Forecasters are predicting that the retail industry is poised to generate the strongest growth we’ve seen in four years.  In fact, The National Retail Federation projects that retail industry sales will rise 4.1% up from 3.5% growth in 2014.

With retail on the rise, there’s no better time to invest in and upgrade your retail point of sale system. Modern retail POS systems offer an abundance of advanced features that increase efficiency and accuracy within your business.  Let’s take a look at the top seven features you should look for when shopping for a retail point of sale system.

1. Ease of Use

The ideal retail point of sale system enables cashiers to ring up sales as quickly as possible, keeping lines short and customers happy. Ringing up an item should be as easy as scanning its bar code or touching a button on the screen, requiring as little touches as necessary to complete the transaction.

2. eCommerce Integration

Many retail stores are now multi-channel businesses. If your retail business also sells online, ensure that your POS system offers an integrated eCommerce solution to manage and track both brick-and-mortar and online sales.

3. Inventory Tracking

An accurate and robust inventory control system is a key component to your retail store’s profit margins and overall success. Your retail POS should offer integrated purchasing functionalities to track vendor lists, manage item costs, and generate and receive purchase orders. Modern retail point of sale systems also offer integrated mobile stocking software that can be used on a smart phone or tablet.

4. Theft Prevention

Unfortunately, the leading cause of retail shrink is employee theft due to both theft of cash and inventory. Your retail point of sale system should include theft prevention features that monitor discounts, no-sales, voids, and price changes and that can be accessed or restricted based on an employee’s unique login ID. Some retail POS even has security camera integration.

5. Customer Loyalty

You’ve provided the best service and quality products, but what’s next and how do you attract more customers to your store? Your retail POS system should provide the tools to generate new customers and retain current ones including automated loyalty tracking and direct marketing tools.

6. Labor Management

Gone are the days of manual time cards and hand-written store schedules. Employee scheduling and time tracking should be an integrated feature of your retail point of sale system.

7. Back Office Reporting

You spend countless hours calculating profits, expenses, and payroll. Your retail POS system should have built-in tools and reporting features that help you to manage your operations more efficiently and productively.

For more information about selecting the best retail POS system for your business, contact a pcAmerica account manager at 1-800-722-6374 or visit www.pcamerica.com