NCR’s Counterpoint POS
Running a business means making at least 1,543 decisions a day… give or take a hundred. We could all use help to make a few of those decisions part of a bigger picture and more informed. If you’re using NCR’s Counterpoint for your POS system, you have a robust set of tools and insights right at your fingertips just waiting to be put to work. And if you’re not using Counterpoint… Well, maybe it’s time to ask yourself, “Why not?” Counterpoint’s software has a long and credible history since the ‘90s. We at Mariner took that robust legacy and tailored it to serve specialty retailers with complex inventory needs, such as garden centers, gift shops, apparel stores, liquor retailers, and, more recently, the cannabis industry. While the software has changed hands a few times, its core functionality has remained consistent. Over the years, it’s seen significant improvements, including cloud-based mobile app reporting, integrations with eCommerce platforms and accounting tools, enhanced loyalty and CRM features, and real-time inventory tracking across multiple locations. Today, NCR Counterpoint is known for being one of the most powerful and customizable POS systems available for small to mid-sized specialty retailers. Explore how Mariner Business Solutions can tailor your software to your needs. The software offers a balance of legacy reliability with modern features. Now that we have a little backstory, what exactly are the tools and information you have available that can grow your business to a place where it’s self-sustaining? Scaling your business typically doesn’t make sense if you don’t have the infrastructure or organization to do so. However, if you know you have the capacity to expand then these insights will be crucial to that success.
Sales History
How can sales history help inform your future decisions? Whether you have a small, artisanal inventory or a large warehouse of mass-produced goods, it’s crucial to understand which products are top sellers and which are slow movers. Of course, the next factor to consider is the price point of these items. If those slow movers generate 500% more revenue than your top sellers, then there’s no need to throw the baby out with the bath water, so to speak. If you run promotions at your shop, tracking how successful those were can justify the effort put into them. Did it increase shopping cart size or just lower your margins? Don’t be afraid to experiment on a small scale with this. A simple A/B test is the easiest way to do so, and your POS system makes the results easy to understand. For example, try running a 10% discount one month and a 20% the next. Did you get more than 2x the sales with the 20% discount? Excellent, you’re learning how your customer responds. You can also try a “Buy one, Get one” offer vs. a straight discount and analyze the margins again. On an even more targeted level, test verbiage with your website, newsletters, and socials to compare the click through rate and sales differences. It can be hard to justify digging into the numbers and reports when you’re feeling like you’re just putting out fires all day, but scheduling one day a week or every two weeks to intentionally sit with your business’s analytics can have very real and significant impacts on your operation. Seasonal sales can be tricky and stressful to prepare for. Whether it’s holidays, events, or seasonal spikes, Counterpoint can help. Use historical sales and customer traffic data to make smarter inventory decisions. Simply pull reports from the past few years, find the averages, and stock up with confidence. The traffic data will give you a better sense of what is enough staff to keep a smooth customer experience despite the chaos. If you’ve scaled your business to multiple locations, the growing pains can quickly become overwhelming. Easily being able to see store performance in a side-by-side comparison will allow you to dynamically tailor your inventory depending on each location. Customer demands can vary widely based on region, and you have the tools at your fingertips to know exactly what those differences are.
Robust Inventory Control and Tracking
Nobody wants to be stuck constantly putting out fires. It creates stress for both your staff and your customers. Remember, your POS system is there to work with you, not against you. If your goal is to stay ahead of customer demand, tools like Counterpoint can help automate your operations. For example, you can set minimum and maximum stock alerts to keep your inventory right where it needs to be. Keeping a close eye on your vendors’ pricing and reliability is another way your POS data can save you time and money. These resources can be put directly back into your business by spotting trends like incremental price increases, late deliveries, or supply chain issues early, helping you make more informed decisions. With a complete history of your products from seed to shelf, you will be ready to pivot whenever a part of the process isn’t serving you or your customers. Unfortunately, inventory shrink is a reality for every business. A strong POS system can make tracking it much easier. Physical counts can also be streamlined with the use of RFID scanners. Once RFID tags are attached to your products, you can count your entire inventory wirelessly, without having to handle every item individually. This is especially important in the cannabis industry, where keeping track of inventory affects compliance issues and can lead to serious consequences that will directly affect your bottom line when you’re having to fork out for costly fines. This creates major opportunities for labor cost savings and reduces the chances of human error. You don’t need to be a data scientist, just a business owner who pays attention to what the numbers are telling you. Counterpoint gives you everything you need to manage smarter and grow your business. Take control of your inventory, improve customer engagement, and drive long-term, sustainable growth.
