UK Retail: 2024 Christmas Footfall

Christmas. The busiest time of year for many industries, especially retail. But will this year's festive footfall be naughty or nice? We reviewed data published by MRI Software to find out.

It's hard to consider this year's retail trends without first looking back to 2019, pre-pandemic. And the good news is that 2023 saw a return to 'normal' for Christmas retail trends with this year following suit.

As always, Black Friday kicks off the start of the silly season spending. Now with Black Friday and Cyber Monday behind us, how is the rest of the month faring?

Data from MRI Software predicts a rise in footfall for all shopping locations, including 1% increase in retail parks, 2% in shopping centres and 5% on the high street.

Jenni Matthews, MRI Software's Marketing and Insights Director, suggests high streets historically perform better during the festive season due to Christmas attractions (such as markets and lights) drawing crowds to town centres.

Matthews offered advice to retailers looking to attract footfall in to store rather than online, commenting that promotions, special shopping evenings or workshops could help drive traffic.

She also remarked that maximising convenience for customers was key, offering click and collect options and store opening times that make it easy for people to shop around their working hours. Ensuring that the atmosphere in store is welcoming, not too hot or cold.

Using data from your point of sale system to identify your business' own shopping trends and using that to manage your staffing and store operations.

Though Black Friday is considered the 'biggie' when it comes to the Christmas shopping calendar; it's worth noting that Christmas Day falls on a Wednesday this year. With some predicting that Saturday 21st December will be a 'super' Saturday with people rushing to finish their shopping.

And let's not forget the Boxing Day sales madness! According to MRI Software's data, Boxing Day shopping in recent years has only been a tad 'mad,' as families presumably prefering to continue their festivities at home. Whilst 2023 saw a peak in footfall on Thursday 28th December as people ventured out of their Christmas lull.

So, though the Christmas countdown is on, there's still plenty of December shopping days left to make 2024 a very bright and prosperous year in retail.

If you need assistance with retail reporting from your EPOS Systems' point of sale system, then one of our EPOS Experts will be happy to help. Contact our support team today.

Find out if your POS system can work without Wi-Fi

Yes, any decent point of sale (POS) machine should allow you to continue to utilise the vast majority of features without Wi-Fi. Although there may be a small number of functions that you might need to wait to use until you have a connection.

EPOS Systems' pioneering POS systems allow you to continue smoothly with your day-to-day operation even without Wi-Fi. And when you're internet is back up and running, you can send all your sales data to your cloud back office, ready for reporting.

But what if you're running a market stall or a pop-up and don't have access to Wi-Fi?

No Wi-Fi, no problem! Our brand new portable and powerful POS solution, TouchPoint lite operates over 4G connectivity and requires minimal set-up. Making it perfect for festivals, pop-up food stalls, small businesses, beer gardens, plus many more...

Offering all the functionality of our complete POS system, from a lightweight, mobile device. Choose just one or multiple integrated devices depending on the size of your operation; and allow your whole team to take orders and payments all from the palm of their hand.

TouchPoint lite also integrates with Stripe, who are one of the world’s leading payment processing platforms.

If you're looking for a portable POS solution then give our EPOS Experts a call today.

Outdoor Smoking Ban - Another Knock for UK Hospitality?

With 80,000 deaths attributed to smoking in the UK each year, the Government are reviewing new steps in cracking down on the habit. Their hope is that banning smoking in certain outdoor spaces; such as beer gardens, outside sporting venues and even small parks; will help relieve the burden smoking puts on the NHS and also tax-payers.

The proposal has been met with scepticism by many of those in the hospitality industry. Kate Nicholls, Chief Executive of UKHospitality commented, “A ban on smoking in outdoor spaces comes with the prospect of serious economic harm to hospitality venues. You only have to look back to the significant pub closures we saw after the indoor smoking ban to see the potential impact it could have.

“This ban would not only affect pubs and nightclubs, but hotels, cafes and restaurants that have all invested significantly in good faith in outdoor spaces and continue to face financial challenges.

“The government must embark on a full and detailed conversation with affected parties on the impact of such a ban before any legislation is laid. It must also assess whether such a ban would achieve its aims of meaningfully reducing smoking or simply relocate smoking elsewhere, such as in the home.”

With many hospitality businesses juggling with the huge economic pressures that have impacted the sector in recent years, one independent hospitality owner spoke to EPOS Systems about the concerns they have over the ban. "After a challenging few years with COVID, followed by increased costs and a cost of living crisis, as a small independent business we need to be supported through these challenging times. And whilst I understand and support improving public health in general, this policy is at the wrong time and will negatively impact the hospitality sector that’s already struggling."

If implemented, the ban would see smokers receiving a Fixed Penalty Fine of £150 if found smoking in a restricted area. Those refusing to pay would be liable for prosecution. Businesses could also be fined up to £2500 if they do not put reasonable measures in place to comply with the restrictions. The ban would follow the same procedures enforced after the indoor smoking ban was put in place in 2007.

According to Action on Smoking Health (ASH), the indoor smoking ban led to a 2.4% reduction in hospital admissions for heart attacks, and a 12.3 % reduction in admissions for childhood asthma.

Following the 2007 ban, until 2015, around 7000 pubs closed their doors, many citing that the smoking ban was largely to blame. Yet other factors such as a hike in tax imposed on alcoholic drinks and the 2008 recession are also likely to have had an impact. Equally, many pubs florished in the ban's aftermath, deciding to become more food or family-focused.

With compelling points from both side of the argument, perhaps the best way to move forward is to do so together. Reiterating the comments made by Nicholls, if there is enough evidence to suggest the proposal will achieve the Government's objectives, then conversations must be had with any affected parties. That way a mutual solution that not only contributes to the improvement of public health, but also encourages the hospitality sector to thrive will hopefully be achieved.

Is the UK Becoming a Cashless Society?

As reported by the Evening Standard; "No orders for new coins intended for general circulation have been sent by the Treasury to the Royal Mint this year." Furthering speculation that the UK is fast becoming a 'cashless society.'

EPOS Systems reviewed the Payment Markets Report for 2023, produced by UK Finance in collaboration with Accenture, which explores the past year’s payment trends. As suspected, cash was on the decline but debit card remained the most popular means of payment. We are pleased to share the key findings that impact the EPOS industry in our infographic below.

If you need assistance in digitising your business then we would love to help. Give our team a call today on 0800 059 0991.

Why your Pharmacy Needs Point of Sale

With complex inventories of thousands of products, large customer portfolios and often multiple sites; running a pharmacy is no easy task. Luckily a well-designed point of sale (POS) system can assist in creating a smooth-running pharmacy operation.    

Even with the most supportive team around you, inefficient tech can interrupt your business, costing you time and money. An intelligent POS system can automate time-consuming tasks; manage a diverse and vast inventory; provide simple or advanced reporting for sales/stock/staff etc…; integrate with popular third-party applications, including payment systems and accounting software.

What you Should Look for in a Pharmacy Point of Sale System

An intuitive POS system can improve your operation, customer experience, time management and ultimately your pharmacy business’ profitability. When shopping around for a pharmacy point of sale, you need to make sure the system:

• Is easy-to-use

  • Choose a system that has been designed with the end-user in mind, making it easy to implement and train staff.

• Is cloud-based

  • Allowing you to manage your business from anywhere, at any time.

• Has inventory tracking functionality

  • Avoiding waste and mistakes, saving time and keeping your product stock levels up-to-date.

• Automatically manages time-consuming tasks

  • Maximising efficiency by allowing the system to manage mundane tasks such as creating shelf-edge labels or automatically raising purchase orders for low-stock items.

• Provides intelligent, real-time reporting and analytics

  • Enabling you to make accurate and detailed decisions to improve your business.

• Has the ability to integrate

  • Whether that be with a card machine or an accountancy app. Choose a system that can make your processes smoother as well as minimising errors.

• Accepts multiple payment types

  • Keeping the payment process simple and easy.

• Is scalable

  • Choose a system that can grow alongside your business, enabling you to manage multiple sites from one place.

• Provides the ability to keep your pharmacy product files updated

  • Ensuring your products remain up-to-date and competitively priced.

• Has built-in security

  • Protecting your business against fraudulent behaviour.

• Allows you to create loyalty programmes

  • Rewarding your loyal customers and retaining your footfall.

• Comes with reliable support

  • No technology is totally fool-proof so a POS system that has support readily available when you need it is a must!

If you’re in the market for a pharmacy point of sale system then we’d love to help you. Give us a call today on 0800 059 0991.

How EPOS can make your business more sustainable

In business, a focus on sustainability isn’t just about the environment and corporate responsibility, it also makes commercial sense. Firstly, with reducing costs, but also by attracting new customers.

According to Forbes, “81% of global consumers feel strongly that companies should help improve the environment,” yet only “60% of companies have a sustainability strategy.” Building a solid sustainability strategy and communicating it within your marketing could support your business in gaining a competitive edge.

But where to start? Here’s how your electronic point of sale (EPOS) can help you:

- Limit waste with stock management

One third of all food produced is wasted in the UK, with an estimated 18% attributed to the hospitality and food industries (Sustainable Hospitality Alliance). Similarly, ineffective retail inventory management leads to wasted stock, lost revenue and even business failure.

Luckily an intelligent EPOS system can help you manage your stock levels, place orders, and oversee your ins and outs.

- Go digital

“If the current rate of deforestation continues, it will take less than 100 years to destroy all the rainforests on the earth” (DocuPhase).

With the huge environmental impact of paper, along with the government’s ‘Making Tax Digital’ campaign and the UK’s movement towards a ‘cashless society,’ now is the best time to digitise your business.

An innovative EPOS system can help you adapt to a paperless operation with cloud-based reporting, digital receipts, digital point of sale marketing and digital menus/ordering.

-        Limit your travel

According to National Geographic, 80-90% of a vehicle’s environmental impact is due to fuel consumption and emissions of air population and greenhouse gases, driving global warming.

If you opt for cloud-base point of sale management software, then you can manage your business from home, without having to ‘nip’ in unnecessarily.

Looking to take the first steps in becoming a more sustainable business? We can help, give us a call today on 0800 059 0991.

How to make your small business more efficient

How to make your small restaurant or retail business more efficient

The definition of efficient, “…achieving maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort or expense” (Oxford Languages, 2022).

Do you have to be ‘present’ to manage your business? Do you spend hours onsite manually pulling reports? Do you have to turn away customers because you can’t accommodate their preferred method of payment? If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, then your business may not be running efficiently.

Luckily, an effective electronic point of sale (EPOS) system can help! See our top five ways in which EPOS can assist in maximising your business efficiency, minimising wasted time and drive profits.

1)     Cloud-based technology

A quick price change, promotion, or a report to download. No need to ‘pop in,’ do it remotely! Manage your business on any device, from anywhere.

2)     Instant reports

Sales, stock, staff. Real-time or historical. Pull reports instantly, from anywhere, giving you the data you need to help make the best business decisions.

3)     Integration

If you’re looking to streamline your service or scale your business… or both; then your machines and systems need to talk to each other!
Integration is key when running an efficient operation, which is why EPOS integrates! From till to till, till to card reader, or even Shopify and Deliveroo, get your technology talking.

4)     Cashless payments

There’s nothing worse than turning away a paying customer. As the UK heads further towards a cashless society, make sure your business doesn’t fall behind. Contactless, PayPal, Apple Pay, G Pay, online, at the table or at the till; allow the customer to use their preferred method of payment.

5)     Easy-to-use

Whether you’re introducing a new point of sale solution or introducing a new member of staff, you need a system that is easy-to-use and slips straight into your operation. When designed with the end-user in mind, EPOS will be easy to learn and operate, saving you time and money!

Looking to update your cash register or current EPOS system? Our team of EPOS experts would love to help. Contact us on 0800 059 0991.