Abacus has been developed over 20 years and has a reputation for stability, performance and flexible and comprehensive functionality. Although the product has sold very well in the retail sector it has also been used by accountants and distribution companies. Abacus has over 150 current active installations throughout the UK.

The software is fully multi-user and multi-company and is available on 16 bit DOS, 32 bit Windows (character, graphical and HTML).

The main features of the system are:-

• Effective handling of stock – multi-location
• Fully integrated online shop / e-commerce website
• Full bar code support & operation
• Control at sales order/POS
• Purchase order processing
• Sales order processing
• Quotation & kit selling
• Customer tracking & contact management
• Advance payment / Christmas club
• Integrated accounts with Euro and full multi currency support
• Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet & Trail Balance
• Stock forecasting, best sellers & slow movers reporting
• Management reports
• Trade Counter Facility
• Portable stock checking & update
• Batch update between branches
• Live link operation between branches
• Lost sales reporting
• Customer Loyalty schemes
• Customer order tracking
• Graphic/catalogue support
• WEB links
• Email shots
• SMS Text Message
• Powerful marketing & direct mail facility
• Workshop module with job tracking
• Warehouse module

The software has regular updates and can be customized to suit your requirements. User group meetings are held several times a year to discuss software developments and product direction.

Abacus will run on most operating platforms including Novell 3.2/4.11/5.1/6.0 Microsoft NT, Explorer, SCO Unix and Linux. PC’s and Till’s need to have hard disks and at least 64MB RAM when using the 32 bit versions. All hardware and software can be supplied & installed by Abacus and support is available 7/24 hours basis.

WHY DO I NEED ABACUS EPOS?

Customers are expecting more and more from the retailer. They demand better product specification, value for money and higher standard of service.  As a result of this the price of bikes in general has decreased, although the percentage margin remains the same.

So now the cycle retailer is having to work just as hard to sell a bike, but achieves less profit as the market drives down the price.  This coupled with a downturn in the number of bikes sold in the UK, means that the future for the independent bike dealer is challenging. 

So what is the answer… become leaner and more efficient…react to market changes, know your customers and have the optimum stock available for your local market. Investing in the Abacus Epos system can help you achieve this.

Through the use of stock forecasting and purchase order processing, many Abacus customers have reported a decrease in their stock holding and an increase in their margins.  They no longer carry slow moving products or have to discount stock during sale periods – they buy in for sales.  Some of our customers have reported that they turn stock over as many as 9-10 times per year. 

This is because stock reporting gives detailed information about the products that they are selling and the respective margins being made.  They can make informed decisions about purchasing products and negotiate the best terms with trade suppliers instead of playing guessing games and placing orders because they have a good relationship with the sales representative. 

Abacus users are able to deliver better customer service because at Point-of-Sale they can record frame numbers, track customers orders and inform customers what stock is available either at the branch or in many cases across the company.  They can contact their customers to advise them of product recalls or use the powerful customer loyalty scheme and mailshot options to generate extra revenue from their existing customer base.  Some retailers spend their marketing budget on generating new customers and miss the revenue opportunity that is available from their existing customer base.

The cycle retailer can increase the professionalism of this outlet by producing printed documentation and records for both sales and the service system.  The service system option further enhances this professional image by recording the work requested as well as work that was actually done together with prices that were charged.  This detailed information is then stored and can easily be recalled to answer any related queries, which may arise in the future. 

Abacus can also help reduce retail theft and till fraud. The use of the Abacus Stock Checker allows the cycle retailer to carry out quick and easy stock takes by walking around the store scanning the bar codes on the products and entering the quantities.  This information is then downloaded into Abacus and a discrepancy report is generated showing the stock values that need to be amended.  By carrying out regular stock takes, specific area of the store or products can be highlighted where losses have occurred and action taken to rectify the problem.

SUMMARY

Software Support can be provided over the telephone, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and includes free software updates and invitations to the Abacus user group forum. Hardware Support can also be provided offering total peace of mind to the retailer. For hardware failures we can arrange to fix / replace goods within 8 working hours of the fault being reported.

Abacus can provide comprehensive training on all aspects of the system. In addition to this, Abacus provides additional training at our 2 day User Group Meetings that are held twice a year. The first day Abacus users collectively decide what changes and developments need to be carried out, thereby ensuring that the Abacus software keeps moving forward, and the second day is spent training, with the agenda always set by our users. 

Demonstrations and site visits can be arranged to suit your needs.  Our staff will be happy to visit your shop to demonstrate Abacus, help assess your requirements and offer advice on what an Epos system could do for your business. We can also arrange appointments to visit our existing customers sites to see the system in operation real time.

Wherever you are based, abacus will be pleased to hear from you. We have a large customer base spanning the British Isles. Whatever the site of your operation, Abacus has the solution from small shops using single user system to cycle superstores with multiple till points and multi location businesses sharing live information. 

We are dedicated to the continual enhancement of Abacus and strive to evolve Epos to bring you added functionality coupled with innovation. We will also discuss and where possible undertake bespoke work to suit your requirements.