subject: Point Of Sales Solution For Retail Industry [print this page] There is a specific type of software known as retail point of sale software. This is used specifically at the cash register where the payment for goods transaction is made. Think of this software like an electronic cash register though it can do a lot more. You can keep track of stock, print out receipts and even print out vouchers. The very first version of point of sale was in 1973 from IBM though it did not do much. Pathmark and Dillards department stores were the first to use them.
Restaurants were able to use a type of point of sale software as in 1979 software was developed to take an order and then have the food preparation instructions print out in the back. This software was also able to print out labour reports and food costs. The most modern types of point of sale software were developed as Windows was designed.
The latest types of software were specifically designed to be able to have remote support, easy to use, rich functionality, be consistent, have high operating speed, be reliable and have a low cost. You also can get web based software for online stores and this can usually be used for both online stores as well as retail stores. Most times web based software is less expensive than other versions.
The point of sale software will differ depending on the industry which is being used. The medical industry requires more than just registers in their software but also peripheral equipment, computer networks and more. Point of sales is used heavily in the restaurant industry as the registers use touch screens and have greatly increase order efficiency and decreased service time.
The hardware that is needed for point of sale generally uses a credit card reader, receipt printer, cash drawer, barcode scanner and pin pad that has a card swipe. All of these external hardware pieces use USB connection. Some of the top software systems currently used in the US include Radiant/Aloha, MICROS, Citadel POS and internally developed point of sale software.
There are many options with this software as you can purchase the basic version and then add on the bits and pieces you need in the future. There are many mix and match features and your software can grow as your company grows.
Setting up this software in a retail store is always a bit of a pain and the older the equipment the more difficult this can be. You can also purchase a basic software and as your store grows you can add on to your software as there are many mix and match features.
