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April 2007

In This Issue:

The Value of Privacy

 

It Will Change the Way You Sell

 

Tech Tips

 

Armsys.com

 

Microsoft Windows Vista

 

Meet Our Staff

 

Microsoft RMS Version 2.0

 

For Your Information:

 

Contact

 

Request Training

 

Request Demo

 

Referral Program

 

Tradeshows

 

Support Services

 

Order Consumables

 

Feedback

 

 

 

The Value of Privacy
From Melody Vargas,

 

Part 2 in a Series on Loyalty Retailing

It's no secret that retailers want to increase their sales, and creating loyalty is an excellent way to do it. How are retailers going about creating loyalty and is it working? Are loyalty programs helping retailers establish friendships with their customers or are they backfiring?

Grocery retailers have been collecting extensive data on their shoppers habits through their frequent shopper programs for the last five years. Many non-grocery retailers have their own version of frequent shopper programs. These programs come in several different varieties, from the simple to the complex.

Do these programs really help create friendships?

Frequent shopper programs do give retailers the ability to get to know the buying habits of the users of the cards or online profiles.

For the remainder of the article, please press here.   

It Will Change the Way You Sell

You have heard it many times: having the right merchandise at the right time and right price is essential - knowing who your customers are and how to keep them coming back is critical.   But how about your Point-of-Sale station, what does this mean for the success of your business?

One of the most important aspects of any retail business is to provide consistent customer service even during the busiest times with highly reliable Point-of-Sale terminals. The Radiant P1550 Point-of-Sale terminal is the answer to speed of service, reliability and an attractive space saving design. This all-in-one Point-of-Sale terminal with a 15” XGA Active Matrix touch screen and magnetic stripe reader is designed for high transaction volume. The Radiant P1550 utilizes a Pentium M processor - Intel’s mobile architecture optimized for low power consumption and high performance.

The measure of success for any Point-of-Sale terminal is reliability. The P1550 has few moving parts with no CPU or power supply fan and only a backup system fan.  The retail hardened design offers a spill resistant, high impact enclosure that is built to withstand tough in-store conditions with continuous operation.  All this maximizes system uptime with continuous operation

If you should have a service problem, Radiant Systems’ service agreements are the best in the industry.  They offer a “replace versus repair” approach.  If your terminal is sent in for repair, parts are replaced based on useful life – you receive a “like new” terminal
guaranteeing the life of your investment.

Radiant Systems offers a compact, functional integration tray that combines the P1550 with keyboard, printer and cash drawer in an attractive package to maximize efficiency and space utilization.  The Radiant P1550 also comes with an optional integrated Order Confirmation Display or standard Pole Display.

The Radiant P1550 Point-of-Sale Terminal will change the way you sell and is approved to work with Microsoft RMS.  Contact Bob Evans today to learn more at (303) 738-1800 Ext. 303 or at bob.evans@armsys.com

Tech Tips

Compute Inventory Cost Report from Previous Date
View products that this article applies to.

How to create an Inventory Cost (Value) Report from a previous date? Resolution

There isn't a way to generate an Inventory Cost (Value) Report for a prior date.

Steps for a work-around that would compute the Inventory cost on 12/31/02 are listed below:

From Store Operations Manager

1.  Run an Items | Value List Report. This will run the report as of the current date.

2.  Run an Items | Item Movement Report. Set your Filter Field to 'Date' and Range to 'This Year-to-Date' and generate the report.

3.  In order to add Department or Category fields to the report you will need to right click on the report and select 'Hide/Unhide Columns'

4.  Place a checkmark next to the column name you would like to add, most likely Department or Category, depending on which column you want to sort by and click OK.

In order to sort by this column, click and drag the column to the first column position. Next click on the Group by drop down box on the top of the report and select 'Group First Column' to make sure that you are grouping by your selected column.

5.  Subtract the total inventory cost per Department or Category in the second report from the inventory cost on the 1st to get the inventory cost as of 12/31/02.

ARMSYS.COM

Please checkout our updated website, http://www.armsys.com, regularly as we continue to enhance the site. 

Highlights: 

         ·          Free Seminars: Register online for our upcoming seminars in
             a city near you

·          Training catalogs: a complete list of our Retail Pro Training Courses 

·          Request training: request a training appointment online

·          Referral Program: register a referral online

·          Trade Shows: review the various trade shows we will be attending this year

·          Retail Pro, Microsoft RMS and CounterPoint are now represented on the site

·          Retail Edge Archives: copies of past issues

Microsoft Windows Vista 

As you are aware, Windows Vista, Microsoft’s new operating system, was released January.  As in the past, with any new operating system release, RMS and all peripheral hardware need to be tested and approved.  Microsoft is currently testing Windows Vista for compatibility with RMS and will make any necessary adjustments for this new operating system release.  We are also testing Vista in house for compatibility with RMS POS peripherals and other devices.  At this time we are not currently supporting Microsoft Vista with RMS and will notify you when this operating system is officially supported.   

It is always prudent to wait until a Service Pack is released for any new operating system release. Many computer vendors, such as Dell, will be offering Windows XP for many months and often include a Windows Vista Upgrade at no additional charge.  At this time, if you are currently purchasing a new computer, you need to specify Windows XP Professional.  If you have any questions please feel free to call your sales consultant. 

Meet Our Staff

Randall Diederich, Team Lead - Customer Support.

You may have talked to Randall on occasion; he is responsible for the support team and ensuring that your issues get resolved. Randall came to us in April, 2002 after he relocated to Colorado from Sacramento, California where he was working for Retail Technologies, Inc. as a software product specialist. Randall has over 20 years in computer information systems including many years with IBM and is also a Microsoft Certified Professional.

Now Available - Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management Systems Version 2.0 

Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management Systems (RMS) Version 2.0 is now available for existing RMS customers, with a current Maintenance Agreement. Upgrades to RMS 2.0 are scheduled by appointment and will require Client Services hours for the update.  If you are using a software customization with RMS, your customization may require minor modifications to be compatible with this new update.  If you are a multi store customer using HQ, we strongly recommend updating to take advantage of the new features, however, you will be able to continue purchasing lanes for Version 1.3 until 1/15/08.  If you are interested in updating to Version 2.0 please contact Andrea Ellerbrock at (303) 738-1800 Ext 324 or E-mail her at andrea.ellerbrock@armsys.com

RMS Version 2.0 offers new capabilities that enable retailers to adapt quickly to complex retail requirements. 

Enhanced Inventory Management

·          Work with an easy-to-use from to create and modify multi-dimensional matrix items, as well as add or remove dimensions from existing items.

·          Locate items quickly by searching on the supplier reorder number.

·          Upload item costs to headquarters when cost information changes at the store level, helping ensure accurate, chain-wide item cost reports based on weighted average.

Improved purchasing control

·          Add items to POs on-the-fly using a new dialogue window.

·          For specialized purchasing requirements, export PO’s to MS Office Word and MS Excel.

·          View POs in matrix format.

New Pricing Capabilities

·          Use quantity-on-hand filters to change prices only for items in stock within a given department.

·          Set percentage or pricing discounts for “Buy X get Y” and Mix/Match quantity discount scenarios.

·          Set up and select “by price” or “by percentage” options.

Address Verification Support (AVS)

·          Help ensure optimal credit card discount rates when cards need to be entered by hand.

Simplified Product Activation

·          Product activation using product keys instead of using a software dongle for easy upgrades and software additions.

 


8100 Southpark Way # A-10, Littleton, CO 80120
303-738-1800 | Fax 303-738-9563
Denver - Chicago
www.armsys.com