EPOS Advice

[Maria102]

Can anyone give us advice on what we should be looking for or any recommendations? Its a minefield out there and we are turning into a salesman's dream - it's difficult to work out what we need and what is nice to have..

[m8internet]

Two basic systems

POS - Point of Sale, till

BOS - Back Office System

The more basic system is an integrated POS and BOS
This means each operator has their own user level, sometimes by key, sometimes by password
This can be a disadvantage if you have a busy store as you will need to close the shift to print some reports out

Having separate POS and BOS means the Manager can work away from the POS
Equally, this setup is better when there are two or more tills

Many systems now are Windows based, although there are still a few that have a DOS visual environment

Most software is designed specific to requirement, but I did find some freeware versions a few weeks ago
Don't be fooled by sales people, compare prices of hardware to basic PCs, after all that is what they basically are!
Incorporate a small amount for installation, between £50 and £150

[Havensys]

Hi, I work for an EPOS software development company with more than 17 years experience providing systems.
We would be happy to provide a no obligation proposal for software/hardware or both and advice on typical systems that are used in similair operations to your own.
Our web site www.haven-systems.co.uk will provide further information.

[Maria102]

Thanks for that, but it still looks like a minefield and I work in IT!!! So, I want a new laptop, so we get that, a monitor, printer and buy the software? I am really lost .. my husaband says I can use my current laptop though this has a green and red line down the screen, some keys missing and only has vista basic on it?

[m8internet]

I wouldn't recommend a laptop, too easily abused and/or stolen

System tower
Keyboard and mouse (optional)
Printer, for till receipts
Printer, for paperwork (optional)
Keyboard for POS
Barcode scanner (optional)
Visual display screen, TFT or LCD preferred option

Setup the system with the EPOS software
Secure the tower in a locked cupboard under the till (to prevent abuse)
Place the key in a secure bag, breaking the seal is then reportable and esaily monitored
Make sure the system boots to the EPOS software and not the OS, otherwise staff could override and spend their time abusing it

[brucet]

It would be easier to answer the question if you said a bit more about your business, and your budget.

What has made you consider buying an EPOS system? I would first narrow your search down to the systems that meet your immediate need at lowest cost, then choose from that shortlist. Take into account the extras you may get, but also the whole package including support options, and the reputation of the supplier.

We commissioned some research into the EPOS market a couple of years ago, and found that the main things users expect from their systems are:

1. Better stock control
2. Reporting, forecasting and better control of their business
3. Better, faster customer service

Unless your needs are different, I would focus on those areas. When you talk to suppliers, make sure they talk to you about the actual business benefits you will get from their system, not just the features and the technical information.

Your biggest decision is between a standard PC and separate EPOS components (cheaper), and an integrated touch-screen till (more expensive but faster to use and more user-friendly). That's the biggest single cost, so the decision is probably irreversible. The other hardware is mostly bog-standard and interchangeable.

Most of the functionality is in the software. In theory, that could be upgraded or replaced altogether at a later date while retaining the same hardware. As long as everything is OPOS compatible it should all work together. In practice, you can sometimes run into compatibility issues if you don't get everything from the same supplier.

Our own EPOS brochure incorporates a 'buyers guide' that covers the main elements of the system, what they do, what are the real essentials and what are the options:
http://downloads.actinic.com/docs/product_info/EPOSBrochure.pdf

If you send me your email address in a private message, I can also send you the text of an article on the benefits of EPOS that was published recently in Independent Retailer

Hope this helps

[Maria102]

It would be easier to answer the question if you said a bit more about your business, and your budget.

What has made you consider buying an EPOS system? I would first narrow your search down to the systems that meet your immediate need at lowest cost, then choose from that shortlist. Take into account the extras you may get, but also the whole package including support options, and the reputation of the supplier.

We commissioned some research into the EPOS market a couple of years ago, and found that the main things users expect from their systems are:

1. Better stock control
2. Reporting, forecasting and better control of their business
3. Better, faster customer service

Unless your needs are different, I would focus on those areas. When you talk to suppliers, make sure they talk to you about the actual business benefits you will get from their system, not just the features and the technical information.

Your biggest decision is between a standard PC and separate EPOS components (cheaper), and an integrated touch-screen till (more expensive but faster to use and more user-friendly). That's the biggest single cost, so the decision is probably irreversible. The other hardware is mostly bog-standard and interchangeable.

Most of the functionality is in the software. In theory, that could be upgraded or replaced altogether at a later date while retaining the same hardware. As long as everything is OPOS compatible it should all work together. In practice, you can sometimes run into compatibility issues if you don't get everything from the same supplier.

Our own EPOS brochure incorporates a 'buyers guide' that covers the main elements of the system, what they do, what are the real essentials and what are the options:
http://downloads.actinic.com/docs/product_info/EPOSBrochure.pdf

If you send me your email address in a private message, I can also send you the text of an article on the benefits of EPOS that was published recently in Independent Retailer

Hope this helps

Thanks for this, the reason we are considering buying an EPOS system is that we are opening a womenswear boutique in six weeks! Obviously cost is an issue as we are a start up, but equally we are stocking designer fashion so don't want a cut-price option....we have looked at intelligent retail, which I thought seemed okay, though my husband has recently been in touch with Bleep computing as well... we still haven't settled as we are a salesman dream at the moment :o

[Maria102]

I wouldn't recommend a laptop, too easily abused and/or stolen

System tower
Keyboard and mouse (optional)
Printer, for till receipts
Printer, for paperwork (optional)
Keyboard for POS
Barcode scanner (optional)
Visual display screen, TFT or LCD preferred option

Setup the system with the EPOS software
Secure the tower in a locked cupboard under the till (to prevent abuse)
Place the key in a secure bag, breaking the seal is then reportable and esaily monitored
Make sure the system boots to the EPOS software and not the OS, otherwise staff could override and spend their time abusing it


Great advice, thanks for this......so costwise, how much do you think in total.. or am I being lazy?! ...so the hardware I can buy from comet or something and then the EPOS software, the best deal online, though not necessarily the cheapest?

[retailworld]

Don't buy from Comet!!!

For a basic PC - £300 (varies wildly of course)
Touchscreen Monitor - about £150?
Receipt Printer - £90
Scanner - £70
Display Pole - £50

All figures off the top of my head - can help you look into it further.

[m8internet]

Don't buy from Comet!!!
I've bought two systems from comet, although my current one I cold have bought from comet but found it cheaper elsewhere
If you do buy from comet, do NOT purchase one that is on display, if they advise you that they don't have any in stock then say "Thank you very much, but not at that price", haggle at least 15% off (to take into account wear and tear) or 10% and five year warranty

You don't need a tower system that has everything, even just a basic one at £200 will be enough for five years
Even the systems I use on BOS only have a CD-R drive, very few have more than two front USB ports
However, I would make sure it has at least six USB, one serial, and one parallel port

[Maria102]

I've bought two systems from comet, although my current one I cold have bought from comet but found it cheaper elsewhere
If you do buy from comet, do NOT purchase one that is on display, if they advise you that they don't have any in stock then say "Thank you very much, but not at that price", haggle at least 15% off (to take into account wear and tear) or 10% and five year warranty

You don't need a tower system that has everything, even just a basic one at £200 will be enough for five years
Even the systems I use on BOS only have a CD-R drive, very few have more than two front USB ports
However, I would make sure it has at least six USB, one serial, and one parallel port


Righto, thanks chaps........I was just using comet as an example, ie anywhere..I bought an ex display a while ago and got 10% off.

So really, I buy the kit and then just need to find suitable software?

[retailworld]

I'd look for the software first - then build your kit around it, as the software will probably be the most expensive part. I'll have a quick Google for you now...

[retailworld]

Just found this which may help Maria:

http://www.intelligentretail.co.uk/host.jsp?pg=how-to-buy-EPoS-Electronic-Point-Of-Sale.html&desc=How%20to%20buy%20EPoS

Had a lok at Bleep - they seem ok too.

[m8internet]

Why pay for the EPOS software, loads of freeware versions?
You could temporarily try these on the laptop, see what looks and works well
You could also load the database with either your own PLU codes, or with some EANs from the kitchen!

[Maria102]

Thanks guys..

Someone at at work is selling a pc:
Hewlitt Packard PC with flat screen monitor with windows XP...intel celeron 2.2ghz
256 Mgb RAM

Quite basic, but only £60 - would that be any use? or is that just going a bit too much the other way?

[Maria102]

Thanks guys..

Someone at at work is selling a pc:
Hewlitt Packard PC with flat screen monitor with windows XP...intel celeron 2.2ghz
256 Mgb RAM

Quite basic, but only £60 - would that be any use? or is that just going a bit too much the other way?

Scrub my last post, my husband has joint pointed out my errant ways - we have one better than this that we don't use!

Had a quick look on ebay, what do you think about the refurbished EPOS tills on there? there's one for £570 that looks quite good?

[m8internet]

I too was looking at what was available on eBay UK a few weeks ago
To me they seem expensive, a basic PC setup including software would be half of that

We really need to know if EPOS is appropriate for your business...
How many unique items / barcodes?
Will every item have a barcode?
How many customers do you expect to serve per hour?

I am amazed at the number of hairdressers that have such systems, when there isn't any need apart from a basic till
My local hairdresser dosn't even have a till, if you want a receipt you get a lovely handwritten card!

[Maria102]

I too was looking at what was available on eBay UK a few weeks ago
To me they seem expensive, a basic PC setup including software would be half of that

We really need to know if EPOS is appropriate for your business...
How many unique items / barcodes?
Will every item have a barcode?
How many customers do you expect to serve per hour?

I am amazed at the number of hairdressers that have such systems, when there isn't any need apart from a basic till
My local hairdresser dosn't even have a till, if you want a receipt you get a lovely handwritten card!

Unique items,at least 300.
Some accessories could use the same barcode, but enter the quantity?
Customers per hour, difficult one - maybe four, double for a saturday...actually, have no idea about the answer to that question.:confused:

[m8internet]

With 300 lines and a customer count that low, I personally wouldn't consider EPOS at this stage

So long as you know what the price and category of each item, then a traditional till will be sufficient

If you are looking at inventory control, then it would be cheaper to simply perform a stock count every month and compare
If you don't need inventory control, then there is definitely no need for EPOS at this stage

[bovine]

you missed a tier of tills. There are basic tills where you key in a price and hit a category. Then at the other end you have EPOS (which i personally believe is a vague term that actually means nothing but is generally used to refer to a pc-based scanning system). In between these you have preset priced tills. Even most basic tills now can accept a couple of thousand of items by product code with some basic tills also accepting scanning - Casio SES2000 is a good example. These tills are sub-£400, buy a scanner and away you go. Get the scanner from a casio dealer, it would need to be wired properly.

Then you have barcoding with category reports without the hassle of pc based systems. The low end casio even come with basic utility software (nudge the dealer to get it for free, but expect to pay for an interface cable.) that way you can keep a backup.

To clarify my position, i own a cash register/epos reseller company and know a bit about the sme end of the market. PC based is generally not the best way to go initially. Some till based systems can be linked to VERY good back office software.
dont go down the internet route - a knowledgeavle reseller can really help

[Havensys]

There is so much information out there to work your way through.
Have you found anything suitable?
Has your store opened yet?

[Maria102]

Yes, it is a minefield and no we haven't found anything yet - to help us narrow it down, we want a computer in the shop, so it will be whatever we can link to that.

We haven't opened yet as we had some crap news this week, the landlady cancelled the lease on us the week were moving in so we are looking at somewhere else on Monday :(

[retailworld]

We haven't opened yet as we had some crap news this week, the landlady cancelled the lease on us the week were moving in so we are looking at somewhere else on Monday :(

That was nice of her :mad:

Are you looking in the same area?

[Maria102]

That was nice of her :mad:

Are you looking in the same area?

It was hideous! yes, still the same area - and the other one may be a better bet really, though not speaking too soon...:rolleyes:

[Havensys]

Hopefully the new place will be a better offering.

With regards to the system you are trying to look for, let narrow it down to what you will need.
How many members of staff will there be using your till and taking payment?
Do you want chip and pin or just taking cash / cheque?
Will you be using barcodes or just selling by item?
Are you wanting to access reports to see items sold, employee transactions, audit reports etc?

Its best to try and look at your needs at base a system from that.

Danielle
Haven Systems Ltd
www.haven-systems.co.uk

[Maria102]

Hopefully the new place will be a better offering.

With regards to the system you are trying to look for, let narrow it down to what you will need.
How many members of staff will there be using your till and taking payment?
Do you want chip and pin or just taking cash / cheque?
Will you be using barcodes or just selling by item?
Are you wanting to access reports to see items sold, employee transactions, audit reports etc?

Its best to try and look at your needs at base a system from that.

Danielle
Haven Systems Ltd
www.haven-systems.co.uk

There will be probably just me and one other person using the till
Chip and Pin certainly, I don't think many people take cheques now?
Barcodes
Reports showing items sold, items remaining audit reportss

[Havensys]

OK. I would recommend looking for an EPOS (Electronic Point of Sale) system.
In general systems come with the screen, cashdrawer and receipt printer all integrated.
Barcode readers and Chip and PIN terminals can also be integrated to the system so it provides an overall package rather than individual components.

A back office will be set up (if you have a pc or laptop - this should be sufficient) and this can either be based at your outlet or you can have remote access to view from anywhere you chose. From here you will add your items / barcodes / prices etc, you can create promotional price bands and discounts on items or pre set for different time periods.
It is here you will also be able to view reports - you can select the days and time period you would like to view and chose from a selection of reports such as sales by item, returns, refunds, items remaining etc etc

I hope some of this information is helpful to you, but just ask if there is anything I will try and help.

[Imonggo]

Hi Maria102

You can try out our software (sorry I am biased) called Imonggo. Its a FREE EPOS. Its risk free on your side.

http://www.imonggo.com

[iposltd]

Hi Maria,

These days the most popular types of systems at the point of the sale are the integrated touchscreen solutions. I would suggest a Tysso 5700 (http://www.iposltd.com/products/tysso/POS5700.html). Of course you will need a back office system to manage all the reporting, re-ordering and stock management. For that you can use any old PC but I would suggest it at least has 1GB of RAM. Also, the network infrastructure has to be fairly good. You don't really want to go wireless as it is prone to going down from time to time. However, each till will operate with a local clone of the back office and flush the update when the connection comes back. Comforting, eh?

The software that you want to use largely depends on the type of industry you are in, such as retail, hospitality, newsagent, etc. Also, if the install would be large enough you can always lean on the suppliers for development on the software itself if you have any specific needs... I would talk to a consultant (http://iposltd.com) for more information.

Hope that helps.

[solidsilver]

Hi Maria102

You can try out our software (sorry I am biased) called Imonggo. Its a FREE EPOS. Its risk free on your side.

http://www.imonggo.com

From what I have seen on the website this looks really good. One of many questions though what happens if your internet connection is down one day

[yingxuy]

If they remind you, they will not have any stock, and then said: "Thank you very much, but at this price is not a" bargain, at least 15% discount (taking into account wear and tear) or 10%, five-year warranty.

[ssuk]

There are a number of things to consider, and as you state it is a minefield. Some initial thoughts should include:

What do you want the system to do? (pure sales, stock management, staff management etc.)
How many systems do you need now? Are you planning to grow and need further systems later?
Do you require integration with your e-commerce website?
Do you ave any cosmetic preferences?
What is your budget?
Can the hardware support (power) the software?
Do you intend to use a PC based system or a dedicated EPOS terminal?

The list is endless. We have a free 'guide to buying EPOS which I am happy to send you, It may help you with some questions for potential suppliers, or I am happy to discuss over the phone. sean@softwaresolutionsuk.com 0161 669 4425, 07545578978, www.softwaresolutionsuk.com

[Mike]

You should also consider such questions as:
How much time you can invest in learning and training?
Which type of support you require?
Merchant services integration?
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