Microsoft Launches Retail Management System

Microsoft Business Solutions today announced the availability of retail vertical bundles of software and hardware designed for small and medium-sized retailers specializing in beer-wine-liquor, apparel, sporting goods, gifts and hobbies, and specialty retail.

"One of the biggest barriers to entry for small retailers is price," said Brendan O'Meara, general manager of the Microsoft Retail Management System at Microsoft Business Solutions.

At the core of the packages is Microsoft® Business Solutions Retail Management System 1.2, which has a track record for easily automating inventory management, speeding up card transactions, creating effective productivity reports, tracking customer purchasing habits and giving retailers more control over their business -- all of which help save time and increase profits. The packages, which will be distributed by ScanSource and Tech Data Corp., allow independent merchants to invest in information technology at a lower cost than if they purchase the components separately.

The hardware component of the packages includes a retail-hardened point-of-sale (POS) terminal with monitor from manufacturers such as Pioneer and IBM Corp.

Keyboard, receipt printer, cash drawer, bar-code scanner, magnetic stripe reader, required cable and accessories, and a mouse are provided by manufacturers including Symbol Technologies Inc., Cherry, Epson and APG Cash Drawer, a division of UMI Company Inc.

Shipping of the packages began Nov. 1, but businesses in the targeted industries have already started realizing the benefits of the offering via a beta testing program.

The financial management, customer relationship management, supply chain management and analytics applications work with Microsoft products such as Office and Windows® to streamline processes across an entire organization, giving businesses insight to respond rapidly, plan strategically and execute quickly.