Point-of-sale solutions are evolving quickly–they do more than just ring sales and returns—most packages have many functionalities and options including CRM, loyalty, social media, payroll integrations and more.

There are so many good sounding capabilities, it’s hard to know what you need and what you can do without. At pcAmerica, we work hard to provide you with affordable software packages that will enhance the customer’s shopping experience through an effective-user friendly platform, not ones that bury you in icons and complicated features that you’ll never look at, let alone need.

What do we mean by improving the customer experience? Our development team creates our solutions, Restaurant Pro Express, Cash Register Express and Restaurant Pro Express Mobile with a two-sided goal: make your life easier and provide fast, responsive customer service that will make shoppers or diners want to return.

How can you use your POS to accomplish this? Here are a few ways:

Real-time Analytics: Running reports will help you identify consumers’ must haves and those that are languishing on the shelves. This data will help you arrange your sales floor or signage accordingly—put the hot sellers out front, on end caps or at the register where people can find them easily. Items that are not flying off the shelves can be moved to make  space for those that are guaranteed sales. Sounds easy, right? Your customers will appreciate your foresight, especially when they are in a hurry.

Implement a loyalty program: We love free stuff—coffees, products, samples–all of it makes us feel like our business is appreciated. Creating a loyalty program will encourage people to come back to earn coupons and free items in exchange for repeat purchases.  A loyalty program can also empower you to communicate with your customers more directly. Gather data about their purchases, track visits and create a profile that will help you create targeted marketing campaigns.

Free stuff + Frustration free shopping = repeat business: The customer has breezed in, grabbed their must have items but now could find themselves stalled by a line at the POS terminal. Not so fast—literally—but if you employ a mobile POS solution, people can pay for their items from anywhere in the store, without even checking their watch once. That sounds like a win for everyone!

pcAmerica’s point of sale packages support a wide-range of capabilities and integrations, including mobile wallet and payroll functionalities. For more information about how your point of sale system can work more effectively for you, please contact your pcAmerica representative at 1-800-722-6374.

Boston-based North Station Liquors is well stocked with more than 200 varieties of beer and a selection of wines and liquors from around the world.

North Station Liquors’ management decided that accepting mobile payments would give them an edge over the competition, so the store, which uses pcAmerca’s Cash Register Express (CRE) point of sale system, began accepting mobile payment and loyalty application LevelUp in June 2012.

The store was issued a portable LevelUp terminal that sat next to its POS station to process mobile wallet transactions. It didn’t take long to complete each transaction, but it was a two-step process that required the cashier to enter data on both the LevelUp and POS terminals.

North Station Liquors wanted a more seamless transaction experience, so it seemed like perfect timing when, this past spring, pcAmerica integrated the LevelUp platform into its software packages. The store jumped at the opportunity to integrate LevelUp with their POS.

Once LevelUp is integrated into the POS, setting up and transacting with the mobile platform is simple. The separate LevelUp terminal is no longer needed–just like any other tender type, LevelUp transactions get logged alongside other credit card and cash transactions, making it easier to balance the register at closing.

The newly integrated system has made a visible difference at North Station Liquors. Employees have been able to shave a few seconds off each transaction time, which helps commuters in a hurry get to their trains with time to spare.

Read our case study about the integration of pcAmerica software and LevelUp at North Station Liquors.

For more information about how your business can integrate LevelUp mobile payments, please call your pcAmerica sales representative at 1-800-722-6374.

pcAmerica has added its much-anticipated tablet-ready versions of its award-winning point of sale software solutions, Cash Register Express™  (CRE) and Restaurant Pro Express™ (RPE), to its product lineup.

CRE and RPE have been optimized for tablets and the software is compatible with many pieces of tablet hardware, including the HP Elitepad.

The tablet-based CRE and RPE software 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. It automatically saves signatures in the database so they can be pulled up for future reference.

Even though the new setup is compact, its flexible setup options give users the choice of a variety of peripherals. Several scanners and magnetic strip readers are certified for use with the software for scanning bar codes and swiping credit cards.

The enhanced version has been tested with additional mobile peripherals from pcAmerica’s partners, which are expected for release in the near future.

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 eCommerce platforms.

For more information about pcAmerica’s tablet solutions, please call 1-800-722-6374.

Moxie Boutique is a contemporary clothing store located on the University of Delaware campus in Newark, Delaware. The boutique’s owner, Cari Rogers, was looking for a new and innovative way to attract shoppers to the store. (Watch Video)

She was drawn to pcAmerica’s Cash Register Express™ point-of-sale system because it offered enhanced marketing and payment capabilities through a partnership with BPAY, a new mobile payment system offered by Barclaycard, in conjunction with Paydiant.

BPAY utilizes a phone’s camera to scan QR codes to complete and track purchases. As an added bonus, BPAY users have access to offers they can only receive and redeem via the BPAY app.

Paydiant’s mobile payment platform allows banks, retailers and restaurants to incorporate mobile wallet capabilities into their own iPhone® and Android™ applications.

After evaluating Ms. Rogers’ goals for Moxie Boutique, the pcAmerica team coordinated the system setup, which was able to go live quickly after establishing the new merchant account for BPAY. It only took a few minutes to teach employees how to ring a sale and most customers only needed a short explanation to understand the program and the benefits that would be created exclusively for them through BPAY.

Since enrolling in the program, Moxie Boutique has become more visible, gained loyal customers and enhanced its relationship with established clientele. Ms. Rogers has seen an uptick in business since she began using BPAY and estimates she will see a 15% increase in sales next year.

For more information about how you can begin accepting Paydiant mobile payments, please contact your pcAmerica sales representative at 1-800-722-6374.

As the holiday season approaches, a new report from eMarketer says that retailers are using an omnichannel strategy to combat showrooming. The September report, titled “Holiday Shopping Preview: Omnichannel’s Blurred Lines,” states that retailers are less nervous about showrooming this year than they were in 2012.

B&M retailers have been working to institute changes that will help them compete more effectively with websites, which is especially important during the peak shopping months of November and December. eMarketer “expects more than 23.7 percent of the $262.3 billion in US retail ecommerce sales forecast for all of 2013 to occur” during those two months.

The new, more seamless approach includes launching new mobile initiatives allowing stores to reach customers on any mobile device, revamping their inventory, instituting new price matching policies and shipping and pickup options.

New mobile checkouts will not only eliminate waiting on line, but some larger retailers will enable employees to locate out of stock items from their devices and have them shipped with just a few clicks.

Shoppers that go online to read reviews and compare prices before heading out to the store to see the product in person have a good reason to buy the item locally: aggressive price matching and the opportunity to leave the store with their selection, no shipping necessary.

It’s been a common practice for retailers to only match advertised prices from other B&M retailers.  In an attempt to combat showrooming, several large retailers including Target, Best Buy and Toys R Us will match online prices from selected retailers including Amazon.com, Walmart.com, Sears.com and several others. Some exclusions apply, of course, but customers who are willing to do the research could save additional cash.

pcAmerica won an Innovative Solution Award at the annual RSPA RetailNOW trade show, held in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in August. The Pearl River-based company and its VAR partner, Advanced Data Systems (ADS) of Chicago, were the recipients of the award in the VAR/ISV Collaboration category.

ADS had created a comprehensive, affordable solution to meet the needs of the growing auto recycling industry. pcAmerica consulted extensively with ADS, and through an in-depth collaborative effort, assisted with customizing and configuring its Cash Register Express™ point-of-sale software for the auto-recycler industry.

“Receiving this award validates the hard work we do to support the daily efforts of our resellers.” pcAmerica CEO David Gosman said. “Our VAR partners, such as ADS, often bring creative ideas to us.  We work hard to provide them with the software, tools and resources to execute and succeed.”

The 2013 Innovative Solution Award is presented in six categories: mobile solution, payment processing, POS solution, customer engagement technology, software application and VAR/ISV Collaboration.

Restaurants and retailers around the world are realizing – and reaping – the benefits of implementing a mobile POS system. They’re saving money, saving time and making more sales. Thus far, the retail sector has been the main area of adoption for mobile POS – and the size of the sector has continued to grow.

So how does it work?

Time – As technology advances and is able to run faster, time has become valuable more to customers. Being able to make quick payments while they are on the go or in a hurry is important to them. Mobile POS lends to customers’ time-sensitive needs as it not only allows them to make payments on the go, but can also offer high-speed processing through ultra-broadband internet access like 3G and 4G. Because of this, businesses who use mobile POS are able to offer customer convenience and speed up customer service.

Cost – Mobile POS systems are smaller and more compact than traditional systems, yet include many or all of the same functionalities at a lower cost. Not to mention, mobile POS allows retailers to make more sales in more places, offering an increase in the return on their investment. The cost efficiency and improved results realized by implementing mobile POS have made it a no-brainer for many businesses.

Mobility – Mobile POS gives retailers the power to make profits anywhere, anytime. Technological innovations of the past few years have paved the way for smartphones and tablets to be used as mobile POS devices. They are able to run on Apple and Android devices – and, as mentioned, internet access via high-speed 3G and 4G. Dongles, docks and grips can be purchased at minimal costs to allow payment processing and, depending on the durability, protect your investment.

Upgrade path – Since mobile POS systems run on Apple, Android and other software, updates are as easy as downloading the latest version – it takes a few minutes at most. Upgrades to traditional PC-based POS systems could mean implementing new software all together or hours without internet access while it is being implemented. Also, upgrades to these traditional systems could call for a costly house call from your provider’s support staff or hours of work for your own in-house support staff. Businesses are recognizing that mobile POS eliminates the need for a support staff as well as saves time and money. Not only do quick and easy upgrades keep your system top-of-the-line, they save you the headache.

VARTECH is the Solution Show for all members of the ADC, Digital Signage, Mobility, POS, RFID & Security channels. This year’s show will be taking place in San Antonio, Texas, and pcAmerica will there to display it’s  new tablet-ready versions of its award-winning point of sale software solutions, Cash Register Express™ (CRE) and Restaurant Pro Express™ (RPE).

The tablet software 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 eCommerce platforms. It also comes with a few “Extras” that you should surely come to see.

pcAmerica will at this years show exhibiting at booth #324, and will be available to show you much more about our new mobile software. As always we are looking forward to this being another great event! See you there.

U.S. retailers both big and small are increasingly implementing mobile point-of-sale (POS) devices in their stores. Going mobile allows them to make transactions on the sales floor and improve customer service.

While smaller retailers may only need payment processing options integrated with a smartphone or tablet, larger retailers are implementing sophisticated mobile POS systems. They’re seeking solutions that offer inventory tracking, ordering, transaction history and other additional features.

In fact, 32 percent of U.S. retailers that employ more than 500 staff members have already implemented mobile POS according to a recent Yankee Group IT survey.

Twenty-eight percent of North American retailers plan to implement mobile POS by the end of 2013 according to a recent IHL Group study, raising this year’s mobile POS hardware and software sales to $2 billion. The research firm also reported that mobile POS devices will take over 12.4 percent of traditional POS shipments by 2016. Until then, 85 percent of larger retailers will use mobile POS devices in addition to their traditional systems.

Large retailers who have picked up mobile POS include Apple, Home Depot and J.C. Penney.

•  Apple uses their own devices to accept payments in their retail stores.
•  Home Depot, who issued mobile POS devices to their U.S. staff in 2010, uses them to accept payments and manage inventory.
•  J.C. Penney reported that a quarter of their POS transactions were made on mobile devices. The company has said that it wants to give all of its employees a mobile POS device.

However, Greg Buzek of the IHL Group reported that the majority of North American retailers are implementing mobile POS slowly and methodically, first solving key operational issues as to not disrupt their existing workflow.

Those who have implemented mobile POS have experienced bottom-line benefits. The Yankee Group report estimated that large retailers can save more than $15,000 and about 75 square feet of floor space by purchasing mobile devices, as cash wrap terminals can be costly and bulky. They also estimated that high-end retailers with 50 stores that produce $525 in sales per square foot could generate $1.2 million in additional annual sales by replacing three cash wraps with mobile POS devices.

So not only do mobile POS systems initially save stores money, but they also eventually make them more money. Increased revenue and floor space allow for reallocation of resources, improved customer service, shorter lines and – ultimately – happier customers. Large U.S. retailers are paving the way for the rest of the retail industry.

Shopping behaviors used to be far more predictable before the rise of Smartphones and tablets. Marketing and advertising companies had it down to a science, which went something like this: an item catches the shopper’s attention, they take an interest in it, decide they want it and then purchase it. The basic premise of the theory is that the further along in the process the customer goes, the more they desire the item, which drives them to the action of making the purchase.

Mobile technology burst onto the scene and shook up the way we consider what, why and how we want to buy things, and subsequently, how products need to be marketed. Smartphones give us immediate gratification: people to shop while they’re waiting on line, sitting in traffic or whenever they feel the urge.

So who are the mobile shoppers who will purchase items anytime, from anywhere? A July posting on Nielsen.com took a closer look at the demographics of mobile shoppers.

More than 80 percent of mobile users bought items on their devices as of the first quarter 2013. Nielsen also revealed that “more than a quarter” of shoppers use their mobile devices to make purchases more often than they use their computers.

Although women traditionally make most of the purchases for their families, men and women were evenly split when it came to shopping on mobile devices. Nielsen noted that the majority of these customers tend to be younger, more than half of those surveyed were under 45 years old and 34 percent were less than 34 years old.

These customers also have more money to spend. Thirty-five percent have incomes over $100,000. However, the category of shoppers with incomes of $50,000 or less is growing quickly, with more than half of mobile shoppers in lower-or-middle income brackets.