Guide to Using Retail Software

Use retail software applications to help run a productive and efficient business

By Rachel Davy

1. Organize and manage your business with retail management software.
2. Use POS retail software that for general as well as specific kinds of businesses.
3. Manage customers with CRM retail software solutions.
   

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Use retail management software to help you with business administration functions

The ability to manage your business with retail management software applications is a great asset to the success and productivity of your business. Many providers of retail software offer solutions that can help you organize data, market your business and keep track of inventory, as well as process transactions more efficiently.

I recommend: Learn about the retail management system offered by Microsoft. This program helps with inventory, marketing and data organization. Go to CORESense to learn about its management software for the retail industry that provides Point of Sale, Customer Management and eCommerce services, as well as promotion and merchandising solutions.

Manage your business with Point of Sale retail business software

Using Point of Sale retail software applications, web-based retail software programs or programs for specific kinds of businesses can help you make your business more productive and efficient. General Point of Sale programs do management functions such as ring up sales, track sales and customers, as well give you the ability to manage multiple stores and retail locations, while web-based retail software has the same functions but works on mobile devices. Industry specific retail software works with businesses that have specific needs, such as electronics and sports-related businesses.

I recommend: Learn about the Point of Sale software used in the retail industry offered by Intuit, the makers of Quickbooks Point of Sale Software. Read about the web-based retail software systems available from MerchantOS. NTS Wincash are suppliers of retail software for Point of Sale programs for electronics, sports and fashion businesses.

Use Customer Relationship Management retail software to create repeat business and customer loyalty

Strengthening customer loyalty as well as managing your customer information is easier through Customer Relationship Management retail software programs. With just a point and a click, you can generate quotes and view account information, as well as create and manage sales opportunities for your business to increase revenue.

I recommend: Learn about the CRM retail software offered from the retail software providers at VAI. This program lets you download customer and sales information while on the road to generate sales and promote repeat business. Read about the CRM program offered by Avidian Technologies, which works with Outlook so that you can generate group emails to customers and clients with ease.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  You can purchase extensions, modules and add-ons that can increase the usages and functionality of RMS, POS, and CRM retail software programs.

Guide to Finding Industry-Specific Software

Take advantage of software packages tailored to specific sectors

By Chris Maxcer

1. Streamline operations.
2. Facilitate employee scheduling.
3. Reduce costs.
4. Increase productivity.
5. Improve project management.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Retail

Even the smallest retailers can benefit from point-of-sale (POS) software, which automates a variety of tasks, such as sales transactions, inventory management and scheduling labor.

I recommend: RetailPro software includes inventory and merchandise management, customer relationship, receiving, layaways, gift certificates, returns, gift registry, loss prevention. Nurol.com is a leader in affordable POS software for small retailers.

E-commerce

Numerous software solutions on the market are designed to make it easier to set up and manage an e-commerce store.

I recommend: ECMerchant is a turnkey ecommerce solution that includes shopping cart and Web page design tools. NetCommerce offers site building, analytics, search engine optimization (SEO) and more tools.

Restaurant

Any restaurateur knows that keys to success in this industry include maximizing menu profitability, mastering table and customer management and scheduling employees effectively.

I recommend: OC Pro offers food and recipe-costing, menu analysis and more. OCLabor Pro automates employee scheduling. For reservations and table management, check out iMagic Restaurant Reservation. MenuPro simplifies menu design with more than 100 pre-designed menu styles.

Manufacturing

In manufacturing, tasks such as production management, product data management, project scheduling and supply chain management can be optimized with software. Manufacturing software can cost up to several hundred thousand dollars, but several vendors target smaller manufacturers with more affordable options that cost a few thousand dollars.

I recommend: Epicor Vista is geared to emerging manufacturers and small job shops. M1 is designed for small to medium manufacturers and provides automation for everything from quoting to invoicing.

Service providers

For professional service providers, billing, resource scheduling and project management can all be automated. If your service business involves field technicians, you can use software for dispatching, managing maintenance agreements and more.

I recommend: Alert is service management software that provides automation for all kinds of service businesses.

Construction

Construction software can take the headaches out of estimating project costs and managing projects.

I recommend: Construction Office, a leader in the construction software industry, is a project management system geared to small and medium-sized businesses and handles estimating, scheduling, contracts, specifications, document management and more.

Consider add-ons or upgrades

Many general business software applications have industry-specific add-on modules or can be upgraded to an industry-specific version. These solutions tend to be cost-effective but may not provide the most detailed industry specifics.

I recommend: Check out industry-specific solutions from QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions and NetSuite.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Check with associations in your industry to see if they recommend any software solutions or if they have related product directories built into their Web sites.
• •  Software vendors, particularly those offering industry-specific solutions, often have services available to help you customize and train you and your employees to use the software.

Guide to Retail Software

Improve the efficiency and management capabilities of your business with retail management software solutions

By Rachel Davy

1. Find the right retail software solutions for your business.
2. Use web-based retail software that provides a full range of retail services.
3. Get add-ons to increase the capabilities of your retail software applications.
   

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Get the right retail software to meet the specific needs of your business

To make the most of retail software applications available, it's important for you to find the product that best meets your business needs. There are Point of Sale (POS) programs, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) programs, and Retail Management Software (RMS) programs, as well as eCommerce and industry specific retail store software programs. Thankfully, there are sources where you can not only learn about these different programs but find out which ones will best fit your business needs.

I recommend: Learn how to find the right POS retail business software from Retail Data Security, which provides information about various retail software solutions. IBM offers a software product finder to help you find the right retail software systems to meet your business requirements. After you've found what kind of program you need, look at the list of suppliers of retail software at Chase Paymentech Solutions.

Get a full range of services with web-based retail software programs

Using web-based retail software programs offer the same capabilities, but with the added functionality of being able to create mobile workplace. You can still do such functions as point of sale transactions, sales reporting as other software for retail programs, but now you can do it while on the road or with wireless devices.

I recommend: Visit Junction Solutions to learn about its web-based software for the retail industry. Go to Barracuda Suite to learn about the suite of software used in the retail industry that can do everything from inventory management and credit card processing to customer management.

Increase the capabilities of retail sales software with add-ons from retail software providers

Many suppliers of retail software also offer add-ons, modules, or extensions that can increase the capabilities of already existing retail management programs. There are add-ons, modules and extensions that help with accounting, digital print capture, bar coding, as well as email and electronic funds transfer.

I recommend: Go to Southwest Point of Sale to learn about and then download POS extension that allows you manage things like invoicing and tender processing from a mobile office. AccountMate offers over twenty different accounting modules that you can add on onto already existing accounting software programs.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Since retail software can be expensive, most providers of retail software offer free demonstration downloads of their products so that you can see the various functions offered before purchasing it.