Portable POS Solutions Tip Sheet

Seven Factors to Consider Before Choosing a Portable Point of Sale

Provided by David J. Gosman, Senior Project Manager, pcAmerica

Using a portable point of sale system (PPOS) can benefit your business in many ways, including line busting inside your store, and ringing up sales when away from your store. However, it’s important that you choose the right system; otherwise you may find that trouble can outweigh the benefits.

These tips can help you make the correct choice.

1. Make sure it can work with what you have – If you already have a point of sale system in your store, you should make sure there is an easy way to get the transactions from your portable units into your stationary system. Look for a PPOS that allows you to synchronize systems easily, so you can ring up a sale on the handheld and view it later on at a stationary register. A good PPOS allows the handheld to synchronize automatically in real time, or with the touch of a button in batch mode.
2. Choose the portable device carefully – In a year where cell phones can come with bar code scanners and handhelds have screens with thousands of colors, it’s important to choose the right PDA without being distracted by “cool” features. Your handheld will get dropped and jostled in everyday activity – look for durability, speed, visibility and battery life, not for the colors and resolution needed to play Pac Man.
3. Maximize your ROI – A PDA equipped with a bar code scanner can be used for a lot more than point of sale. Your investment will yield higher returns if the device can be used to take inventory, receive stock, and scan items onto a gift registry for a customers wedding or special occasion.
4. Speed is Key – The system should be scan, scan, scan, click. A portable point of sale system should be as easy to use as a stationary terminal; extra seconds spent entering data is extra seconds your customers are waiting. Your mobile cashiers should only have to scan a product, and click a few times to end a transaction. Avoid systems that require handwriting on the screen, or that require a lot of clicks to ring a sale; instead, try out systems that have one-touch buttons for the most common functions your cashier will use.
5. Don’t Forget the Basics – Gain in portability doesn’t have to mean loss of functionality. You shouldn’t lose common options such as tracking what each customer purchases, sales reports or multiple tender types. Your PPOS should still allow you to print nice receipts (on a portable printer), process credit cards and utilize customer loyalty features.
6. See the Invoice while you’re Scanning – Your PPOS program should show the cashier what is on the customer’s invoice while the cashier is creating it. They need to see the last few items that were scanned, allowing them to verify everything, including the price, is correct. This ability will eliminate time-consuming corrections after the receipt prints.
7. Flexibility – The majority of handheld units have limitations, ranging from minimal resources to small screen size, and therefore the programs written for them also have limited options. Even the best portable point of sale applications may not meet each of your specific needs. Make sure to choose a vendor that has the ability to work with you and is willing to add or subtract features. This will ensure that the system will work for you and maximize the return on your investment.

pcAmerica, based just outside of New York City, has thousands of retail clients using their point of sale solutions. Pocket Register is their PPOS that integrates seamlessly with Cash Register Express, their point of sale system for retail stores. For more information, contact David Gosman at 1-800-722-6374 x228, e-mail to , or visit www.pcamerica.com.