Leading Analyst on 2008 POS Trends
William Atkinson
Hospitality Technology
Hospitality Technology
Article Summary:
This article talks about some predictions from Lee Holman, lead retail analyst for IHL Group, concerning the future of POS. He predicts application and advancement of POS systems will continue to grow and have a significant impact on the industry. “Retail-hardened products,” or equipment that can withstand the daily abuse of our fast-paced industry, is expected to continue to grow in popularity. Environmental issues are also a top concern, and the manufacturers of these types of products are taking this into consideration while they are developing new products.
POS is also making Customer Relation Management (CRM) much easier. An example is given describing the use of POS at an upscale restaurant. Holman describes a scenario where a couple drives up to a restaurant and the valet relays their arrival to the host, who prepares the couples favorite table and lets the server know to begin to prepare their favorite drinks.
Wireless is another feature that is expected to continue to grow in popularity especially with the application of table-side payment options. Although there is currently not very many establishments who have made the transition to wireless POS, there is a lot of interest from both customers and managers/owners.
Another trend that is becoming popular is POS systems that allow a company to run both their foodservice operations and retail sales off that same system. This trend is particularly important to restaurants that have significant retail sales like Cracker Barrel, Starbucks, and Hard Rock Café.
In reference to type of system, Holman thinks Windows-type systems are going to continue to become more popular. These type of systems are familiar to most people and will help to lower costs associated with high employee turnover.
Holman also believes that there will continue to be a growth in the use of POS for employee scheduling and attendance records. Biometrics to ensure accuracy and prevent falsification is also of interest, but has not yet become popular at very many establishments.
Reflection:
I found the section on “retail-hardened products” most interesting and I would be interested in learning more about how they are planning to make these products in a way that will not harm the environment. I am amazed that a product that can hold up to such harsh daily treatment can also be made with environmentally friendly materials.
I also found the section on combining retail and foodservice systems interesting because it is a topic I had not thought much about, but is very important. I am sure that combining POS systems like that will help make data analysis and training of employees to be able to work in multiple departments much easier.
One thing that Holman stated was that he believes that there will be a boost in adding schedule and attendance/time functions into POS systems. I don’t really think that is a trend because I thought most POS systems originated with those type of functions.
Bibliography:
Atkinson, William. (2008 April 1) “Leading Analyst on 2008 POS Trends.” Hospitality Technology. Retrieved on April 20, 2008 from http://www.htmagazine.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=MultiPublishing&mod=PublishingTitles&mid=3E19674330734FF1BBDA3D67
B50C82F1&tier=4&id=F7D9449607B04454AB0B427519CE38D2
2 comments:
I believe that these trends discussed are very real and very important to our industry. Any purchase of new POS system or software is going to be a huge investment for a restaurant, so it is very important that restaurant managers do their homework before buying one. All of these new features sound great, but a restaurant manager can not get sucked into all of the hype around some of these features. For instance, the feature of combining food and retail sales is wonderful, but if a restaurant has very limited or no retail sales, or doesn't have any problem with their current system, it would probably not be wise to make this investment.
I do agree with the two trends of wireless and POS systems. Both are becoming extremely popular and will continue to grow. Wireless is almost crucial now for the business traveller, and POS systems are so helpful for not only the hotel staff, but also the guest. It makes everything easier and more efficient.
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