EPOS integrated with Ecommerce website

Everybody has an Ecommerce website these days. However, all retailers also have a EPOS software solution. For some retailers, these things are very separate, however, successful retailers will have an Ecommerce website system integrated with their EPOS software, and this is a great combination! What does it mean?

An integrated Ecommerce EPOS system means two things. In your EPOS system you setup stock records and prices. You may well also setup pictures of the items you sell and additional information such as department or brand. You'll probably add a barcode, and then your EPOS system very capably sells these stock items and help you to keep track of how many you have in stock.

If you have a proper integrated Ecommerce system, all the stock data is controlled from the EPOS system. You probably need to flag a product as published to the web from within the EPOS system, set the web department and perhaps and additional web description. This information then automatically flows to the website, and, within a few minutes this stock item, complete with price and images is available for sale on your Ecommerce website.

Once you have decided to no longer sell a particular stock item (perhaps it is end of line) you make it inactive in the EPOS software - this change automatically flows to the website.

The beauty of this is that you only maintain one database of stock data. A Single point of entry of stock data for both EPOS and Ecommerce. Any changes to stock you make on the store EPOS software are rapidly reflected on the website - this is true Ecommerce integration. Items can be sold just as easily in-store or on the web.

STock levels is another issue. If your Ecommerce website tells the customer your stock availability, then this also needs to be linked to the EPOS system. If you've only got one of an item left, and you sell it to a customer in the shop on the EPOS system, this change in availability is immediately reflected on the Ecommerce website.

Taking it a step further, the purchase ordering side of the EPOS system needs to send information to the web. If you've not got any of a particular item in stock, but you've ordered some from a supplier for delivery next week, then this information should be on the web, without you, the retailer, having to do anything extra.

The second half of the story is sales orders. When somebody places an order on the Ecommerce website, that order should automatically download to the EPOS software as a sales order. You EPOS system will have a function for viewing all outstanding sales orders, be they from the web, mailorder or a special order in the shop. On central place of processing for all your customer orders.

THe number of retailer solution providers who offer this sort of integration to small retailers is extremely limited. Most will bluff in the sales process and tell you that their system does things that are simply not true. Your only defence against this is reference sites. If your business demands an integrated EPOS and Ecommerce system, ask for similar reference sites. Ask probing questions: If I've only got one item in stock and I sell it in the store, how soon will this be reflected on the web? Can I print one picking list for all today's web orders and mail orders? Does the system automatically send a dispatch email to web customers and mailorder customers? Can I print all my invoices in one batch - regardless of the channel the order arrived from.

If you don't get the right answers from either retail system provider or the reference sites, then ask elsewhere. Be warned, most small retail solution providers have one or two flagship websites - make sure you ask for at least reference sites and specify that one of them needs to be less than 1 year old.