STORETRADER FUNCTIONALITY
StoreTrader Live is a software product designed to manage sales transactions through PoS terminals and tills in any Retail application, in a networked environment.
Characteristics
Easy to install & operate; auto-recovers hardware and system failures; wide range of capabilities, including Chip & PIN card processing support, built-in; modifiable by authorised users without IT knowledge; designed for high volumes and fast response; scaleable from one to hundreds of stores in a group; the same system runs on counter-top or hand-held mobile terminals; Internet access to all reports; networked support and backup; in-house or hosted servers.
Applications
Supermarkets & convenience stores; Department stores; Pharmacies; High Street shops of all types; Garden centres; Schools, event merchandisers and cafes.
Hardware Devices
Runs on any Windows PC-based system (including diskless), with touch screens or keyboards and a wide range of barcode scanners, magnetic card readers and other till hardware.
System Structure
Presented as three major components: the POS client runs in the terminal or till and manages the point of sale transactions; the Store Server runs on the Pacific Secure Server over a broadband internet link - or optionally also on a suitable local PC - and maintains a copy of all the PoS terminal data including sales transactions minute by minute; and the Enterprise Server consolidates store data and provides real-time management of multiple stores in a group, including comprehensive cash and stock positions, and group-wide price, stock and other changes. Optional software extensions provide functions such as mobile stock check and barcode label printing.
PoS Capabilities
- More than a dozen user-selectable display layouts to support different store applications – such as supermarket checkout, bakery or cafe
- User definable preset keys and pages
- Optional Web browser for internet or intranet and email
- Customer display with internet support
- Secure sign-on: Manager, Supervisor and User authorities with IDs and PINs
- Multiple user sign-on
- Training mode
- Item entry by barcode, number, selection from list, weight, size or length
- Cash and cash-back, cheque, card and account sales, exchanges & returns
- System-predicted tender amount
- ’No sale’, void, suspend & retrieve from any till
- Multi-currency, including Euro
- Coupons and vouchers, including support for mobile phone coupon distribution via the M-Bar-Go™ Club
- Gift card sales, top-up and redemption
- Tax, gift and duplicate receipt printing
- Comprehensive cash management including float, pickup, expenses and receipts
- Supplier order creation and stock transfers & receipts at the till simultaneously with trading
System Facilities
- Secure sign-on for system administrator
- Familiar Windows-like Terminal Manager display layout for system operation and maintenance
- System ‘Wizards’ to guide users through setup, and allow system changes at any time
- User-definable promotions & deals (‘buy one, get one free’, buy any three for £4’, ‘buy any item from this set and get one from this set at half price’)
- Transaction Rules to allow user-defined system management of any transaction – for example an under-age check on alcohol, drug or DVD sales. Rules can be linked to provide almost unlimited processing
- Stock management, including Supplier order creation, stock deliveries and transfers, and automatic order generation based on a range of criteria
- Integrated EFT communications for payment card processing, including chip & pin support
- Support for mobile phone top-up, Lottery and other e-services
- Branch pricing
- System- or user-defined stock counts
- Real-time and end of day reporting including activity by operator, terminal etc; cash drawer report; many sales and stock reports by terminal, store or enterprise
- Reports available to authorised users from anywhere on the internet, in any browser
- ‘At A Glance’ graphical management reporting
Comprehensive Audit logging - Real-time SQL reporting database
- Network status reporting
Interfaces
- XML, CSV and ODBC data exchange formats
- Data import & export via wizards and batch-executable commands
- System objects for receipt print, report and database access requests from other applications
- Real-time SQL mirrored database for any relational DBMS
- Support for real-time creation of sales by other systems for StoreTrader to manage payment
- Comprehensive Accounting Link generates postings for Nominal, Stock and Sales ledgers summarised or for each sale, with on-screen review before posting
- Specially-designed interface for the Mamut integrated accounting and customer management system
- Award-winning link to the Sage Line 50™ accounting system, making the two systems virtually one
- Data link to automate creating and updating product pricing from other systems such as C+D and supplier catalogues
- Data link to automate customer record creation and maintenance between systems
- ‘Hot key’ to invoke any other application at the PoS terminal
Mobile PoS
- Identical StoreTrader software code runs on Windows Mobile hand-held devices as counter-top machines, simplifying user training
- Links to StoreTrader Mobile Server for printing and EFT
- Useful for cafes and restaurants and for queue-busting at peak times
- Windows PDAs with barcode scanners make stock checking easy and fast
System Management
- PoS terminals constantly replicate sales & stock data across the network with the Store Server
- Data changes are automatically replicated across all stores and PoS terminals from the Store or Enterprise server
- Easy backup of all related data for archive and reporting
- Automatic recovery of database and roll-forward or roll-back after a system failure
- No system-imposed limits on file sizes or record numbers
- User-modifiable scripts control end of day and other background or periodic processes
- Email distribution of reports
- Extensive command list to support problem diagnosis and resolution
- The Audit Viewer shows everything that happens at a PoS terminal, as it happens
- Any PoS terminal is visible to authorised managers up to Enterprise (head office) level
- StoreTrader Live support from the Pacific Retail Secure Server provides report access, real-time back and online support
Software Technology
- Layered and highly modular architecture, for small executable size and fast response
- Asynchronous messaging to avoid queues and locks
- Based on C++ and Microsoft Foundation Classes, with Apache/Linux web hosting
- Formal specification, development and documentation standards
- Extensive pre-release regression testing ensures StoreTrader retains its reputation for consistency and reliability.
To discuss StoreTrader EPoS solutions or for further information please contact Jake Barton on 01502 478000 or email us with your requirements.