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No grocer takes the decision to replace their point of sale system lightly. As we’ve discussed before (See 4 Signs It’s Time to Upgrade Your POS Hardware), all equipment eventually reaches the end of its duty cycle. But, when it comes to POS hardware, “replacing” is not necessarily the same as “upgrading.” Whether it’s time to replace the entire system, or upgrade the components which are no longer viable, your upgraded POS system should deliver innovation and establish a foundation for your store’s future success.

How long has it been since you installed that once-new retail point of sale system in your grocery store? As sophisticated as it has become, all hardware has a duty cycle, a time past which it’s better to replace it. At four or five or six years, you expect to replace a few parts here and there. But at some point, it’s just time to upgrade that hardware or replace the whole system.

Over the past few weeks, we have focused our articles on various tips, processes, and technologies which, when used as part of a retailer’s margin management strategy, can help you protect your bottom line. We’ve described ways to use data to optimize a prepared food strategy, trim unnecessary waste due to product recalls, even protect profit margins against the invasion of the dollar stores. 

With so much focus on the fresh food movement, we shouldn’t lose sight of the importance of a grocer’s prepared food items. There are still plenty of customers that don’t cook on a regular basis, or simply don’t have time in their busy schedule to devote to preparing food at home. And don’t forget that prepared foods—meats, salads, cold cuts, sliced cheeses, cakes, pies, and so on—are wildly popular for holidays and convenient for impromptu gatherings of family and friends.

Ask any retailer, and you’ll be hard pressed to find one that isn’t worried about rising competition from online shopping. eCommerce technology solutions can help retailers fight back on that front. However, according to Forbes, the true disruptors aren’t online giants like Amazon or Walmart. Instead, there’s a quieter and stealthier threat to the strained margins of traditional grocers: the “dollar stores.”

Each time I talk to a retailer about solutions that truly meet their unique needs, I’m reminded why I chose to come to TRUNO in the first place. I’ve experienced first-hand the challenges today’s retailers face every day, and I’m proud to be part of a team dedicated to helping them find their True North when it comes to retail technology.

TRUNO has its roots in point of sale solutions, which means we understand both the complexity and the importance of those systems. We also know it’s vital your POS integrates seamlessly with your back office software. Together, these solutions create the lifeblood of your store. But as customer preferences and needs change, you’ll need new and different technology in order to keep up.

TRUNO’s steadfast promise to navigate our partners through the ever-changing world of retail technology drives us to continually grow our offerings. Our current product portfolio provides capabilities in point of sale, margin management, productivity, digital commerce and risk management. Paired with complete integrations into our customers’ data and operations, we offer a comprehensive end-to-end solution that can be tailored to each retailer. Now, we are expanding point of sale in a truly impactful way.

When TRUNO started serving the retail industry 40 years ago, our focus was on providing point-of-sale systems to grocers. Since then, we’ve expanded our service offerings to meet the ever-changing needs of our customers—and their customers. In addition to POS hardware and software, we provide integrated retail technology solutions that support the front of the store, the back office and everything in between. Today, we’re putting our attention back on the point of sale, but not in the way you might think.

Having spent my entire career in the grocery industry, I’ve had first-hand experience with the challenges our customers face. I spent more than a decade as an IT director for a 14-store grocery chain. While that role presented plenty of challenges, it gave me insight into one of the most difficult roles in the grocery store—back office management.