| Point of sale (POS) systems have become part and | | | | carefully bar-coded and linked to customer accounts, |
| parcel of every business venture: restaurants, retail | | | | taxes and discounts. |
| outlets, supermarkets, bars, online shopping, mobile | | | | Since the needs of each of these vendors are so |
| payments, or even touch-screen information systems. | | | | varied and so unique, software for each is also |
| Businesses still using manual cash registers and | | | | different. Hence, vendors first set up minimum required |
| account books will be far behind in the race for profits. | | | | hardware like cash drawers and automated bill printers. |
| Electronic management of inventory and sales has | | | | This is supported by software that acts as the |
| become essential for survival in the modern | | | | interface between the physical devices and the |
| computerized world. Budgets and profits have to be | | | | computer operating systems. Once the basic POS |
| recorded error free and be easily accessible for | | | | system is installed, vendors move on to more |
| proper business planning. Getting a POS system is | | | | advanced systems that are cut to the specific needs |
| indeed the need of the hour. | | | | of their particular fields of operation. |
| POS systems basically cater to the retail and | | | | Hardware and software for POS systems are |
| hospitality sector with hardware and software cut to | | | | standardized under OPOS and JavaPOS that set |
| their specific needs. Systems for the retail industry will | | | | device standards for integrating hardware into |
| speed up cash transactions and standardize inventory | | | | Windows and Java respectively. This standardization |
| and pricing, but the hospitality software and restaurant | | | | takes care of the different, but unique needs of each |
| POS have a completely different set of needs. For | | | | POS user without compromising on device standards. |
| example, handheld systems and touch-screen ordering | | | | UnifiedPOS develops system-independent device |
| can take a food order directly to the kitchen via | | | | interfaces that are then mapped into Windows and |
| computer, thus reducing the error management and | | | | Java. |
| saving time. And a supermarket will have all products | | | | |