Hi All,

Just a quick note, as you are all aware Positive Solutions became a Mamut business partner this year and I would like to direct you to a couple of video’s of Mamut’s products, see below, i hope this give’s you an understanding of what and how Mamut and positive can help you.

 http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=mamut+business+software&aq=0&oq=mamut+busines

With the current economic climate as it is business’s large and small are looking for ways to reduce costs and become more effective in their daily business activities, Mamut is a powerful easy to user CRM and accountancy package unlike other accounting packages which are hard to you and cumbersome and are really targeted at accountants Mamut is extremely focused on CRM (Customer Relationship Management) as its backbone and a really strong accounting package which is easy to used and can have you up and running in a matter of hours.

I have a lot of info on Mamut on our website ‘click here’ and if it does not answer all your questions please feel free to post back or contact me directly see here.

Again I would love to hear your ideas about how to become more efficient and profitable in the most difficult time and if I can be of any help to you please let me know.

Kind Regards

Damien

Hi Friends,

It’s true what they say in a recession some people do really well,

I have been trawling the markets to see what types of businesses do really well in a recession and I have found a few.

1) Debt Collectors

2) Schoolwear providers

3) Local Credit Unions

4) State run saving promotions (Prize Bonds)

5) Super-Markets

I have a couple of clients using our software in the Schoolwear business and by god are they doing well or should I say they are doing the same amount of business they were doing last year and the year before actually what prompted me to post was the fact that a couple of them are expanding.

I know the reason they are doing well is because all of us who have Kid’s need to get uniforms and schoolbags etc each year and it’s a simple fact you have to buy them, where my little girl goes to school you must get your uniform from one of these shops “talk about having a monopoly” but in saying that they are good quality and it’s a good service and with a uniform all the Kid’s are the same so no bullying over the designer gear.

It got me thinking for my line of business which is selling management software whom can I target, if you like me are in business I would advise you to sit down and think what types of businesses are doing well in a recession or are doing the same as last year and if you have a product or solution that will fit into their market I believe you could ride out the recession with this type of client.

As always I would love to hear from people who believe they have a market or client base not affected by the recession that could be a niche for me to focus on.

I look forward to your replies.

Regards

Damien

Recession (GDP) and retail businesses.

Ireland is just one more country to be hit with this global recession and it seems it is affecting all industries, the announcement of the closure of Dell manufacturing in Limerick with the loss of 2000 jobs being the latest in the long line of bad news for Ireland.

While we also look in the retail sector the likes of Zavvi, Adams, and a host of other big name companies all going into receivership sure would put the shivers up you if your in retail.

Well i would disagree how are the smaller companies getting on, some are finding it hard and i could tell you why, a few months back i posted a blog stating how companies could become more efficient by use of technology and all who listened to this should have upgraded there EPOS or invested in a new system altogether, Look at Microsoft RMS this software package to manage you retail business has it all, integration to web-store (Nitrosell) live sales, trends,stock,reports and POS just to name a few. Those companies who didn’t listen there the ones finding it hard the ones with good EPOS seen this coming and were either running more efficiently already or were able to implement a strategy much much quicker.

Ask yourself this what is your biggest cost of doing business i would imagine it is labor unless you live in a remote village in India. A decent EPOS system saves you time,energy and gives you all the data you need to make informed business decisions. What if you could spend more time on your shop floor getting rid of some of your expensive staff costs, what if you could do this and still spend less time analysing your business because you have a system to do that for you????.

Also for any of you not in the arena of the WWW (Internet) i would suggest you get into it no longer do people need to come to you to buy something a quick trawl through google and ‘hey presto’ they have made a purchase on line now i am not saying that you dont need a store but you do now need to complement it with a web-store have a look at RMS and Nitrosell’s offering if you made an additional 20% on line this year what does it mean to your bottom line.

Folks as always please feel free to comment and if you want to talk to use please drop a mail or give us a call.

It amazes me to see how many people don’t count stock upon delivery. Or worse don’t enforce the task is carried out by whichever staff member is receiving in the delivery. Numerous customers, I have talked to have admitted to not counting stock upon delivery because they were too busy , weren’t available etc.. Well the reality is mistakes do happen, wrong quantities, and items can get delivered. The importance of taking control of stock is vital for the success of any business.
If you get the wrong items in a delivery, they may not be what your target market are looking for so you end up with the stock 1) taking up space and 2) if its perishable going out of date, both causing you revenue loss.  It’s a matter of habit and getting into the right habits.
I have to say Microsoft’s RMS Store operation does an exceptional job of handling stock. You simply set up your suppliers, and the items for the suppliers initially. It is then a simple task of creating the purchase order which can be emailed, printed (which you can then fax), exported to excel, or word. A neat feature is the flexibility of creating your purchase order whether it according to suppliers (which warns you if you choose and item that is not set up for the supplier but will allow you to add it anyway after asking are you sure?), categories, departments or a blank purchase order plus many more options. If you want further info on the options post back with your query. When a delivery is received there is the option do a quick scan or update the items manually by filling in the correct quantity for each item delivered. If the order is all counted and matches the P.O. quantities you can simply click the receive all button and the stock quantities for the items are updated on the system automatically.
As you probably already know the quantities delivered do not always match and a delivery can be split, this is no problem in RMS, only the items delivered are updated with the new quantities and the items not delivered will be highlighted until they are delivered or you delete the purchase order.

Hi All,

I came across this article today and found it quite relevent to most retail owners out there interested in purchasing Retail Software, Please read on and as always if you have any questions or just need advice on selecting the right product for you just contact me or post below.

If you’re like most retailers, you don’t consider yourself a software expert. You may know a lot about this fall’s merchandise or last decade’s wines, but when it comes to selecting your next point of sale (POS) system, you’d rather wait until tomorrow…

At the same time, you realize the benefits of automating your store(s). You can speed up the check out process, better manage inventory and keep a tab on your profits each day. You know it’s time to bite the bullet and find the right retail management system.

The truth is that selecting your next retail management software system doesn’t require in-depth technological knowledge. Instead, you simply need to roll up your sleeves and run a disciplined selection process – skills you probably already have available, assuming you are succeeding in the challenging retail industry.

Here we present ten best practices for selecting your next retail management system. While there are hundreds of retail software packages on the market, you can quickly narrow them down using these processes and criteria.

1. Get management involved. Your retail management software will impact most every aspect of your business, so this is not a decision that can be delegated to a junior staffer or the local “computer guy.” This process demands the management talent, process expertise and perspective that only an owner or senior manager can provide. What if your computer guy selected a system based on an underlying database he liked, but failed to recognize that the system accounts for inventory differently that you do? Take ownership!
2. Determine your needs. Too many buyers let the software salesmen drive the process and determine their requirements. Only you know how best to run your business and where you need to automate for the greatest return on investment. Therefore, it’s critical to map out your core retail business processes and feature requirements. Are you simply looking for a high-end cash register, or do you want integrated inventory management, automated purchase orders and an integrated e-commerce system? Build an exhaustive list of features and then prioritize them based on what will give you the most bang for your buck. Don’t be afraid to phase in components over time.
3. Get the right package for your industry. I doubt that you frequently describe yourself as a “retailer.” No, you’re a liquor store, a grocer, a dry cleaner, an auto parts store… In that case, be sure to select a system that has features specific to your unique retail segment. Highly focused packages will more closely map to how their users operate. Broadly-focused “mega vendors” may have big euros and broad reach, but are not always specialized in your industry. Ask them for customer references from within your market segment. At the same time, keep in mind that there can be a tradeoff between how narrow a software vendor focuses and what level of investment they can afford to make in ongoing development and infrastructure (see #8).
4. Buy for your size and growth plans. One size does NOT fit all. Retail systems range from shrink-wrapped packages for a small, single location store to “enterprise-class” systems for national retailers. Prices vary accordingly, from just a few hundred euros to literally millions. When building a short list of systems to evaluate, consider your current scale and future growth plans. How many registers do you need to automate? Do you need to support multiple stores or just one? Do you know each of your three employees or do you need a sophisticated system to manage HR and payroll for hundreds of staff?
5. Focus on ease-of-use. Retail businesses face some of the highest turnover of any industry. Therefore, it’s critical to get new staff up-and-running on your systems quickly. Central to meeting that requirement is finding a system that is highly intuitive and easy-to-use. The simplest way to evaluate ease-of-use is to use a demo copy yourself. Try to manage a common process like ringing up a sale, without a salesperson’s assistance. Did you figure it out right away? These days, the right software should make it easy. Features that can augment ease-of use include on-line help functions, touch screen interfaces and a “training mode” that lets new employees learn without acting on live transactions.
6. Assess support and upgrades. You’ll need them. Leading vendors provide support 24 hours a day / 7 days a week. You’ll most certainly want weekend support and you might want nighttime support too, even if the shop is closed and you’re just managing the books. Consider also how that support is delivered. Are you up for talking to foreign call center staff? Do you want help on-site? And remember, when it comes to software, support isn’t just technical assistance; support often includes access to new features, bug fixes and major upgrades. Assess the vendor’s track record in delivering consistently high quality new releases of their software. After all, you’ll likely pay for them annually.
7. Demand accountability. When it comes to technology, things do go wrong. When they do, you’ll want a single of point of accountability. Unfortunately, in the retail systems marketplace, fingers point in every direction. A reseller may blame the software vendor, who in turn blames the hardware vendor, who blames the credit card processor. Ultimately, you just need to get back up and running, quick! The best strategy may be to buy from a single source that can provide the software, hardware and services you need. Sometimes that just isn’t possible, especially if you want to avoid getting “locked in” to a proprietary system. In that case, determine ahead of time which vendor supports which components. Look for those vendors willing to support third-party products and take ownership. And get it in writing!
8. Consider vendor viability. A retail system isn’t all you’re buying. You’re also entering into a long-term vendor relationship. It’s critical to assess the software company’s viability – not just if they survive, but how… Sure, healthy margins in the software business keep most established vendors afloat, but what about the vendor’s “strategic viability?” Can and will they invest in new development? Will they maintain adequate support staff? Will they sell out to a larger company that soon thereafter “sunsets” their product? All of these situations could have big implications for you. Make sure you assess the vendor’s reputation, financial well-being and their vision for the future.
9. Be smart about your budget. You can quickly narrow down your software search based on price. However, this approach will more than likely limit your ability to find the right system. While software does not have to be expensive to be good, never buy on price alone. A good rule of thumb is that retail leaders spend 2% to 3% of their annual sales on technology, while the average retailer spends 1.5%. Of course, if you only invest in technology every five years or so, you should expect to shell out 5% to 15% of sales in year one, for a system that will last five or more years. The more sophisticated buyer will consider the value of the system (as measured by return on investment), rather than thinking in absolute euros. Consider how incremental investment can help grow sales or reduce costs.
10. Plan your hardware needs. While we recommend that the software you select should drive the hardware you buy, don’t forget that these components are often highly interdependent. The right software for your retail business may only be compatible with certain hardware platforms or software operating systems. Moreover, there is a wide range of peripheral components to consider, such as keyboards, receipt printers, labelers, signature pads and credit card readers. Be sure to assess your hardware and peripheral requirements and make sure your new software system will support these devices.

Get other good advice from these Guys.

Microsoft RMS Reports

Retailers are recognising how competitive the industry has become and are striving to find out exactly what will give them an edge over their competitors. In a rapidly changing environment like retail one of the keys to success is ensuring you know exactly what is going on in your business whether you have one or more shops. What items are your best sellers? Who are your best customers? What needs to be re-ordered or should there be automatic reorder levels? Who is your best cashiers? etc. Reports detailing vital real time information instantly, is the key to increased sales, efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Microsoft’s RMS provides a wealth of reports as standard including customer accounts receivable, sales, item quantity information, quotes, orders and layaway as well as a host of others.

Retailers can customise reports using different filter criteria but from experience my favourite feature of RMS reporting is the ability to memorize customised reports.
The export feature is very useful should you ever need a member of staff to email you on sales reports, or in the event that you need reports sent to your accountant, the report can be exported to a comma delimited file which allows you to open it in excel.
Filtering the reports allows you to generate a report according to specific criteria for example if you wanted to find out how many items you sold between specific dates you can use the “Date Sold” filter and set the start and finish date of the report. There are also filters for stock on hand, cashiers, categories, department plus a lot more.

Reporting features in RMS include:
• Preview, print, or export data in multiple formats.
• Filter, hide, sort, and group data the way you want.
• Add your logo for formal reports.
• Drill down to modify the database directly from reports.
• View and print daily sales graphs and journals from any register.
• Preview, search, and print journals by register, batch, and/or receipt number.
• Print X, Z, and ZZ reports.
• Adjust report headers/columns on screen.
• Quickly drill down from summary reports to detailed reports.
• ”Memorize” report settings.

I am attaching a youtube demo of Microsoft’s Retail Management System Reporting, if you have any queries post back

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.

First off, search engines simply want to provide the most helpful and relevent results to what their user has searched for, yes? So to get better ranking you need to be as helpful and relevent to your industry or topic as you can. Start with writing your content to include, in a natural way, the product names and phrases describing your items. Try also to think about how a person would look for your products in a search engine. What would they type? Try to use that in your content. However, it must read well. Simply overloading your text with keywords will not work. In fact, it will more than likely get you blocked.

Secondly, keyword and description meta tags should be provided for each of your pages. Nitrosell does this automatically for you so there is no extra work for you on this point. Keyword and description meta tags are not so important these days as the bigger search engines don’t use them a whole lot. Google for instance will use your Description tag when it first lists your website if it hasn’t found a particular part of your content to highlight and it may review your keywords tag but it certainly won’t rely on it.

You really want to work with the search engines to be as helpful/relevent as possible. Don’t confuse this with having millions of pages – that might give your customers so much choice that they end up going no where!

The last thing we’ll cover today is ‘call to action’. When you’re writing a page you should always keep in mind what you want the visitor to do after they have read the page. Providing the page is not a product description or special offers page, which are self-explanatory, you should present the user with a ‘call to action’. This is something that prompts the user to do what you want them to do. So it could be a text link to a product, a ‘Buy Now!’ button or a contact us form.

If you implement the practices outlined above, you will see an increase in traffic as Google rewards you and also an increase in sales as you will be converting more visitors to customers.