It's no secret the "Price to Computing Power ratio" has constantly declined in favor of the end user since the day computers were first invented. The declining prices have been so sharp, some people are in a constant hold pattern, waiting for the right time to buy... unfortunately, that illusive time never seems to be just right.

What about special applications like "Point of Sale" (POS) and "Inventory Management" systems. While the cost of special applications has declined, their decline has been much more gradual then the declines witnessed in home and office applications. Partly because the customer base, which ultimately carries the cost of research and development in any particularly focused group, is much narrower... and partly because the demand has been significantly smaller.

Times are changing! Declining prices in POS software and POS specific hardware has opened the power of POS to a wider market base, which now includes smaller retailers. Increased demand for POS systems and increased sales have triggered sharp competition and has accelerated prices even deeper. Systems that would have cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars just a few years ago are now in the tens of thousands.

With a return on investment for a POS system estimated between 3% and 5% of gross annual sales, most small retailers can realize their investment in less then a year!

The tough competition retailers' face today, with ever shrinking margins, requires them to conduct business smarter and friendlier. Information will be the divider of the haves and the have nots. The trick will be to effectively turnover your inventory. Cash sitting on your shelves will simply not generate income. Larger retailers have known this for years and with the help of sophisticated POS systems, they've been able to manage large inventories and keep cash flows flowing. Now you can do the same with smaller inventories.