Dedicated & Integrated Point of Sale Systems

Full blown dedicated and integrated Point of Sale (POS) Systems refers to point of purchase configurations that are setup in both nature and intent with the sole purpose of taking payments.  These are the POS systems that can be seen in a large restaurant, bar, nightclub or fast-paced retail environment.  Although some of the peripherals such as swiper, printer and cash drawer may be the same as other configurations, the touch screen interface and accompanying software sets this option apart.  The touch screen interface eliminates the need for a keyboard /mice combo that would be challenging to use in a dimly lit environment or during a dinner rush.

There are exceptions as can be seen in the grocery industry, and some large chains have legacy systems, however for the most part the touch screen configuration is the most popular.  This is the setup that is highly recommended if your business meets one of the following criteria.

Restaurant – Any size restaurant can utilize this type of POS system however any restaurant that seats patrons or serves high volumes of customers (aka large transaction volumes greater than 10,000 per month) should seriously consider this type of setup.

Bar/Nightclub – There is almost no other option for a dimly lit bar or loud nightclub.

Fast-Paced Retail – Fast paced retail environments that deal with large volumes of customers or have complex / vast inventory structures.

Other Businesses – Any business that relies on the speed, dependability and ease of processing provided by these types of point of sale configurations.  Examples include, grocery, big box stores, electronics stores, gas stations, etc.

Integrated Point of Sale Features

The best part about a full blown dedicated and integrated Point of Sale system is that they are usually packed full of many useful tools that help drive commerce for the business.

Features include but are not limited to the following…

• inventory management
• marketing tools
• accounting incorporation
• ecommerce connectivity
• social media/app integration
• performance management
• customer relationship management (CRM)

In addition, these types of features are typically among the fancy additions because practically all point of sale systems have integration of gift card and loyalty programs as well as high customization between users, items and a plethora of reports.

What this does for the business, if leveraged properly, is the knowledge and automation to run a world-class business commerce model of practically limitless size and complexity.  Most stations will connect to each other within the same building and some will even connect across locations.

Dedicated POS Drawbacks

One of the historical biggest “down-sides” or reasons for smaller businesses not implementing a full blown POS is cost.  Traditionally and still commonly the case today, full point of sale system can cost over $10,000 for only one station!  Hardware can range from $2-$4 thousands per station, a software license can be up to $5K with database building at $1,500 and training at $750 per day among other tertiary costs.  This large start-up cost scares many potential integrated POS customers to a less integrated approach.  However the rise in popularity of non-traditional options and market competition have flushed out various lower cost integrated point of sale options.  Examples of this are companies that provide lower-cost startups with monthly fees, or leasing options.

Another large drawback to dedicated integrated point of sale systems is the sometimes high complexity of setup, training and maintenance.

Many POS owners have specific budgets set aside simply to pay the service tech that must go on site routinely to tweak and fix elements of the configuration.

Also because of the high level of customization commonly found, it is very difficult to change them over or sell them.

Unlike a terminal or USB mag swipe reader that can be sold fairly easy, full blow POS systems are harder to sell, change or modify.  This is why it is not uncommon to see legacy systems that have been added to or had up to date compliant hardware bolted on them.  Because of industry and security standards changes over time, an odd Frankenstein looking yellowish printer and black pin pad are highly common in even high end stores!
 

Contact Total Merchant Network today for a free 30min preliminary needs analysis to help determine the right solution for your business.  Call us at 503.862.8541 or Click Here.