FMCG sales at organized retail stores grew 22% in 2018: Nielsen India report

POS Solutions, POS Retail, Ecommerce Merchandising

Article | June 7, 2024

Discover the pinnacle of efficiency in point-of-sale operations. The meticulously curated list of the top 10 Cloud POS tools empowers businesses to streamline transactions and gain powerful insights. The need to elevate point-of-sale (POS) systems has become paramount for businesses seeking to stay ahead of the competition in the rapidly evolving landscape of modern commerce. With the advent of cloud-based technology, a new era of possibilities has emerged, offering businesses an opportunity to revolutionize their sales processes. Cloud POS tools assist companies in unlocking a myriad of benefits, including enhanced flexibility, real-time data accessibility, streamlined operations, and improved customer experiences. Cloud point of sale tools offers numerous advantages over traditional on-premises solutions, providing businesses with increased flexibility, scalability, and efficiency. As a result, organizations are increasingly prioritizing the adoption of these innovative solutions. The article presents the ultimate list of the top 10 cloud POS tools for businesses to equip with the knowledge necessary to make informed decisions and harness the power of cloud technology in optimizing their point-of-sale operations. The following are the best POS software tools for elevating point of sale: Cegid Retail Cegid Retail is a cloud-native point of sale and unified commerce platform designed to cater to the specific needs of specialty retailers worldwide. The POS tool allows businesses to effectively manage their operations and deliver exceptional shopping experiences across different locations. It also enables retailers to provide a seamless brand experience both locally and globally by unifying customer data, inventory, and store operations. The platform's centralized stock management feature optimizes inventory by offering a real-time view, ensuring product availability and maximizing sales opportunities. With its retail operations and task management platform, Cegid Retail can facilitate businesses to streamline operations and ensure attention to detail in every store, all through a user-friendly and comprehensive application. ReadyCLOUD ReadyCLOUD, offered by UTC RETAIL, is a cloud-based hosting service that leverages cloud computing and infrastructure to provide a fully managed and off-premise solution for the ReadySTORE POS system. With UTC RETAIL handling all hosting configuration, installation, and management, retailers can focus on their core business operations without the burden of managing technology infrastructure. The real-time connectivity to a dedicated server in the cloud ensures access to a single version of the truth, while customer-specific instances cater to individual configurations and requirements. ReadyCLOUD offers the highest level of flexibility, free from being tied to a specific server technology stack, and provides a financially beneficial model with predictable cost structures and lower total cost of ownership compared to purchasing and managing dedicated on-premise servers. Brink POS A robust and reliable POS system, Brink POS is designed to meet the needs of both enterprise-level deployments and independent operators focused on growth. With Brink POS, businesses receive a comprehensive front-office software solution that streamlines POS management, freeing up time and allowing them to concentrate on cultivating relationships and enhancing the customer experience. The software's SaaS design ensures ultimate flexibility, while its seamless consolidation capability will enable businesses to integrate multiple systems effortlessly. With a flourishing integration ecosystem boasting over 200 PARtners, Brink POS provides a powerful and efficient tool for consolidating POS systems across one or multiple locations. Erply Cloud Retail Software Erply Cloud Retail Software is a comprehensive tool that empowers businesses to digitize their physical stocktaking processes, providing efficiency, accuracy, and real-time visibility into inventory management. With the ability to scan product barcodes or search from an existing product database, the software seamlessly integrates new items into stocktakes. Furthermore, Erply Cloud Retail Software facilitates streamlined warehouse and stocktaking processes by enabling offline product counting and data synchronization across different shop locations. Key features, such as retail chain process management, stocktaking automation, overstocking prevention, and a user-friendly stocktake app, assist businesses in expediting their stocktaking and replenishment procedures, enhancing operational efficiency and accuracy. Erply Cloud Retail Software offers businesses the speed and convenience they need to revolutionize their stocktaking activities with just a few clicks. Indirect Retail Suite Utilizing advanced point of sale (POS) and inventory modules, Indirect Retail Suite is designed to enhance the operations of dealers in the indirect channel. It assists dealers in delivering a consistent customer experience while streamlining store operations. The POS tool provides valuable insights into business processes through operational and analytical reporting, empowering dealers to make informed decisions. Standardization of front and back-office operations improves card compliance, inventory handling, KPI achievement, and operational reporting, ultimately leading to a more satisfying customer experience and enhanced dealer efficiency. Indirect Retail Suite empowers dealers and carriers alike, enabling them to optimize their operations, improve financial performance, and drive growth within the indirect channel. Vend Cloud POS Software One of the best POS software tools that caters to businesses of all sizes, Vend cloud POS Software, allows them seamlessly manage their operations and make data-driven decisions. With real-time sales updates and comprehensive reporting, it empowers business owners to gain valuable insights and have complete control over their operations. Its 24/7 customer support and a global network of Vend Expert partners assist businesses to rely on excellent customer care and assistance. In addition to this, the point of sale tool offers complete inventory management, with real-time stock level updates to prevent over-selling and optimize inventory control across multiple channels. Vend cloud POS empowers businesses to streamline their operations, improve decision-making, and enhance the customer experience, making it an essential tool for modern retailers. Toast Mobile Order & Pay Toast Mobile Order & Pay is an innovative software solution that revolutionizes the way guests order and pay in restaurants. The easy-to-use nature of the software ensures scalability to accommodate the growth of businesses. It features hardwired terminals and offline mode to ensure uninterrupted service. Real-time access to cloud-based reports provides valuable insights into business performance. The POS tool also offers tableside ordering and payments, along with digital receipts, facilitating the expansion of customer databases. Additionally, it enables businesses to collect valuable data and can be used to drive customer loyalty and repeat visits. Toast Mobile Order & Pay combines cutting-edge technology and user-friendly features to elevate the restaurant experience for both businesses and customers alike. Bindo Retail POS Bindo Retail POS is a versatile and powerful software tool designed to optimize operations and boost sales for businesses operating in various industries. It caters to a wide range of establishments, from clothing stores to pet shops, pop-up stores to education centers, offering enhanced online and offline business capabilities. Businesses can leverage the Smart Register feature to display related products, enabling upselling while benefiting from automatic promotion recommendations during checkout. The point of sale tool seamlessly integrates with major offline and online payment methods through its Payment Integration feature. By encompassing these functionalities, Bindo Retail POS empowers businesses to optimize operations, increase sales, and deliver exceptional customer service. Lightspeed Payments An all-in-one convenient platform, Lightspeed Payments is an efficient software solution that provides businesses with seamless payment processing capabilities. It enables companies to easily accept online and in-store payments, ensuring a smooth and hassle-free transaction experience for customers, regardless of their preferred shopping channels. This fully-integrated payment solution supports a wide range of payment methods, allowing businesses to accept any mobile payment with ease and flexibility. Furthermore, Lightspeed Payments prioritizes security, providing built-in premium security features to safeguard sensitive payment information and instill peace of mind from the outset. With Lightspeed Payments, businesses can streamline their payment processes, enhance customer satisfaction, and confidently manage their financial transactions. Infrasys Cloud POS A powerful software tool that revolutionizes the way businesses manage their point-of-sale operations, Infrasys Cloud POS offers robust employee management features, allowing centralized control of user access rights, performance tracking, and efficient access control for enhanced security. With its remote access capabilities, the software enables users to conveniently access their data, menus, and ordering systems from anywhere using a tablet or mobile device with an internet connection. Key features such as system-wide updating, customizable reporting, and centralized management make Infrasys Cloud POS a comprehensive and reliable solution for businesses seeking to elevate their point-of-sale operations. With centralized security management and protection, companies can rest assured that their data and customer information are safeguarded against threats. Cloud POS: The Future As the emphasis shifts towards customer experience and customer satisfaction, it is imperative for businesses to carefully assess their specific needs and select a cloud POS solution that aligns with their goals, ensuring seamless integration and optimal performance. Businesses can revolutionize their sales operations and embark on a path of sustainable success by leveraging innovative POS features such as system-wide updating, inventory management, remote access, centralized security management, and more. With the power of advanced point of sales tools, businesses can elevate their overall customer experiences, unlock new avenues for growth, and gain a competitive edge in the dynamic business landscape.

POS Solutions, Ecommerce Merchandising

Article | June 7, 2024

You have to be living in a cave if you haven’t experienced e-commerce already! No, we aren’t really bluffing when we say this. With a business model that is growing steadily at 23% year-over-year, aren’t e-commerce markets the place to be? Further, to add on, 2020 has been a year like no other in recent history. The events of the coronavirus pandemic that marked its spread on a global scale, worked wonders in bringing us closer to e-commerce than we ever were. The e-commerce industry was the backbone of humanity amidst the time of pandemic and uncertain lockdowns across different countries around the globe. Considering the fact that e-commerce has been suited to the trend amidst the pandemic, let’s have a look at how the world’s largest democratic, India, which is also one of the hot spots for e-commerce giants, has kept up with its buying and selling during 2020. Let’s get started! The total “your order is placed successfully” notification so far: Beginning its spree of three months, lockdown in the country was enforced in the last week of March. Being the innovators of ‘jugaad’(alternative way of solving or fixing a problem), Indian’s were prepared for the event, giving the e-commerce sites, a taste of dip with 2.40% on the overall orders placed (Yes, we should also consider the events of lockdown on courier facilities). However, this wasn’t it as the highest dip was about to come in April 2020, giving a 10% blow to the e-commerce industry. While these were the lower points, the e-commerce industry has experienced a boom in orders placed after April, marking the highest for the year with July. However, we are not done with the sales yet! Wonder which particular segment was the king of sales amidst the entire pandemic drama? Guess… Seems like we Indians love our gadgets really well, yes, it was the electronics! With ‘unlock 1.0’ in action, we had our carts prepared for checking out, the e-commerce industry in India witnessed a growth of 162%. However, this was just a mere aid to the losses as June faced a setback again! Interestingly, September marked a change in the charts, making the highest number of orders placed in e-commerce platforms, marking a 43% spike in electronic sales. How Indians sold in 2020! 2020 has been a year like no other (in both senses of the word). The extended lockdowns and social distancing helped our local kiranas (General Store) to share the platform beside some large enterprises, allowing businesses of all forms to adapt to hyper-local e-commerce. Conclusion Ecommerce has earned its rightful place as the most preferred shopping mode for us Indians. Thankfully, the markets have picked up with their pace, post the events of Unlock 1.0. For any business, one of the best news that they can conclude the year with is the fact that consumers are no longer using digital platforms for their daily needs. Online platforms have earned their rightful place, making it the perfect time to depend on e-commerce business. Lastly, have also secured the 9th position in global growth.

POS Solutions

Article | March 18, 2024

As an open-source eCommerce platform, Magento has aided online retailers in growing and providing a consistent shopping experience for their customers. Let’s take a look at 5 Magento POS trends that are predicted to flourish in 2022. Free Shipping and Speedy Delivery There is now a disconnect between customer expectations and COVID reality. Despite the fact that consumers are conducting more shopping online, they still want access to their products as quickly as feasible. They anticipate faster delivery than ever before, and several online businesses, such as Amazon, have made significant investments in this area. Then, free delivery might be a deal-breaker. If they are offered the option of free shipping, 90% of customers said they would purchase online more frequently. Furthermore, 24% of buyers say that they would spend more to have free shipping. Companies that offer free delivery have a 20% greater conversion rate than those who do not. Greater Use of In-Store Self-checkout and Contactless Payment According to the Verizon Look Forward report, self-checkout is now used by 23% of respondents. Mobile payment systems have even replaced static POS counters in certain establishments, which will become a Magento POS trend in 2022. Contactless payment is expected to grow in popularity after 2021. Consumers have now seen the benefits of this new paying method and continued to demand access. That is why many shopkeepers choose ConnectPOS to support their self-service solution and improve the customer experience. Push Notification is the next Magento POS trend Push notifications are SMS messages that you may send to your clients in order to raise awareness and encourage them to interact with you more. Push notifications are preferred by about 44% of iOS users and 91% of Android users. The push notification extension of Magento allows you to communicate with your consumers directly through their browsers, without clogging their inboxes. You can keep your consumers informed about your special offers, discounts, new items, or promotions, as well as develop a solid relationship with them. Use of Voice Search and Personal Assistants Voice-based searches have grown popular as a result of the increased use of digital assistants such as Alexa and Siri. This Magento POS trend is simple to use, quick, and convenient. Compatible devices can use the Voice search capability to capture users’ inquiries in the form of voice. After that, it analyzes the language and provides the appropriate answer. By 2022, voice searches will account for almost half of all Internet purchases. Visual Search On sites like Pinterest, people undertake over 600 million visual searches every month. Because visual search is based on digital image processing, it allows you to search by picture. It is one of the characteristics that people utilize to look up landmarks or obtain directions. Visual search, on the other hand, is becoming increasingly popular on online eCommerce sites. Magento has included this functionality, allowing consumers to store an image of an item they like and use it to search for a comparable item to buy. It aids online business owners in expanding their capabilities and attracting the desired audience. In short Above are some Magento POS trends that retailers should understand to adapt well to changes in the next few years.

Article | April 14, 2020

Next returned to selling clothes online this morning after the fashion retailer put extra safety measures in place to ensure warehouse staff can work safely during the pandemic. However, by 9am the website had closed again, with the high street giant saying it had already received all the orders it could process for the day – but it would return tomorrow. Next had initially closed its online operations in late March amid the coronavirus crisis, in response to criticism from staff who felt unsafe at work.