POS Software for Retail - How to Implement It, and Which Features Are Crucial for Your Business?

“Quick Summary” Competition in the retail market has grown tighter. Thanks to digital transformation. Through digital tools and platforms, retailers can now expand their operations and reach out to more customers. Whether you have an online or physical store or both, you need the best POS software for your business. This will allow you to accept payments from customers and keep track of sales as your retail business grows.

POS software, defined.

A POS or point of sale system is a combination of software and hardware that allows you to process payments from your customers. Before, this used to be the cash register at your store. But nowadays, more retailers are using digital POS systems. This allows them to do transactions with their customers anywhere and anytime. All they need is a device that will allow them to connect to the internet. As a result, they drive the global demand for POS software for projected annual growth of 9.5% from 2021 to 2028.

Modern POS systems go beyond accepting and processing payments. It can also track sales, manage inventory, and automate different processes in your retail operations. Investing in a POS system is a cost-effective way of streamlining your day-to-day operations and boosting your flexibility.

Implementing a POS system

Introducing a new POS system in your retail business requires time and attention. You must make sure that everything is in order before fully reaping the benefits of a POS system. This means checking if you have the right resources, training, and other necessary preparations for the software.

The first step in implementing a POS system is to choose the right software for your business. You need to ensure that the software fits with your current workflows. To do this, evaluate your business’ needs and demands. Likewise, you need to identify the challenges you and your staff face concerning your customer transactions. This will give you an idea of what features to look for when selecting the software.

You should consider its compatibility with your existing systems. For example, if you use customer support software, marketing automation software, and an ecommerce platform. Ensure that your POS system integrates well and works seamlessly alongside your present systems.

Once you’ve chosen your software, it’s time you familiarize yourself with how it works.

Software providers usually provide demos and manuals upon purchase of their product. This way, you won’t go in blind when you start using your brand-new POS system. Don’t forget to train your employees on how to use the system.

The key to a successful implementation is continuous monitoring. Keep an eye on the system and note how it affects your workflows. Check if it meets your expectations and improves your processes. You can do this by setting milestones or goals that you’d like to achieve with your new POS system. This way, you can see if it’s working as intended or needs some tweaking.

Features to look out for

Modern POS systems provide many features, making them better than a cash register. So when choosing your POS software, look for these crucial features that can help your business.

1. Customization

There is no one-size-fits-all POS software system. Every business has its specific needs and demands. What works for one might not necessarily work for you. Fortunately, there are retail POS software solutions that allow customization so that you can tailor fit it with your business’ demands.

You can customize your POS system by choosing the tools you want it to have. You can also personalize its interface to match your brand’s identity by adding pictures, picking font designs, layouts, colors, etc. You can also create custom buttons for departments and organize your items according to however you want them.

2. Inventory management

Each purchase from your customers affects your inventory. You need to constantly update your inventory to ensure enough products are available for purchase. Hence, top POS systems for retail provide an inventory management feature for your business. This allows you to monitor your inventory to prevent overstocking and understocking. It can also automatically notify you when your stock levels are low and need replenishing. You can use it to manage and maintain items with multiple SKUs, bar codes, and multiple pricing products.

Having such a feature in your POS system makes inventory management more seamless and streamlined. It ensures that you have enough products on the shelf ready for purchase. And after each purchase, you automatically update your inventory and ensure you have accurate numbers in your hands.

3. Barcode scanning and printing

Another feature that a POS software system offers that a traditional cashier doesn’t is a bar scanning and printing feature. This goes hand in hand with inventory management to improve each item’s visibility. Your POS system can scan barcodes to look up the item’s pricing, description, and stock level. Moreover, this feature also allows you to create barcodes for items and print them using a barcode label printer. 

4. Integrations

According to Deloitte, 80% of retail executives plan to invest more in digital technologies for their operations. These include those with physical stores, online stores, or both. As a result, it is normal for many retailers to use several software solutions all at once for their daily operations. 

Whether you’ve already created your digital ecosystem or are in the midst of developing one, you need a POS software system that integrates with other software solutions. Through integration, you can keep your data synced across all platforms to carry over work from one software to another seamlessly.

For example, you can integrate your POS software system with your ecommerce software to help manage and process online transactions with customers.

You can check with the vendor to know more about the software’s integration compatibility. Likewise, you can ask if they can make the necessary adjustments to allow such integration with your current software solutions.

5. Analytics and reporting

Leveraging data gives you an edge over your competitors in the market. It helps identify your current operations' strengths and weaknesses and helps you decide what to improve on and what to maintain. Moreover, it informs you of the latest trends and customer behaviors in the market so that you can adapt to the changing demands in the market.

Hence, another crucial feature of your POS software system is data analytics and reporting. You can use this feature to extract data from customer purchases, interactions, and your sales and transform them into useful insights. This will allow you to make smarter decisions for your retail business.

The growing role of data in retail means even small retail businesses should consider adopting a data-driven approach. Invest in the best retail POS systems for small businesses so that you can reap the benefits of data analytics.

Choosing the right POS system

The retail industry is becoming more digital to accommodate the changing demands of its customers. So if you are still stuck with a traditional point of sales system, it’s time you go digital and invest in a POS software system. When choosing and implementing the right one for your retail business, keep these tips in mind. 

Wrap-up

OVVI is a comprehensive solution for your retail business. It has all the necessary features and offers such benefits as you would expect from a POS System. Simply go ahead and contact OVVI today at (800)-767-9585 or [email protected] to unlock the magic of a POS software for Retail and see your profits multiply.