BSM President Jim Roddy features pcAmerica CEO David Gosman in an exclusive interview at Money 20/20 in Las Vegas. They discuss several topics currently trending at the show, and in the industry at large. Gosman discusses important issues related to mobile payments, including keys to adopting mobile payment solutions both for larger businesses as well as for local merchants as well as the emergence of mobile wallet technology. He also points out the critical role VARs now play when it comes to customer support.

Over the course of the last year, the pcAmerica staff has helped many of our clients establish their first webstores. And just in time–Internet Retailer predicts that e-commerce spending is expected to jump 15 percent in November and December for the holiday shopping season. The article projected that Americans will spend “$61.8 billion, up from $53.7 billion in 2012.”

That’s some serious cash we’re talking about, so it’s important your store is ready and working smoothly. We gathered these tips from our staff, which has learned a few things along the way while assisting our clients.

Maintain an in-store feel: Create a well-designed, attractive site that is easy to navigate. Don’t rely on manufacturer’s descriptions, try to write detailed descriptions for your products. High-resolution photos and multiple views are another good way to let your customers see as much as they want of the item.

Make it easy to spend money: The longer it takes for a shopper to add an item to their cart and pay for their selections, the more likely it is that they will change their mind and leave the page without completing the transaction. Require as few clicks and prompts as possible to close the deal.

State the policies upfront: Don’t make people dig for your contact information or return policy. It’s frustrating for the shopper and could discourage them from coming back.

pcAmerica’s new e-commerce interface, powered by NitroSell, is available in the latest version of Cash Register Express™.  The new solution gives you everything you need to establish a web store or enhance your current online operation.

Please contact your pcAmerica representative at 1-800-722-6374 for more information about how you can get started integrating e-commerce with your retail store.

At pcAmerica, we love the holiday shopping season. It’s good for our customers and many of our families enjoy it too —after all, who doesn’t like scoring a good deal?

This year, pcAmerica is pleased to offer our customers a tablet-ready version of Cash Register Express™ and Restaurant Pro Express™.  After fighting crowds, shoppers don’t want to wait on long lines, holding bags and tired children, wasting precious shopping time. Now they don’t have to—using pcAmerica’s new tablet software, employees can process a transaction anywhere in the store or restaurant and email the receipt to the customer.

The tablet software also includes all of the same features as pcAmerica’s complete robust stationary solution, such as inventory tracking, scheduling and time clock functions, menu planning capabilities, gift cards, mobile payments, loyalty programs, and various integrations including payroll and e-commerce platforms.

The tablet-based packages include several enhancements for working on a tablet, including on-screen signature capture that can be performed using a finger, without requiring a stylus. The software automatically saves signatures in the database so they can be pulled up for future reference.

Don’t let long lines deter your customers—please call your pcAmerica sales representative to get set up with our new tablet solutions at 1-800-722-6374.

A new report from Infogroup revealed that the number of retailers using mobile POS will triple in the next five years. Currently, about 26 percent of retailers employ this technology to reduce wait times, review product availability and provide a faster, higher level of customer service.

A mobile solution with line busting capability is a practical, long-term solution that will ensure shorter lines, less waiting and a more pleasant experience for shoppers, diners and employees.

In addition to mobile POS, it’s time to start thinking about accepting mobile payments. Every day, more businesses add this capability and we expect that in 2014, mobility of all types will continue to evolve and expand.

pcAmerica offers a variety of mobile solutions—tablet-ready versions of Cash Register Express™ and Restaurant Pro Express™ and Restaurant Pro Express™ mobile, for fast tableside ordering and payments using an Apple® iPod touch® or iPhone®.

pcAmerica’s software packages also integrate with several mobile wallet providers including Google Wallet, Paydiant, ISIS Mobile Wallet and LevelUp.

For more information about how you can start accepting  mobile wallet payments or shift to a mobile solution, please call your pcAmerica sales representative at 1-800-722-6374.

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is a beloved shopping day for many who venture out at the crack of dawn to fight for the best prices on electronics, must-have toys and other items.

But a September article in Time Magazine suggests that Black Friday may eventually go the way of the dinosaurs. According to the story, some experts believe that Black Friday may disappear in the future because people aren’t turning out in droves like they used to.

“Black Friday shopping won’t be extinct anytime soon, but it has undeniably been losing its importance in the marketplace,” says Time.

The story cites a study from Accenture, which says “44% of consumers were likely to go shopping on Black Friday 2011, down from 52% in 2009.”

And if people do head out to the stores, they aren’t as quick to make a purchase. In fact, Black Friday spending was down nearly 2 percent or $11.2 billion in 2012 when compared to the previous year.

Why is this happening? It could be for a few reasons. The holidays seem to come earlier every year—few retailers wait until after Thanksgiving to decorate and preview promotions. One notable hold out is upscale retailer Nordstrom, which displays a message on their doors that they will wait to “deck their halls” until after Thanksgiving.

Many eager retailers are not even waiting until Thanksgiving. It’s not uncommon to see holiday items in stores long before Halloween. The shopping season is getting longer, more promotions and Black Friday deals are being rolled out long before the actual day and as a result, there are more opportunities to save.

In the eyes of the consumer, Black Friday has become less about saving money and more about the tradition. It’s still fun to go to the mall in your pajamas at 4:00 AM, but it’s a lot harder to make a purchase when a better deal may come along next week.

Make sure your retail store is ready this year. Contact pcAmerica today to find out how their point of sale software can help your business this holiday season.

In a recent column in Vertical Systems Reseller Magazine, pcAmerica CEO David Gosman outlined the reasons why a business that should be tracking it’s customers’ sales history and rewarding their repeat business through a loyalty solution. Businesses that are not doing both could be losing money.

While most retailers provide good face-to-face customer service, this typically ends once the customer departs the store. And although customers do return to the store, Gosman asserts that businesses aren’t seeing the whole picture—tracking, analyzing and responding to purchases that may generate additional opportunities.

Gosman believes that’s when a CRM (customer relationship module) can assist retailers in luring their customers back to make additional purchases. CRMs are used to maintain customer profiles and record purchasing activity and other inquiries. A good CRM can track sales, returns, marketing outreach and other relevant information. Mining this data can help a business see the bigger picture of a customer’s buying habits and drive additional opportunities.

When a customer earns loyalty points, they may have little financial value but a large psychological impact. Shoppers love to collect points in exchange for freebies, and the store reaps the rewards in the form of a detailed purchase history that is gathered when the person swipes his loyalty card. When used together, CRM and loyalty plans are the key to collecting data and using it to drive sales and create marketing campaigns businesses can use for the successful post pursuit of customers.

Read the full article.

The Golden Crown Panaderia in New Mexico got its start as a commercial bakery, providing baked goods to some of Albuquerque’s finest institutions. When the bakery’s owner, Chris Morales, decided to convert his commercial operation into a more traditional retail and restaurant storefront, it quickly became a local favorite but the chaotic kitchen was causing some problems.

“When we first decided to convert our business into a more traditional restaurant and retail environment, it was a learning process,” said Chris Morales, Owner. “We had never operated as a restaurant storefront before so there was a lack of inventory control, hectic kitchen activity, long lines and inconsistent food preparation.”

The bakery’s ownership recognized the need for a technology solution that would help automate their operations, so Morales began searching for a system that would be durable enough for his bustling kitchen but include the functionalities and reporting options needed for long- and short-term planning.

After evaluating several options, Golden Crown installed four kitchen display system stations equipped with Bematech LS6000 KDS Controllers, KB1700 Bump Bars and assorted monitors. The bakery also selected pcAmerica’s Restaurant Pro Express point-of-sale software.

When the customer is finished ordering at the counter, the POS system sends the data through the LS6000 Kitchen Controller to one of three food prep stations. The orders are time stamped and sent to the appropriate prep area at different times to ensure everything will be finished and served simultaneously. The selections are displayed on the monitor, broken down into a clear list of ingredients to ensure the food or beverages are prepared consistently.

The restaurant’s profit margins have increased as a result of the new inventory control management. Morales is able to view the reports and use the data to help manage ingredients more effectively by ordering and prepping only what’s needed, so fewer products go to waste.

“Lunch is our busiest time of day and the new system allows us to serve higher volumes of people faster, which means less waiting and more satisfied customers who will come back again,” said Morales. “We’ve also seen food come out more consistently prepared, so our clients can be sure that their favorite salad, pizza, sandwich or smoothie will be the same delicious experience, every time.”

Download the full case study.

In a recent column in Vertical Systems Reseller Magazine, pcAmerica CEO David Gosman outlined the reasons why a business that should be tracking it’s customers’ sales history and rewarding their repeat business through a loyalty solution. Businesses that are not doing both could be losing money.

While most retailers provide good face-to-face customer service, this typically ends once the customer departs the store. And although customers do return to the store, Gosman asserts that businesses aren’t seeing the whole picture—tracking, analyzing and responding to purchases that may generate additional opportunities.

Gosman believes that’s when a CRM (customer relationship module) can assist retailers in luring their customers back to make additional purchases. CRMs are used to maintain customer profiles and record purchasing activity and other inquiries. A good CRM can track sales, returns, marketing outreach and other relevant information. Mining this data can help a business see the bigger picture of a customer’s buying habits and drive additional opportunities.

When a customer earns loyalty points, they may have little financial value but a large psychological impact. Shoppers love to collect points in exchange for freebies, and the store reaps the rewards in the form of a detailed purchase history that is gathered when the person swipes his loyalty card. When used together, CRM and loyalty plans are the key to collecting data and using it to drive sales and create marketing campaigns businesses can use for the successful post pursuit of customers.

Subway, the world’s largest restaurant brand, has selected Paydiant, provider of a mobile payments, offer redemption and loyalty platform for retailers and banks, to power its mobile wallet capabilities. The chain’s new mobile application will include mobile payment and is scheduled to begin rolling out to stores later this year.

pcAmerica’s software solutions—Cash Register Express, Restaurant Pro Express and Restaurant Pro Express Mobile– also integrate with Paydiant, a software-only, cloud-based solution that gives restaurants and retail stores the ability to accept mobile payments and offers using their existing POS infrastructure.

Paydiant’s mobile platform empowers retailers to add state of the art mobile payments, offers, loyalty and other capabilities into their own iPhone® and Android™ applications. This lets restaurateurs and other retailers leverage the mobile channel to deliver a superior customer experience that builds loyalty, enhances their brand and protects valuable customer data.

pcAmerica’s POS packages also work with ISIS Mobile Wallet, an ultra-secure mobile payment functionality that includes several safeguards against theft or fraud. Users are protected with a remote wallet locking function, a pin-protected wallet and secure element safeguards that protect from counterfeiting cards stored in the wallet. The platform is currently launching in Austin and Salt Lake City, but ISIS ready phones will soon be available through AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon.

pcAmerica clients have their choice of mobile wallet providers. Learn how to leverage this technology to your advantage by contacting your account manager  at 1-800-722-6374.

Pearl River-based pcAmerica is moving up—literally! In late August, the company left its offices on the second floor of Blue Hill Plaza Tower 2 for space that is 50 percent larger than its previous home.

The company’s new office, on the 16^th floor of Blue Hill Plaza Tower 1 offers the company several technology enhancements including redundant internet and VOip phone system. The company’s servers will now be stored off-site with backup power, guaranteeing that the pcAmerica will always be on line.

The new IP phones will allow employees to take their work phones home with them if inclement weather is forecasted or other situations arise. Employees will be able to dial and receive calls from their homes, addressing customer needs as if they were working from the office.

The new office also gives the company room to grow, with a larger sales department, more tech support desks and additional executive offices. It also has a formal entrance for guests and walls of windows that provide sweeping views of the surrounding area.

pcAmerica’s new address is One Blue Hill Plaza, Floor 16,  PO Box 1546, Pearl River, New York 10965.  All of the company’s phone numbers and extensions remain the same.

Read the official press release.