The Acoustic Shoppe’s Jeremy Chapman
Sims Music’s Justin Sims
Music Shop 360’s Taylor Harnois
MI RETAILERS AND POS SYSTEM PROVIDERS DISCUSS WHEN TO SWITCH SYSTEMS, WHAT TO LOOK FOR AND WHAT FEATURES ARE A MUST-HAVE.
T o switch POS systems, or not to switch POS systems, that is the question — often on frustrated store owners’ minds when their point-of-sale (POS) system just isn’t measuring up. Your store walls can be lined with all the newest guitars, your show floor filled with the latest drum kits and your display case stocked with the hottest effects pedals, but if your POS system isn’t up to snuff, you’re missing out on major selling opportunities. But how do you know it’s time to switch systems? And when switching, what are a few features you should consider? We’ve spoken with a few POS providers and MI retailing experts to tap into the best POS practices. WHEN TO SWITCH There are many reasons retailers consider switching systems — from their existing system not connecting to all sales channels
to not accepting certain payment methods — switching POS systems can feel like a major undertaking but can increase your business’ profits and efficiency. Taylor Harnois, general manager for Rain Retail Software and Music Shop 360, said the top three reasons retailers should consider switching to a new POS system are if the new system can streamline pro- cesses, broaden sales channels, and provide a better experience for both employees and customers. “Something we see quite frequently is a general lack of awareness of what tools are available to a retailer that meet those criteria,” Harnois said. “Because a POS switch is something that impacts nearly every component of a store’s operations, most retailers don’t consider making a change very frequently. Because of this, many retailers who do decide to evaluate POS offerings are surprised at what’s now
available to help them save time and money, and generally make their lives easier. An all-in-one system, like Music Shop 360, is designed to provide all the industry-specific tools retailers need to manage their busi- ness, from sales and inventory to marketing, rental and service management.” To Harnois’ point, during its first two years business, The Acoustic Shoppe in Springfield, Missouri, used POS software provider RetailPoint. “It was good enough to get us started with a minimal inventory and not many repair tickets to manage, but it didn’t have website integration at the time and was very limited for music retail,” said store co-owner Jeremy Chapman, who eventu- ally switched to Music Shop 360. “I found the cloud-based POS system much more intuitive for us to get operating quickly. They also offered fully integrated inventory between our website and brick-and-mortar
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