Many retail operators in Australia today have more than one outlet, perhaps located at different sites, within close proximity of each other or perhaps located miles apart. It is in this type of operation that logistics plays an important part in the profitability and cash flow strength of a business. Keeping stock at economically sound levels is a vital part of ensuring a business is successful and a pos system with advanced logistics features will greatly assist in the management of stock levels, stock transfers and stock re-ordering.
With a point of sale and stock control system, access to live stock levels and stock locations is available to staff at any store, at anytime. Customers are able to be given information as to whether an item is in stock in another store, or is on order from the supplier; are able to chose whether they would like to visit another store location to pick up the stock, pick it up from the point of sale where the transaction is taking place, or have it delivered and will be able to be given the expected delivery time where appropriate. Staff, on the other hand, are able to easily gain access to stock availability at other store locations, find out of stock information and the expected delivery times from the suppliers, set a stock transfer in motion and complete the sale.
Gone are the days where internal transferring of stock requires paperwork, telephone calls and time consuming manual records. Now with fully integrated inventory management software, staff are able to complete internal transfers between retail outlets quickly and easily, which in turn produces all the relevant instructions and documentation for the outlet holding the stock to be able to pick and dispatch the product, once again with ease and speed. Distribution hubs and warehouse management can be assisted by features in inventory management software where picking features are included. Compilation of picking reports, allocating pickers to pick lists, the ability to be pick stock directly off inbound stock to speed up delivery to customers and many other features are now available in some of the more advanced software systems.
An Integrated retail software systems that provide a complete range of logistics and warehouse management facilities should also be able to assist importers with container tracking, capacity planning and supplier payment management. Once stock has been received the pos software assists with the warehouse management, by providing bin locations in the warehouse for speed of picking. Retail operators who chose to install point of sale software with these types of advanced logistics features will find that their investment results in higher efficiency in stock levels, staff who are informed about stock availability at the point of sale, and higher levels of customer satisfaction derived from experiencing efficient and timely information and receipt of goods. These three ingredients are some of the most essential components needed to operate a successful and profitable business.
Looking to fast track your growth with a smarter point of sale system? Contact the Retail Express team today on 1300 732 618.
