Starting a small business is a notoriously difficult challenge. Even so, every day, brave entrepreneurs all across the U.S. work hard to get their businesses off the ground. That’s how there are over 30 million small businesses in the U.S. today. Small businesses are the lifeblood of the American economy, and they depend on the hard work and smart decisions of the people who own and manage them. Once you’ve established your small business, you have to continue to work hard to grow your company and help it succeed. The most forward-thinking small business owners are always on the lookout for ways to run their operations more efficiently and satisfy both their customers and their employees. One way many small business owners are doing this is by getting an all-in-one POS system. POS stands for point of sale. The point of sale is where the transaction takes place between you and your customer. An all-in-one POS system typically includes the following components, which are all made to function synchronously:
Register terminal screen
Customer-facing screen
Barcode scanner
Credit card reader
Cash register
Receipt printer
The way the checkout process works is your customer’s last impression of your business before they leave. You want this process to be positive for them, and you want it to be positive for you and your employees as well. In addition to facilitating this process effectively and efficiently to leave individual customers and employees happy with their experience, an all-in-one POS system allows you to enjoy a whole host of benefits that can have a long-term positive effect on your business. In this post, we’ll look at five different reasons why you should consider an all-in-one POS system for your business. If you want your business to succeed now and in the future, keep reading to learn more.
1. It Takes Advantage of Current Technology
Retail stores that focus on technology in their products may be more conscious of incorporating technology into their businesses, but many other types of small businesses may need more convincing to see why they should worry about keeping up with cutting-edge technology in their business. You don’t want to adopt technology just because. Advancements in technology are all about improving the way you accomplish everyday tasks, and checking out customers is no exception. Customers are used to high-tech solutions in larger companies, and they bring those same expectations to smaller businesses. Additionally, as we all become used to using our smartphones and other tech devices, employees can quickly become frustrated with a system that feels outdated. With an all-in-one POS system, you can enjoy a combination of integrated hardware and software that works seamlessly together to provide a comprehensive solution for the POS process. The whole system appears similar to the more manual system many people are used to, but it’s capable of so much more. Here are a few ways the NRS all-in-one POS system integrates current technology:
State-of-the-Art Software: The software that is integrated into our all-in-one POS systems help you manage your store using data analytics and tools. What’s more, this software automatically receives new updates as they come out that leaves it working even better, with new and improved features.
Alternative Payment Methods: The credit card processor accepts credit cards, debit cards and EBT as well as all other payment types, including Apple and Google Pay. This is important since mobile proximity payments are becoming increasingly common. There are currently about 55 million users, and that number is expected to reach 60 million very soon.
Customer-Facing Display: While customers are checking out, instead of feeling impatient or distracted, they can be engaged with the high-definition customer-facing screen. You can feature custom ads on this screen to inform customers about upcoming specials or sales events. No matter what you choose to display, this high-tech addition will be sure to capture the attention of your customers.
Mobile App: A huge advantage of a high-tech POS system is that you don’t have to be in your store to access information from it. Our mobile app, My NRS Store, allows you to use the internet to access all of your POS systems from anywhere. This isn’t a view-only feature, either. If you want to manage things from afar, you can do that through the app.
Now, you may own a bakery, hair salon or dollar store. It doesn’t matter. These high-tech features can be beneficial for any business.
2. It’s User-Friendly
When something is high-tech, you might worry that it will be confusing or overly-complicated to use. That may be the case with some types of technology, but the exact opposite is true in this case. An all-in-one POS system is designed to be easy to use, for customers, employees and you. Here’s how an all-in-one POS system is user-friendly for each of these participants:
For the Customer: With the NRS POS+ System, the customer benefits from the high-definition display that faces them. This feature is especially important for a retail store. On this display, in addition to advertisements, they can see items that the cashier rings up along with their prices and any discounts that apply. They can see a running total for all of their items as well.
For Employees: Whether managing the POS system or checking out customers, the touch-screen monitor is intuitive to use. Our NRS System features a large, high-definition monitor with an interface that’s easy to understand. The screen even faces up at an angle to allow employees a more comfortable operating experience.
For Owners or Managers: Just as the POS+ system makes checking out customers a breeze, it’s just as easy to use for helping to manage the business. The mobile app makes it even more convenient for business owners and managers who aren’t always on site to work on the POS system in their store(s).
When it comes to an all-in-one POS system, don’t hesitate to adopt new technology because you fear it will make things more complicated. That couldn’t be farther from the truth in this case. An all-in-one system allows customers, employees and employers alike to benefit from the simplicity and ease of use it offers.
3. It Will Eliminate Guesswork
A lot goes on behind the scenes to keep a small business running smoothly. Take, for instance, a clothing store. In addition to the routine tasks of restocking shelves and checking out customers, managers have to pay attention to trends within the business. They have to know how their sales are doing overall and how their individual products are doing. Maybe there are some clothing styles and items customers can’t get enough of, while others are merely taking up room on the shelf. When business owners want to check on the health of their business or track their trajectory, they turn to sales data. POS systems allow you to log this data on an ongoing basis and allow you to access it in real-time or however often you wish on a digital dashboard. Instead of using unreliable methods to track sales data, you can count on the information to provide accurate insight into how your business is doing. Because the various parts of the system are all integrated, you don’t need to transfer data from one device to another, either. It’s all right there for you. It isn’t just sales metrics you want to track through your POS system. Inventory management is another area that can benefit from the accuracy and precision of an all-in-one POS system. Rather than using manual or low-tech methods to keep track of inventory, with an updated POS system, you can use the software to input and group items and keep track of what inventory you have in stock. You can also use your sales metrics to see what products are more popular and may need to be reordered more frequently and what products you may want to discontinue carrying. With the NRS POS+ system, you can view an inventory screen that tells you for each product in your inventory whether the stock level is OK, whether it’s getting low or whether you need to reorder now. With no more than a glance, you can know how to keep your stock well-managed — no guesswork needed.
4. It Can Save You Money
So many decisions business owners make come down to the financial implications. We all want to minimize costs and maximize gains. Financial cost is one of the reasons some business owners may not adopt an all-in-one POS system for their company. A survey by Business.com asked small business owners a series of questions about technology in their businesses. When asked Why haven’t you adopted more business technology? and What are your biggest tech adoption challenges? in both cases, the most popular answer was that it was too expensive. Adopting new technology typically does come with an initial cost, but this doesn’t take into account the potential for long-term savings. With an all-in-one POS system, your business can actually save money. For new operations that don’t yet have a POS system, purchasing an all-in-one system is likely to be cheaper than buying components separately. If you already have a POS system, you could still save money by switching to an all-in-one system. Legacy systems that are not designed to encompass all aspects of your business’s sales, which often leave you having to find other ways to integrate the different systems. In many cases, this means you or an employee spends valuable time manually transferring data. You end up with a loss in productivity, which directly translates to a loss in finances, along with the potential for inaccuracies. If you want to save some time, the cost to custom-integrate different applications is extremely high. Additionally, software updates that come out for either the POS or the inventory management system won’t be synced. Another way an all-in-one POS can save you money is in the simplified maintenance. When all parts of your POS system are from a single vendor, you don’t have to pay for various vendors to perform maintenance or replace components of your system separately. These are just a few ways you can save with an all-in-one POS system.
5. It Can Grow With Your Business
When you own a small business, whether it’s brand new or has a solid history, you may be looking to grow. If so, it’s important to consider scalability in every purchase and decision you make. When it comes to choosing the right POS system, it’s essential that you select one that can accommodate your business’s growth rather than cause problems if your business expands. If you own a convenience store that is doing well and research shows you that you could have another successful location a few blocks or miles away, then you want to be able to take advantage of that opportunity. Whether your business grows to encompass more products, moves to a larger location or opens up additional locations, you want your current POS system to work in all of these scenarios. If you have different components from different vendors, and you want to replicate this system at other check-out counters or in other locations, you are looking at a complicated and expensive process. When all components are integrated and can form a POS network that includes all the units you own, even across different retail locations, you continue to have a centralized way of managing your business and checking out customers. The mobile app that NRS offers helps to facilitate managing the full scope of your POS system from anywhere. If you hire new employees, you don’t need to spend excessive amounts of time training them on a complicated, outdated system that includes several different components. Instead, employees will likely learn how to operate the system quickly and easily. The simplicity and precision of the system can also help prevent employees from making mistakes. If you are in the more than half of small businesses that plan to grow this year, then you want your POS system to grow with you, and it can when you have an all-in-one POS system.
Why You Should Choose the World’s Greatest POS System
Any all-in-one POS system would be a major upgrade for small businesses, but that doesn’t mean they’re all created equal. At National Retail Solutions, we understand what our clients need out of a POS system, and we’ve designed our POS+ system accordingly. Our system is innovative and easy to use to help you get the most out of cutting-edge technology. You can enjoy the benefits we’ve already discussed here, and you also gain access to BR Club — a nationwide loyalty program for independent retailers. This program allows you to encourage customer loyalty by rewarding repeat customers who visit your business. Our system, rated Best High-End POS System, is innovative and easy to use to help you get the most out of cutting-edge technology. It isn’t just the best, it’s also the best value on the market, so you can be sure your investment will pay off quickly. Learn more about the POS+ or contact us today for a free quote. We’re here to help your small business succeed!
