What is an ePOS System?
EPOS stands for ‘electronic point of sale’ and an ePOS system is a modern till that can do so much more than just a cash register and in one of our previous articles we explain what is an ePOS system and how it works.
In this article we’ll highlight some tips to help you choose the right retail ePOS till system for your business:-
Advantages of using an ePOS system
Get it right, and a good ePOS system will save you time and streamline your operations. It will speed up your checkout process, manage inventory and track stock levels, making it far more efficient and accurate than if using a spreadsheet.
It can provide powerful insights such as what’s selling, when and where, including best selling products as well as what’s not selling. It can analyse stock, download reports for auditing and accounting needs, and give you access to features that will increase sales such as promotions, discounts, gift vouchers, loyalty programmes and so much more….
ePOS compatible hardware
The ePOS system is your till interface but with back-office functionality for managing your business and this can all run on a tablet or a laptop for ease of use.
Other retailers prefer an all-in-one ePOS hardware set up such as a touchscreen POS terminal, barcode scanner, cash drawer, receipt printer and card reader.
Of course, you may wish to have a different set-up at different locations and for different staff and most ePOS systems will allow you to do just that.
What ePOS system features do you need?
An investment in the right ePOS system will play a vital role in improving your company’s operations and growth, but how do you find the right technology for your business? It will include many features but of course it can vary from one system to another.
Have a list of features to hand before you start looking. What are your biggest struggles currently? Are you upgrading from an old cash register or are you looking at moving from an existing ePOS system to another? Or maybe you’re just starting out?
Whatever your current situation, prioritise those features that can solve your pain points now as well as in the future. For example you may be looking for :-
- ease and speed of use for you and your staff
- the ability to take fast, accurate card transactions
- staff management with individual log-ins
- inventory management and stock control
- customer accounts
- loyalty programme track exchange and return management
- run and manage promotions and discounts
- sell and track gift vouchers
- fashion matrix for product variants
- tiered pricing for different customer groups
- sales reports
- can it scale easily
The right ePOS system will take your business to the next level, it will speed up the service you provide to your customers and will remove the frustrations associated when using manual or disjointed systems to run your retail business.
Ability to manage inventory and track stock levels
One of those frustrations is managing inventory and understanding stock levels. Many retailers have been known to use spreadsheets but in truth they just don’t do the job, whereas an ePOS system will provide far more information than a spreadsheet ever can.
Having an accurate picture of your stock is crucial, it gives you a clear idea of how your business is performing, and means you get your ordering right. No more panicking when you realise you’re out of out of stock of a particular product and need to re-order from a more expensive supplier at a higher rate, just to stock the shelves.
An ePOS system will give you control of your inventory and keep track of stock levels meaning you re-stock in good time so you can source more profitably, as well as keeping your customers happy with stocked shelves with your best sellers.
Multi-user and multi-location options
How many staff and outlets do you have? Being able to set individual logins for each staff members as well as permissions such as manager or cashier allows you to choose who can access your ePOS.
This enables you to decide who can safely handle your financial transactions and track who accessed your system. This increases security and lets you quickly set roles within the company without worrying about mountains of paperwork and re-organisation.
A system that allows you to grow without worrying about the system you’re using could be an important factor, for example you may have more than one outlet or want additional stores in the future so the ability to handle multiple outlets and scale up without having to change systems as you grow is extremely beneficial.
Does it have ePOS integrated payments?
Fast, accurate card transactions are possible with ePOS integrated payments .
If your EPOS system is fully integrated with your card terminal there’s no need to enter the amounts,and there are no miskeying mistakes as the transaction details are passed securely between the ePOS and card machine and are processed automatically.
This increases the convenience for you and your customers as well as saving valuable time.
Can it work in offline mode?
A top tip is to ensure your ePOS system works offline, so even if you are experiencing technical issues in-store, your selling will be uninterrupted and will synchronise back once an internet connection is re-established.
Integrated ePOS and eCommerce
A standalone ePOS system will certainly make your in-store selling more efficient but in today’s world most shop owners want to complement their in-store sales with online sales too, so making sure your ePOS system and ecommerce store connect is super important for so many reasons and can do so much more for your business.
Providing a central area to manage inventory will not only save time, but it will also remove the headache of understanding stock levels in-store and online.
Having an integrated ePOS and eCommerce platform that work in perfect harmony ensures complete visibility of sales and stock everywhere so you’ll be able to view your business performance in just one place and gain better insights enabling you to work smarter and make more informed business decisions.
In summary
Will your chosen ePOS system enhance your customer experience, make it easy for your staff to use and provide the right data for you to manage your shop or shops?
Maybe you’re not selling online yet or via Amazon and eBay, but the ability to maximise sales and have a system that can cater for your current and future sales channels will give you peace of mind that it can adapt to your changing needs and save time now and in the future.
Wherever you sell, in-store, online, marketplaces, your chosen system should provide you with all the tools to maximise your sales and give your customers the service they deserve such as loyalty programmes, customer accounts, tiered pricing, promotions and click and collect.
How can ShopTill-e ePOS system help you?
ShopTill-e ePOS system provides all the functionality you expect from a modern till. It can work with your existing hardware, such as laptop, tablet, pc or with new POS hardware and can cater for one shop or multiple outlets with many staff.
Customers, sales, products and inventory are all synchronised in real-time providing you with accurate information and allowing you and your staff to work faster and smarter.
The central hub powers your in-store sales and if you wish to sell online it works seamlessly with the ShopTill-e ecommerce platform, as an all-in-one retail system meaning you only need one system to sell in-store and online saving precious time as well as reducing costs.
What’s more, there are no setup fees or cancellation fees and you aren’t tied to a long-term contract and you get all the features automatically included from day one as well as great UK support.
Our ePOS experts are on hand to provide you with a free demo of ShopTill-e and how it can work for your business. You can also try free for 14 days.
"The front end till system is easy to use for our store staff and the back end epos system is the easiest and best system i have worked with in 25 years of retail, because this seamlessly links with our websites, it has made our life so much easier than our previous system." Dan T. Manager
Further reading about ePOS systems....
What are the benefits of an EPOS system and why is it essential for small retailers?
5 Reasons not to use a spreadsheet for inventory management
Promotions and discounts
Why it's time to upgrade your legacy point of sale to a cloud ePOS system
