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Reward
Quality Over
Price
By
Matt
Townsend and Cotten
Timberlak 
Product is king again.
After
using discounts and promotions to deliver the
best holiday sales performance in six years,
U.S. retailers will need unique merchandise to
keep the momentum going.
"It's
got to be all about the product," said Christine
Chen, a Needham & Co. analyst based in San
Francisco. Discounts alone are not enough to
keep consumers shopping, she said.
Abercrombie
& Fitch Co., Lululemon Athletica Inc. and
Urban Outfitters Inc. are already winning
shoppers with quality, fashion and merchandise
that can't be found elsewhere, Chen said. At
Abercrombie, teenagers trading up to dresses
from graphic t-shirts helped drive December
same-store sales to almost five times the
industry average. Coach Inc. yesterday reported
a 26 percent increase in second-quarter profit
after introducing new bags more frequently
during the holidays.
Exclusive
merchandise may help decide winners in retail in
2011. Even as the economy improves, existing
stores likely will post sales growth of 3.4
percent, about the same as in fiscal 2010, which
ends Jan. 29, according to the International
Council of Shopping Centers in New York.
Though
the 18-month recession ended in June of 2009,
unemployment is still above 9 percent. At the
same time, rising costs of cotton and raw
materials are pushing up prices at the checkout
counter and may restrain spending, said Marshal
Cohen, chief industry analyst at market
researcher NPD Group Inc.
Continue
Reading: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-01-26/shoppers-want-quality-over-price-at-lululemon-victoria-s-secret.html
Source:
Bloomberg
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CounterPoint
SQL Version 8.4 New Features
Discussion
Continued:
Last
month I used this space to discuss 6 new
features that are coming in the latest
full-version release of CounterPoint SQL due at
the end of February 2011: CounterPoint SQL
Enterprise Version 8.4. I'd like to continue
this topic this month with a look at some
additional features/benefits that are part of
this Version 8.4 release:
- Additional
Accounting Interfaces: CounterPoint SQL
Version 8.4 will offer the following additional
Direct Interfaces: QuickBooks 2010, Sage
BusinessWorks 2010 and Sage MAS 90 & MAS200
V4.3. CounterPoint SQL Version 8.4 will also
offer Export interfaces to the following
Accounting solutions: QuickBooks 2010, Sage
AccPac 5.6, & Microsoft Dynamics SL V7.0.
- Radiant Receipts:
This version of CounterPoint supports
the new Radiant receipt format (.rdlc), which is
fully compatible with OPOS receipt printers and
includes most of the functionality of Crystal
receipts, while offering superior performance
over both previously-available formats (i.e.,
.xml and .rpt). Additionally, you can create or
modify Radiant receipts using the built-in,
WYSIWYG receipt editor, without requiring you to
purchase the Crystal Reports Designer. This
editor provides all of the capabilities of the
existing OPOS Form Editor in an easy-to-use,
drag-and-drop interface. The new receipt format
and editor also allow you to: Add images or
company logos to your receipts, Use formulas to
modify ticket data and print the results, Print
individual grid cells or serial numbers under
the corresponding item, Include or exclude data
based on any number of criteria, Include
aggregated data (e.g., number of items sold, subtotals,
and so forth), Print barcodes anywhere on a
receipt, & Print captured
signature anywhere on a
receipt.
- New
Point-of-Sale Device Framework: The new
device framework allows CounterPoint to
communicate with each Point of Sale device
independently, using a high-level interface that
is tailored for each device. The new framework
provides faster device response times and
greater stability, while ensuring that
CounterPoint can still run if a configured
device is disconnected or inoperable for any
reason. In addition, device configuration data
has been removed from the Windows registry and
is now stored in the CounterPoint database,
which allows you to configure Point of Sale
devices for all of their workstations
simultaneously, instead of requiring you to
visit each workstation.
- PCI-DSS-compliant
passwords required: In previous
versions, the use of passwords was optional,
allowing merchants to decide whether to require
users to enter passwords to log in to
CounterPoint. In this version, to better protect
sensitive cardholder data, the use of
PCI-DSS-compliant passwords is no longer
optional for merchants who are processing credit
card transactions. All users must log into
CounterPoint with a unique password that meets
the minimum PCI DSS requirements for password
length and complexity (i.e., passwords must
include a combination of letters and numbers).
- Data
on Demand: CounterPoint SQL now
supports the ability to provide "data on demand"
to Remote servers and offline workstations on an
as needed basis. This new architecture means
that Remote servers (in Multi-Site environments)
and offline workstations will be able to access
up-to-date inventory, customer, and sales data
that resides on their "parent" servers in real
time, eliminating the need to replicate and
store that information on each workstation or
Remote server.
- Sending
reports via e-mail :You can now send
back office reports to user, customers, and
vendors via e-mail, allowing you to easily share
reports while reducing your consumption of
physical supplies, including printer paper and
ink. You can create new user, customer, or
vendor record to capture e-mail addresses "on
the fly," add an e-mail address to an existing
record, or specify a "one use" e-mail address
when you send a report.
As
always any questions regarding CounterPoint SQL
can be directed to Rob Freda at Rob.Freda@armsys.com or
303-738-1800 x311.
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Does each
customer record have to have a tax code
assigned?
No.
when the customer ship-to address and customer
do not have a tax code assigned the default tax
code assigned to the store is used.
Each
store must have a valid tax code assigned.
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Consumers
will spread the love on Valentine's
Day
Consumer
spending on the couples' holiday is expected to
increase by 11% this year over 2010, according
to the National Retail
Federation.
By Adrianne
Pasquarelli
Hearts will be swelling this Valentine's
Day, and so will cash registers. Consumers are
expected to spend $116.21 apiece on merchandise
for the holiday this year, an 11% jump over last
year, according to an annual survey conducted by
the National Retail Federation. Cupid's favorite
day should ring in about $15.7 billion in total
spending as shoppers who previously cut back
return to spending, bolstered by improvements to
the economy.
"Having surpassed expectations during
the holiday season, it seems consumers are not
done spending on gifts," said NRF Chief
Executive Matthew Shay in a statement. "Jewelry,
candy and apparel sales should provide a nice
boost for retailers during the typically slower
months of January and February."
Local retailers that specialize in
Valentine's Day gifts like flowers and chocolate
are gearing up for the influx of shoppers. At
Red Rose & Lavender, a three-year-old
business in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, business is
expected to increase 15% to 20% this February,
according to owner Kimberly Sevilla.
"A lot of people have been contacting me
about Valentine's Day now. In the past, they
haven't done that so early," she said. She noted
that the company has several different
arrangements, ranging in price from $65 to $150,
for the holiday. Red Rose also recently began
offering a subscription service for monthly
flowers, which Ms. Sevilla expects to be a big
seller on Feb. 14. The majority of her
arrangements are eclectic and non-traditional,
with extras like vintage milk-glass vases and
blackberries rather than red roses in a
vase.
Continue Reading: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20110127/SMALLBIZ/11012
9883/0/FREE#
Source: Crains New Your
Business
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Learn
More About CPOnline, CounterPoint SQL's Fully
Integrated E-commerce
Solution
CPOnline works seamlessly
with your CounterPoint system to expand your
business to the Web with a little effort and
minimum expense.
CPOnline is a
robust ecommerce solution that is fully
integrated with CounterPoint. CPOnline allows
retailers to leverage the power and simplicity
of using CounterPoint to run your
brick-and-motor and online business using one
database while not incurring additional
integration costs. Powerful enough to support a
business processing hundreds of thousands of
dollars in web sales a month, but simple enough
for a retailer with no online experience,
CPOnline has all the features you need to
efficiently and effectively operate your
business at its fullest potential. Integrated
retail and ecommerce doesn't get any easier than
this.
If
you are interested in taking your business to
the next level, check out a free CPOnline
Webinar. These webinars occur
every Wednesday.
Go
to: http://www.counterpointpos.com/solution/ecommerce/demo.htm to
sign up and learn more!
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All
times are US/Mountain |
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DATE |
TIME |
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01/13/2011 |
9:00 AM - 10:00
AM |
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01/20/2011 |
9:00 AM - 10:00
AM |
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01/25/2011 |
11:00 AM - 12:00
PM |
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02/03/2011 |
9:00 AM - 10:00
AM |
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02/10/2011 |
9:00 AM - 10:00
AM |
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Randall
Diederich
Technical Support
Manager
Randall
joined ARMS in 2002, and has a long and diverse
history in IT, including many years with IBM and
going back all the way to system programming on
mainframe computers. He also spent a couple
years with Retail Pro and SPS Commerce in
California, before moving back to
Colorado.
Randall
splits his time between taking care of some of
ARMS larger customers, keeping the technical
services department running smooth, and taking
the lead with newer products such as Retail Pro
Version 9.
When
not working, Randall enjoys spending time with
his family, traveling, music, and
church.
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Follow
Advanced Retail Management Systems on
Facebook
 Keep up with latest
happenings in Retail and your particular
POS\Inventory Control software by becoming a fan
of Advanced Retail Management Systems (ARMS) on
Facebook! Video Clips from
the ARMS staff with Tech Tips and other helpful
information coming soon!
By being a fan of ARMS, you will receive
information about your software including
special "web only" tips & tricks that won't
be given elsewhere. You'll be among the first to
learn about new release and features, training
opportunities, and links to interesting
information on the web. Connect with the
ARMS staff and our customers!
|
Tell another retail store that is
looking for a Point of Sale system about
Advanced Retail Management Systems. When
you refer a retailer to us that participates in
a 1 hour web presentation for Retail Pro,
CounterPoint or Microsoft RMS, we will send you
$100 - it's that simple!
Register
your referral today. Call Susie Carmen
today at (303) 738-1800 Ext 357
or E-mail her at susie.carmen@armsys.com
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