Introduction to POS software

Introduction to POS software by Steve Arbor Jones

In this article you will find information regarding the pos software, how it works and how to buy the right one.

To have a better understanding of POS software, one must first get familiar with the concept of POS. POS stands for point-of-sale or point-of-service, which can mean anything from a retail shop, checkout counter, basically any location at which a transaction occurs. Considering all that, it's not hard to see why pos terminals can be found in restaurants, hotels, bars, shops, stores, malls. To be completely accurate, we can say that POS refers to the hardware and software which cashiers use for checkouts.

When we consider a POS system, it has to be divided into hardware and software. Since this article is focused on the software part of it, let's examine the history of pos software. Some of the early electronic cash registers had a special computer program loaded on them, providing additional functionalities, although quite limited according to our standards nowadays. Programmability made way for a lot of new concepts, as it allowed developers to be more creative and embed whatever features they can think of, including real time labor and food cost reports.

A protocol is a predefined set of rules which computers follow when engaged in communication with one another. POS terminals communicate with other devices (peripherals) using a given protocol, so we can say that the protocol is the language that computers speak. Every pos software comes with a support of a certain protocol, so that it can succesfully interact with peripheral devices, such as POS printer, a bar-code scanner, and a credit/debit card reader. Some of the popular POS communication command protocols are EPSON Esc/POS, ADM 787/788, DSP-800, CD 5220.

In an attempt to guarantee the compatibility between the different devices, pos software developers have to meet certain standards. Microsoft, NCR, Epson, and Fujitsu-ICL developed the first pos software standard, called OPOS. People know it as "OLE for POS", because it's based on Microsoft's COM technology, which makes OPOS language independent. The next industry standards was made by SUN, IBM and NCR, under the name JavaPOS. JavaPOS is programmed on JAVA, so it's platform independent.

The high-quality pos software can provide several benefits to your business. First of all, it will increase your profits. Second, it will lower the inventory costs. It will improve customer service. Automate repetitive tasks, maximizing efficiency by at least 20%.

Considering the amount of places where you can find pos terminals nowaways, it comes as no surprise to know that there is plenty of competition in the pos software industry. The final buying decision is never easy, as there are plenty of models to choose from, but nevertheless, there are several factors which should determine what you buy. First you should take into account the turnover of your business. The second factor is the type of industry in which you operate. Have in mind that it's a good idea to make a research on as many models as you can and check with the retailers that are already using a given model.

Most POS software applications are for Windows. Linux and MAC come second and although they might be more stable and reliable, choices are fairly limimted as there isn't that many pos programs written for UNIX machines. Therefore, you will probably get a better shot at Windows pos software and if you have the system configured correctly, Windows systems can operate for months without a problem. POS software is available for support Windows 95, 2000, or XP, although some will support XP.

POS expert, Steve Arbor Jones, is known for his expertise in Point of Sale Software. You can find more information at his website.
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