So, your grocery store business is starting to unravel at the seams with each passing day. The day’s takings don’t tally up. Customers are constantly complaining about items being out of stock – it was the milk a fortnight ago, the canned sardines last week, and just two days ago, even a certain brand of bottled water! What about the time your cheeks turn red with embarrassment when a customer pointed to a shelf full of expired, moldy bread? Things just keep getting worse and now you’re sick with worry trying to figure out how to dig yourself out of this mess.
It’s a quarter past midnight and you’re still Googling articles on how to revamp businesses that are on its last legs. An article on point-of-sale (POS) technology caught your eye and you decide to take a closer look. Glancing through the article, phrases like ‘automated inventory management’ and ‘keeps track of item prices’ piqued your interest and you know you’re on to something. You’re convinced that the article is going to help kickstart your business revamp and you intend to make it your mission to find out about POS marketing and the best POS software available. So, you scrolled back up and start reading…
Kickstarting a revamp is always going to be daunting. We can get comfortable and get used to certain ways of doing things and this might not be great for the business. Perhaps it might be time to sit down and change things up. Revamping your business, will only do great things for your company.
Let the team here at ThunderQuote help you do that today!
Less waiting time = happier customers
A long waiting line at the checkout counter is the bane of all customers, and this is made 10 times worse during peak periods such as weekends and public holidays. To keep checkout lines short, invest in a complete, and the best – POS software available. These usually come with basics such as the cash register and receipt printer, and are integrated with POS support equipment such as bar-code scanners and credit card readers – one that it is designed to have a quick response time.
This not only improves the pricing accuracy of your products, but gives customers a choice on their preferred mode of payment, whether it’s cash or credit card. In short, having the right POS technology on hand guarantees business efficiency in the form of quick turnaround times – quicker transactions mean happier customers!
Better inventory management = better business decisions
So now that you’ve got your waiting time issues solved, what about that stale bread at the bakery section and not being able to keep track of how many bottles of Evian left? The best POS software today have built-in inventory management capabilities that allow you to keep track of inventory levels in real time. Items that are purchased are automatically deducted from the inventory in real time, ensuring that your records are up-to-date.
The best POS software will also alert you when a certain product is running low, update the inventory as additional items arrive, account for back-orders, and produce purchase orders for vendors. Other POS support features include the ability to keep track of sales histories and analyse sales data. With these features, you will be able to know which items are your best or worst sellers, and subsequently adjust your buying decisions and purchasing levels accordingly. Successful businesses are businesses that have their affairs in order, and those whose owners are constantly on the ball when it comes to the numbers game. So get out there and start browsing for the best POS software available today!
Happy employees = happy customers
Do you find that you not only have trouble keeping track of your store goods, you’re also having a hard time with errant employees who don’t show up on time? With POS technology to help you along, you’ll have your employees in order in no time at all. Current POS support capabilities allow you to keep track of employee attendance and clock in times so you’ll never have to worry about errant staff or being shorthanded. The best POS software will also be able to keep track of employee over time and calculate monthly salaries so you’ll be able to keep your finances in order and pay your employees on time, every time!
More sales = More profits
With your employee and inventory troubles out of the way, you can now concentrate on raising your sales figures! There is a myriad of POS marketing strategies that are guaranteed to help you net the sales you need to keep your business afloat. But first, what is POS marketing, you may ask? Well, POS marketing is basically efforts that increase sales at the point of purchase, and in this case, it’s probably your cash register.
One of the most common tactics of POS marketing is merchandise display, which involves placing candy bars, chocolates, magazines and other knick-knacks near the checkout counter so that customers waiting in line to pay will be tempted to buy some (even though they don’t particularly need it!). Research shows that the turnover of products near checkout counters is typically three times as high as the same products on a shelf elsewhere in the store, and in high-traffic supermarkets, that number goes up to 64!
Merchandise display is, of course, the most common method of POS marketing but you can also up your sales figures by using other POS marketing methods such as signages (if you have a lot of wall space), advertising on receipts, and suggestive selling by the retailer at the POS. If you have a bigger budget, consider upping your POS marketing game by using video and digital signage that’s guaranteed to get your customers’ attention!
Before you decide to employ these POS marketing methods though, you’ll need to first identify your end goal. Are you looking to sell off overstocked items, highlight a particular brand, product line or food item, or get your customers interested in a new product? Knowing what your goals are will help you identify the POS marketing methods that best suit your needs.
Next, you’ll need to also consider the layout of your premises – including the paths to the POS – and decide on the best display options to use. Counter displays should be kept small, so as to not block the line-of-sight between the cashier and the customer. Also, consider your checkout lines. Most neighbourhood retails shops have one line per register, while hypermarkets or supermarkets with bigger premises will have one line for several registers. This setup allows you to display diverse types of merchandise along all the lines, thereby enticing your customers to give in to that urge for candy, or buy something just for the fun of it because they find it boring waiting for their turn to pay!
Now that you’ve read up on these golden tips and tricks on POS marketing and are in-the-know about the best POS software available out there, go ahead and revamp your business and bring in the big bucks!
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