EPOS & online retail

[sysops]

For those running online + b&m operations - does anyone have a fully integrated EPOS + online system? If so, what are you using?

By fully integrated I mean full stock control & sales data integration between the two.

 

[sysops]

Wow, no one is using EPOS integrated with online retail?

Is that because you don't want to, or because you haven't found a solution?

 

[airposjen]

AirPOS provides this functionality, we have hundreds of small retailers using it successfully all across the UK.

Always keen to welcome new retailers to the AirPOS family!

airpointofsale.com

 

[sysops]

AirPOS provides this functionality, we have hundreds of small retailers using it successfully all across the UK.

Always keen to welcome new retailers to the AirPOS family!

airpointofsale.com

Can you tell me, your POS software, is it a local application, or web based? Does it support all the usual hardware (cash drawer, printer, scanner etc)? How does it exchange data with other systems (eg my web database)?

 

[Chunkford]

If your looking for a local application take a look at Actinic.
They offer desktop ecommerce software and epos system that can be linked together.

 

[sysops]

If your looking for a local application take a look at Actinic.
They offer desktop ecommerce software and epos system that can be linked together.

Eeeew, wash your mouth out!

Their ecommerce solution is not something I'd consider, *ever*.

A local application that has a decent api would be perfect. I just want to exchange product and sales data.

 

[Chunkford]

LOL, it's not that bad, there is worse
I do admit its quirky and has it's moments, but it does the job and it's flexible to a certain extent, as long you know what it inside out

How about MS Dynmaics RMS - http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics/rms-overview.aspx
and
Nitrosell - http://www.nitrosell.com/
Never used it, but it's something I've looked at and quite like the look off.

 

[sysops]

I quite liked the look of Dynamics, but a conversation with the most clueless sales guy in the world left me less enthusiastic. I suspect it can do the data exchange I want (or at the very least I can just talk to the SQL Server it almost certainly sits on top of), but confirmation of this would be nice.

Nitrosell is new to me, I'll investigate now. Thanks

 

[Brightpearl]

Hi,

Brightpearl offers this functionality. We provide a fully integrated business management system that let's you integrate POS, ecommerce and eBay listings with your backend systems (stock, accounts, crm, order management and more).

Our POS supports the usual hardware (barcode scanners, thermal printer, cash till etc) and can be run over mobile devices like the iPad too. We offer a 30 day free trial so you can try our software out and assess whether it is suitable for your needs.

If you have any questions just ask!

Penny

 

[sysops]

Thanks Penny. Does your POS software allow integration with third party ecommerce solutions? I don't really want to move away fro our current solution; I'd like to buy in EPOS that I can bolt on.

 

[Chunkford]

Interestingly it looks like you can use Magento which is new to me
Last time I checked them out their ecommerce system was far from perfect. Nice to see it being actively developed.

What's your current system out of interest sysops?

 

[sysops]

Interestingly it looks like you can use Magento which is new to me

Can you indeed? I've been watching that one for a while, and I do like what they've built. I'll take a look at their epos.

What's your current system out of interest sysops?

It's our own platform, built over 6-7 years. It's PHP/MySQL, and it's at the heart of everything we do - it's not just ecommerce, but stock conrol, barcode order checking etc.

It is tempting to write a web based EPOS, but I would really prefer a desktop app, for speed.

 

[airposjen]

Hi there

to answer your questions,

AirPOS runs locally on terminals but the back office is web-based. The ePOS terminal app will run on pretty much any machine that's Windows or Android based (iOS version coming this month)

It integrates fully with hardware: printers, barcode scanners, cash drawers....we add integrations as customers need them so at the minute there's a limited list of supported hardware but it grows each week.

The integrated webstore is fairly basic at this stage, but will be customisable with colours, logos etc. There is a public API in development but we're not ready to give it out just yet. But yes, you will be able to integrate CRM, accounting and any other software you like.

The best thing I would suggest right now is to download the app from www.airpointofsale.com and try it out for yourself. Our tech team are always on hand to answer any questions and help you make the most of the product.

Let me know how you get on or drop me a PM if you want any more info

 

[sysops]

AirPOS runs locally on terminals but the back office is web-based. The ePOS terminal app will run on pretty much any machine that's Windows or Android based (iOS version coming this month)

It integrates fully with hardware: printers, barcode scanners, cash drawers....we add integrations as customers need them so at the minute there's a limited list of supported hardware but it grows each week.

You say many good things.

One more question. Can I read & write data from/to your application or the backoffice? Can I import my product database, update stock values and export daily sales data?

 

[airposjen]

Sales made through terminals will automatically show in real time on your back office.

And changes made through your back office (such as price increases, stock updates) will automatically sync onto your terminals.

(assuming all devices have wifi access)

We're able to do this because our software is NOT build with SQL databases, it's smarter than that

All the data is stored securely in the cloud, so can be replicated in real time anywhere.

If one of your machines breaks you can have a replacement up and running in 10 mins.

If you're on holiday in the bahamas you can check sales coming through in real time on your smartphone!

It's pretty nifty!

 

[sysops]

Yebbut - your backoffice is not my backoffice

What I need to do is avoid abandonning a system that runs our whole business, and integrate that system with an EPOS.

 

[airposjen]

If you have a team of developers that can work with our API then that wouldn't be a problem.

Alternatively you can use the AirPOS back office. Are there features there you need that we don't currently provide?

FYI Our reporting system is a little thin at the moment, but we're constantly refining that.

 

[sysops]

If you have a team of developers that can work with our API then that wouldn't be a problem.

Alternatively you can use the AirPOS back office. Are there features there you need that we don't currently provide?

FYI Our reporting system is a little thin at the moment, but we're constantly refining that.

Our system is old and complex, and does a whole load of stuff - including backoffice, website, warehouse management, order checking etc etc.

I've no doubt that we could migrate to your system, but there isn't a compelling business case for doing so. It makes a lot more sense to keep using what we have, and integrate the EPOS functionality we need with it.

Here's another way of looking at it. Imagine I've just had a fantastic ecommerce site built for me, maybe using Magento. It does everything I want, and I love it. All I want now is to add an EPOS system for my little highstreet shop. I want to share stock between the two. You're bound to come across this scenario, especially given that your ecommerce offering is fairly basic.

 

[Chris Ashdown]

Eeeew, wash your mouth out!

Their ecommerce solution is not something I'd consider, *ever*.

A local application that has a decent api would be perfect. I just want to exchange product and sales data.

Interested in your views as I use actinic Business plus and considering using their epos for our shop, what were your main objections

 

[sysops]

Interested in your views as I use actinic Business plus and considering using their epos for our shop, what were your main objections

I know Actinic has been around forever, but I've never liked their ecommmerce offering, that's all. Inflexible, and difficult to do much with as far as SEO goes.

I'll just add that I've been looking at www.airpointofsale.com, and am very impressed with both the epos application and the backoffice. Their ecommerce component is still very low on features, but from an epos perspective what they have is fantastic.

 

[airposjen]

Thanks for the kind words

Yes, we are aware that we currently lack functionality on the eCommerce side, this is in constant development.

 

[Chris Ashdown]

I know Actinic has been around forever, but I've never liked their ecommmerce offering, that's all. Inflexible, and difficult to do much with as far as SEO goes.

I'll just add that I've been looking at www.airpointofsale.com, and am very impressed with both the epos application and the backoffice. Their ecommerce component is still very low on features, but from an epos perspective what they have is fantastic.

Had a quick look at Airpointof sale but looks like being cloud based so no good for me

Intersting point about Actinic as you can ammend every part of the design for SEO so not sure what you feel is missing latest version also offers SPP

 

[airposjen]

Hi Chris

Can I ask why you think cloud based software won't work for you?

 

[sysops]

Had a quick look at Airpointof sale but looks like being cloud based so no good for me

Their epos app runs on your epos terminal and holds data on your epos terminal. It initially loads the data from your account, which is in their cloud (I think they are using AWS), but it works offline.

I quite like this, because it means you can deploy quickly. What I need to also be able to do is sync that data with our own database.

Intersting point about Actinic as you can ammend every part of the design for SEO so not sure what you feel is missing latest version also offers SPP

Last time I tried to SEO an Actinic site, which addmiteddly was a couple of years ago, there were some major issues.

The order in which the content was output couldn't be changed, so you were stuck with menu output before page content in the html. Also, control over page titles and urls was not good; you were basically stuck with the product name.

 

[Chris Ashdown]

I like total control of what I purchase for my business, I buy MS Office in 2000 and still use it today after about 5 computers as it still does all I require, I use Actinic and control where I host it and whatever I want to do to it, with cloud I loose that freedom and also end up paying far more over the following years, I see the only real benifit to cloud is the company who sells it getting a regular income and a loose noose around their customers who are reluctant to move

My question to you is why do you not offer a stand alone system as well as cloud

 

[sysops]

I like total control of what I purchase for my business, I buy MS Office in 2000 and still use it today after about 5 computers as it still does all I require, I use Actinic and control where I host it and whatever I want to do to it, with cloud I loose that freedom and also end up paying far more over the following years, I see the only real benifit to cloud is the company who sells it getting a regular income and a loose noose around their customers who are reluctant to move

While I agree with the sentiment, I think you may miss out on some pretty neat functionality.

We use Google Docs extensively. They allow me to work with other people in an easy, instant manner, regardless of where they are. I regularly download our data, so I have a backup, but we work on it in the cloud.

For accounts, KashFlow gives you a huge advantage compared to traditional offline packages.

If we had a breakin tonight and all of our PCs were stolen, we would be up and running by 10am tomorrow after a quick trip to Comet.

It is always wise to retain control of your data, and to have contingency plans for when things break. But dismissing cloud based apps will mean you miss out on a lot of good tech than can save your business money and allow you to work more efficiently.

 

[airposjen]

Hi Chris

Some interesting points, but the benefits of a cloud ePOS vast outway those of a standalone.

For starters the cost to entry is considerably lower, and even moving forward you have predictable costs that you know will never change.

Our pricing is set at a standard £30 per month per terminal/device (with the first one free)

This price will never change and never increase and includes free upgrades on software for life.

Because all your data is stored in the cloud it can easily be booted up onto any terminal. So should your till break on a busy Saturday afternoon, you can load up a spare, or even run AirPOS from your laptop and be back up and running again within 10 mins.

For small independent retailers cloud based software offers an affordable way to modernise and professionalise their business.

There is no hefty set-up cost, no lengthy maintenance contract, and no obligation. It's pay as you go ePOS and it's proving popular

 

[Chris Ashdown]

Sorry but common sence requires you to take daily or hourly backups which using the right software will get you back up and running within a few hours so that negates half the argument

Software is either good or bad whatever medium they use Kashflow is not as good as Sage line 50 but then sage line 50 is no good for someone starting up they would or could use instant accounts or Kashflow

 

[sysops]

Sorry but common sence requires you to take daily or hourly backups which using the right software will get you back up and running within a few hours so that negates half the argument

Of course you are right, but how many small businesses actually do have offsite daily backup? In my experience the percentage is shockingly low.

 

[Brightpearl]

Hi,

Sorry for the late reply, didn't seem to get your response into my inbox (or more likely I accidentally deleted it). Anyway to answer your question yes we can integrate with third party solutions as we have an open API but this would require some development in order to get the two systems to talk to one another.

Being that you're are committed to your back-office systems (which if you've developed them yourself makes total sense) I would probably say that you lose the value of Brightpearl and this probably isn't the solution for you. But if you're ever looking for something along these lines feel free to drop my message for more info.

Penny

 

[j600com]

In my experience the best solution is to use an EPOS specialist for your EPOS and an eCommerce specialist for your eCommerce (as obvious as that sounds). Nowadays most EPOS systems have the ability to sync with external eCommerce platforms/providers.

Get the best of both worlds by having someone who is 100% EPOS do you're EPOS, and someone who is 100% eCommerce do your eCommerce (getting an all in one solution usually ends up with either poor EPOS or poor eCommerce, I'm yet to find a company who can excel at both - even though many claim to).