by John Mark V. Tuazon
Computerworld Philippines

In the retail industry, data availability is crucial in managing the flow and delivery of goods from the warehouse to the hands of consumers. Taking stock of inventory is a critical task that needs to be addressed properly. Managing the flow of cash can give useful insights as to what direction the business is going.

With the deluge of products going around the market, it is deemed a herculean task to monitor and manage all of them. However, through technology solutions such as Point-of-Sale (POS) systems, this task is easily handled. But with increasing demands from consumers and a fast-changing products landscape, the evolution of POS systems becomes imminent, if not entirely necessary.

Empowering SMBs
In the Philippines, 99.6% of registered firms belong to the SMB (small and midsize business) domain, reported Amil Azurin, SME marketing head, PLDT SME Nation. “They also contribute to 70% of the labor force, and form 32% of the country’s GDP.” This puts the SMBs in a very influential space, he explained.

Azurin mentioned that the SMBs in the Philippines remain persevering and determined. “They continue their optimism despite the crisis, prioritize business expansion and are beginning to invest in IT to support business objectives,” he noted.

Despite a robust SMB segment, Azurin said small businessmen still face challenges that large corporations are dealing with every day. “They are still worried about how they can increase their efficiency, reduce costs and expand their market reach,” he added.

Azurin suggested SMBs should take advantage of end-to-end solutions that address their problems while significantly reducing their costs. In order to maximize productivity, he said, business owners should take to mind automating their business processes.

Fully-integrated POS
The Point-of-Sale system is an integral part of the retail business process. But for it to be efficient, it needs to possess certain qualities. Ericson Chua, Manila business unit head of Alliance EES—a POS solutions provider—outlines such characteristics: “The technology used for the retail system should be interoperable, easily deployable, secure, scalable, usable and sufficiently maintained,” he expounded.

According to Chua, decision-makers should take advantage of the availability of Web services that can bring greater efficiency to the entire business process. “There are back-end applications out there that can be accessed through the browser,” he said. “It allows for easy download of applications by any user.”

Chua said end-to-end solutions available in the market today can greatly benefit retailers. “There are also setups that can be issued as stand-alone units, and there are those that can be connected real-time to the server for real-time information,” he added.

The mobile workforce
POS and other retail technology systems, however, are not anymore restricted to the stores or offices. The changes in the preference of customers regarding the way they shop have also changed the game for these technology solutions.

“Today, enterprise mobility solutions help retailers obtain available information, secure critical business assets and ensure connectivity and uninterrupted business continuity,” said Don Heraña, territory manager for enterprise mobility business, Motorola.

Heraña said the availability of handheld scanners and mobile POS systems effectively address the changing needs of the market. “They not only expedite POS experience but they also improve customer experience,” he added.

As a specific example, Heraña presented cases of long queues in stores and how they can be addressed through mobile systems. “The technology can be used as ‘queue busters’ through pre-scans which employees can do using mobile RF terminals,” he explained.
With these solutions available for retailers, Heraña suggested the value proposition isn’t that much hard to reach. “They can increase the reach to customers, increase the customers’ satisfaction and subsequently increase your company’s basket size, expanding the business’ bottom line,” he declared.

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