Getting the most out of your webstore: Content

This is the first post of a series of posts we’ll be doing on how to get the most out of your web store. So to begin we’ll start with the basics of effective content.

When it comes down to it, you get business from web traffic and traffic either directly (someone types in your www address) or from search engines. So when you are optimising your web store for search engines, don’t let yourself get bogged down or confused, there’s no magic secret. No special little code you hide somewhere that gets your site listed number one, it really comes down to just a few things done well.

Proof is in the Web-Store Pudding.

Hi All,

Nitrosell are our web-store partners and Tom Keane spoke with microsoft and has had this artical posted, which i found quiet informative and exactly in line with my beliefs.

So for all you retailers out there dont you think it is time to diversify and move your Brick & Mortar stores into the world of the Internet? Here is a little light reading i hope will give you a clearer understanding of where on-line selling is going “enjoy”.

NitroSell Retailers Turn Challenging Economy into Advantage by Going Multi-Channel

 

ROI For your Restaurant Software POS Investment

Return on Investment (ROI) Analysis

There are two sides of the ROI analysis that need to be considered. First, what is the investment to purchase the restaurant automation solution. Second, and perhaps more important, what is the cost associated with not purchasing the solution. In 100% of Restaurant Manager software customers, the ROI has far outweighed the monthly investment required to purchase the restaurant automation solutions.

According to the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Industry Operations Report 2002, the average restaurant spent a total of 35% of their annual sales on salaries, wages, and benefits. Labor costs are the highest expense. Restaurant automation integrates key business functions in order to maximize efficiency and reduce labor costs.Most restaurants operate on low profit margins. In fact, the average restaurant keeps less than a 10 cent in profit for every Euro earned. Furthermore, the restaurant industry has seen modest growth of 1% to 3% annually since 1991.

Low profit margins combined with modest growth result in numerous challenges. Restaurant automation offers opportunities to increase revenue and sales per customer.The following ROI analysis is based upon a restaurant with €500,000 in annual sales and €175,000 in labor costs.

	Annual ROI	Monthly ROI
Decreases
Labor Costs (20%)	€35,000	€2,917
Increases
Revenue (5%)	€25,000	€2,083
Sales Per Customer (2%)	€10,000	€833
Total ROI	€70,000	€5,833

*All of the figures above are based upon the monthly and annual averages, and in no way guarantees specific performance.

So from the information above don’t you think its time to invest in a product and solution that will earn you money just contact us and we’ll show you how.

Retail Software Up-take in Ireland

Hi All, Just a quick note I’d like to add this week in relation to the up-take of POS software in retail here in Ireland,

In researching our market here with retail software I found quite a few published documents on the up-take and the benefits of POS software and the lack of should I say, I found that over 75% of retailers are still using old ECR’s (electronic Cash Registers) and gaining little or no value for these machines,

When I looked deeper into this I found the many retailers just did not feel the need for EPOS mainly due to the fact that our economy has been so strong for the last 10-15 years or so and that having up to the minute reports and a good over-all picture was for many retailers not needed they could afford to lose money without any consequence as things were going so well ( a few points here and there wasn’t an issue ).

Well folks times they are a changing, there is still a lot of money to be made out there in retail but things are getting tighter and most retailers are seeing the need and benefits of EPOS and most wish they’d done it earlier (some could have probably retired on what they supposedly didn’t care about) again all is not lost why don’t we look at the big retailers what are they doing to keep their customers flooding in well I’ll tell you.  

Investing in the future and making themselves EPOS sound to drive forward into the future and it’s not just big retailers who can do this a good EPOS system doesn’t have to break the bank you too can have a system as good if not better that the big retailers and have it tailored to your specific business.

There is an investment and a time investment of course but think of this if an EPOS system saves you 5% per annum and you turn over 1 million thats 50 thousand I wish I could sell an EPOS system for 50k so think about it if you spend 25k and save 50k its really a no brainer.

If you want to have a look at a super EPOS system that won’t break the bank have a look at this Microsoft RMS.

By the way don’t be afraid to ask us any questions on anything relating to I.T in retail.

Webstores Continued…

Further to my post last week on Nitrosell webstores, I wanted to elaborate on some of the more specific benefits of these POS integrated webstores.

Another Store without buying a building

Probably the most beneficial factor with these web stores is that it adds a completely new store without the cost of buying a new building. You have a new presence, new traffic and new business all processed through your current store without the need for new staff or property.

Time to take stock?

Stocktaking can be daunting and expensive to say the least - extra staffing, training and closing the business for the duration of the count etc.. Then you have to collate the data gathered into a logical and legible format which can take as much time as the count itself. Nevertheless, having control of your stock and monitoring the value of your unsold goods is vital to business success.

Thankfully technology has provided us with some solutions that can help streamline this process. Many EPoS systems have Stock/Inventory management functionality which can be employed to carry out stocktakes and control levels on a day to day basis. This data can be used to generate purchase orders for your suppliers based on criteria such as re-order levels and quantities sold. Portable handheld computers with built in barcode scanners can be utilised to speed up the process of carrying out a stocktake with minimum disruption to your business.

 So now there’s no excuse … Get counting!

Retailers installing EPoS systems

In an age of great technical advances it is surprising to find how many retailers have not kept up to date with changing technology. Retailers not understanding the value EPOS can bring and only looking at the initial cost of set up could very well be holding their business back.

The need to accept coupons, keep track of inventory, ensure fast sellers are always in stock, increase accuracy, utilise detailed reports and provide hassle free refunds, credit notes and vouchers. These are just some of the reasons cash registers are no longer the most effective way of doing business.

Knowing when your business is expanding and allowing it to expand is a critical point. For a better understanding of why to choose epos 10 Reasons to Automate your Business with a Positive POS Solution.

A number of EPOS systems exist and finding the right one requires research. Use this Retail Technology Assessment form for guidance on purchasing your system.

Fear of change with EPoS

Recently I was speaking with our most recent client and something came up that I have always wanted to comment on. He stated that he wanted to get a new system for quite a while but was reluctant for, in his own words, “all the effort involved and the time it would take to implement a new system”. Well I put this into the category of ‘fear of change’.

Retail Software Advice

Hi All,

I suppose the reason for setting up this Blog is to relay what advice I can give for retail software & hardware and all in between if anyone has any questions please feel free to post and i’ll get back to you.

 Our qualifications in relation to EPoS include

Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System Specialists

SQL Specialists

Microsoft Certified Professionals

MCSE/MCSA

Microsoft Small Business Specialists