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Features
Some of these features include:
Setup Options
- Multi-company
- Multi-store/ multi-registers within one location
- Multi-user networking
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Security
- Extensive password security system / user access levels
- Data storage and retrieval for unlimited number of years
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Product Setup
- User definable product codes
- Manufacturer / supplier barcode scanning
- Multi-zone pricing
- Grid inventory (by colour/ size/ width etc.) for fashion apparel, footwear
- User definable product information
- Product image and sound recording for training, multi-media applications
- Definition and categorization (unlimited number of categories)
- Multiple suppliers per product
- Package sales
- Product kitting/ assembly
- Tag-along products
- Discount by product groups
- Mass price updates (by groups)
- Non-inventory items and services
- Spiffs and commissions attached directly to products
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Kitting/Assembly
- Defines kits, such as gift baskets
- Creates new product codes
- Calculates kit cost and modifies total retail price
- Checks inventory when manufacturing kits
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Inventory
- Purchase orders
- Receiving (via scanner/ handheld computer)
- Barcode printing
- Adjustments
- Physical counts
- Model stock (min-max) monitoring
- Auto replenishment
- Auto purchase orders
- Stock balancing
- Distribution
- Perpetual inventory for multiple locations and warehouse
- Transactions recorded by date, product number, location
- Inventory reports by quantity, cost, retail, potential gross profit margins
- Product information can include weight, shelf/bin location, tax status, supplier remarks
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Cost & Price
- Supplier, landed or average cost for each product
- Utilize supplier price lists to generate landed costs using multiplier
- Unlimited price levels by customer group or date sensitive promotions
- Original price or current price can by used for retail value of inventory
- Selling prices in different currencies based on store locations anywhere in the world
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Accounting Interface
- Available interface with Quickbooks, ACCPAC, Simply Accounting
- Accommodates your existing or preferred accounting system
- Eliminates need for double entries
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Purchase Orders & Receiving
- Choice of manual or automated
- System generated purchase orders use model stocks or optional “smart” automatic P.O. preparation ( see below )
- Reports available on order status by product, supplier, or month
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Model Stock/ Min/Max Stock Replenishment Method
- Pre-set ideal inventory levels by product and location is ideal for retailers who order repeat items
- Model stocks by store type allow multi-location operations to reduce data entry and monitoring
- Reports of shortages/overages in current on-hand-levels provides alerts for management
- Report also shows shortages/overages at different store locations to drive transfers of product from over-stocked stores to under-inventoried locations
- Ensures efficient use of inventory
- Reduces need for markdowns, prevents over ordering
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Auto-Purchase Orders/ Distribution/ Stock Balancing
- Optional “intelligent” stock replenishment system
- Uses actual sales history to forecast needs to ensure stock is available when the customer wants to buy it
- System trips order points and sets minimum orders
- Numerous user definable settings, including past sales analysis, supplier lead times, trend over-rides, provides more accurate reordering parameters
- Supplier range, product groups, stores, multiplier factors, sales factors and reorder points can be specified to allow for adjustments to be made for season or economic climate
- Purchase orders/ recommended transfers are created and the user is given the opportunity to override the quantities indicated
- Once the Purchase Orders are finalized by the operator, the system prints them by supplier
- Recommended distribution list provided for goods received, with system re-calculating each store's requirement for the items received
- With the recommended transfer option, the system also prints recommended transfer list to ensure ideal distribution
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Goods Received
- Receive products into inventory from outstanding purchase orders, back orders, or directly (without a P.O.)
- Accept entire order with one keystroke or change in the event of discrepancies
- Identify back ordered products, if policy allows
- Receive goods at POS terminals, at warehouse, or at back office
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Barcode Printing
- Use 128A, code 3 of 9, or UPC standards
- Print barcodes from purchase orders, goods received, store inventory records or manually by product code
- Create system generated barcodes or unlimited manufacturer barcodes to increase efficiency of data
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Transfers
- Manual or scanner data entry
- Handheld computers allow scanning and import to main server, eliminating possibility of errors
- Transfers can be initiated or completed on POS terminals or at back office
- Transfers can be completed at stores for increased efficiency
- Transfer reports allows monitoring from back office
- Real time communication ensures all locations can view and receive transfers instantly
- Ideal for auto-distribution, stock balancing, stock transfers (warehouse to stores/ store to store)
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Physical Counts
- Physical count does not affect normal operations (eg. sales processing, goods receiving, transfers )
- System takes snapshot of inventory file that is used to compare to actual physical count
- Provides ample opportunity to enter, check and correct count entries
- Printed count sheets for manual inventory - ideal for inventory by department
- Handheld computers can be used to scan barcodes
- Data from handhelds can be imported to back office directly or via POS terminal
- Counted items report by store indicates onhand quantities, shortages/overages, cost & retail values of discrepancies
- Uncounted items report by location shows products overlooked or missing from the count
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Reports
- Over 150 standard reports that can be further modified to user specifications
- User definable reports ensure level of detail not previously achievable
- Reports printed to file allow archival on disc
- View reports on screen, saving paper when hard copies are not required
- Print sections of report as needed
- Email or fax reports directly from system to end user
- Report filtering and group option allows user to specify information or date ranges to be included in report
- Graphical reports indicating comparative annual sales by Store, Zone, Province/State using Bar Graphs, Linear, 3D, Pie charts etc.
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User Definable Screens
- Certain areas of the database such as Customer Profile, Product Profile and Special Transactions have been given new power by enabling the end user to create their own industry specific fields of information to help them customize and better fit the Aralco software for their business environment. For example, in the apparel retailing, you need to have your customer’s information such as size, color preference, likes and dislikes, however, in the health related industries you may want to know the patient’s age, allergies, medication currently being used, Physician’s name etc.
- Unlimited number of user fields can be attached to the customer, product and transaction files which would also be available to the Aralco report generator system. For example, you can then run reports to list customers name, address and phone numbers who are of a certain size, like a certain color and have no allergies to wool products and use this list for selective marketing.
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Electronic Traffic Counter
- Tallies number of store visits
- Option of running reports on the number of sales per visit
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Excel/Word Interface
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All Aralco reports are prepared as HTML (or ASCII) files and are readily exportable to Microsoft Excel or Word, where you can make any modification such as your own presentation or applications of formulas and other calculations.
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For mass price updates, Aralco exports the selected product range (by Supplier, Department, Group etc.) then export and insert into Excel where you can easily manipulate the data at your convenience, then simply re-import your changes back into Aralco by a simple click. The product price information residing on the Aralco system will then be replace by your Excel sheets entries.
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EDI Capabilities
- Exchange data between POS and Back Office System and external systems such as IBM AS400 and MAPICS to Aralco.
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Ecommerce Package
Although Aralco offers an interface utility for Aralco and client's existing shopping cart / ecommerce systems, in response to clients demands for an inexpensive, robust & "built-in" ecommerce program, Aralco offers a completely integrated system that includes an ecommerce program which
- Directly interfaces with the Aralco Back Office & POS
- Full e-commerce solution: Shipping, Payment, Invoice, and History
- Automatically imports web designated products
- Automatically import/export web customers to Aralco System
- Automatically publishing/modifying product on web site
- Automatically exports web orders to Aralco POS Order Entry system
- Automatically generated web order reports can be viewed and/or emailed to the warehouse logistics staff so they can expedite the web orders and use the Aralco POS to ship the orders to customers anywhere in the world.
- Periodic inventory adjustments over secure database (UDI)
- Automatically adjusts product information including, inventory levels, product pictures, descriptions and prices
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Mass Email Feature
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The built-in email feature can be used for “Mass” or “Target” email campaigns. As long as you have your customer’s email address, you can reach them by sending them what appear to them as a “Customized” email with their name and other specific information relating to their information as well as their past purchases. You can design an email that has “their” specific information combine with other “generic” information.
For example, the email could look like this:
Dear Lynda,
Thank you for shopping at our Lotus Fashions in Beverly Hills Centre Mall.
As you are live in the North Hollywood District, we are glad to let you know, as of April 15th, we are opening a new store at 123 – Main St., North Hollywood and will be very happy to serve you in that location too.
If you bring a copy of this email, we will offer an additional 15% discount on your first visit.
We look forward to seeing your there.
Manager
Susan Smith
- You can also send Mass email campaigns which you will be able to attach an HTML file with built-in hyper-links to various areas of your website or other FTP sites.
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Order Management System
- When orders are entered at the stores into the POS systems, the new Order Management System (OMS) can enable both the Warehouse Staff as well as the Store Staff to view the status of outstanding orders and access them to perform various functions.
- OMS Accessibility:
Both Warehouse and Store staff will have access to the OMS system as it resides on the server. Warehouse staff will have their own functions (color coded in “blue”) and the stores will have access to other functions related only to them (color coded “green”) although they can view the status of the orders in case they need to inform the customers.
- Store Staff Functions:
At POS level, once entering a new order, you can specify the delivery options such as:
• Home Delivery
• Customer Pickup at Warehouse / Other Store locations
• Customer Pickup at the store where order is entered
Once goods are in the warehouse:
• Call customers and request final payment for orders with a balance to be paid
• Call customers to notify them of the goods that have arrived at the store for pickup
- Warehouse Functions:
• Warehouse staff can view orders that are ready for shipment (for cases when inventory is available at the warehouse and order balance is zero)
• Notify store staff to call customers that have a balance remaining for their order to either come into the store to pay their balance or pay by phone
Once the order balance is zero:
• Notify customers & arrange home delivery
• Arrange truck deliveries (by postal code to pick the optimal routes)
• Stamp order as “complete” after delivery paperwork is complete
• Auto complete POS orders by turning them into a “Sales Transaction” after which the item is removed from inventory and the store is credited with the sale.
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