage. Stock control systems for informed decisions Accurate reporting and business insights give merchandising teams the correct figures for planning and reordering. Stock control software is essential because it also enables the business to keep track of sales trends. They give you detailed information so that merchandisers are able to plan and reorder according to demand. Furthermore, you need to be able to forecast how much stock cover you have, so that you can re-order at the correct point, allowing for supplier lead times. Your stock control system may also provide information on customer purchase history, which will enable you to create customer loyalty programmes, or run targeted promotions on particular lines. Lastly, if you have a slow moving line, your stock control system can help you to markdown end of season stock so that you have less capital tied up, improving profitability. Stock control software helps you monitor the health of your business Monitoring your stock inventory shouldn’t be a siloed operation. Adopting automated, stock control software integrated with sales and order systems gives you complete control of your retail estate. To find out more, contact the sales team at Eurostop on +44 (0)20 8991 2700, contact us at [email protected], or request a call back
What Do you Want in Retail ePOS Systems?
When it comes to improving productivity and profits at your retail location(s), few investments can potentially pay off more than purchasing retail ePOS systems. Electronic Point-of-Sale software is a rich and mature sector of retail support, offering numerous features that streamline your workflow while improving customer experience. Of course, all POS software will be able to handle the basics, such as checkout tasks. The trick is to find the ePOS systems capable of going beyond and delivering the most return on your investment. These are some of the features to look for. Four Key Features in Modern Retail ePOS Systems 1. A full hardware package Consumers have more payment options today than ever before, and it pays to support as many of those options as possible. The best way to achieve this is to choose an ePOS system that includes all the hardware you need. This should include, at a minimum, Dual screens: one staff-facing, one customer-facing Secure cash draw Barcode scanner Integrated Chip and PIN Receipt printer Support for other e-payment systems is also a plus. The more smoothly the ePOS software supports multiple hardware options, the easier sales will be for everyone. 2. Reliable support Even the easiest-to-use retail ePOS systems will have glitches from time to time or situations that occur where a staff member is unsure how to utilize the system. You should purchase from a vendor who offers robust and reliable support that will be able to respond whenever an issue arises. 3. Modernized security features We are in an age of cyber-crime, and it’s on each business to protect themselves -and their customers- from theft and fraud. Too many ePOS systems lack robust security, so that should be a major concern in your purchase. Your POS should be fully compliant with industry standards and best-practice recommendations, along with strong encryption and security when dealing with electronic payment systems like eWallets. If you are taking card payments, your POS and surrounding retail systems must be PCI compliant. In addition, GDPR compliance is a must. You must have adequate security and safeguard your data against theft, and ensure that you have features to capture and use customer data in the correct way, which a good ePOS can do. 4. Customer sales tracking High-quality sales tracking can improve your metrics and your loyalty programs, so make sure your POS makes it easy to collect and utilize this data. You should be leveraging the data you gather to the greatest possible extent. Eurostop Eurostop retail ePOS systems are trusted by businesses around the world! Contact us to learn more about our solutions.
Five Top Trends in Retail POS for 2020
Modern retail technology is changing the playing field for all retailers, benefitting both large brands and smaller, independent businesses. The latest retail POS can now act as a conduit for all aspects of a retailer’s business, from finance and sales to logistics and social media marketing. At Eurostop we’ve spotted five trends in retail EPOS systems for 2020 that will open up the retail market for all players: 1. Going Mobile Mobile tech covers a wide range of products and can help retailers in a number of ways. It can be used in retail POS with benefits including improved customer service, the ability to show more product inventory and improved efficiency of customer teams. With a mobile POS your staff are freed to deal with customer queries away from the tillpoint – and can even use it for queue busting at busy times. Mobile pay is also becoming a widespread mode of payment expected by today’s consumer, which means retailers now need to accommodate mobile payment processing and accept contactless payments, such as Apple Pay. New shopping apps available on mobile devices can also transform your customer experience. Eurostop’s MyShoppr® has been developed to merge the mobile shopping trend with the physical brand experience in your brick and mortar stores. It offers your customers a digital, on demand service and empowers your retail staff to offer true customer convenience using a seamless omnichannel experience. 2. Experiential shopping is the latest way to draw customers into your store. From in-store demonstrations, to themed days with advice and product techniques, workshops or film shows, to ‘influencer’ visits, these all help to keep customers coming back rather than just shopping online. The experience gives customers an added reason for shopping in store and builds a relationship with your brand. Plus, encouraging customers to share their likes and experiences on social media is a great way to get your customers to be your best brand ambassadors. 3. Business insights – using customer data more efficiently and effectively across all areas of the business allows you to effectively segment marketing and coordinate sales and promotions, based on customer interests and shopping habits. Plus, with your retail POS connected to your stock control system, you can also drill down into your sales data to identify best sellers and less popular lines, helping with restocking and avoiding surplus or wastage. 4. Personalisation – customers today demand a consistent experience across the store and every sales channel. There is also an expectation for a more personalised experience, which means that your data on customers’ shopping behaviours can help you to engage with them with loyalty programmes. A hyper-personalised marketing approach can help to create a new persona for your brand to approach new customers while maintaining and increasing repeat sales. 5. Customer Loyalty programmes also give you great opportunities to increase your sales by upselling and cross selling. Instant gratification plays a huge role in customer acquisition and retention. If you can sign up a customer and be able to communicate with them quickly (and with relevant offers) you are more likely to earn their loyalty. With accurate customer data, you can create seasonal promotions, early bird and multi-buy discounts and preview events to attract customers instore. Why wait? There’s no doubt that heading into 2020, having a smart retail POS and EPOS system system will become essential for businesses to offer customers a seamless experience. As the technology continues to evolve, retail POS systems are becoming more efficient, secure and affordable for all retailers to improve their business operations. Do you want to take advantage of the latest retail POS and EPOS system trends? To find out more, contact Eurostop on +44 (0)20 8991 2700, at [email protected], or request a call back
How To Use Your Retail POS To Improve Customer Experience
It’s easy to look at a point-of-sale system in terms of the advantages it brings you. Retail POS software improves your ability to track stock, analyze sales trends, predict future seasonal needs, and more. However, the benefits of a quality ePOS system go beyond that. They can also be powerful tools for improving the experience for your customers as well! Better CX leads to more repeat customers, better word of mouth, and improved presence on the online review sites. It really can be an all-in-one investment for improving the experience for everyone associated with your retail operation. Four Ways to Leverage A Retail POS For Better Customer Experiences 1. Beat long lines with mobile POS units Do you have peak times during your day when the checkout lines get longer, and you risk seeing customers abandon their purchase? Mobile POS units are the perfect solution. Handheld or tablet-based purchasing systems allow your employees to quickly service customers anywhere on the shop floor, reducing queues and ensuring every customer leaves happy. 2. Add an in-store cafe Some POS systems are flexible and can accommodate a wide variety of goods – even from different types of retail establishments. This can be leveraged to more easily add a cafe to your operation. Cafes encourage repeat business, while potentially also making your shop a place to relax, eat, or drink. (Just look at how much business IKEA pulls in with their in-store restaurants!) 3. Set up loyalty programs Loyalty programs are a time-tested method of improving CX and encouraging repeat business, and they’re even more useful when backed by a robust retail POS solution. You can track individual customers and their purchasing patterns, going far beyond the typical “punchcard” type solution. You could potentially offer rewards that are customized for the customer. At the least, tracking sales becomes much easier. 4. Display extra languages on the customer-facing screen Do you have a multi-cultural customer base, or occasionally have communication problems with foreign-language buyers? Your ePOS can use the customer-facing screen to show information in a variety of languages, customized for your particular selection of customers. It’s a quick and easy alternative to asking your employees to learn more languages. Businesses Worldwide Trust Eurostop More than 100,000 businesses utilize Eurostop retail POS and stock tracking solutions. With numerous must-have features and simple interfaces that reduce training requirements, our software enhances your CX! Contact us to learn more.
5 Reasons Using Inventory Management is Beneficial for Your Business
Every retail business, no matter the size, relies on processes to help them keep track of the products they have in stock, orders, pricing and other aspects. Gone are the days where you need to spend valuable staff time and resources to accomplish these tasks. Nowadays, stock control software can provide a variety of automated solutions to help increase efficiency and save your business money. However, if you’re still not entirely sold on the idea, the team of experts from Eurostop has collected some of the most attractive features of a stock control system for you below, so take a look! Valuing your stock Stock control software should enable you to evaluate the value of your retail stock. It will allow you to calculate how much you spent on your existing inventory and how much you spent on stock already sold. A good stock control system will also calculate profits and margins to monitor how your business is performing. Forecasting Predicting trends and future costs for your business will help you ensure your company remains competitive in the years ahead. Stock control software helps with forecasting by providing in-depth data to help determine the demand for particular products, how much you should order and invest in inventory, and more duties based on insights and market trends. Security, Integrity & Collaboration The right stock control software goes above and beyond simply keeping track of inventory, it also provides added security and integration solutions. All of your data is stored in a central system and you control what it’s used for and who has access to it. Additionally, authorized staff can easily access the central data, which can ensure that everyone is using up to date and accurate information. Inventory Management With the right stock control software, you’ll be provided with inventory management solutions designed to help your business maximize profit. This is because you’ll be able to easily manage the purchase, delivery and selling of stock by automating such processes. This, in turn, ensures that there’s never a situation where you run out of your products or stores are not stocked correctly. Price Management Through the use of stock control software, you can easily administer and monitor product pricing. By using inventory management software, you can get a handle on the pricing process by tracking the costs of products from their point of purchase to when they leave your brick-and-mortar location, markdown products from your central system and synchronise pricing across your EPOS estate. Let us be your stock control software provider! To learn more about the stock control software solutions available from Eurostop, contact us online today. You can also call +44 (0) 20 8991 2700 to learn more about our retail EPOS solutions and services.
Four Big Signs You Need Stock Control Software
Stock control software can be a major boon for retailers who are expanding and starting to have difficulty keeping up with their stock. These software systems don’t merely track stock, they offer robust forecasting systems based on your real-world data which allows you to plan and make smart money-saving stocking decisions. However, these systems can also be a sizable investment, particularly for smaller operations. Is it time for your business to embrace smart stock control? Here are some signs that you need an upgrade. Do You Need Stock Control Software? These Are the Signs… You struggle with seasonal forecasting Properly planning for seasonal stock is a major problem for any retailer. In any situation where demand for a product can vary wildly across a year, it’s easy to end up either over-stocked or under-stocked – and both will be costly. This is particularly true when the items are perishable, or in a field such as fashion where trends change rapidly, and old stock will lose value. A good inventory planning software system can take your real-world data and make highly accurate forecasts, even when the items in question are volatile. Your warehouse is filling up When a retailer has poor stock planning, it’s often most reflected in the state of their warehouse – it’s becoming full of excess and obsolete items that are difficult to move. Sure, clearance sales will free up space, but that’s throwing away money. Having too much capital tied up in your stock can even negatively affect your liquidity and cash flow. Good item tracking and forecasting prevents this, equalizing your stock levels and preventing over- or under-stocking. Customers complain about unpredictable service levels Buyers today in all fields want reliability and predictability from their retail partners. You should be able to offer the same level of service, and the same rapidity of shipping, no matter the product on offer. If you’re seeing a lot of variation in how quickly customer orders are fulfilled, that’s another sign you need a better software package to get on top of the problem. You’re wasting time manually doing stock management or putting out fires Whether it’s you personally or an employee, how much time and effort is being spent on manual stock management. Are you constantly having to “put out fires” caused by stock problems, and having to go through time-consuming manual processes? If you feel like you’re being taken away from your core competencies to deal with stock issues, inventory planning software can take that burden away. Trusted by over 100,000 users around the world, Eurostop is one of the premier providers of software that supports your business. Contact our team today to learn more about our software solutions.
What is the Importance of Retail EPOS Systems?
When it comes to retail, ensuring all of your customers are given the utmost attention is key. That’s why improving the payment process and providing them with efficient service is essential. To attain such goals, many retailers implement a reliable retail EPOS system to help them track inventory, process payments, provide customer benefits, and more. At Eurostop, we’ve helped hundreds of retailers over the years track sales and improve their processes, so we’ve collected some insight for you here. Below you’ll find some of the most important aspects of implementing a system with reliable retail POS features. Pricing Benefits When it comes to pricing the products in your retail establishment, a retail EPOS system can help drastically reduce errors. This is because the system keeps pricing consistent by synching with your stock control or ERP system so that scanning a barcode gives you accurate pricing information, avoiding user error. Of course, discounts, sales, and other customer incentive programs are also programmed into your EPOS software, with additional options to override, depending on staff permissions set by Head Office. Tracking Employees The right EPOS system can also help you keep an eye on your employees. You can monitor their performance and what they’re doing, as well as reduce wasted time by making employees responsible for their own registers and payment terminals. You’ll also be able to track top-performing staff members and see where others need improvement. Inventory Management With reliable retail POS solutions, you’ll be able to keep a close eye on all of your inventory. Each time a customer purchases a product, that product’s stock level will be automatically updated, ensuring you know exactly how much inventory you have at a given time and when it’s time to order more. You can also check your stock’s performance to determine best-selling items and optimize your retail floor. Customer Service Retail EPOS systems make it easy to serve your customers. By making the buying process faster and more efficient, you’ll reduce wait periods. Additionally, EPOS systems can help you tailor to your customers’ specific needs, bringing up data about past purchases and other info to help you better serve them. It also makes it easy to run customer incentive programs and offer special discounts for loyal customers. Increased Efficiency EPOS systems can drastically increase efficiency by cutting down the number of employees needed to track payments or stock shelves manually; the POS system does all of these things. These automated solutions reduce the need for relying on human resources, enabling you to save money on operation costs and focus your resources elsewhere. Let us be your retail EPOS system provider; contact Eurostop today! Do you want to improve your retail process, keep better track of employees and customers, and save time and money! If so, our team of retail EPOS experts would love to hear from you. To learn more about our solutions, contact Eurostop online today or call +44 (0) 20 8991 2700.
Five Things You Need in A Point-of-Sale System
A great Point-of-Sale (POS) system is a must-have for retailers of all sizes, particularly those looking to sell their goods online, as well as at one or more physical locations. However, there are numerous POS software packages on the market, and sorting through them can be a real challenge. How do you find POS software that will meet your needs today, while also being scalable enough to grow alongside your business in the years to come? It’s all in the feature set. These are all features you might not see in some POS packages, particularly older ones, but are necessary if you want to make the most of your investment. Five Must-Haves in Point-of-Sale Software Syncing online and offline activity You shouldn’t have to treat your online and offline sales as two separate entities. A modern POS software package should be able to handle both at once. Look for features that keep track of stock across all sales outlets, online included, along with robust reporting and alert features that keep everything consistent. Empowering your staff The easier it is for your staff to use your POS software, the better it is for everyone. Your employees will have better morale, and your customers will see better service. Every user should be able to log in with their own ID and have a customizable dashboard they can set up according to their preferences and workflow. An intuitive GUI is a must! Included training and support The last thing you ever want to see is a sale halted because an employee had to call for assistance. Your POS vendor should offer robust training and support options, either as separate seminars or – better yet – integrated directly into the product. If you ever do need to call for technical support, you should have many different options for how to do this. Marketing campaign integration Your POS will be one of your most valuable repositories of customer data, and you should be able to leverage that data for marketing. A top-tier POS software package doesn’t merely enable sales, it also integrates marketing tools which bring new opportunities to reach out to your customers. Supporting your business’s growth Finally, look to the future. How easy will it be to expand the POS system to new registers, or new locations? Can it support “pop up” short-term sales outlets, such as at fairs and expos? Does it utilize open technology standards, for easier modification over time? These are all highly valuable features. Eurostop With over thirty years’ experience and 100,000+ global users, Eurostop is one of the top POS software systems on the market! Click here to discuss your business requirements with us.
Christmas Season Guide to Retail EPOS Systems: How to Propel Your Business
During the festive season, retailers experience increased in-store traffic and online purchases, making streamlining the transaction process essential. That’s why many invest in a cutting-edge retail EPOS system with software designed specifically for their business. The team at Eurostop wants you to know there are a host of benefits to having the right EPOS solutions during the Christmas season, so they’ve shared some insight below. Here you’ll find some tips for increasing sales and why having the right EPOS software this Christmas is key! Set Up Christmas Season Loyalty Programs Using a retail EPOS system can make it a breeze to set up Christmas loyalty programs and offer special discounts during the festive season. You can use the customer information you’ve collected to tailor rewards specifically to their likes and purchase history, as well as offer one-time deals like Christmas season discounts and buy-one-get-one-free deals. Have Your Top Sales Staff Working During Peak Hours EPOS systems also offer employee management solutions, making it easy for you to schedule your top salespeople during the busiest hours. Additionally, EPOS software can enable mobile staff to perform transactions on the retail floor, as well as issue refunds and perform other services. If you’re not sure who your best salespeople are, your system can break it down for you with the employee sales data it’s collected in the months leading up to the festive season. Prepare for UK’s 4 Busiest Days There are some big shopping days in the UK. This year, the top four are predicted to be Dec. 7, the first Saturday in December; Dec. 14 (second-to-last Saturday in December); and the 21st of December, also known as Super Saturday (the last Saturday before Christmas). The day after Boxing Day, Dec. 27, will also be one of this year’s busiest shopping days. Create a Sense of Urgency One way to attract more customers is by making them worried they’re missing out on something. You can create a sense of urgency by offering express delivery to select customers or increased discounts to the first 50 who walk through the door on busy shopping days. Email Marketing Another great way to boost sales during the festive season is by doing a little email marketing. Sending out personalized messages to repeat customers offering deals or enticements can do wonders for bringing them back into the store during the Christmas season. It’s also a good way to share some of the exclusive Xmas inventory you have in stock. Eurostop can help make it a great retail festive season! To find out more about our inventory control and total retail POS solutions, contact Eurostop today online or by calling +44 (0)20 8991 2700.