Technology solutions
Technology is evolving at an exponential rate, meaning that more advanced and affordable solutions for retailers are always coming down the track. Read on to learn about the most recent innovations in the EPOS area
Print18 May 2016
Mobile technology is affecting and adapting all areas of retail. Self-scanning and self-checkout via mobile are the next big thing according to experts, which allows retailers opportunities to save capital as well as man-hours, and focus on improving other areas of the business.
However, another key word in this area must be reliability. A hi-tech EPOS system must be easy to use and reliable in order to be a worthwhile investment for a retailer. An interesting analogy outlined below is that of a referee, or perhaps a traffic warden. If you don’t notice a traffic warden, it means they’re doing their job as well as can be done. If you notice a traffic warden but don’t get frustrated with the traffic – this is a result also!
Investment in technology will give your business the edge as consumers become more tech-savvy, so read on.
EPOS best practice
CBE is a pioneer in retail technology with three decades’ worth of experience in the field. Serving the Irish and UK markets, CBE has a proven track record in developing solutions for retailers to handle the complexities of today’s market within the supermarket, convenience, forecourt and hospitality sectors.
In describing best-practice in EPOS solutions, CBE invokes the aforementioned sporting metaphor. Most consumers only become aware of a store’s EPOS solution if it does one of two things:
- Causes them hassle at the checkout stage
- Offers them something new and unique that they weren’t expecting
Seamus McHugh, CBE international sales and marketing manager
Option one is similar to a referee in a football game – if no one notices them or they don’t do anything wrong, then they are deemed to have had a good game. If a customer completes their purchase without noticing the EPOS solution then in many ways it has done its duty. The business benefits that it brings to the retailer in the back office or to the checkout staff are of no relevance to the customer.
Option two, on the other hand, is where a customer notices the EPOS system for all the right reasons. The introduction of Contactless was a case in point where customers were suddenly aware of the improvement in the speed of the transactions and this new feature added to their shopping experience.
Self-checkout also aligns itself in this category as it provides customers with a unique and convenient option at the point of sale. Traditionally only available in supermarket multiples, more and more independent retailers are seeing Self-checkout as a ‘must-have’ for their store.
CBE’s recent partnership with NCR, the global leader in retail self-service technology, has made the self-checkout concept a reality for Irish and UK retailers.
Universal knowledge, local experience
NCR’s universal experience in self-checkout, combined with CBE’s local knowledge of the independent retail sector, ensures that retailers can now avail of best-in-class expertise when introducing self-checkout to their business.
For a store to implement self-checkout for the first time they need to undertake a thorough evaluation of their operations to determine the type of units (traditional, convertible or cashless), the number of units and importantly, the positioning of the units. All of these variables are decided upon based on the CBE/NCR scientific TOUR analysis of the store.
Multiple orders have already been placed for the CBE/NCR self-checkout both here in Ireland and in the UK. Within the next 18 months there will be a huge uptake in self-checkout adoption in Ireland. This will provide greater customer satisfaction and ensure that the modern Irish store is a destination for customers that offer choice and convenience not just in the product offering but also at the checkout stage.
Contact CBE for further information on self-checkout on 1890 373000 or email info@cbe.ie, sales@cbe.ie or visit www.cbe.ie.
Market leaders in innovation
With over 20 years’ experience developing innovative EPOS products for retailers in sectors including convenience, supermarket, forecourts, hospitality, hardware and pharmacy, Retail Solutions continues to outperform its competitors.
Already a market leader in Ireland, it has managed to expand rapidly in recent years in both the UK and Australia.
In 2014, Retail Solutions won two significant contracts with the retail group CJ Lang & Sons – the master franchise holder for Spar in Scotland – and European Food Brokers, a Walsall-based cash & carry and wholesale drinks distributor that purchased 37 Oddbins outlets from administrators in 2011.
These contracts saw Retail Solutions installing its systems at more than 300 sites in the UK, with further expansion delivered in 2015 through a €2m (£1.6m) contract to supply Appleby-Westward’s 151 UK Spar stores. It also created 20 new roles within the company in software development & customer support in order to meet this growing demand for our services.
According to Padraig Nolan, business development manager at Retail Solutions, the company knows and understand the challenges its customers face in the modern commercial environment. “Worrying whether they are achieving the correct gross margin does not need to be one of them,” he says.
Retail Solutions’ Enterprise back office software provides the ultimate margin guardian for businesses. Once any individual product fails to meet its expectation in terms of margin, sales volume or inventory, Enterprise automatically brings this to a retailer’s attention, thus affording a retailer the opportunity to make a correction before it costs money!
Further innovation has been delivered by customising software for iPad and tablet, the introduction of customer loyalty modules, credit/fuel card integration and the RS Web Link, which enables integration between EPOS and the retailer’s commercial website. All of these exist in conjunction with remote login facilities, allowing retailers to analyse and control their business, regardless of location.
Retail Solutions’ track record of innovative EPOS products and services stretches even further with the ‘SmartTill’ cash drawer and its web-based customer support login.
Smart cash management
The SmartTill cash management solution is the first intelligent cash drawer on the market that automates cash handling, improves security and frees up staff to focus on customer-facing activities. This pioneering technology has the ability to count all notes and coins automatically within seconds of the cash drawer being closed.
With SmartTill technology, all cash handling activities are recorded with a date and time stamp as well as information on the cashier responsible, providing full accountability for every transaction. The SmartTill Solution alerts store managers and supervisors of any discrepancy immediately after the incident, allowing the error to be resolved on the spot.
This assists forecourt retailers to make significant savings when it comes to cash loss, with reductions of up to 90% being achieved by companies who have the SmartTill Cash Management Solution installed.
The SmartTill solution also delivers huge operational savings by greatly reducing the time spent on counting and managing cash. In some cases, forecourt retailers can realise labour savings of up to 30 minutes per day, per POS terminal.
Daily cashing up becomes a thing of the past as the tills automatically reconcile every cash transaction and provide full reports for managers on vital figures including rolling float values, change needed, top-up values, pick-up values and sales values. This ultimately frees up staff time from laborious daily cash handling procedures, allowing staff to focus on other activities such as providing better customer service.
Client helpdesk login
In response to an ever-increasing customer base, Retail Solutions has recently invested €250k in its customer support centre and internal management software systems. This allows all aspects of the business to operate on one succinct platform for optimum efficiency and communication. A unique aspect of this development is that all Retail Solutions customers have the ability to log calls via an online customer portal at www.retailsolutions.ie. Furthermore, customers can track the status of their support calls in real-time online providing them with total transparency of the process and the various interactions by Retail Solutions’ helpdesk personnel to resolve the issue.
Web integration
Most retailers now derive at least a portion of their sales from online channels whilst maintaining a high street presence. This emerging trend is simplified by Retail Solutions’ Web Link, which enables integration between internal EPOS systems and the commercial website.
Retail Solutions is dedicated to delivering world-class innovation to our customers throughout the World. “Our continued success is a result of our commitment to developing innovative EPOS products,” Padraig Nolan concludes, “on a foundation of first class customer service, value for money and after sales support.”
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