News of Today
July 2011
News, views and snippets from Today Software Ltd.
“ Today is a new day. You will get out of it just what you put into it... ”
A sugar hit for retail In this post-consumer era, it‟s not about needs any more. We all have pretty much everything we need.
store called Happy Pills, introduced to me by Howard Saunders, British retail trendtracker.
Beyond the basics – food, clothing, shelter – many people have lots of stuff they don‟t really need, like multiple iPods. (Guilty as charged.)
Stripped to its bare basics, Happy Pills is just a lolly shop, a pick and mix. Not much new there.
So these days, for retail to be successful, it must be about creating and satisfying wants in other words stimulating desire. Poster child for the want generation is Apple, of course. The way Steve Jobs and his cohorts stage manage product releases and control supply of our shiny new electronic playthings is a wonder to behold.
Zara also knows a thing or two about creating demand. Buy now, they say, because that must-have dress might not be there in a couple of week‟s time. In the back streets of Barcelona last month, I came across a great example of how to turn jaded consumers into salivating customers. What I saw was a
Sweet shops have been around since God was a boy. But it‟s the way a basic concept has been taken and re-packaged and remerchandised for the smart set today that makes it noteworthy.
Consume Cheerfully. It‟s a lot of fun and before you know it, you have snapped up an armful of Happy Pills as they make great gifts.
Mary Pickford (1892–1979) Canadian actress, Academy Award® winner
The learning here is simple. In retail today the concept is as important as the content. A regular sweet shop could easily
The proposition behind Happy Pills is pseudo-pharmaceutical – sugar as therapy for a variety of ills. So it looks pharmacy-like; white and clinical with a pink cross as part of the logo over the door. Inside, the customer simply helps themselves to a selection of sweets, and then chooses a pill bottle (or pill dispenser, or emergency kit) to contain the loot, and a label to go on the container. Here‟s where the fun starts. There is an endless variety of witty labels prescribing cures for a number of ailments. They range from Happy Pills for a bad hair day to pills for sexual involuntary abstinence to a universal remedy for everything. Instructions on the back include the dosage advice:
Inside this issue: be passed by on the street. Happy Pills is a unique idea that stops and engages customers, and gets them to buy. So consider the question: Just how good are you at creating desire?
By Jon Bird Posted Date: 29/06/2011 www.newretailblog.com
Why people don‟t buy
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TSL raises the bar
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POSperfect features
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Digital signage
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Monthly special
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Why people don‟t buy? Star Micronics TSP 100 Receipt printer $499inc
“probably not give me a great experience.”
way – so I have never even entered the store.
about 15 minutes up the road, which we frequent often.)
Proposition. The place just does not look like my kinda place.
Service. The service absolutely sucks – the worst I have ever come across in a supermarket anywhere in Australia. I feel the staff take us for granted because there is no competition. This is reinforced by the fact that the prices at the other supermarkets are lower.
Reason for not shopping:
Last week, I was reading one of the many newsletters/blogs I get every week, when a title caught my attention - “Why people don‟t buy” by Dennis Price (26/06/11). In this post he lists some of the reasons that have influenced his shopping choices in his new town .
There are a few coffee shops (or places that sell coffee). Some I have never been into, others I have entered but will never buy the coffee.
Reason for not shopping:
Here are his reasons:
Perception: The machine is too small. A place that sells good coffee is likely to be popular and makes a lot of coffee so they will have a bigger machine.
There is a single menswear retailer. The name, the shopfront just makes me think that
There is only one supermarket. I do shop there but only if I have to. (There is a bigger town
Reason for not shopping:
There is only one service station. Actually more like a convenience store with a few pumps. The price per litre is often 10c dearer than anywhere else. I make a habit of stopping on the highway to fill up as I Continues on last page
POSperfect raises the bar for the Retail Grocery sector “Perishable goods management of „Best Before‟ dates”
Today Software / POSperfect Inc have improved our already successful retail management tools catering for the Supermarket, Grocery, Fruit & Veg, and Delicatessen markets. In conjunction with Wedderburn Scales Ltd. TSL has developed a price and weight barcode label system allowing the weigh areas (e.g. meat and fish) exceptional accuracy in inventory control. Coupled with this is a „wastage cost‟ that ensures every part of an item pur-
chased whole, then cut down for market, is accounted for. Perishable goods management of „Best Before‟ dates, and subsequent discounting of those items that are past these dates, are recognized concerns and these concerns are managed through the stock database to any or all stores. Differential pricing and differential promotions can all be controlled centrally leaving Store Managers to concentrate on their own in-store marketing
and control. Wedderburn Weigh Labellers can now be interfaced directly with the stores‟ database to automatically upload any price or date changes thereby freeing staff in the appropriate areas to concentrate on customer needs.
POSperfect features Portable Data Terminal - Ordering, price checking and stocktaking is actioned from the store floor using a wireless hand-held device. Multi-Store Chains are managed with; (for smaller groups) the Multi-Store Controller (MSC) or, for larger groups, the Corporate Controller (CC). Stock Write-off functionality will take care of stock items on or past “Use by” dates. Sales of produce or self service bulk bin stock - POSperfect handles this simply and efficiently.
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POSperfect features
July 2011
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SKU/PLU packaging – accommodation of packaged items, e.g. liquor, is a breeze with POSperfect. Powerful Promotional Tools including Mix & Match, Loyalty Promotions and Customer Discount matrices are managed alongside 6 price levels per item. Touchscreen systems - POSperfect provides “user-designable” touch-screen for counter sales. Staff finds it easier to identify a graphical item on the screen.
Dashboards reports by: Any Period Key Performance Indicators Groups by Store, Dept, Class and Subclass Drill down thru Group or Region
Digital signage In these competitive times Digital Signage can help your store to stand out in the middle of the crowd. Digital Signage is a form of electronic display that shows information, advertising and other messages. It can be found in public and private environments, such as retail stores and corporate buildings. In retail is could be use to complement catalogues, promote specials, increase product awareness, increase walk in customers.
Other benefits are:
Setup and Requirements
High impact "moving" adverts get attention
LCD/ Plasma screen
Immediate & simultaneous updating of all screens
Internet/ Network access Scheduling "Digital signage player software" Software
No printing or distribution costs
A dedicated PC
Schedule different adverts for different times of day. One or many screens per location Show different ads on different screens, or all same. Less "clutter" in store from multiple posters etc Create income source
I will provide solution prices in our next newsletter or you may contact us directly for prices
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Different adverts for different time of the day
www.todaysoftware.com.au Today Software Ltd (TSL) has offices in New Zealand, Australia and in the United States. We design, develop, distribute and support Point of Sale and Retail Management systems internationally, under the brands of POSperfect and Corporate Controller. Building on a strong customer base within the Pacific region, TSL has moved out to the global market with multi-language versions. More and more Customers, in a variety of Retail markets around the world, are recognizing the superior benefits, versatility and pricing of the company's products, ensuring the strength and stability of POSperfect for the future.
Why people don‟t buy? head home. (Fuel is a grudge purchase, so even if you can afford the extra few dollars, most people avoid it if they can.)
Reason for not shopping:
Price. But especially because they blatantly rip you off. The fact that they actually come out and fill your car for you does not warrant the price. Iconic restaurant with the best possible views anywhere on the coast. I had heard at the local chamber that the owner is (ahem) not a very nice guy.
Reason for not shopping:
Word-of-mouth. I don‟t want to give my money to someone who will probably not give me a
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great experience. Word-ofmouth works like this. There is a chocolate shop that also sells coffee. (A bad Max Brenner knock-off.) This shop simply never enters my mind as an option. I am not sure why.
Reason for not shopping:
Habit. All I can think is that the shopfront is so bland that the place did not register – and my coffee habits became entrenched; so they have missed out. (And they aren‟t doing anything to change this.) There is a bookshop – and I am an avid reader, buying on average 2 non-fiction books a month and I use the library for fiction.
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I have browsed but I have never bought. I tend to buy on impulse when a topic catches my fancy. It is just so much easier on the internet…
Reason for not shopping:
Apathy. When I browsed there was not even an attempt to connect/ interact/ sell. Amazon (not Dymocks) is the default purchase option – and the habit is becoming more entrenched. (I still prefer the physical book, but not sure for how long.) Now replace Dennis new town with your store,. How is it influencing your customers purchasing choices?
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