1776 to 2013: Cash Register to Cloud POS
Let’s take a look at where technology was back in 1776, the birth of our nation… For starters, the Franklin Stove was invented to produce more heat and less smoke and warm the house more efficiently. Then there was the farm plow, which has been virtually unchanged in 300 years. The most advanced and prominent technology of the time was the printing press due to bring about the ability to keep citizens informed, faster than any previous method of communication.
The cash register didn’t make this list, as it wasn’t invented until 1879. Fast forward a hundred years to present day and we have electronic cars, space shuttles and Smartphones, just to name a few.
In just over 100 years, the advancements in retail technology are quite impressive. These days you can ring up sales with Mobile POS anywhere and consumers can shop on their smartphones while they do their daily workout. From the invention of the cash drawer 134 years ago, to the cash drawers of today that can speak to cloud-based, HTML5 software, there have been quite a few noteworthy advancements.
The digital explosion over the past five years has pushed our daily lives to be faster, granting all of us the ability to get more done in a shorter amount of time, in the most efficient way possible. Consumers have come to expect that same mindset in every facet of their lives, with companies like Amazon consistently setting the bar for a faster, cheaper, better retail experience.
How would you like to take a vacation and be able to check-in with the store while at, let’s say, Disney World standing in line for a ride, and then re-order low stocks and best sellers in a few minutes? That could be the makings for a stress-free vacation! You wouldn’t have to worry about what’s actually happening at the store because you could find out any time you wanted. There are also “smart,” wifi cash drawers that can send alerts to your phone or tablet when a drawer has been accessed by unauthorized store personnel. Installing cloud point of sale can give you a greater sense of security. This is what technological advancements can do and what a Mobile POS and Cloud POS setup can do for your store.
A day in the life of a retailer is kind of like a farmer – from sun up to sun down. All the facets of running a store never seem to end; figuring out what to order and re-order, hiring, firing, training, staying profitable, working out how to increase profits, etc. A Cloud POS helps optimize your day as a retailer because access to the POS and the back office is in real-time (right now) and can be accessed from, as I’ve mentioned above, almost anywhere.
So, how does the evolution of the cash register tie in with the birth of our nation? Simply put… From the printing press to modern times, technology has been designed with the sole purpose of information distribution, leading up to today’s “information super highway” as the digital version of the printing press.
In 2013 we have the ability to reach almost anyone in the world to sell our goods to. A Cloud POS takes this to a new level, making it easier, faster and a more efficient way to sell and manage those goods from in-store to e-commerce.
One Step Retail Solutions is ranked as one of the top resellers and service providers for some of the most comprehensive and state of the art retail POS software solutions in the industry. For a free retail technology consultation, click HERE.
Scott Kreisberg
CEO
One Step Retail Solutions