How IT Fuels Retail Stores

Retail businesses have been around for centuries. From livestock bartering 8,000 years ago to the establishment of currency to buy goods 5,000 years ago to the first shopping mall in 1930 to the advent of eCommerce, retail has followed the evolution of society. Like many other businesses, today’s retail stores rely on computers and information technology. This month we will take a look at retail IT, and how managed IT services present the modern retail establishment with the tools needed to run their stores effectively.  

There are five major technologies that a retail organization uses to manage their establishment.
They are:

• Payment System
• Inventory Control
• Human Resources
• Customer Relationship Management
• Employee Management

Here are some of the technologies you may see in a modern retail establishment.

Point of Sale

A Point of Sale (POS) or Point of Purchase (POP) system is used to manage a retail business. In many of today’s stores the payment systems connected to your POS function as cash registers. Since so many people pay for goods electronically now, a digital system makes a whole lot of sense. The POS system typically integrates some sort of touchscreen interface, a locked cash box (like a cash register has), a receipt printer, and a card reader. 

The system is made up of both the hardware and the software. Most POS systems are more than just a payments system, however. Some integrate all the tools that a retail business would need to manage their day-to-day. They come with integrated inventory control, HR and scheduling, and customer relationship management systems that allow for customer rewards. For the modern retail business it has all the tools needed to handle its inventory, the scheduling of staff, and the receipt of payments. 

Other benefits Managed IT service that can benefit your retail business:

Digital Signage and Networking Services

In retail, having displays that are interactive is an innovative new tool to help consumer engagement. Since these displays need to be connected to the network, businesses need to have professionals that are proficient with wiring retail space and programming digital signage solutions. 

Remote Monitoring and Management

When your business relies on several types of computing for success, downtime could be a huge problem. If you simply cannot function without your central computing, ensuring your infrastructure and network is managed and maintained, and your software is patched and up to date, is essential. Our certified technicians will remotely monitor your network and hardware to ensure that they are in good working order, remediating the threat of downtime.

If you would like to talk to one of our consultants about our managed IT services and how it can be of great benefit for your retail business, call us today at (703) 821-8200.