Microsoft and Industry Partners Offer Solutions for Small Retailers

HostReview.com
Tuesday, January 17, 2006; 04:05 AM

Furthering its commitment to delivering versatile retail software that meets the unique needs of small retailers, Microsoft Corp. (www.microsoft.com) announced new relationships with three well-known hardware manufacturers to provide point-of-sale (POS) terminals pre-loaded with Microsoft® Point of Sale software.

“To stay competitive with big-box chains, today’s smaller retailers need agile software that integrates point-of-sale information all the way through to their back-end financial systems, yet is also simple to implement and maintain,” said Mike Dickstein, director of point-of-sale solutions at Microsoft.

Microsoft has teamed with retail POS hardware manufacturers Casio Inc., DigiPoS Systems Group and HP to introduce complete hardware and software solutions that deliver versatility and reliability for smaller retailers.

The Casio QT-8000CW-MBD point-of-sale touch-screen terminal is designed for single-store retailers seeking to replace a conventional electronic cash register system.

“This package is easy for smaller businesses to install and enables them to automate their stores at a very affordable price,” said Larry Sampey, general manager of the Systems Products Division at Casio.

“HP is now able to offer small-business retailers the benefits of our retail-hardened HP rp5000 point-of-sale system with Microsoft’s new POS software application,” said Carol Potts, vice president for Retail Industry Solutions at HP.

The new HP rp5000 POS system from HP has been customized to withstand the rigors of the retail environment with enhanced peripheral support as well as components that combine the functionality of popular proprietary systems with the low price and flexibility of PC-based POS systems.

DigiPoS Systems has also unveiled its new solution that offers unique cable management and powered serial ports with the reliability of Intel technology, offering retailers a tailored solution at a competitive price.

The release of Microsoft Retail Management System 1.3 brings improved overall performance to small and midsize businesses, including improved scalability to meet the needs of midsize retailers.