How to bag the Computer Hunting best retail software

QELECTING good L)retail software is not easy. A large percentage of retailers who install computer systems have to replace them. Sometimes the systems cannot grow along with the business. Usually, a system was chosen that could not do thejob properly.

"Don't become a retailing statistic," cautions computer consultant Robbie Brown. "I find a great many retailers who say they're on their third system. That's expensive - and painful. But it requires a lot of work if you're going to succeed."

A good system is more than a PC with a word processing program,

Story at a Glance

Main components needed for a retail computer system ... criteria for software selection ... how much willit allcost?

spreadsheet and a mailing list. According to Brown, it takes a far more complex system to run a store, including one or more computers, various types of software, and suppolting peripheral devices (printers, scanners, point-of-sale devices).

The most visible components are the hardware. Computers come as microprocessors or PCs (variety of speeds, but on the small side), miniprocessors, and main frames (large in size and largely dead on the retail level). Minis are true multiuser, multi-tasking computers that are faster in terms of crunching more data. but the differences between PCs and minis are becoming more and more blurred. "I don't think retailers should get hung up on mini vs. micro," Brown said. "But as a general rule of thumb, if you do $5-7 million, you're possibly a mini candidate. If you're over $10 million, you're a real solid candidate for a mini."

Other hardware considerations are speed and throughput, RAM (random access memory), and storage or disc drive (where the memory is stored). The amount of memory and storage required will be determined by how much data will be crunched - number of stores, transactions, volume sizes, number of SKUs. etc.

Point-of-sale devices include pro- prietary cash registers, PC cash drawers, printers, ticket printers, scanners (to scan prices, take inventory, etc.), and portable data terminals (hand-held computers that receive product information that is later downloaded at a cash register or terminal).

The next component is the computer operating system, which tells the computer how to operate itself. Types of operating systems include Microsoft DOS, IBM's O/S2, proprietary systems and UNIX. The increasingly popular UNIX is an "open system," meaning it will accommodate components from many different manufacturers, adding flexibility. But the operating system you acquire will be determined by the hardware selected.

But, warned Brown, "when you decide to purchse a new system, don't go out and look at computers. Focus your attention primarily on the software, on what information you need to run your business properly. The hardware and hardware platform will of necessity follow."

To have a fully functional system, you need multiple pieces of application software (financial, POS, merchandising). Financial systems may cover general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, and financial reporting (providing