Your POS system directly affects which services you can access with your XchangeIT Link membership. As new features become available, and new services with existing and future distributors, your POS system choice becomes increasingly important.
As part of your POS system evaluation process you may wish to consider the following.
XchangeIT cannot advise which POS system is ideally suited to your store, or which will give you the most benefit from your XchangeIT Link membership. This depends on a number of factors including the version of your software, the maintenance agreement with your POS vendor, and your in-store operating procedures.
In the second half of 2009 XchangeIT published details on the degree of integration between some popular brands of POS system and the XchangeIT Link system. While this cannot be interpreted as an endorsement of these systems, it may assist your POS system choices.
In the initial instance the systems evaluated by XchangeIT will include:
Ask your POS system vendor about their plans for working with XchangeIT Link. What new data types would your vendor like to see? Monthly Statements? Price List Updates? And how would this translate into increased savings for you?
A Note for POS DOS Users: The POS DOS system is unable to provide Sales Inventory Data or Returns Claims that meet the quality benchmarks required by distributors. As previously announced, magazine distributors will continue supplying Delivery Data to POS DOS users in the short-to-medium term.
Users should note, however, that magazine distributors are likely to withdraw support for POS DOS at some time in the future. Furthermore, new distributors and services that become available via XchangeIT Link are unlikely to be accessible via the POS DOS system.