Cash is Not King: Why POS Systems Dominate Asian Retail Markets

There was a time when cash was king and everyone shopped in brick and mortar stores. With the advent of technology and the Internet, that is no longer the case, and one area that illustrates this point effectively in the Asian market. Japan is home to one of the largest mature e-commerce markets in the entire world. Unbelievably, over 73 million people there shop online, with e-commerce penetration at a staggering 97 percent. That means almost everyone in Japan shops online.

mobile pos software

In China, the story is similar, with 46 percent of the people there using the Internet, mostly to shop online.…

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Why You Need to Hang on to Troublesome Customers

We’ve all been there at one point or another in business: dealing with a mean, snarly, over-bearing, impossible-to-satisfy customer that seems hell-bent on milking every last dime of profit from your business.

As a business owner, it’s so easy to focus on these “PIA” customers: concluding that telling them to “hit the bricks” is the only sensible solution. They exist in your world only to waste your time and money, and generally put you and your employees in a bad mood.

Nagging customer

The good…

Mr. Jones makes his purchase and you never hear from him again until he lavishes you with yet another order every month.…

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Five Trendsetting Retail Markets to Watch Out For

Emerging markets are difficult to contain, especially in a retail sphere where everyone is warmly welcomed. But, not all adventure-seekers are created equal. There are those that will stand out from the rest and will struggle before disappearing before the public’s eyes. And, it’s a bloodbath out there.

Zara

The retail industry has experienced tectonic shifts within the last 10 years. Those who survived paid a good price, but are now enjoying success after success. Leaders equipped and empowered their workforce with retail resources and trainings to keep up with the competition.

This year, retailers are looking at market trends that will predominantly dictate the pace of the game.…

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5 Ways Mobile Point-of-Sale Systems are Improving the Retail Experience

A recent study by Yankee Group found that more and more businesses are trading in their traditional cash registers for sleeker mobile point-of-sale systems. It appears that smartphone dongles and iPad POS terminals aren’t just for food trucks or neighborhood boutiques–they’re for businesses of all shapes and sizes.

mobile pos software

In fact retailers seem to have really embraced mobile POS systems this year. According to the Yankee Group survey, 61% of U.S. merchants with over 500 employees have either already deployed mPOS technology or are planning to do so within the next 12 months.

Is it time for your business to follow suit?…

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10 Reasons Why Brand Training Is Important For Your Employees

10 Reasons Why Brand Training Is Important For Your Employees

Most companies provide initial orientation training, where employees learn about the company’s brand. After this, they get few opportunities to form a cohesive bond with the company’s brand.   In this article, we explain why ongoing brand training is important for your employees.

1. In-house Brand Ambassadors

If you want your employees to sell your brand to clients, you have to first sell your brand to them. Arm them with the knowledge, skills and expertise to represent your brand the way you want it represented. Watch them transform them into whole-hearted brand ambassadors for your business.

2. Greater Involvement

Your employees will feel greater loyalty towards your brand and feel more involved when you personally train them on your brand.…

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Point Of Sale Systems – Automating Your Business For Greater Efficiency

The constant pealing of the cash register, that distinct “cha-ching” sound, may spell success for an entrepreneur. But there are several reasons why the death knell has been rung countless times for the cash register.

For one, cash registers are one-trick ponies. Apart from registering sales, they are not much good for the host of other needs an entrepreneur faces, particularly in managing a retail system.

Whether a particular business owner is handling just one business outlet or has expanded into a few branches, point of sale systems can help him effectively manage his business operation. One particular aspect of running a business where a good POS system can help is in the area of inventory.…

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Are You Ordering From A Legitimate Website?

In today’s society, anyone can create a website and sell products online. It’s turned into a fairly simple process – so much so, that more and more spammers find their way into the e-commerce world – and your computing device – every day. If you aren’t careful, you’ll really end up paying for it later.

Using security software – e.g. SearchLock – to protect your online activities and detect problem websites can help, but with so many misleading information (such as SearchLock that is accused as being malware) it’s not an easy task for you to decide.

Are You Ordering From A Legitimate Website?

Here are some tips for avoiding illegitimate online sellers:

Before you even consider pressing “Add To Cart” it’s important to look at the quality and design of the website.…

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Setting Up Point of Sale (POS) Software

If you run any sort of retail business, you are almost certainly already using some sort of point of sale (POS) system. The old-fashioned cash register, limited as it is, is a very basic POS system. However, current computer technology means today’s POS systems can be extremely powerful, allowing adaptation to many different business models and maximizing flexibility in operations.

In addition to reporting that can present sales data in a dizzying array of formats, you can introduce such innovations as loyalty programs with specialized pricing. Though it might seem daunting, setting up point of sale software is actually relatively easy.…

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Top Tracking Tools to Monitor Your Online Marketing Efforts

Putting up an online store can be one of the best business decisions made in this digital age, considering the ever-increasing number of people willing to buy products and services over the Internet. However, having an e-commerce website isn’t enough, as it doesn’t guarantee an increase in sales without the proper marketing strategy in place to drive more people to the site.

Top Tracking Tools to Monitor Your Online Marketing Efforts

To build a winning strategy, a business needs to have a good foundation based on hard numbers about their target audience’s engagement with them. This is why tracking online traffic is necessary. Thankfully, there are a couple of great tools that can be utilized to do just that and more.…

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How SMBs Can Profile Their Typical Customer

How SMBs Can Profile Their Typical Customer

Many marketing plans fail because they try to attract everyone and don’t focus on anyone. These faulty plans result in companies selling products that customers don’t want. Thing is, most customers aren’t even at the center of the feedback loop. Even worse, most customers will tell you what they want, if you would just ask.

Making the sketch

Start by surveying your existing client base (no matter how small) to understand future buyers better. Contrary to popular belief, this doesn’t have to be a costly process. There are free tools such as Google Docs and MailChimp that let you create a survey and distribute it easily and affordably.…

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