Retail businesses in the UK are under unprecedented pressure to control costs and make every sale count. Modern point of sale systems allow small retailers to do just that, but they’re often set up generically. This is where ePOS personalisation comes in.
Use an out-of-the-box ePOS solution, and you won’t be able to take full advantage of all the latest management tools. But personalise your ePOS system for the specific needs of your business, and the sky’s the limit.
Personalised ePOS systems can be designed to suit your products, your service style and your own inventory. You can add your own logo, and brand all of your receipts, for example. You can arrange the menus and sub-menus in a way that expedites transactions as quickly as possible. And you can pair items with complementary purchases in order to facilitate upselling.
In effect, you’re creating your very own ePOS system. And when the trading environment changes (which it does regularly), your ePOS can change with it.
ePOS systems are now organic. You don’t have to stick with the same configuration until an update is available. If you discover a way to improve your own system, you can make the changes there and then. Whether you need a specific report or a more logical sales menu, the required changes can be made, on the premises, in just a few minutes.
How Can a Personalised ePOS System Grow My Profits?
Too many business owners make their store operations fit their existing ePOS system. In actual fact, it should be the other way round. Only you know how best to serve your customers, and how to manage your business operations. A good ePOS system can adapt to the most specific of requirements to deliver the following benefits:
Sound Financial Management
An ePOS system that is designed with the needs of your store or food business in mind should make accounting a breeze. Sales data feeds into your primary accounting reports, helping you to forecast sales, pay your taxes on time and plan for the future.
Accurate Stock Management
You should be able to personalise all of the products listed on your ePOS system. In the case of of restaurant, this function is crucial. For example, imagine you’re selling a lasagne made from a unique recipe. By adding a costed recipe to the ePOS system, all the individual ingredients can be removed from the inventory each time the dish is sold. This helps you to manage portion control, ordering and wastage.
Drive Staff Performance
By tailoring an ePOS system to your business’ needs, you can accurately monitor and assess the performance of your employees. You can enter each employee onto the system, and give them each their own login credentials. Once you’ve done that, you can access reports on a range of metrics, including transactions per hour, total sales and total margin. You can also devise sales incentive schemes that target particular lines.
Improve Customer Service
To set your business apart from the competition, you have to provide a unique proposition. The products you sell may be available elsewhere, but the customer experience you deliver can set your retail business apart from the rest.
A personalised ePOS system allows you to deliver the kind of service that will earn you repeat business and word-of-mouth marketing. For example, you could set up a system using standalone iPads — and allow customers to search for their purchases. You could take payments on the shop floor, rather than making people stand in line. You can also set up the menus and sub-menus in a way that maximises transactions per hour at peak trading times. Investing in a personalised ePOS system allows you to take full control of customer service, stock control, financial management and staff performance. The retail industry has never been so competitive, so make sure you steal a march on the competition while you can.
Rob Gamage is Managing Editor of Modern Retail. Combining many years of experience in publishing with a keen interest in small business and entrepreneurship, Rob is passionate about sharing interesting and inspiring content with retailers to help them grow.
