EPoS made in Scotland

Running a modern convenience store efficiently means having access to the power and insight that only a high-grade EPoS system can deliver. We take a closer look at a home-grown platform from MHouse Solutions in Motherwell.

With the complex nature of the modern store, it’s all but impossible to operate efficiently without the insight that only a good EPoS system can deliver. There are many systems on the market offering powerful capabilities and insights at great value pricing, and one of these is the homegrown Mpos system from Motherwell-based MHouse Solutions.

With so many moving parts in the typical store, it’s impossible to truly understand how the business is performing without quick, easy access to all the vital data retailers need to keep improving and developing their stores.

“Information is power and it’s never more true than in the case of epos systems,” says Faisal Sattar, Director of Mhouse. He adds: “EPoS systems like ours have evolved into a must-have decision making tool for any c-store owner, an essential tool that generates profits for them.”

Modern EPoS systems have come a long way from the days when they were little more than glorified tills, accounting for cash and giving change to customers. Sattar says: “Systems like our Mpos report on and manage every aspect of the business covering pricing, promotions, staff, security, stock, ordering, merchandising even advising on what’s selling, what will sell best and where to put it on your shelves and in your store to sell it faster.” He also advises that Mhouse can demonstrate an uplift of 3% in gross profit using their system by giving storeowners much greater control over a wider range of store procedures.

The Mpos smart system is constantly being developed and improved, adding new features with time and money saving ideas, making operations faster and more efficient and the life of the store owner more secure and easier.

For Sattar, a great EPoS system starts at the counter. “The key functions and innovations of an EPoS system start at the counter with a sleek, simple to use touch screen but it’s behind the scenes in the back office system that they really make business-changing differences,” he says, “with seamless, in-depth reporting and analysis on every aspect of the store’s operations, direct data links to the major suppliers allowing downloading of supplier price changes, invoices and promotions, one-click order generation and stocking with increased control – all deliveries are downloaded and all adjustments advised to the owner.

“Perishable and older stock is managed, no stock goes unaccounted for, staff numbers are managed, card payment machines are integrated, plus access to a background database of quarter of a million products so, the system can compare your prices against other operators, as well as the RSPs and then advise what action to take.

“There’s also integration of cigarette gantry machines and loyalty programmes and while it’s doing all this, it emails store performance reports to the owner with actionable data rather than heavy statistics which can overwhelm the user.”

All this saves time, cuts costs and increases security and puts the operation into the hands of the store owners as it can be operated from a simple handheld touchscreen unit.

“A world where Amazons Go stores embed automated scanning and have no checkouts seems a bit far-fetched in local retailing outlets for now,” says Sattar, “though it’s being watched with interest, since smart EPoS providers already have the tech ready to go.”

For Sattar, the future is all about the customer. He concludes: “The guiding light for the future is wherever the customer is the EPoS can be there to help with services and payments. It’s all about convenience and it always will be.”