Setup

Setting up AirPOS takes a few steps, but is still quite straightforward. First, create an account on the AirPOS website. You can also choose your pricing plan at this stage as well. Once the account is created, you’ll be taken into your AirPOS Backoffice. The Backoffice uses a web-based interface and so can be accessed from practically any computer or device.

From the Backoffice, you can choose to perform a variety of tasks. To set up a PC for Point Of Sale use, you need to download the AirPOS Desktop Application. Once this is downloaded, you can install it on whatever PC you will be using in store for sales transactions. You will also need to use the Backoffice to create an Employee/User account for the POS device. Employees can be assigned one of 3 privilege levels: Staff, Supervisor or Manager. Staff can only perform basic sales, Supervisors can perform more advanced tasks but cannot access Settings, while the Manager can access and alter every feature of AirPOS.

The AirPOS installer takes you through every step required to get up and running. You log in to the Desktop Application using your main AirPOS login. This way, the Desktop programme is linked to your account. The Desktop Application will guide you through configuring receipt printers and cash drawers. In most cases, setting up just requires you to toggle a switch from Off to On, depending on your needs. Setup screens are clearly laid out with intuitive red/green controls.

The AirPOS Desktop App has to interface with your online Backoffice at certain points, which means there must be communication between your computer and the AirPOS servers. During setup, we experienced some long waiting times while data synched, and also experienced some communication failures. However, we cannot be certain whether this was down to our Internet connection or an issue with AirPOS.

Selling

The selling screen is attractively designed and makes good use of colour to indicate functionality. Sales can be quickly processed with just a few taps. Any product groups set up in your Backoffice Inventory will automatically appear on your Sale screen. Tapping a product group shows a list of all products in that group, so you can quickly find exactly what you’re looking for. Products can also be assigned images if desired.

Once tapped, a product is added to the transaction. A list of all items on the transaction is shown to the right of the screen. From here, quantities can be amended and the item can be removed from the transaction if required. Prices can also be discounted if desired. However, these actions all require a Supervisor or Manager password to be entered.

AirPOS allows you to Park, Void or Tender the sale once all items have been added. Pressing Tender displays a payment dialogue box. From here, you can choose a tender type (cash, credit card, cheque). You can also enter the amount paid either by using a keypad or by using Smart mode. In Smart mode, AirPOS only displays the amounts it believes the customer is most likely to hand over to pay for the sale. For instance, in a sale totalling €46.79, AirPOS guesses that the customer will pay either the exact amount, €47 or €50. If none of these guesses are correct, you can simply tap the Keypad option and enter the correct amount.

Once a sale is tendered, AirPOS offers the option of printing a Gift Receipt or Standard Receipt, or not printing any receipt at all. The entire sale process is quick and intuitive. However, it can be difficult for staff without supervisor privileges to correct a mistake. Even a simple mistake such as accidentally adding too many of an item to a transaction requires a password from a supervisor or manager to amend.

Reports

The Desktop App generates a very basic End of Day/Drawer Close report which shows expected drawer counts and actual drawer counts. A full list of transactions for each day is accessible through the Backoffice in an easy to navigate calendar view. More advanced reporting is only available to users who subscribe to one of AirPOS’s paid schemes.

Cost

AirPOS is currently available in a Free version, Advanced version and Multi-Channel version. The Free version is surprisingly generous, offering up to 100 products. However, certain features such as advanced reporting and payment processing is not available under the Free scheme, and telephone support is also unavailable. You are also limited to using just one POS device.

The Advanced version costs £17.50 (around €21) per month per device and allows up to 50,000 products. It also offers advanced reporting, integrated payment processing, e-mail receipts and a range of technical support options. The Multi-Channel option adds a webstore to your package for an additional £32.50 (around €39) per month. It includes Paypal support, customer capture, and a host of webstore support features.

All packages give you access to the online Backoffice and will allow you download the Desktop Application. Smaller retailers may find that the Free version perfectly suits their needs, at least for the first few months of business. Over time, the lack of in-depth reporting will probably encourage most to jump to the Advanced package.

Support

AirPOS paid packages come with online and telephone support, while the Free package allows just online support. Online support is accessed through the Backoffice and starts a Chat session with a technician. Telephone support is available from 10am – 6pm UK time. It is also possible for AirPOS agents to provide remote support if required.

Since setting up and using AirPOS is very straightforward, most users will probably never have to avail of these services.

Expandability

The three tier pricing plan offered by AirPOS shows how far the software can expand. Where the basic Free version can only offer 100 products and is probably only suitable for single, small stores, the Multi-Channel version offers a wide range of additional features. These extra features allow online sales, advanced inventory management, payment processing, customer relations management and more. While AirPOS cannot be tailored to the same extremes as Vend, and is really designed only to suit retailers, it is easily capable of growing with a business.

Conclusion

AirPOS is a very well-designed piece of software. Easy to set up and use, it looks good and offers a wide range of features, even in its Free package. Having the Backoffice and Point Of Sale as two separate entities is a sensible and logical approach. It allows the POS software to perform quickly and without an Internet connection in most situatons, and also means there aren’t any potential problems with sales being lost because a web browser crashes or does something unexpectedly. It also means administration can be done from any PC or tablet, not just the one with the AirPOS app installed on it.

Pricing is also very favourable, with the Free app more than capable of providing a Point of Sale solution for a small business. The Advanced and Multi-Channel offerings allow room for growth and offer additional features that will suit the typical expansion plans of most retail organisations as they move towards opening additional stores and offering online sales.

Few other programs are as intuitive as AirPOS when performing sales transactions. Quick to respond and easy to navigate, AirPOS offers a well-focused interface for staff. Sales can be completed with just a few taps. However, AirPOS can be a little unforgiving when a mistake is made and it may not always be practical to have a Supervisor or Manager to hand to correct such problems. The other workaround is to give all staff a supervisor password, which isn’t ideal either.

Pros

• Easy to set up and use.
• POS interface is stylish and very well designed.
• Online Backoffice makes admin easy.
• Even the Free package has much to offer.
• Ideal for businesses planning to offer online sales in future.

Cons

• Staff can’t fix mistakes in transactions.
• Occasional issues with synching (possibly because of our Internet connection).
• Occasional slow startup times for the POS Desktop app.

More Information

For further details about AirPOS, visit www.airpointofsale.com. Setting up an account is free and will give you access to the majority of AirPOS’s features.

Setup

Setting up Vend is very straightforward. Simply create an account on their website then sign in via the custom web address issued to you. Since Vend is web-based, you don’t need to download an installer and can access your Point Of Sale from any computer or tablet in the world using this web address. This is ideal for avoiding in-store downtime and also means you don’t need to invest in special hardware or worry about making backups of your important data.

However, Vend only fully supports the Google Chrome web browser on PC and Chrome or Safari on Mac, which means you might not be able to use your usual browser of choice. iPad users can download the Vend app from the App Store, while Android/Windows tablet users must use Chrome.

Once you’ve signed into Vend, setting up your store, products, tax rates and so on is easy. Menu screens are laid out clearly and easily accessed, even on a touchscreen device. Receipts, staff names, and various other settings can be configured quickly, even by users with little technical knowledge.

On a PC, Vend can print receipts to any receipt printer connected to the system in the same way as any document would normally print. As long as the receipt printer is correctly installed, Vend will be able to print to it. iPad users are limited to using only certain Star or Epson receipt printer models, while receipt printing is currently unavailable to Android users.

Selling

Vend’s main Sell screen is simple and intuitive to use. Products are laid out on the right of the screen for quick, one-touch access, while the left of the screen shows items added to the sale so far. As well as a Pay button, there are options to Void the sale, Park it for later retrieval, add a Note on it or Discount a price. Multiple items can be added to the sale either by repeatedly tapping the product key or by changing the quantity after pressing the product key. Designed to be touch-friendly, pop-up keypads are displayed when needed.

Once Pay is clicked, a keypad pops up to allow the amount tendered to be entered. Tender options are Cash, Credit Card, On Account or Layby. Once a payment button is selected, Vend then offers the option to e-mail a receipt. Afterwards, the Print screen appears, allowing you to print a receipt to any printer connected to your computer.

In general, Vend performs quickly and intuitively during the sale process. Mistakes are easily corrected, the important buttons are easily pressed, and the sale proceeds in an easy to follow manner. However, the receipt printing process could perhaps be more streamlined, with the query regarding e-mailing a receipt being a little intrusive. Certain versions of the Chrome browser can also cause issues with receipt print quality. This is a Chrome issue rather than a Vend issue and there are workarounds available to solve it, but it’s still less than ideal.

Reports

Vend stores a record of every transaction in its Sales History and can generate a wide variety of reports, including Stock and Product reports. These can be filtered in a variety of ways to provide exactly the details required. They can also be exported to a CSV file for use in a spreadsheet programme. Like the rest of Vend’s features, reports are easy to access and configure.

Cost

Vend is available in a variety of packages ranging from a basic Free version to an “Extra Large” package costing $169 (approximately €125) per month (billed annually). Pay monthly versions of all packages are also available, although these are slightly more expensive overall.

The most popular package is the Medium for $59 (approximately €45) per month. This allows up to 1,000 products and 1,000 customer records, as well as 10 users. E-mail support is also included. This package would suit the vast majority of businesses. In comparison, the Free and Small packages offer just 10 and 100 products respectively, which will probably only suffice for very small businesses. Users can change plan any time they want.

Support

Vend’s paid plans come with e-mail support as standard. Premium Support is also available for an extra charge and offers a more personal level of service, including phone support. Users on both the paid and free plans can benefit from the large online Knowledge Base, which includes detailed How To’s for common tasks. There are also instructions on how to solve common issues, and community forums where users and Vend support staff solve particular issues. The Vend community seem always eager to help, whether it be by e-mail or online forum.

Expandability

While the basic Vend Point of Sale package will probably be enough for most businesses, there are also a wide range of add-ons available to expand the capabilities the software offers. These range from web shop integration to appointment management. Using these add-ons means Vend can be used in businesses ranging from e-commerce to gyms to salons, and can also be used for credit card payment processing and other advanced transactions. Other features such as loyalty scheme management are also available. These add-ons naturally come at a price, but are designed specifically to work with Vend which provides much peace of mind.

Conclusion

For larger companies and businesses committed to using a cloud/web-based Point Of Sale system, Vend has much to offer. It’s versatile, quick, intuitive, powerful and fully featured. Designed to be touch-friendly, it’s particularly well suited to systems such as the Digipos A100. It will run on almost any computer, even older machines and will also run on iPad/tablet (with some limitations), ideal for queue-busting when needed. It also offers a wide range of optional add-ons that help you tailor your Vend experience to suit your needs.

However, users with a small retail outlet may find that the free or lower priced packages don’t meet their needs, while the cost of other packages might prove a bit of a stretch. That said, the Medium price plan currently costs just $708 (around €515) per year and would seem a sound investment.

Pros

• Intuitive and easy to use
• Web/cloud-based so can be accessed from almost any device
• Powerful and fully-featured
• Expandable with a wide range of add-ons
• Great online/e-mail support

Cons

• Free/Basic packages might be too restrictive for small businesses
• No receipt printing from Android tablets
• Some print quality issues with Google Chrome

More Information

For more information on Vend — and to sign up for a free trial — visit www.vendhq.com.

The Casio V-R100 mixes Android’s ease of use, flexibility and advanced features with the robust, reliable design of a traditional Electronic Point of Sale terminal. Most other Android or iOS point of sale solutions rely on smartphones or tablets that were never designed for the rough and tumble of a retail or hospitality environment. In contrast, the V-R100 features a splash proof adjustable touch screen. Its hard-wearing and compact all-in-one chassis design incorporates a thermal receipt printer, minimizing wasted counter space, trailing power/connector leads and other inconveniences.

Setting up the V-R100 is a straightforward process: simply unpack and power up. Connect the unit to the Internet and choose your POS software from the range available via the Casio Business Portal. Once the software is configured, you’re ready to go. The large touch screen and colourful software design makes the V-R100 easy to use, which greatly reduces training-in times. Even complex tasks such as sales information management, CRM and reservations can all be easily handled using the available apps. The V-R100 can even send reports via e-mail or text.

A host of connectivity options allow the V-R100 to be used with almost any pre-existing POS hardware. 2 cash drawer ports, a magnetic card reader interface, Ethernet, USB, and 3 serial ports are included as standard. An SD card can be used to store sales data.

Competitively priced, the V-R100 is not only affordable to purchase and set-up, it is also cheap to run. Designed using efficient components more typically seen in tablet computers, the V-R100 consumes up to 85% less electricity than typical PC-based EPOS systems. When operating, it needs only 20 watts of power, while stand-by mode consumes just over 4 watts.

Designed to be flexible, expandable and durable, the Casio V-R100 Android EPOS Terminal is ideal for any retail or hospitality environment, from convenience stores to restaurants to outlets dealing in Fast Moving Consumer Goods. It can grow as your business grows, and provides an excellent alternative to both traditional EPOS systems and to newer tablet/smartphone solutions.

In order to address the needs of retailers and other professionals who require a more robust and specialized smartphone, Honeywell have introduced the Dolphin 70e Black. This rugged piece of kit follows in the footsteps of Honeywell’s Dolphin 6000, improving on the 6000′s design thanks to the switch to a large 4.3″ touchscreen which is fully visible in direct sunlight.

Available with either the Windows operating system or the increasingly popular Android, the Dolphin Black also features:

• An enterprise class imaging scanner for barcode scanning and data capture
• Full submersion water resistance and complete dust resistance (IP67 rating)
• User replaceable 12 hour battery

A fully capable smartphone capable of making calls, sending texts and browsing the web wirelessly or over cellular connections, the Dolphin Black can also be used to run EPOS software, scan barcodes and look up product information. It has been specifically designed to be tougher than typical consumer handsets and so can easily cope with the rough and tumble of everyday use in a busy retail or warehousing environment. It can also easily be used in any other data capture setting, such as in medical work.

Intuitive and easy to use, the Dolphin Black weighs in at a mere 198 grams. For comparison, a decidedly less rugged iPhone 4S weighs 140 grams, while a Samsung Galaxy Note weighs 178 grams. At approximately 18mm thick, the Dolphin Black fits easily into a pocket when not in use. It is an ideal all-in-one device that can move seamlessly from warehouse to office to shop floor to the road.

The Dolphin Black will be released in February 2013.

Product Video

The key to providing this is to treat all stock across all channels as a single pool, and to have the technology in place that allows the customer access this pool from any number of points. These access points could include your high street store and e-commerce website, as well as mobile apps and social media sites. Similarly, Customer Relations Management should also be equally seamless, meaning a preference expressed online will be reflected in store, and that special offers delivered by SMS can be easily redeemed via website.

This “cloud retail” – like cloud computing in general – relies on inter-communication and networkability. Unfortunately, many older EPOS hardware and software systems simply do not have the capabilities required to function as part of such a setup. Most electronic cash registers lack any sort of networking functions. It may not even be possible to connect them to a computer. While more advanced models may feature interconnectivity, this is usually quite limited and based on individual stores operating in a self-contained way.

Meanwhile, legacy EPOS systems may feature proprietary locked down software which simply cannot be made “talk” to the cloud. They might also lack a network port, making it impossible to connect them to any web-based stock/CRM software.

Businesses now face the task of upgrading their out of date technology to meet the new requirements of cloud retail. In the current economic climate, many are understandably hesitant to embark on such an investment. However, being left behind is arguably a far greater risk, and there are many long term benefits.

For instance, cloud retail allows staff to use tablet computers on the floor. Perfect as a sales tool to engage customers, tablets with POS software can also be used to queue bust and process transactions during busy periods. This greatly enhances a customer’s experience by eliminating long wait times. It also means more sales can be completed without the need to install new tills and counter space.

An organization’s stock control and CRM is also greatly simplified by having all information available at all points. Cloud retail will open up many new points of contact with potential customers, as well as new sales channels. Future IT and technology costs may also be reduced, as there is no longer a requirement for specialist hardware. Instead, a device with an Internet connection – be it a PC, tablet or even a smart phone – is all that is necessary. Furthermore, the image of your company is sure to benefit from being seen as modern, trend-setting and engaged with new technology.

Earlier this year, Casio introduced the V-T500 series of tablets, specifically targeting the retail and business sectors. These tablets, which use the Android operating system, include many features which arguably make them a more sensible purchase for retailers than the iPad.

Perhaps their most attractive feature is their ruggedness. Each tablet in the range features a shock-resistant design, and is also dust and splash-proof in accordance to the IP54 standard. This makes them ideal for a busy retail or hospitality environment where accidental bumps, drops and spillages are all too common. They are also light and easy to hold, with optional straps and stands available to provide greater versatility.

Unlike the iPad, the V-T500 range also features an integrated NFC reader/writer, ideal for scanning loyalty cards and for reading RFID tags. The large screen makes these tablets perfect for use as an electronic catalogue, providing an excellent tool for sales staff dealing with customers. Staff can also close a sale using the tablet’s Point Of Sale software, allowing for a speedier, more efficient and friendlier retail experience, as well as less queuing and waiting times. The tablets can also be integrated with Casio’s existing Android based EPOS terminals, as well as with other hardware such as receipt printers.

As you would expect, these tablets are easy to use, with intuitive touch-based software. Casio have released a series of retail-focused apps in what they are calling their Casio Business Portal, including offerings from AirPOS, AlfaRichi and Cervello Lite. These apps are aimed at a range of situations, from general retail to hospitality.

The V-T500 battery lasts approximately 12 hours on a single charge, more than enough to make it through a busy day. It is also removable, meaning it can easily be swapped out for a fully charged replacement. In addition to its retail-focused features, the V-T500 is also a very capable tablet in its own right, featuring 1GB of RAM, Wifi, Bluetooth and dual 5.0MP cameras. The GE version also features 3G cellular connectivity, meaning it can be used on the go over a mobile phone network.