Worried About End of Life: Alternatives to Microsoft RMS

Microsoft RMS End of Life – it’s not just a catch phrase. If you exist in the retail management space, you might be one of the tens of thousands looking for a Microsoft RMS alternative. In March of 2015, Microsoft broke the news that Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS), their retail point of sale solution, was reaching its End of Life. Then, starting in 2016, the solution came off the shelves for new customers. The Microsoft support life cycle of current RMS products will be extended into 2021, but think of this as a retirement phase for the retail management software. 

Despite its past success, RMS would have required a significant overhaul to keep pace with the standards of evolving tech and the tastes of UI designs. Microsoft’s announcement represents a major ground-shift int he point of sale sector. 

With over 50,000 companies using Microsoft RMS, there’s a lot of customers left looking for an alternative business solution. Simply put, for users of Microsoft RMS, the only option is to find an alternative to RMS before 2021. 

This post will cover what the RMS End of Life actually means for its users, as well as the retail market as a whole.

Alternatives to Microsoft RMS

I understand that for many small business owners, moving to a new POS system or retail management platform can be daunting. There’s certainly some planning and preparation needed. However, making the switch to a new retail management platform is the perfect time to look into new features and benefits for your business.  You’ll need to research alternative pos systems, and eventually be confident your new platform will be able to support your current (and future) needs which are unique to your business. 

The good news is, eHopper has a point of sale solution to make the transition as easy as possible. 

eHopper POS

eHopper point of sale is a cloud based, device agnostic pos solution. Intuitive and easy to use, eHopper POS is cross-platform and available on iPad, Android tablets, Poynt terminals and Windows PC. 

There are several features which make eHopper POS Software a great Microsoft RMS alternative. With an eCommerce solution and Omnichannel plan, eHopper’s benefits aren’t just limited to the traditional point of sale realm. 

Inventory Management

If you’re looking for an alternative to RMS, then proper inventory management in your next POS system will be of chief concern. eHopper’s inventory management allows you to boost sales by preventing potential stock shortages. eHopper inventory management includes:

• Purchase order receiving
• Store transfers
• Inventory adjustments
• Menu builder
• Modifiers
• Inventory matrix
• Product management
• Stock management
• Vendor management
• Generate and print bar code labels
• Minimum quantity notifications

Customer Management

Another big worry when switching retail management software will be your customer management. eHopper will make sure this process is smooth and painless. Benefits of eHopper’s customer management system include:

• Customer Profiles
• Personalized Customer Service
• Customer Purchase History
• Import and Export Customer List

eHopper POS customer management for retailers looking for an RMS alternative

These customer profiles allow you to accurately segment your business’ target audience, enabling you to always make sure that the correct customer is getting the correct message at the correct time. These segments are a valuable part of any marketing strategy. eHopper lets you seamlessly sync your customer data with digital marketing efforts – optimizing the way you communicate with your customers. 

Reporting

Another robust retail management feature of eHopper POS is its reporting capabilities. By exporting detailed reports of your sales and customer data, you are able to build an accurate portrait of your business at any given slice of time. Reporting features will allow you to analyze what days are your best sales days, what items are hot at this time of year, or even your average revenue per sale. 

eHopper Retail Reporting offers you: 

• Inventory Reports
• Sales Reports
• Orders Reports
• Tax and Tips Report
• Serial Items Reports
• Time Clock Report
• Simple Report Exports

eHopper POS reporting represents a powerful RMS alternative.

eHopper eCommerce

Beyond it’s rich point of sale features, eHopper also offers an integrated eCommerce environment.

If you are operating in the retail point of sale space, it’s important to think about ecommerce. eHopper eCommerce is a fully integrated ecommerce solutions that offers you online ordering, inventory sync between your POS and eCommerce, ability to accept payments 24/7 + 365, access to powerful business apps, and full reporting of sales data. 

In 2018, you have to consider how your business is represented online. Whether you are a retail shop or restaurant, if you are not selling your products online you are missing a tremendous revenue opportunity. As more and more business is done online, you need to find a solution like eHopper that syncs your eCommerce with your RMS alternative retail management pos. 

Benefits of eHopper eCommerce include:

• Cloud hosting of your online store
• Free SSL certification (save up to $250)
• Free CDN
• Your own domain name
• Business site optimized for speed and performance
• Unmetered products
• Attribute support
• Coupons and Discount codes
• Marketing and SEO optimization
• Online promotions
• Promotion on social media

Omnichannel Retail Strategy

An omnichannel approach ensures that you are interacting with your customers at all touch-points, both on and offline. This means online with eCommerce and online ordering, in person at your physical point of sale, on your customer receipts, and even your social media and email efforts.

Need proof? The Harvard Business Review found when interviewing over 46,000 consumers, that an omnichannel retail approach works. 

Omnichannel leverages how your customers actually shop.

Recent studies show that almost half of customers report having used their mobile phone while shopping in-person in a store. By harnesses your social, online, and point of sale software into one streamlined package, you will be able to capitalize on the proven and evolving characteristics of the customer’s journey. 

An Omnichannel plan offers you improved pricing incentives and the ability to provide discounted offers.

For example, you can offer people a discount code on Facebook, which prompts them to come into your physical store. This catches the customer both ways, while they are online/mobile and then coercing them into physically coming into your store.

If you know your customers people are online that often, then use this information to get them in your store! 

Shoppers are checking prices, doing side-by-side comparisons of products, reading reviews on those products, and even consulting their social media apps before buying.

eHopper Omnichannel Package

In conclusion, if you are a current Microsoft user looking for a RMS alternative, eHopper offers a fully integrated omnichannel retail solution. For a simple monthly fee, you can sync your online eCommerce and physical point of sale, which will increase sales and boost your overall productivity. 

By offering a complete range of inventory management, sales reporting, and an eCommerce solution, eHopper POS is a natural and logical alternative to any Microsoft RMS End of Life user looking for a new retail management platform. 

Learn more about eHopper’s integrated retail solution, and register for the OmniChannel plan today for a limited time discount.