Giving Brick and Mortars the Power of the Web

I was just having coffee at my local hang out and noticed that a new store selling YOGA Clothing and Accessories had been trying to open for the last 4 months. We’re now into the 2nd week of December right in the middle of the Xmas rush and it looks like they will miss all the potential sales: They’re still not open! One can only speculate what is happening behind the scenes, but one of the things that I know many businesses struggle with is a solid point of sale and inventory management system.

Often times, POS systems really do act like Pieces of Shit (POS). Some are difficult to setup, and many require service contracts and specialized equipment. These added headaches can sometimes delay a business opening by a few weeks as service people and technicians come out to get things setup, even if their merchant accounts are already good to go. It could even be that parts are just not available. That’s where the power of the web comes in from a company called MerchantOS.

Merchant OS is a point of sale software solution that is totally based on the web. All you require is a computer and the power of the Internet. Optional hardware seems very reasonable in price and their guarantee of if it stops working, just send it back and they’ll send you another seems good, though I would have to imagine that they would do a cross ship because you can’t do business without a cash drawer or card reader. The system is secure and all the backend stuff is handled by the company on the other side, 24/7. You can pretty much operate as efficiently as an online store while offering the best possible service in the store.

This also frees a lot of business owners to mind their own business away from the business. Because of the web based administration system, owners can check on the sales of their business while on vacation. You can even cut PO’s for items that are low in your store and email them out to your vendors, letting your staff concentrate on sales. Since the company also take care of backing up your files, you don’t have to worry about additional equipment, or relying on your staff to initiate the backup procedures. In the event of a disaster, having all your real equipment off site can really help get you back on the road quickly.

For Restaurants, our friends at Auphan Software also have a wicked solution that takes that “Squirrel Thing” to the curb. It’s called Auphan Dining and also uses web technology to help you increase sales in your restaurant business..

I hope this info helps out a budding business owner. I know that anytime I can figure out another way to automate a system, I have more time to work on other things. Goodluck!