epos_lightspeed

 

What Is a Point-of-Sale (POS) System?

 

You may think of point-of-sale (PoS) systems as just ordinary cash registers, but they"re evolving to do much more. They can integrate with mobile devices and cloud services and satisfy the software and hardware requirements of users. In addition, you can use them with back-end accounting systems and credit card payment processors. Many small to midsize businesses (SMBs) are using these types of cloud-enabled POS services without the need to keep a physical back-end server in multiple locations.

 

EPOS system for restaurant now integrate more seamlessly with other back-end applications such as customer relationship management (CRM) and inventory management.

 

While there are several kinds of payment processing solutions available, including credit card readers and various new mobile payment methods, the POS systems we reviewed are full-on cash registers. This means they communicate with back-end accounting software and can handle multiple kinds of payments.

 

Despite the cash register motif, however, when people talk about POS systems, they"re mostly referring to the software, which could be client-based or cloud-based. That"s because it"s the software that lets you track sales, issue receipts, and perform back-office functions. Such functions include replacing inventory, tracking employee productivity, and noting what sells and what doesn"t. The POS systems we reviewed are predominantly focused on SMBs that sell from one to 25 outlets, although a few may handle up to 100.

 

Another important aspect of POS software is broad support for new payment systems. Your customers may be primarily using one or two payment methods now, but give how quickly payment options can change, those customers may be asking for new options soon. It"s best to have a POS system in place that has payment flexibility built-in rather than having to swap out a new system. If you"re wondering what kinds of payment options your POS should support, consider the chart of popular brick-and-mortar payment methods compiled by market research firm Statista from a consumer survey the firm conducted in March 2019.

 

Most Popular Consumer Payment Methods, 2018-2019

 

Business - Statista - Popular Consumer Payment Methods 2018-2019

(Image credit: Statista)

 

Key Software Features

 

The point of a good POS system is to let you get paid for products and services. There are a variety of ways that people get paid today and your POS system should handle all of the methods you need, including cash, checks, and credit and debit cards. Some, but not all, also accept "contactless" payment types, such as Amazon Pay or Apple Pay.

 

An important factor to note is that the introduction of Europay, MasterCard, and Visa (EMV), or chipped cards, has complicated things somewhat for small vendors. EMV is the standard that is said to provide more security than the swipe-and-sign tech we"ve been using for the past decade or so. The ability to "dip" these cards means additional or new hardware for which some POS systems charge a bit extra.

 

 

 

All businesses want to save money and time while simultaneously increasing productivity and driving sales.

 

As a way to handle the increasing demand of larger numbers of customers and products, EPOS systems are becoming commonplace for most retailers.

 

But what is an EPOS system, and how does it actually work?

What is an EPOS system?

 

EPOS System is an acronym for Electronic Point of Sale. At its most basic, it can be thought of as an electronic system used by retailers to handle customer sales. There are many benefits that an electronic point of sale system has to offer businesses. They"re quick, accurate, easy to use, and they can handle a large volume of sales without sacrificing payment security or accuracy.

 

In essence an EPOS system will enable you to log any sales, take payments, make refunds and exchanges, apply discounts and promotions, sell and take gift vouchers and track stock.

 

A good EPOS system will make the day-to-day running of your retail business easy, by simplifying your daily processes, increasing transaction speeds and by improving the quality and accuracy of your service. It will also allow you to gain important insight into almost every aspect of your business, providing you with business intelligence so that you can make smart business decisions about what"s selling, what"s not, when and how.

How does an EPOS system work?

 

An EPOS system is essentially a number of different hardware, software and peripherals that are connected to facilitate a transaction. Common elements include point of sale software, a cash register or Till, CHIP and PIN readers, barcode reader and receipt printers.

 

EPOS systems can be used for both physical retailers and eCommerce platforms with equal effectiveness. An EPOS system, such as ShopTill-e, can be customised with individual branding and designs before being integrated into a website to handle online sales.

 

A good EPOS system can help you manage your staff easily, providing them with their own individual logins, multiple user accounts can be set up, with different access rights, enabling you to keep track.

What can EPOS systems do?

 

An EPOS system is configurable to the needs of the business owner. An EPOS system should be able to synchronise the handling of customer transactions with stock management into one seamless process.

 

Every time an item is bought, the EPOS logs it and re-calibrates stock numbers accordingly. When the stock falls under a certain threshold the system will provide a notification that the product in question is in short supply.

 

Ultimately an EPOS system is whatever a retailer wants it to be. It can handle simple transactions or it can be a part of a comprehensive integrated management system. EPOS systems allow for much faster and more accurate transactions and staff are able to handle a larger volume of sales, in a more efficient manner.

Making the right choice

 

A professionally designed EPOS system is essential to facilitate continued brand growth and at ShopTill-e.com we understand that finding the right EPOS system is essential to supporting your business and its growth.

 

With ShopTill-e.com, not only will it help you efficiently process orders, track stock, manage customers and more, across all your sales channels, but you will also get our years of experience in working with retailers who sell both in-store and online, to offer you the best possible advice. 

 

We"re not here to sell you extras as everything already comes as standard! View the ePOS system features page to see for yourself. We"re here to help and support you on your retail journey.

 

For an EPOS system that"s reliable and intuitive, as well as providing great support, try ShopTill-e in your business today!  

 

Livening in Nottingham I need to manage a business that conducts sales, the first thing come to my mind is a point of sales(Epos). You have probably at least considered the advantages of a Point-of-Sale system (POS), or most likely you’re already using one. Here a good Epos system in Nottingham.

 

Brick and mortar shops have traditionally used conventional POS systems to facilitate the checkout process, collect payment from the customer, and log/print relevant receipt data. However, a recent wave of electronic Point-of-Sale (ePOS) systems has set a new standard for sales process management, combining the convenience of eCommerce, mobile device compatibility, and a software-based approach that’s vastly superior to the analogical hardware-based POS systems of the past.

 

With that said, here are 12 straightforward reasons why every company should consider upgrading to an ePOS:

1. Accepting the Widest Range of Payment Methods

 

With card swiping dongles making it easy for offline customers to slide their card anywhere, and online payment processing that can accept almost any form of payment, an ePOS can equip your company to collect payments from as many customers as possible. Want to accept foreign currencies, direct bank transfers, funds from a payment processing account? All of those possibilities are within reach using a versatile system like Vend POS or Shopify’s POS – see the following websites for more information https://www.vendhq.com/uk and https://www.shopify.com/pos/retail

 

Of course, the ability to accept more payment methods will directly translate to more sales because you won’t be losing any customers on this front.

2. Ability to Distribute and Accept Store Gift Cards

 

An ePOS can also position you to offer and accept virtual and physical gift cards that can be customised to your liking. This will increase the likelihood of return business and referrals because people will be practically obligated to spend the funds with your store after they’ve loaded the money onto one of your gift cards. Of course, gift-giving and sharing are also great for spreading brand advocacy and awareness.

3. Compatibility with Digital Shopping Carts

 

The best EPOS system for your business has a robust shopping cart system that customers use to select and pay for items. For businesses that conduct both offline and online sales, an ePOS can centralise online shopping cart data into the same interface that’s used to manage offline sales. Advanced ePOS solutions like Vend are designed to seamlessly integrate with the leading digital shopping carts for a streamlined customer experience that facilitates a high rate of satisfaction and loyalty.

4. Better Inventory Management

 

Instead of splitting inventory management into an entirely separate department, an ePOS continually updates this data in real-time as each purchase is made. In fact, the system can even be set to issue an alert notification when items are running low and need to be restocked. In this way, the ePOS can raise your bottom line by preventing a reduction in sales caused by out of stock inventory.

5. Accurate Accounting and Analysis

 

With more detailed inventory and receipt tracking built into the system, an ePOS allows for the utmost accuracy and consistency in your company’s accounting practices. Likewise, this data can also be used to enhance sales analysis, to spot discrepancies and opportunities for improvement. Plus, accounting data from all stores and sites can be displayed within a single administrative interface for an all-inclusive representation of your brand’s finances as a whole.

6. Pursuing Projected Sales Targets

 

Comprehensive ePOS systems like Vend also make it possible to set specific sales targets and objectives for stores and employees. You can track individual employee performance to identify your strongest and weakest links on your team, while also assessing overall store results on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. Thus, these systems provide powerful goal-oriented initiatives and valuable insights that can be used as primary points of focus during corporate meetings and conferences.

7. Connecting the Management of Multiple Stores

 

Instead of having to merge databases and add up the revenue and other stats of each individual location, companies can use an ePOS to bring all of this information together under a single umbrella. A centralised sales management approach is ideal for any business that currently has multiple locations or plans on expanding in the near future. Likewise, companies that operate online stores in conjunction with a single offline location can also benefit from this functionality.

 

 

You can scroll down this and find the information required - just as you would look down a printed receipt. If you are only looking for a particular detail, this can save you having to waste paper each time you need to check a past receipt. Pressing No will send the reprinted receipt to the printer.

Viewing Transactions

With its powerful use of graphics, the CES EPOS software allows you to view details of certain transactions on the screen exactly as though you had printed them out and were reading a receipt or report.

This feature can be used when looking at the receipt for a previous transaction (see Printing & Reprinting Receipts), or when using the Till Reconciliation function.

It is particularly useful for viewing long reports (such as Till Reconciliations) that you may not need to print out at the time. If you are searching for a particular detail, and do not need to print out the full report, then you can access the information you require quickly and easily - and without wasting paper.

When viewing the receipt for a previous transaction, the screen will resemble the following.

This box enables you to see an exact on-screen copy of the receipt that the customer received, and lets you scroll down the receipt to view all of it.

When printing a Till Reconciliation to the screen rather than the printer, the box that you see will resemble the following.

This box allows you to see the contents of the Cash Drawer for that particular terminal in as much detail as you require. It is an exact replica of the Till Reconciliation report that you would have printed out, and you can scroll down the report to view all of it.

F2 Datasearch Key

The F2 Datasearch key is one of the most useful keys in the entire CES SoftwareEPOS system. If at any point within the program you need to search for a record (either a stock item, or a customer record), then this key will prove to be very valuable.

Having this key at your disposal will mean that you can always sell every product that exists on your system - regardless of whether the barcode exists or not, whether you are not sure what the product is, or any other reason.

Pressing the F2 Datasearch key brings up a fully customisable screen from which you can select any item of stock that exists on your system.

Customising the Search

You can configure the Stock Search screen to change the order in which the information is displayed. This can be done by clicking with the mouse in the header of the column that you wish to move and, with the mouse button pressed, dragging it to the position where you would like to have it. You can also expand and contract the width of the columns by placing your cursor on the right hand edge of the header where it will change to a double arrow. You can then click and drag to change the width.

Finding a Product

In the Stock Search screen, you can choose to search for the product in a number of different ways. The first of these is by using the Function Keys.

Because you can configure the screen as described above, the contents of the columns Each of the different columns have a Function Key stated next door to the title. For example you can sort on the Product Code by pressing F2 and on Category 1 by pressing F4.

You can also select any of these by clicking the mouse cursor on the appropriate tab at the top of the screen (the selected tab will be red in colour).

Once you have chosen one of the above methods to search the stock database, you can quickly jump to the item you are looking for by typing the first few letters into the Search Text box at the bottom of this screen. Alternatively, you can simply scroll down the screen until you reach the item you are looking for.

Once you have found the item you are looking for, press the Proceed key.

The system will return you to wherever you were in the CES SoftwareEPOS program before you pressed the key, and the item that you selected will appear in the appropriate field.

Note: in certain fields, pressing the F2 Datasearch key will bring up the Customer screen.

This allows you to search through all the Customer records held in the database. The Customer screen works in exactly the same way to the Select a Stock screen.

Setting Aside a Transaction

The CES Software EPOS system allows you to easily set a transaction aside for completion at a later time. This is especially useful if a customer realises that they have forgotten something just as you are ready to take payment for the sale, or if they realise that they do not quite have enough money to afford the goods, and need to return for them when they do.

The Set Aside function allows you to place the sale to one side, and continue serving other customers.

Transactions that have been Set Aside are held on the Back Office Server. This makes the facility more convenient, because Set Aside transactions can be accessed by any operator using any terminal on the system, meaning that customers can complete their transactions at any till.

Note: Set Aside is a "Real-Time" system function, and is only available when the Back Office Server is on-line to the network. The mechanics of the function mean that transactions cannot be Set Aside or recalled when the Server is off-line for any reason.

Transactions that have been Set Aside are kept indefinitely within the system. It therefore does not matter how long the customer takes to return for their goods, though it is good practice to clear out these Set Aside transactions on a regular basis. Doing this makes it easier to find current transactions when recalling them to complete the sale.

Note: if there are transactions that have been Set Aside on your system, the Set Aside button in the row at the bottom of the main Point of Sale screen will change to show you this.

The Lightspeed Back Office and Lightspeed Net programs will always require a mouse for their operation. They have been designed for use in the Back Office of a business, on a standard PC. On the other hand, the Lightspeed EPOS software or systems program has been designed for use with standard PCs, PC-based EPOS terminals, and also touch screen terminals. 

(a) EPOS Terminals If you are running the Lightspeed EPOS program on an EPOS terminal, you are still able to operate the Lightspeed Help without the use of a mouse. It is accessed by pressing the F1 key on the EPOS keyboard, from anywhere within the program. 

You can work the links in the Lightspeed Help Files using the TAB key. Pressing TAB will move through the links on the page, and pressing ENTER (or RETURN) will jump you to the relevant page. 

Note: pressing the TAB key will only highlight those links that are in the visible area of the page. Any links that you cannot see as you press TAB will not be accessible. To reach these links, scroll the page up or down using the CURSOR KEYS until the links are visible, then use the TAB key in the same way. 

Instead of the mouse, you should be able to use the following keys on your EPOS keyboard to operate the commands residing in the toolbar at the top of the page: 

KEY FUNCTION > Page forward < Page backwards C Access the Contents Page I Access the Index function B Return to the previous page that you viewed 

“ Copyright of Lightspeed Software Ltd. Page 6 

Note: there is no guarantee that all EPOS keyboards function in the same way, and these keys may not work on all keyboards. Also, if your EPOS keyboard does not have <> keys, you will not be able to page through the Help File. 

(b) Touch Screen Terminals If you are running the Lightspeed EPOS program on a touch screen terminal, you are still able to operate the Lightspeed Help. It is accessed by pressing the special Help key at the main point of sale screen. The links between pages are then operated by by simply touching the underlined text on the screen. 

In the same way, the functions of the toolbar at the top of each page can be accessed by simply touching the relevant buttons on the toolbar. 

The only function that you will not be able to operate fully is the Index function, unless you also have access to a keyboard so that you can type in the term or key word that you are looking for. 

When you first install the Lightspeed EPOS program on a terminal, you will be presented with the following dialogue.

After pressing <OK> you are asked to type in the UNC Path that the EPOS will use. This will point to the directory where the Lightspeed Data is stored and will usually be \\<computername>\LIGHTSPEEDSERVER. Please refer to the install instructions provided with the Installation software for more details.

Once the UNC path has been accepted you will be presented with the Select Company screen similar to the following :

When you select the company, the following dialogue is displayed.

You are then taken into the POS Terminal Setup screen to allow you to configure the terminal. You must make sure that you enter a unique Terminal Number and the Printer that you are going to use at the Point of Sale before you can use Lightspeed EPOS. See Printer Setup for more details.

The first step is to enter a Terminal Number.