NCR is pleased to introduce a new, innovative
solution for point-of-sale
software: NCR Advanced
Store @Retail. This multi-platform software package
is the cornerstone of NCR's
total suite of consumer-focused retail products and
services, providing a turnkey solution for retail
stores, from the shelf to checkout to the back office.
NCR Advanced Store @Retail has been designed to boost
the quality of the in-store shopping experience,
minimizing checkout time and freeing personnel to assist
customers. Web-based technologies facilitate
secure collection and easy management of complete sales
transaction data, for better store-based information
management, including customer relationship
management programs and, ultimately, higher customer retention.
Advanced Store @Retail features a point-of-sale user
interface designed to improve operator productivity,
reduce training time and enhance customer service.
And because store data may be accessed via a web browser,
your management team can enjoy greater operational
control as well as access to supervisor functions such
as price updates and reports.
With NCR Advanced Store @Retail, you'll have the
confidence that comes from dealing with a trusted
industry leader like NCR. Best of all, you'll have
the tools to capture sales and customer data that you
can leverage to build stronger customer relationships.
The system is integrated with other NCR consumer
touch-points to provide the industry's first
comprehensive relationship technology solution that
includes point of sale, web kiosks, electronic shelf
labels, self-checkout and data warehousing.
Enhanced Customer Service Begins With Enhanced POS
Information Management
NCR Advanced Store @Retail has been carefully designed
so cashiers can focus their energies on building
customer relationships and providing a more pleasurable
shopping experience. For maximum system availability,
look-up files reside both on the network and individual
terminals. With this multi-level redundancy, checkout
can continue even if the server or network goes down.
The system's intuitive design is exceptionally
easy to learn, and simple for personnel to operate,
thanks to input from the NCR Human Factors Engineering
Group. Its straightforward lead-through interface
keeps employees on track by allowing only valid options for
transaction processing.
How do these innovations pay off for you? With
reduced employee training time and increased
productivity, the cashier has more time to focus on the
customer. Extraneous moves can be eliminated. Cashiers
are naturally faster, minimizing a shopper's time
spent in checkout and therefore increasing customer
satisfaction.
Advanced Store @Retail also leverages the capabilities
of other NCR products that have already earned your
trust. Used in conjunction with our bi-optic scanners,
Dynakey operator displays and consumer interactive
devices, it's a POS application that can have a
positive impact on your organization's bottom line.
Simplifies and Streamlines Record Keeping
NCR Advanced Store @Retail's impact can reach far
beyond the checkout. A data-selection process with
filters enables management to evaluate transaction
trends, exception reporting and training opportunities
easily.
Transactions may be searched for voids, error
corrects and returns, or an original receipt reprinted
by making a single keystroke. The system may also be
programmed to alert management to events like "item not
on file" flags or price changes at the POS, so these
time-consuming errors can be corrected without delay.
Provides An Integrated Solution That Can Be
Accessed Anytime, Anywhere
NCR Advanced Store @Retail is compatible with popular
NCR Web-enabled solutions. NCR consumer-interactive
devices expand your e-commerce environment by blending
your virtual and physical store. Store management
functions, such as price updates and data retrieval,
are also simplified and accessed through a Web browser,
an increasingly familiar interface.
The Basis For Stronger Customer Relationships
NCR Advanced Store @Retail is able to support
merchandising and marketing programs at all levels. This
includes customer loyalty programs with different
discount schemes based on specific items or combinations
of items, transaction volume or customer identification.
Data collection at the checkout is the starting point
for collecting identifiable customer transactions,
which, over time, can evolve into a full Customer
Relationship Management solution.
Euro Ready by NCR
The flexible design of NCR Advanced Store @Retail
readily permits its adaptation to the specific needs
of different national markets in Europe, the Middle
East, and Africa. The application supports country-specific
requirements such as multi-language, fiscal, EFT
and up to 40 tender options, including the Euro.
Used in conjunction with NCR Electronic Shelf Labels,
the system helps ensure price integrity at the shelf
and at checkout, eliminating customer confusion and
facilitating unattended customer service. Unit and
retail prices can be displayed simultaneously, and you
have the option to present the customer with promotional
messages, special offers, frequent shopper items or
nutritional information. There's even the option to
display multiple currencies - for instance, prices in
both the Euro and local currency - helping to reinforce
the new currency and erasing customer purchase
reluctance.
Advanced Store @Retail is integrated with a complete
line of "Euro Ready" peripherals, such as displays and
printers, including fiscal.
Protects and Leverages Your Existing Investments
The foundation of NCR Advanced Store @Retail is the
time-tested NCR MTX technology presently installed in
over 20 countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
The system is based on a modular design, making it
cost-effective for virtually all retail formats and
store sizes. It supports multiple input and output
devices, including keyboards, printers, displays,
scanners and scanner/scales for different retail
segments from General Merchandise to Food. Your system
can grow and change as your business changes.
You'll reap the benefits of previous system
installations, and set the stage for seamless
technological upgrades.
NCR Advanced Store @Retail is built on industry
standards, to offer you a freedom of choice to select
the best solution components and to simplify the
connectivity to other systems. NCR Advanced Store @Retail
uses the Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 operating system
for both the Server and the POS Client with a complete
suite of 32-bit applications. Advanced Store @Retail
fully supports the OPOS peripheral drivers. OPOS drivers
allow maximum flexibility of selecting the right peripheral
set for the POS and guarantees an increased level
of hardware independence.
For seamless migration, Advanced Store @Retail
continues to support both DOS and UNIX platforms. The
system is designed so that the POS server can support
either a DOS 16-bit or Windows 32-bit environment. This
allows the retailer to have flexibility and control
in the adoption of new technology, with a high level of
investment protection in mind.
For POS management, NCR has developed a completely
new application that is written in Java. The design uses
multi-tier architecture with User Interface, Business
Logic and Data Management layers. This architecture
allows system enhancements to be made quickly with a
higher level of system integrity. In many instances
only one layer may need modification. A standard Internet
browser, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0,
is used for the User Interface, which is familiar to
today's workforce. For the data management, NCR
chose the Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 database accessed
via the ODBC standard. The use of ODBC database access
allows the retailer the flexibility to implement an
alternate database if desired.
Best of all, NCR's unparalleled professional
support and consultation services can help you achieve
the maximum benefit from your new solution.
NCR Advanced Store @Retail Surpasses the Expected
NCR Advanced Store @Retail is the ultimate software
solution to system compatibility problems. The
open-system architecture enables computerized POS
systems to "speak the same language" and permits data
retrieval with Web technology. The Advanced Store @Retail
features a user interface that is ergonomically designed
and easy to use, resulting in improved operator
productivity, reduced training time and improved
customer service.
