| With companies demanding a greater level of | | | | EPoS system and the Back Office Accounts package |
| sophistication from their Electronic Point of Sale (EPoS) | | | | it runs off are able to handle these Wholesale |
| system it can be hard to choose the right combination | | | | quantities. This has allowed these companies to win |
| of hard and software for your company. This can be | | | | lucrative contracts with some of the country's largest |
| especially difficult for Trade and Wholesale businesses | | | | Wholesalers. |
| as most products on the market are directed at retail | | | | Philip Dawson, a leading industry expert highlighted the |
| and hospitality industries. Wholesalers and B2B | | | | issues that currently face the EPoS industry, |
| companies have a completely different set of needs | | | | "Typically we were finding that the wholesale markets |
| to those of shops, cafes and tourist attractions and in | | | | were being ignored by EPoS providers and seeing this |
| the past the features that they require to keep a | | | | potential gap in the market only a few companies |
| closer control of their stock and accounts have not | | | | were able to develop Electronic Point of Sale and |
| been well documented. | | | | Back Office Accounts software to meet these needs. |
| A good example of a key Wholesale EPoS feature | | | | Software really does need to include a high product |
| would be unlimited quantity purchase features. Unlike | | | | quantity purchase feature which means that any |
| B2C companies, the numbers of products that are | | | | number of customers can buy from any number of |
| bought at any one time tend to be much higher with | | | | branches at any one time. I have found that features |
| Wholesalers. Products are bought in bulk and quantity | | | | such as this are helping companies win many recent |
| levels can run into hundreds if not thousands of | | | | contracts." |
| products. Therefore an ideal solution would be an | | | | Currently there are still only a limited number of |
| EPoS system that has the Back Office Accounting | | | | companies that are able to enter advanced |
| functionality to handle these levels of stock. | | | | negotiations with many customers within the Trade |
| Traditionally this has been a key problem with many | | | | and Wholesale environment and with new |
| accounts packages unable to handle these figures. | | | | developments to their products, bring even more |
| However, all is not lost, there are EPoS systems that | | | | companies on board with the systems that they |
| have been especially developed where both their | | | | provide. |