What is EPOS

EPoS stands for Electronic point of sale. Basically it means that you are automating or using a computer to aid you with your transactions. The primary benefits are security, removal of human error, and being able to automatically save all your transaction history for the use of reports and accounting.

EPoS systems are computers with peripherals that have point of sale software loaded onto them. The systems themselves are made out of more robust materials than normal computers as they are used in very busy retail and hospitality environments.

Almost every successful business uses an EPoS system or setup to aid them.

Typically you would have a touch screen on the EPoS system, however some more customer focused systems like beauty or trade desks use keyboards as it’s easier to key in lots of information such as names and addresses. Touch screen use is to enable easy and natural navigation with minimal training to speed up transactions.

EPoS systems are very versatile and can be used with an array of peripherals such as barcode scanners, which can quickly and accurately scan multiple items, or kitchen printers, which can send an order automatically to the chef the moment it has been ordered.

The main part of the EPoS system is the software. This can come customized to various environments from retail, fashion & beauty to hospitality.  For example you may require a time schedule for a spa and tanning salon or a table plan for your restaurant.

All decent EPoS software will record all your sales data, monitor your stock; maintain your pricing, report on staff login and give access to a multitude of reports.  For example you can enter a special offer 2 for 1 drink offer on a Friday night and access the till on the Saturday to check which members of staff have highlighted the offer to your customers. Or you can check your most popular brands or products that are not doing very well with just a few clicks.

Accounting and stock control are key parts of an EPoS system and can be almost completely automated to save hours and thousands on the labour of stock takes and VAT returns.

In summary, EPoS automates all of the mundane and costly repeat processes that can be done more accurately by a computer, and leaves the business owner free to just analyse the business’ critical information and improve the actual business without getting caught up in trivial tasks.