Factor One - Retail & Restaurant POS

The Future Of Retail

2011-11-09T12:58:00.001-08:00

This is Microsoft's vision of retail in the future. Truth be told we are not that far off, in fact I think we're already here.

Customer Reviews - An Important Tool For Your Website

2011-10-30T11:59:00.000-07:00

Most people who shop online read the product reviews and having them on your site plays a huge part in helping customers making that all important decision to buy. If you don’t already have this feature turned on for your site, I would recommend doing this.

There are many reasons to encourage product reviews on your e-commerce site. Besides the obvious reason of providing prospective customers more trustworthy information, there are added benefits that help improve the quality of your site as well as search engine optimization benefits.

According to the company Reevoo, a company specializing in online customer reviews, product reviews done the right way can boost sales up to 18%. In addition, successful reviews have been shown to increase the average web order by more than 50%! Click here for source.

Here are some more interesting statistics they’ve compiled from their own business:

- A review reader is 200-300% more likely to convert than a non-review reader, boosting conversion rates by 8-15%

- Customers reading reviews are 13% more likely to return resulting in a higher trust and customer satisfaction.

Another added benefit of customer reviews is that it increases the stickiness of your site. In short, customer reviews keep people on your site longer which search engines like. When they see that customers who visit your site spend more time browsing, it tells them that your site was providing something valuable to the reader. In fact according to digitalvisitor, another research site, adding reviews can double the browsing time on your site. - Click here for source

Another thing you may not want to discount are tools such as Facebook and Twitter. Encouraging genuine product reviews on your Facebook page from customers can help others following the page and encourage them to potentially buy. It can also serve as a great tool to gather unsolicited feedback from your customers about the products you’re selling. If something is not right with a product it may be something you want to bring up with the manufacturer or even reconsider whether you want to carry that product.

There are a few ways that you can encourage your customers to leave reviews. You could periodically send out thank you e-mails to customers and ask them to review the product they just bought on your site. Quite often they will leave a positive comment about your company and service as well. Make it easy for them by including the link in the e-mail to the product. You could also use your Facebook page and hold a contest where by you offer a promo discount or gift card to someone who leaves a product review on your site. Remember, let them know it doesn’t have to be a five star review, but also know that you get the final say on what reviews can get published. Also, you may want to correct grammar and spelling mistakes that reviewers may have left.

In honor of this, I thought I’d leave you with a side splitting article that lists The 10 Best Amazon Reviews. Ever.

Visit Factor One Technology for more information about our retail and e-commerce products and the services we provide.

Universal Cycle Chooses NitroSell Integrated E-Commerce for Web Store

2011-05-05T11:13:00.000-07:00

Don Fergin has been operating Universal Cycle in Calgary for the past 27 years and has grown his store to be the largest premier independent motorcycle shop in the area. He’s also the exclusive Canadian dealer for popular brand Draggin Jeans, which was one of his primary reasons for starting an e-commerce site. “As a Canadian retailer we’ve lost some business to the US through online sales, so we wanted to get ahead of that and re-capture that business. The e-commerce site also allows me to capture customers that like to do their shopping during hours the store isn’t open.” Click here for full article.

To visit their site click here.

Factor One Gas Pump Integration Goes Live In New Orleans!

2010-12-14T15:04:00.000-08:00

NEW ORLEANS -- The Palace Truck Stop & Casino in New Orleans has installed RMS Retail Marketing Solutions Inc. and Microsoft certified partner Factor One Technology Inc.'s integrated point-of-sale (POS) solution. The location has a total of 10 fuel dispensers and will provide pay-at-the-pump convenience for customers.

Click here for full story.

Gracie & Gruff Fine Toys Chooses NitroSell For New E-Commerce Store

2010-12-07T09:53:00.000-08:00

Calgary – Gracie & Gruff Fine Toys has chosen NitroSell as the platform for their new e-commerce store. With two locations in Calgary customers can now purchase products online or check availability of stock at their locations.

With the help of Factor One Technology, their Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS) partner, the site is now live and able to take orders for the upcoming holiday shopping season. NitroSell integrates product and inventory information with their RMS system, making it easy to add new items to the web as they arrive. New orders are sent instantly to their RMS system for fulfillment while offering integrated shipping options with Canada Post & FedEx.

Be sure to check out their website Gracie & Gruff - Online Store.

For more information about Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System and NitroSell, please contact us at info@factor1.com or see our website at www.factor1.com.

Customer Spotlight!

2010-09-16T14:22:00.000-07:00

Child at Heart Children’s store was recently featured in the Retail Connections Magazine published by ShelfSpace as a retail success story in Calgary! Child at Heart has been using Microsoft Dynamics RMS as a key element to their success, along with many other successful retail practices. We’d like to share their success story with you!

Click here for the full article.

Lessons Learned: Candle Retailer Regrets Custom Shopping Cart

2010-08-28T10:24:00.000-07:00

Lessons Learned: Candle Retailer Regrets Custom Shopping Cart

This is from another blog I follow. For those of you looking at starting an e-commerce site, beware of some of the pitfalls that can happen when deciding on a web page format. As this retailer found out, Flash can make a site really cool looking but Google search does not pick up Flash so your website can be very difficult to find.

Also, another good point he brough up was with regards to hosting versus a managed service. He made quite a large investment in servers that he ended up not needing in the end.

Anyone looking or considering e-commerce, please feel free to give me a call or e-mail me and I will be happy to share my thoughts, insights and ideas with you.

New Dinerware Video!

2010-08-19T09:52:00.000-07:00

Check out our new Dinerware video! Very well done.

Higher Ground Cafe In Calgary Saves $20,000 Per Year Using Dinerware

2010-08-16T08:39:00.000-07:00

The Higher Ground Café is located in Calgary’s trendy Kensington area where shoppers and residents enjoy the unique independent retail shops and restaurants. Throughout the years they’ve grown to be one of the “go to” places to relax while enjoying a fresh cup of organic coffee, tasty meal, or bringing in your laptop to catch up on the latest gossip with their Wi-Fi network while enjoying a glass of wine.

Four years ago, operating with a manual order system, they needed to improve their line ups and speed up service with a POS system. “We wanted something to simplify our ordering system, and Dinerware was very user friendly, so we decided to go with Factor One Technology as our provider”, says owner Dave Hockey.

To read more click here or visit Factor One for more details.

Calgary's Cafe Koi Spends Less Than $300 In Support Costs In Two Years

2010-08-09T09:37:00.000-07:00

Two years ago Café Koi needed to replace their old Point-of-Sale system in their restaurant in order to improve work flows and customer service. In their search they looked at several different options and decided to go with the relative new comer to the Canadian market, Dinerware, offered by reseller Factor One Technology.

“We chose Dinerware because it was very easy to use,” says Chef Philip Wong, who opened Café Koi in 2005. Thanks to how intuitive and easy the system was to use, they built their own menu and were ready to go very quickly. “We wanted something that would be simple and fast to train staff, easy to change items and prices on our menu and full of useful management information. Dinerware met these requirements.”

Click here to see the rest of the story!

Dinerware Certifies SpeedMenu For Mobile Ordering!

2010-07-28T09:20:00.000-07:00

Dinerware has certified the SpeedMenu mobile application to work with the latest version of Dinerware 3.0.

SpeedMenu is a smart phone application that allows customers to order drinks and food items in restaurants to their table from any smart phone that has internet access. The application serves to boost sales and customer service during high volume periods or staff shortages.

By placing an order on SpeedMenu, the order is sent to the bar or kitchen printer as a SpeedMenu order. When the drinks are made a runner simply delivers the food or order to the customers table.

Customers are able to check their current tab through their phone, re-order items in one touch, close out their tabs or even settle their tabs on a credit card through thier phone.

The results have been higher customer satisfaction, increased drink orders and higher tips for servers. The Lanai Rooftop Lounge in Austin Texas has seen tremendous results. Please follow the link for a detailed case study.

In addition, restaurants can use the SpeedMenu application to post specials to their Twitter and Facebook pages.

Currently Dinerware is the only POS aplication that works with SpeedMenu.

For more information, please contact Tyler Cumberford at tcumberford@factor1.com or http://www.speedmenu.com/.

Factor One Technology Inc. named to 2010 President’s Club for Microsoft Dynamics

2010-07-20T09:23:00.000-07:00

Factor One Technology Inc. is recognized by Microsoft for commitment to customers.

International Press Release

CALGARY, AB — JULY 20, 2010 — Factor One Technology Inc, a privately owned Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, has been named to the 2010 President’s Club for Microsoft Dynamics. This achievement is a direct result of Factor One’s outstanding dedication to customer satisfaction through the delivery of innovative business solutions.

President’s Club for Microsoft Dynamics honors high-performing Microsoft Dynamics partners whose commitment to customers is reflected in their business success and growth. This prestigious group represents the top 5 percent of Microsoft Dynamics partners worldwide. Membership is granted based on their continual, committed efforts aimed at offering solutions that meet the needs of their customers.

This acknowledgment came during the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC), the company’s annual premier partner event, which took place this year in Washington, D.C. WPC provides Microsoft Corp.’s partner community with the largest opportunity to learn about the company’s road map for the upcoming year, establish connections, share best practices, experience the latest product innovations and learn new skills.

“Microsoft is proud to recognize Factor One for its outstanding sales achievement,” said Doug Kennedy, vice president of Microsoft Dynamics Partners. “This honor is a direct reflection of Factor One’s outstanding group of employees and management team, all of whom should be very proud of this accomplishment. Factor One plays a very important role in the growth and success of Microsoft Dynamics.”

Factor One is committed to helping customers find the best solutions and services to support their business needs and further their success, while excelling in customer satisfaction. Factor One provides implementation, training and consultation for small, midsize and corporate businesses using business enterprise applications. Factor One specializes in Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System to develop and deploy solutions that help leading retail companies get to market faster and achieve continued success.

Factor One is a privately owned Microsoft Gold Certified Partner with certifications in Enterprise Resource Planning and Small Business Specialist. Incorporated in 1997 Factor One has offices in Calgary, AB. Factor One is a certified Microsoft Dynamics RMS Partner and developer of custom add-on modules for Dynamics RMS.

Or contact:
Factor One Sales and Marketing at
Phone: 866-576-6985 Fax: 403-253-6969
Email: info@factor1.com
Website: http://www.factor1.com/

Factor One Announces Gas Pump Integration For Dynamics RMS

2010-07-09T11:10:00.000-07:00

International Press Release
Date: July 9, 2010

Media Release – Factor One Technology Inc.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Factor One Technology Inc and RMS Solutions Inc. are pleased to announce that they have successfully integrated the Microsoft ® Dynamics Retail Management System (Dynamics RMS) with the RMS Solutions Gas Pump Interface (GPI).

This powerful solution benefits convenience stores and gas bars by giving them effective management of fuel sales and costly fuel stocks (inventory).

The first successful installation is paying off for Ste. Anne Co-operative Oil Ltd. in Manitoba. Henry Nickel, the General Manager, said "We are very pleased with the speed and reliability of Dynamics RMS point-of-sale with the GPI. It is easy to learn and use, and with the touch screens our staff can give great service to our large numbers of customers.

“We are seeing benefits from the consistent central control for all store locations. We also look forward to higher margins and reduced costs due to the accurate and complete information available from the system, such as the volume of fuel stocks. We really appreciate the positive support provided by the vendors throughout the installation, training and start-up phases."

Jason Deyholos, President of Factor One, said “Adding the ability to manage fuel sales to Dynamics RMS gives us an excellent opportunity to address a critical need faced by these retailers. We can now give them superior control of their fuel sales and inventory costs without increasing staff.”

Thomas Viccars, President of RMS, said “We are proud to partner with Factor One and the world-wide Microsoft Dynamics Partner community to bring our proven fuel management solution to their customers. Combining our experience with Microsoft’s range of products gives retailers an excellent solution at a very competitive price.”

The RMS GPI is PA-DSS (PCI) compliant for customers in the USA, and also meets US EPA standards for reporting and history of site operations. It can handle Pay-at-the-Pump (PAP), fleet cards, private loyalty programs, price signs, car washes and tank monitors. It is a flexible, scalable solution that can be used in environments from single convenience stores to large enterprises with thousands of locations.

RMS Solutions is a privately owned innovative developer of business software solutions. Incorporated in 1993, RMS has offices in Calgary, AB and Las Vegas, NV. For more information about RMS, its products and services visit RMS on the Internet at www.rmssoftware.com.

Or contact: RMS Sales and Marketing at

Phone: 877-548-4737 Fax (403) 245-1160
Email: agibson@rmssoftware.com

Factor One is a privately owned Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner with certifications in Enterprise Resource Planning and Small Business Specialist. Incorporated in 1997 Factor One has offices in Calgary, AB. Factor One is a certified Dynamics RMS Partner and developer of custom add-on modules for Dynamics RMS. Go to www.factor1.com for more information about Factor One.

Or contact: Factor One Sales and Marketing at

Phone: 866-576-6985 Fax: 403-253-6969
Email: info@factor1.com

Use Your POS Software to Generate More Repeat Business

2009-11-09T09:33:00.000-08:00

How To: from Jeff Haefner article

by Shannon Dewald

One of the most obvious ways to create more repeat business is to track your customers and communicate with them in some manner. Typically this requires asking for customer information at the POS. Ideally, you want to collect name, phone number, and/or e-mail addresses as they are making purchases. (Develop a "talk track" for how you want your staff to ask for this information - i.e. it's more effective to ask if they want to be added to your promotion or coupon e-mail list than just asking for their e-mail address without providing the why).

With this information you can select criteria for how you want to segment your customer base and the offers that you want to provide for each customer. For example, if you've received a new shipment of a particular brand, you may want to notify customers who have purchased items from this brand previously.

You would segment your customers based on their past purchase history and then export the list to your e-mail contact program for those customers with e-mail addresses. You may also have a staff member call those customers that have not provided an e-mail address. You will have gone above and beyond what most of your competitors are doing. If you provide an offer to these customers as well and track the redemption then you will also know exactly how profitable the extra effort was to your bottom line.

2 Critical Things You Must Do With Retail Technology to Grow Your Business

2009-11-09T09:32:00.001-08:00

By Jeff Haefner

If you want to get the MOST from retail technology and really grow your business, then there are 2 critical things that you must do...You see, most retailers start using technology (like POS software) and get some nice benefits from the software. For example, they might improve customer service and improve their overall efficiency.However, almost NONE of the retailers that I meet are doing what they need to truly get the MOST from their POS software and grow their business! In fact, most retailers fall miles and miles short of getting to where they really could go in terms of growth and efficiency. (read more)

Rediscovering Layaways

2009-11-09T09:29:00.000-08:00

Underrated for years, layaways are sweetening sales in a sour economy

Reprinted from The Register - News and information for the Microsoft Dynamics RMS community - April 2009

Often overlooked in our "buy now, pay later" culture, layaways are making a comeback, among both customers and retailers. It's easy to see why. Customers are finding multiple benefits. First, there's no interest to pay. Why pay high credit card interest and perhaps even find yourself still paying for something years after its useful life? Layaways also don't promote the empty calories of impulse buying, buyer's remorse, and the consequent returns. And, many people are enjoying a new sense of control over their lives as they get back to the basics of actually planning their purchases and saving. Retailers, too (including big national chains) are rediscovering the lost art of layaways. Not only do layaways expand sales during downturns, when customers are more careful with their dollars, but layaways bring customers back into the store on a regular basis to make payments. Layaways also reduce the number of returns, which has increased in recent years to become a costly percentage of sales. Then there is the customer loyalty and community that layaways and other customer-friendly policies nurture - possibly the most valuable and most overlooked benefit of all.

Read More - Rediscovering layaways

Using Your POS Software to Electrify Marketing & Boost Sales

2009-09-01T12:10:00.000-07:00

By Jeff Haefner

The single most powerful (and most overlooked) marketing tool is the customer list stored in your POS software! For example, you can creates TONS of additional sales and literally boost your response rates by 1000 percent when sending your existing customers promotions. Let me explain...When someone makes a purchase, they prefer buying from someone they trust and who has treated them fairly in the past. If you were to rent a "cold list" (a list of people who probably know nothing about your company, product, service or offer) you may, with a well crafted sales letter or promotion, get a 1 to 3 percent response on the offer. However, if you send the VERY SAME LETTER to your past customers, you will see a return that is much greater with response rates as high as 25 percent! (read more)

For more information on Microsoft RMS click here

By The Numbers – Labour Theft In The Hospitality and Retail Industry

2009-06-08T15:41:00.000-07:00

Here is an interesting statistic that I recently learned, and while it is an American statistic I’m almost certain in would apply to Canada as well. According to the American Payroll Association, a recent survey of workers showed that employees admitted to stealing on average 4.5 hours per week from their employer through extended breaks, as well as early clock ins and late clock outs.

Now, let’s break these numbers down and put them into perspective. 4.5 hours per week comes to a total of 234 hours per year. That’s an additional 6 weeks of vacation time! These are hours that employees are being paid but not producing. That is a lot of time that is stolen from businesses.

Even more eye opening let’s equate that to a dollar amount. Let’s take a hypothetical business in Alberta that has 20 employees making the minimum wage of $8.80 per hour. Employees have been clocking in a few minutes early, taking extended breaks and clocking out later than scheduled.

Financial Loss To The Business

4.5 hours * $8.80 = $39.60 per employee per week

$39.60 * 20 employees = $792 productivity loss per week

$792 * 52 weeks = $ 41,184 extra wages per year paid out

That equates to 2.25 additional employees on the payroll.

Fortunately, there are affordable technologies that are available to employers to help enforce scheduled hours. TimeForge is a solution that integrates with the restaurant POS system Dinerware that can enable employers to create employee schedules through web based technology. It can be set to require a management approval for an employee to clock in early or late for their shift or breaks.

Even better employees can login online and set their availability, see their schedule, pick up shifts and message internally. They can even set reminders through text messaging, Facebook and e-mail about upcoming shifts. Management can use the Auto Scheduler and create schedules within minutes and have it e-mailed to the organization. Owners or managers can login online and see who is clocked in, and what their gross sales are in real time.

Now assuming that with TimeForge you can save 45 minutes per employee of those lost hours what does that do to your bottom line?

45 minutes times 20 employees is 15 hours.

15 hours * $8.80 = $132.00

$132 * 4 weeks = $528

The monthly cost for TimeForge for twenty employees integrated with Dinerware is about $100 USD.

Monthly savings = $428

Annual savings = $ 5,136.00

Gather Information About Your Customers

2009-05-28T14:09:00.001-07:00

By Jeff Haefner

There are countless reasons for retailers to track customer information in their point of sale (or retail management software)...The information stored in your POS software can be used in limitless ways and allows you to perform powerful queries (questions). For example, you can easily create a list of all customers that purchased a certain type of product and send them an offering of a related item. You can easily identify and send your 100 most profitable customers a nice gift at Christmas. Or you can identify customers that haven't shopped in the past 4 months. And since these customers could be drifting away, you could send them a $20 gift certificate to help get them back. (read more)

Rediscovering Layaways

2009-05-28T13:59:00.000-07:00

Underrated for years, layaways are sweetening sales in a sour economy
Reprinted from The Register - News and information for the Microsoft Dynamics RMS community - April 2009
Often overlooked in our "buy now, pay later" culture, layaways are making a comeback, among both customers and retailers. It's easy to see why. Customers are finding multiple benefits. First, there's no interest to pay. Why pay high credit card interest and perhaps even find yourself still paying for something years after its useful life? Layaways also don't promote the empty calories of impulse buying, buyer's remorse, and the consequent returns. And, many people are enjoying a new sense of control over their lives as they get back to the basics of actually planning their purchases and saving. Retailers, too (including big national chains) are rediscovering the lost art of layaways. Not only do layaways expand sales during downturns, when customers are more careful with their dollars, but layaways bring customers back into the store on a regular basis to make payments. Layaways also reduce the number of returns, which has increased in recent years to become a costly percentage of sales. Then there is the customer loyalty and community that layaways and other customer-friendly policies nurture - possibly the most valuable and most overlooked benefit of all.

Read More - Rediscovering layaways

By The Numbers - Liquor Loss Prevention

2009-04-13T16:02:00.000-07:00

By Tyler Cumberford

One good exercise that everyone should be doing in their business is evaluating numbers that affect their bottom line. Recessionary times force many businesses to re-evaluate current business models to increase efficiencies and replace lost revenues with unrealized profits. In the end, there are only two ways one can achieve growth; increase revenues or cut costs.

While most will agree it is impossible for one to cut their way to profitability (increasing sales is always preferred), cutting unnecessary expenses can increase operating cash flows without having to generate new revenues. So in tough times when sales may be lower that you are used to and can’t always be counted upon,this exercise can find dollars that otherwise may have been lost. (read more)

15 Tips and Tricks for Retail Theft/Loss Prevention

2009-04-13T15:54:00.000-07:00

By Jeff Haefner

Did you know that nearly 50% of retail inventory shrinkage comes from employee theft? It's a bigger problem that most retailers think. And you shouldn't overlook this expensive problem because it can happen to you.To help you avoid these unpleasant experiences, I'll start by giving you 10 tips to prevent retail theft by using your POS software...(read more)

Do you have an emergency strategy in place?

2009-04-13T15:52:00.000-07:00

Within our client base we have seen many a tragedy - from floods, to fires, to break-ins and in one instance a very brazen robbery where they came through the wall of the empty store next door. When any of these things happen, it's devastating for the business. So let's do a small checklist of things to review - let's call it spring cleaning - to make sure that you are protected in case any of these things happen to your business.

1. Immediately check your insurance policy to make sure you have enough coverage for your entire store, including all your merchandise, fixtures, equipment, supplies, building, etc. Call your insurance agent if you're not sure. Although it may be tempting, this is no place to cut costs.

2. Talk to us about our Managed Online Backup Service and sign up for online data protection if you don't already have it. Cost starts at $9.99/month for 4 GB of RMS SQL data. Merchandise and other "stuff" can be replaced, but your data cannot. Imagine the crippling effect it would have if your lost your customer lists, your sales and inventory data, and your financial records. Fires, storms, theft, floods, computer failure, and more put your business at risk. We use our Online Backup in conjunction with other back-up strategies and it has been worth its weight in gold. Get Online Backup

3. Write an emergency procedure for your staff. What should be done first, second, third, in case of a fire? Or a power outage? Or earthquake? Or tornado? Or if the store is robbed? If you don't know what you should do, call your fire department or police department. They can help you. Having these procedures in place can save lives, prevent injuries, and minimize damage to your business.

Of course we hope none of these things ever happen to you, but if they do, we want you to be able to be back up and running with the least amount of disruption to your business.

Facebook Your Business

2009-03-05T14:14:00.001-08:00

By Backbone Magazine

You have a business telephone number, an e-mail address, a Web site and even a blog. So should you also have a Facebook profile? Probably YES. (read more)

Editorial: Whether this makes sense for your business or not probably really depends on your target market - who are your buyers and are they Facebook fanatics? I personally don't think this is the right approach for every business. I believe that Facebook should be in conjunction with other on-line and traditional advertising methods - blogs and adwords are also good tools to drive traffic to your business website.

Federal Budget 2009

2009-03-05T14:11:00.000-08:00

Providing Assistance to Businesses in All Sectors to Invest in Computers & Software

Budget 2009 proposes a temporary 100-per-cent CCA rate for computer hardware and systems software acquired after January 27, 2009 and before February 1, 2011. In addition, the rule that restricts CCA deductions to one-half of the CCA write-off otherwise available in the first year will not apply to these computers.
This temporary measure will allow taxpayers to fully expense their investment in computers in one year. The measure will provide stimulus by assisting businesses to increase or accelerate investment in computers. It will also contribute to boosting Canada's productivity through the faster adoption of newer technology. Businesses in all sectors of the economy,including the service sector, will benefit from this incentive.

http://www.budget.gc.ca/2009/pdf/budget-planbugetaire-eng.pdf page 167

What does this mean to you? If you are needing to upgrade your existing computer hardware, infrastructure or software, this year is an ideal time from a tax incentive perspective.

March 2009 - Electronic Flyer

2009-03-03T11:56:00.000-08:00

Factor One has partnered up with one of our suppliers to provide you special pricing on a number of products. Get our Electronic Flyer or Business to Business Electronic Flyer.

Using Your POS Software to Identify Product Lines and Categories that are Killing Your Profits

2009-03-03T11:53:00.000-08:00

By Jeff Haefner

One of the best ways to increase profits in your retail business is to analyze the profitability of your product lines (manufacturers) and categories using actual sales statistics.I can almost guarantee that every retailer has at least a couple product lines and categories that are killing their profits. By simply switching or dropping a couple of products that are not pulling their weight, you can easily increase your profits by 2% or more. (read more)

End of Sales date for XP - January 31, 2009

2009-01-19T14:32:00.000-08:00

Microsoft will soon discontinue selling Windows XP through their sales channels. In industry terms this is called "End-Of-Sales" (EOS). The last day Microsoft Authorized OEM Distributors can purchase Windows XP from Microsoft will be January 31, 2009. For major PC manufacturers, this EOS date was June 30, 2008. OEM Distributors can continue to sell Windows XP to their system builder customers subsequent to January 31, 2009, while they work through their existing inventory.

Top Twelve Things Every Successful Retailer Must Do In 2009

2009-01-12T07:54:00.000-08:00

Treat every single person who comes into your store with the love, respect, and honor they deserve as your customer! A customer in your store is like gold... even platinum. Come up with new and better ways to show them how much you care.
Start a short, personal, regularly scheduled e-mail newsletter. Make sure your emails are not merely product pitches or sale notifications. They should deliver interesting or valuable content to your customers tips, checklists, patterns, ideas, how-dos, articles, recipes, jokes, stories, where-to-go suggestions, and so many more possibilities.
Start a loyalty / frequent buyer program. The program alone will increase loyalty and make you more money. In addition, a good program makes it super-simple to get your customers contact information, especially their e-mail address.
Fill up your promotional calendar! Contests (lots), sales (only a couple), customer appreciation parties, classes, lectures, trunk shows the list goes on and on. Give your customers a good reason to come in and shop with you.
Train your staff to sell. This relatively easy-to-do task delivers a double whammy benefit. Employees who know how to sell CORRECTLY give much better customer service and at the same time will increase your sales dramatically. Happier customers, more money in the register... yeah, that'll work.
Keep customer-friendly store hours. This means the same hours as your local mall and big box stores. One of the biggest reasons your customers don't shop with you? You're closed when they want to buy. These days you really can't afford to put any barriers between your customers and your cash register - and a locked door is a big barrier.
Clean your store from top to bottom. A spanky clean store is the easiest (and cheapest way) to set yourself apart from the competition. A clean, fresh, well-cared for store looks and feels prosperous. It'll be good for your mood, as well as your customers.
Make a commitment to coaching your staff. The people on your staff are face to face with your customers bringing, or failing to bring, money into your register. Like a pro-sports coach, one of your most important jobs is to motivate your team and keep them performing at peak levels. Catch them doing things right and praise them. If you see problems, nip them in the bud.
Get a great recruiting and interviewing process in place now - before you need it. Hire only the best people. You can't afford to have mediocre or (heaven forbid) poor performers on your floor working with your customers.
If you don't have a POS system, get one. If you do have one, make sure you're using it to its fullest effect. This tool can make you more darn money but not if you're merely using it as an electronic cigar box.
Put an open to buy plan in place and run it. Managing expenses in the upcoming year is going to be a make-it-or-break-it activity for most retailers, and your inventory is probably your biggest expense. That makes running an open to buy plan a critical success activity.
Make a commitment to your professional education. Read, listen to tapes, talk to your colleagues Engage your brain! Retailers that learn new skills and take action will make it through 2009 stronger, better, and ready for explosive success.

by: Bob and Susan NegenWhizBang! Training, Phone: 616-842-4237, http://www.whizbangtraining.com/

How to Properly Utilize Categories and Get the Most from Your POS Software

2009-01-02T12:33:00.000-08:00

- By Jeff Haefner

Your first tip is a very simple, yet very powerful method to increase profits. And it's something you need to start doing right away! Let me explain...When you first start using your POS software, you need to add your inventory. Right? You take each piece of merchandise and enter the item number, cost, selling price and other pertinent information into your POS system. Then when you sell those items, the software remembers the details of each transaction -- so you can pull up a variety of reports at a later date. For example, you can pull up a report that shows how many XYZ widgets you sold yesterday. Now this is powerful in itself, but there's a much more powerful way to utilize your POS software. (read more)

For more information: Factor One or Microsoft Dynamics RMS

What is Open to Buy Planning?

2009-01-02T12:28:00.000-08:00

The goal of good inventory management is to maintain an appropriate level of inventory for the amount of sales that you are generating. You want to have adequate assortments when sales are slow so that you don’t miss possible sales, but not so much that you drain your cash flow. When sales pick up (read more)

By Bob and Susan Negen, WhizBang! Training, http://www.whizbangtraining.com/

For more information: Factor One or Microsoft Dynamics RMS

10 Money Making Ideas for the Holiday Season

2008-12-05T10:38:00.001-08:00

It's that time of year again. People are on winter holidays and looking to eat, drink and be merry. But with all the festive cheer going around, what do you do to ensure people frequent your establishment? And once they're there, how do you drive revenue during the holiday season?
(read more)

Article from Liquor Canada Magazine, January/February 2009 issue.

For more information: Factor One or Dinerware Restaurant POS Software

5 Reasons Your POS should be used to Prevent Return Fraud

2008-12-05T10:36:00.000-08:00

By Jeff Haefner
The U.S. National Retail Federation estimates return fraud costs the industry $9.6 billion a year. With that much money to lose, retailers can and should use all of their available tools to protect themselves. How much money are you losing because of return fraud? (read more)

For more information: Factor One or Microsoft Dynamics RMS

Sweet ideas for dessert menu success

2008-12-05T10:35:00.000-08:00

Serving dessert should never be an afterthought. Menu experts Mike Hilton and Gavin Harrison give you simple tips and tricks to profit from your customers' sweet tooth. (read more)
Article from Liquor Canada Magazine, January/February 2009 issue.

For more information: Factor One or Dinerware Restaurant POS Software

Adding or Changing Information on the Receipt

2008-11-20T14:05:00.000-08:00

For Microsoft Dynamics RMS: To add or change information on the receipt, you need to go into receipt formats and select the format that you want to make changes to. Please see the following demonstration of the steps involved (no audio).

To view demonstration, click here.

Note: Ensure that you exit the windows by selecting OKAY not by using the X (top right hand corner). If you use the X, your changes will not be saved.

For more information about Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS), please visit www.factor1.com or contact us at 1-866-576-6985.