This article is focused on describing what POS software is, how it works, what's it for, tips when buying.
To get a better idea of POS software, you should first be familiar with the definition of POS. POS means "point-of-sale" or "point-of-service", basically anything from a retail shop, checkout counter, practically any location at which transactions are made. considering this definition, it's easy to understand why pos terminals can be located in hotels, restaurants, malls, bars, stores. POS stands for the hardware and software which make up a given system.
When we consider a POS system, it has to be divided into hardware and software. Since this article is focused on the software part of it, let's examine the history of pos software. Some of the early electronic cash registers had a special computer program loaded on them, providing additional functionalities, although quite limited according to our standards nowadays. Programmability made way for a lot of new concepts, as it allowed developers to be more creative and embed whatever features they can think of, including real time labor and food cost reports.
A protocol is a predefined set of rules which computers follow when engaged in communication with one another. POS terminals communicate with other devices (peripherals) using a given protocol, so we can say that the protocol is the language that computers speak. Every pos software comes with a support of a certain protocol, so that it can succesfully interact with peripheral devices, such as POS printer, a bar-code scanner, and a credit/debit card reader. Some of the popular POS communication command protocols are EPSON Esc/POS, ADM 787/788, DSP-800, CD 5220.
The developers of pos software must follow standards, in order to insure an absolute compatibility between the different devices. Microsoft, NCR, Epson, and Fujitsu-ICL made the first standard in the industry, called OPOS. The advantage of OPOS is that it's language independent, as it's based on COM technology, because of which sometimes people call it "OLE for POS." Another standard was created by SUN, IBM and NCR, known under the name JavaPOS. Because it's programmed on Java, JavaPOS is platform independent, it can run on Windows and Unix based pos terminals.
The high-quality pos software can provide several benefits to your business. First of all, it will increase your profits. Second, it will lower the inventory costs. It will improve customer service. Automate repetitive tasks, maximizing efficiency by at least 20%.
If you just consider for a minute all the places where you can find pos terminals - all the stores in the country, then you will easily see that there is a huge competition in the pos software industry, there are a lot of products available on the market. Choosing the right one is never easy, but there several factors to consider before buying. First of all, take into account the turnover of your business, whether it's $1000 or $100,000, it all makes a difference. The second important factor is the industry in which your business operates, it could be a grocery store, or a sports store, car dealer shop, appliances. Bear in mind that they best way to find out if a given software is bug-free and stable, is to check with the retailers who are already using it.
The majority of POS software solutions are designed to operate on Windows. Linux and MAC machines are probably more reliable, but you will get a much more limited amount of choices in terms of software available for such UNIX based operating systems. When configured properly, Windows systems can work for months and even years without any intervention. POS software can support Windows 95, 2000, or XP, although some will only work on XP.
Point of sale is one of our specialites so if you want to read more about POS, visit Retail POS Software. Author - Steve Arbor Jones.
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