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How will this POS App Help You?

HowMuch POS is a robust point of sale software that streamlines all your business operations- from inventory control to order management to cash reporting and much more. With this digital solution, you can make your dreams come true.

HowMuch POS equips your business with the following features:

Inventory Management: Have total control over your stock using HowMuch’s inventory management feature. You’ll be notified when you are understocked or overstocked! 

Customer Management: You can save all your customer information in the customer database and access it when you require to make intelligent and profitable business decisions. 

Online and offline work mode: Never miss another order again. Even when your internet connection goes down, your customer can order from you. The order is stored in the cloud and as soon as you are back online, your system syncs up. 

Multi-user roles: Allow or restrict your employees to your business features according to their job roles by assigning them with multi-user IDs. 

Home Delivery Service:  Take your business to the next level by integrating it with HowMuch platform and offer door-to-door delivery service. 

24/7 Customer Support: HowMuch’s customer support team is available to help you 24/7 in case you face any difficulties with the system. 

Powerful Reporting System: You can view your stock levels, know about your most loyal customers, have an acute idea of your sales and create custom reports to have a better idea about your business through our powerful reporting system. 

Personalized Marketing:  You can create custom promotions- name it as you like, select the start and end date, specify the minimum and maximum order values, discounts, etc. 

You can create custom shop deals- name it as you like, select the start and end date, specify the products in the deal, provide the price for the deal, etc. 

Supplier Management: Keep track of products and prices offered by each supplier from the powerful HowMuch POS dashboard. All your previous orders are also stored in the system. 

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International Democracy Day: Why Democracy Is Important?

Many of us opened our eyes in free, democratic countries and therefore, fail to see the importance of the system. We fail to see the struggles that went into coming up and implementing the system. We fail to see what a blessing it is. We fail to acknowledge that democracy is an ongoing process that doesn’t end and requires constant shaping. The truth is, most people, in this day and age, are too invested in their own lives to care about ‘trivial’ matters like democracy. 

Communities are organised because of the government system. This has existed for more than 5,000 years. There have been a lot of approaches made to run civilisations, but the most effective and popular method is democracy. But, because of how comfortable we have become with it, many have forgotten what democracy really is. So, today, on International Democracy Day, let’s delve deeper into what democracy is and why it is essential. Celebrated on 15th September, every year, International Democracy Day encourages governments to strengthen and consolidate democracy.

What is Democracy? 

Did you know that democracy comes from a Greek word that means ‘rule by the people’. It is, therefore, a system where the power is in the hands of the citizens. Only the officials elected by the people have the power to make important decisions to run the country the people belong to. Democracy is based on freedom and equality of all. As the number of votes directly affects democracy, it’s known as a system where ‘rule of the majority’ is implemented. There are two kinds of democracies: 

Kinds of Democracies: 

Direct Democracy: Every person in the population has the ability to affect the outcome of a decision. The Brexit referendum is one such example. 

Representative Democracy: This is how governments are formed. People vote to elect the officials that have decision making power. The idea is that these people reflect the wishes of the majority. The UK parliament and the US Congress are examples of it. 

Democracy has been developed a lot over time. It has been established that democracies should protect the best interests of people, regardless of their gender, race, religion, sexuality, or political views. 

Benefits of Democracy: 

A very famous quote by Winston Churchill that is often quoted while talking about democracy is,” Democracy is the worst form of government, except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time”. So, there are no two arguments that democracy has many flaws and isn’t perfect, it’s also a fact that, so far, it is the best solution we have to run countries and maintain law and order. Democracy’s main aim is to bring the most benefits to the people, such as: 

Protection of Citizens Interests: People can raise their voices in a democracy. They can run protests over the policies they are against; they can vote to make changes in the governing bodies and be the key in making rules and laws of their country. 

Equality:  A key principle of democracy is equality. So, regardless of one’s caste, creed or religion, everyone is equal in front of the eyes. 

Preventing Power Abuse: The officials who are elected by the people can’t abuse their power in a democratic system. If they do so, they can be removed from the positions or simply not be re-elected. 

Creating Stability: Human rights are protected in a democracy. The laws provide stability to the democratic structure, and governments have the ability to make amendments to the laws based on the best interests of the people that elected them.

Why is it Important to Know About Democracy? 

Democracy is not only a process; it’s a goal. It’s a goal of achieving a society where equality and justice prevail. This ideal community can only be formed with the involvement of everyone. Unless you know about democracy, your rights and responsibilities, your country and nation can’t thrive.

Therefore, it is important to not only teach kids about democracy since a young age but for companies to commemorate the International Democracy Day too. Sending a simple reminder of how important democracy is on 15th September is enough to remind your employees why they need democracy and why they should always vote in elections. Take HowMuch for example, on the morning of 15th September, brochures talking about the importance of democracy were spread as a nice reminder for its need!

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Essential Hardware for a POS Business

A Point of sale system is the backbone of retail stores and restaurants. It not only helps retailers and restaurateurs process customer payment but also helps them get insights into their business. There are many POS systems available with different features, giving the customers a large variety to choose from. But before choosing a POS for your business, you should make sure that the POS you are purchasing is going to be helpful for you in the next five years too. There’s no point in buying an expensive grocery store POS software if it becomes outdated in a year! 

The basic set up for a POS system includes a monitor, cash register, payment processing unit, and receipt printer. If you want to purchase a high-quality system, then do thorough research before buying it. It’s wise to list down the features that are required for your business before you start looking for the best digital solution for your business. Modern POS like HowMuch have mobile POS app so you can conduct your business efficiently throughout your store but if you want to have a monitor at your cash desk here are the essential POS hardware components your require: 

POS Software: 

POS software is the backbone of a store or restaurant. It has features that can streamline your operations and empower your business. The cloud-based POS systems are especially popular because they are updated in real-time and remotely, without the service provider having to send someone over for updating the system. Features like inventory management, customer management, analytics, reporting, etc. are what make this software superior to any other technology used for keeping track of business.

Bar-Code Scanner: 

Barcode scanners save you a lot of time. While adding items to your inventory, you just need to scan their barcodes with the barcode reader and have all the product information such as manufacturer, expiration date, product variant, and so on be updated in your database. Similarly, at check out, all the cashier has to scan the item purchased by the customer. Using this system also helps in ensuring that there are no discrepancies in the payments. 

Cash Register: 

This is the most critical piece of hardware for a POS of any restaurant or retail store. Depending on your business needs, you can choose a mechanical or an electronic register. The former cost less but lack many features that could speed up your checkout process and improve your services. 

Computer Monitor: 

You don’t need to use a monitor for just display anymore. Now, touch screens with pre-set functions can be used that saves time and improves customer service. For fast-moving businesses like restaurants and retail stores, these are ideal.

Credit Card Reader: 

Paying with credit or debit card has become the norm. Therefore, you must have the option for payment through these means. A lot of businesses lose sales because their system isn’t integrated with magnetic strip readers. As a POS is one of the most significant investments for restaurants and retailers, while looking for it, make sure you filter out the ones that don’t have credit card reading abilities! This is essential hardware for your POS to make it a success!  

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Ways to Identify a Good Retail POS

Gone are the days when notebooks and manual entries were used to keep track of orders, customers, sales, etc. It was not only very complicated to keep track of all these processes but also full of potential human errors. Thanks to technology’s advancement, POS systems came into play. With them, retailers no longer had to worry about these tasks, in fact, they could even classify it as mundane now! But, as they became more and more popular, nearly every software house started to develop it. Grocery store POS software, in particular, has had the most sale and has, therefore, been the target of many. 

A POS for any company acts as a backbone for it. It lets you know of all the processes happening at your company and makes it easy for you to identify which areas you lack are lacking in. There are certain features that need to be present in a POS so it could empower your business. These include: 

Inventory Management: 

There’s honestly no point of purchasing a POS if it doesn’t provide you with a useful inventory management feature. Your POS should have the ability to update your inventory stock in real-time and keep you updated of the items present in the store. You should also be notified when you require a restock or when you are overstocked. Many companies take the problem of understocking seriously but ignore the challenge of being overstocked. This can be disastrous for your business as when you can’t sell your products on time, the perishable goods will go bad and other products might expire. This would cause massive losses to the business. 

Customer Management: 

Even in this digital age, nothing can replace human interaction and human relations. If there’s a grocery store you visit every day, you probably make small talk with the cashier. Naturally, you expect the cashier to remember your name. What your brain disregards is that he communicates with hundreds of people every day and so he can’t really remember the name of everyone. So, one day, after shopping, you receive a gift card for being a loyal customer. You ecstatically take it and thank the employee. As you are leaving, he says, “Have a great day, Asad”. Your name is Zahid. 

While this is a small matter, situations can escalate when you have this kind of customer service. Customers want personalised customer service. This can be possible when you use a POS to keep track of the customers. The customer database maintains records of all the customers that purchase from your store and therefore, can generate emails and offers that are personalised in nature. They address the customer by name, and can even generate the past orders insight. 

Real-time Insights and Analytics: 

Sign of a good POS includes it providing you about every single activity that takes place in your business. You should be able to generate reports in real-time that provide you with data that helps you in making intelligent, profitable and informed decisions. A businessman should never be making decisions in the dark, without knowing all the details. 

Mobile POS: 

In the smartphone era, it is unrealistic to expect your employees wanting to be chained to big, bulky machines. The modern POS solutions provide mobile POS solutions too so the employees can move around the stores as they serve the customers. Similarly, they can access the virtual repository that contains all the business data from anywhere they want by just entering the correct credentials. It’s a win-win for customers and employees! 

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Everything You Need to Know About Grocery E-Commerce 2020

There has been a rapid shift to online shopping since the coronavirus pandemic. The combination of customers avoiding public places and government rules to stay at home has resulted in people shopping for groceries and essential goods online. Thus, online grocery delivery services like Howmuch have come to the fore. Managing online orders is a hard task and therefore, grocery store POS software has also become a hot commodity these days.

Previously, many stores could manage online orders without software assisting them but now, the landscape of shopping has completely changed. The consumers that once resisted online shopping because they wanted to pick their groceries themselves and avoid paying extra delivery fees have had a change in their priorities and are shopping online to protect themselves and those that they love. As a result, there is a tough competition between grocers and how well they meet their customer demand is going to be the top factor that decides the top online grocer. 

Here is all that you need to know about online grocery shopping: 

Online Grocery Shopping Spans Generations: 

It’s a common misconception that only millennials are the ones that shop online. For food, groceries or any other item. The truth is that people from 3 generations are now involved in shopping online. Millennials have the biggest portion of online shoppers but Gen X and Baby Boomers have also embraced the trend of shopping online a  lot in the past few years. Just look at the stats of online grocery shopping conducted by Gen X from 2017 to 2019; it grew from 24% to 40%! For baby boomers, it was from 12% to 18%. Given the current circumstances, it sure has only increased. 

Personalised Product Suggestions: 

For years, the plight of online shopping for retailers was that online grocery shopping lacks the same opportunities for the discovery of products that shoppers have when they walk from aisle to aisle in a brick and mortar store. 

But now, POS software and other marketing tools like Facebook pixels help in determining shoppers' interest and offer suggestions accordingly. Algorithms are designed to show shoppers the other items that could be of their interest. And according to several studies, more than half of the online shoppers tend to view the details of the suggested items. 

Big Grocery Companies are Dominating: 

Globally famous companies like Amazon are dominating the retail industry as they continue to build their products. They rely on in-house technology to help with their online orders and sales. But local grocers lack the capital to build their own digital solution and thus, partner with tech companies and service providers to provide their customers with a delightful shopping experience 

Not All Sectors Are Equal: 

Online grocery market in aggregate gives us useful insights but when investigated in detail, you’ll find that not all grocery sectors are equal. The most popular products purchased by consumers are staple pantry products. Canned goods are second on the list and this is especially good for grocers as transportation of these items is really easy. Spices come the third on the list and so on. 

Basket Sizes of Different Channels are Different: 

The average basket size of a customer buying physically and a customer purchasing his goods online is pretty different. People who buy online roughly spend 30% more money than the ones who buy by physically going to a store. Retailers need to keep this in mind as they invest in campaigns for their online sales and presence. A good reason why people tend to spend more money shopping online is that they feel compelled to shop until they are eligible to avail free delivery service.

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Security of your POS System

Data breach is a huge problem faced by companies who have all their data stores online. Modern POS systems are cloud-based and thus, the security of online systems like POS, is the hot topic nowadays. All around the world, companies suffer financial losses from employee theft and data breaches. Data breaches can expose a business to huge losses, making it possible for employees, managers, competitors and other hackers to steal at will. So, does this mean you should stop using a POS completely? No.

A POS Retail cloud based system, for example, performs tasks much more accurately and timely than any other human can at a retail store. The benefits a POS brings to a business are countless and cannot be overlooked because you have opted for a poor security POS system! Here are some measures you can take to ensure your data’s safety:

Employee Background Check: 

If you are vigilant and careful about conducting background checks on the employees you hire, you are less prone to security breaches from the employees. An employee with a trustworthy background rarely takes actions to harm the system intentionally. So, while it is important to have a POS with very few security vulnerabilities, it is also equally important to have trustworthy employees operating the said POS. 

Ineffective POS Security: 

An ineffective POS security can be a cause for data breaches as it is vulnerable to malicious attacks. Not only does a company suffer from financial losses, but the reputation of the company is also severely damaged as a result of a security breach. In the year 2019, nearly 8 billion records including credit card numbers, contact details and other sensitive information were exposed through data breaches. The payment information of the clients is very sensitive data and is often the target of POS hacks, therefore, you need to purchase a software that offers robust security; uses two-factor authentication method, encrypts data and takes other proven security measures. 

How Secure is your Point of Sale System? 

Looking at the above data, it is easy to see that every business that uses POS, suffers from POS software vulnerabilities. Thus, it is vital to make  POS security a top priority. This means that you need to update your existing system to the latest version that has strong security features. Here are the key security features a POS should offer you to protect your security: 

Alerts:

Your POS should allow you to configure it in such a way that as soon as an unwanted action, that you have defined, is performed, you get an immediate text or email alert. For example, if the cashier clicks on certain buttons, the owner might be notified about the series of keystrokes. 

POS Audit Logs: 

Many Points of Sale systems maintain audit logs that leave an electronic trail which provides additional safeguards for businesses. It is easy to pinpoint where the theft or breaches occur through audit logs. 

Compulsory Drawer Closing: 

The drawers at retail stores are a constant source of temptation to the employees working there and sometimes, they give in to the temptation. The POS security systems that offer the compulsory drawer closing feature limits employee cash theft. Before the next transaction can take place, the drawer needs to be closed. 

Security Camera Integration: 

Most security cameras nowadays can be easily integrated with the POS systems. So, once a transaction discrepancy is observed, the footage that captures the moment when that transaction took place can be checked. For instance, you can use this feature to know if the employee discount was given to an actual employee or an unauthorized individual. 

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How a Modern POS System Beats Cash Registers

It is human psychology to like things we are familiar with. We are all nervous and cautious about changes. But technology keeps on changing and evolving. If you want your business to stay at the top of the game, it is necessary to adapt accordingly. Technology is necessary to ring up customers and process sales. Take grocery stores for example; from calculators to cash registers, to modern POS systems, a lot has changed. Despite old cash registers still being in the market, you’ll find the android POS grocery system very commonly used now. 

A lot of retailers think they don’t need to convert from their cash registers to modern POS systems as they are already managing their business well through the old systems. But the truth is, within the next few years, the cash registers will become obsolete. Furthermore, you are missing a lot by not using the modern POS systems but as you aren’t using it, you aren’t aware of it! The advantages that a POS has over cash registers make it the optimal choice for SMEs. Let’s take a look at how the modern POS systems are better than cash registers:

Access Data from Anywhere: 

You aren’t bound to any bulky system when you use a modern, cloud-based POS system. In fact, you can access your store data from wherever you are; all you need is a WiFi connection! You just need to enter the correct credentials to access your data at any time. This is especially helpful with the coronavirus pandemic- even if you are facing lockdown, you can conduct your business from your home. 

Reduction in Human Error: 

No matter how careful you are, you cannot be as accurate or error-free as a computer. Errors on old registers could lead to a lot of problems with customers that often becomes the reason why a customer doesn’t return to the shop. If you are incorrectly charged, sold the wrong item etc. you too wouldn’t return to the store! 

Modern POS is simple to use and minimizes human error, improving a business’s relationship with the customers. Cloud-based systems log data in real-time so there is no risk of human error when it comes to entering the data in the central database. Inventory discrepancies are also prevented as the task of recording each sale in the ledger is no longer required. 

Customer Management: 

A modern POS is excellent at maintaining customer information. Imagine a customer who shops from you once a month and thus, you remember her name but you can’t recall her past purchase. A cash register is no help to you here. But as soon as you view her details on your mobile POS, you will have the history of her purchases in front of you. As you know what the customer likes, you can offer suggestions about new items that might interest her and improve her customer service experience.  

Software Updates: 

Traditional software systems need a lot of hardware. And when something breaks, the payment for repairs is a lot. Similarly, if you want to update your system, you have to update the hardware- spend more money! The modern POS systems, only require software upgrades. Often it’s free but few software companies do charge you to buy a new license and get the updated version. 

Streamlined Inventory: 

Inventory management is one of the most important and toughest jobs for any service or product providing business. A cash register isn’t helpful in this scenario. If you still work on excel spreadsheets, managing your inventory can be extremely time consuming and annoying. A modern POS will always keep you updated about your inventory. You can use a portable scanner so you don’t have to enter any product details. With each purchase, your inventory will be updated and you will be notified when you are running out of stock and require to reorder. 

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Tips and Tricks to Keep Your Kitchen from Overheating

It is a popular belief that the only good thing about summers here are the mangoes!  Online grocery shopping and online food delivery have thus become really popular during this season. But, you can’t order in all the time and the heat is unavoidable so we’ve compiled a list of tips and tricks that will help you to avoid the heat in your kitchen because everyone wants to enjoy those chilled mangoes but no one wants to be in the scorching heat of the kitchen during the summers for long. So, without further ado, here are the hacks: 

Try Not to Cook on Stove: 

We’ll be straightforward with you- you should try to avoid lighting up the stove for cooking during the summers all together. There are so many alternatives, that this is actually possible. Opt for baking, making sandwiches, cool salads and other dishes that don’t require you to stand in front of the stove and cook as you feel like you too are getting cooked in the heat! 

Make Food in Large Quantities: 

If you have to slave in the kitchen...do it once for a long time! Sometimes there are no shortcuts you can take to cooking in the heat, unfortunately. What you can do is make food in large quantities so all you have to do is warm up food in the microwave when needed. Put your fridge to good use and store food for at least a few days. Make sure to only store the food when it cools down, otherwise, it’ll go bad! 

Instant Recipe Packs are Your Friends: 

Summers are the worst, especially if you spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Nothing is more annoying than wiping away sweat from your face and brows as you cook. It’s my experience that even the most delicious meals become dreadful for you if you have to stand over a stove in the unbearable heat of Pakistan.

Those Shaan, National, Mehran, etc. instant masalay are your best friend in the heat. You don’t need to try to be the hero and make biryani from scratch in the summers! Use the masalay so you have to stay in the kitchen for a minimal time! Instant recipes like grilled cheese sandwiches, cold sandwiches, instant noodles, etc. are also great for summers! 

Prepare Everything Before Entering Kitchen: 

Summers bring plenty of vegetables and fruits. These can be used to cook delicious, mouthwatering and nutritious meals. As these veggies and fruits are organic and fresh, they require little effort to bring about their delicious flavours. But, cutting them can be time taking. So, make sure you cut them in a cool area and NOT IN YOUR HOT KITCHEN! It’s also wise to take out all the ingredients in the quantities you require before you start cooking so you don’t have to be in the kitchen for a longer time than necessary. Our goal here is to minimize your time in the kitchen during the summers, keep that in mind! 

Bring out the BBQ Grills:

Working alone in a small kitchen during the summers can be really tough. It can also warm up your whole house until every family member starts sweating. So, the good way to keep your kitchen cool is to just not cook there. Bring out the BBQ grills and have fun making dinner with your family. Nothing is more fun than cooking in the open with your family laughing and participating alongside you! So, enjoy the quality family time and make dinner at the same time! 

Use Frozen Food: 

As mentioned earlier, you should avoid spending a lot of time in the kitchen during the summers to avoid the heat. So, use frozen and canned products to your advantage. They can be instantly prepared without any additional efforts required. They also minimize the cooking time on the stove, making sure you don’t sweat a lot! Take this tip and enjoy a delightful summer experience! 

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How can Your Retail Store Become Successful Using Howmuch POS

The retail industry is growing rapidly with every passing day. And thus, a lot of businesses purchase POS retail cloud-based system to streamline their operations and grow their sales. As a result, POS manufacturers have very tough competition too. Howmuch POS is one such retail software that has been extremely popular among the retail stores in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Lahore. 

The reason is its simplicity and accuracy. This is what every person who buys a POS looks for. No business owner wants to spend a lot of time or money on learning a new system. Similarly, when processes are handled by a machine, accuracy is expected. The general public’s life is improved because of efficient retail stores and Howmuch POS makes the lives of retailers easier and better! Following are the reasons how your business can become successful by using Howmuch POS: 

Cash Tracking: 

For any business to succeed, there needs to be a clear record of where each and every penny is spent. With Howmuch POS you have total control over your cash flow. You are aware of ‘cash-in’ and ‘cash-out’. All your bills are calculated accurately and you have complete knowledge of each and every monetary process that takes place in your business. Howmuch POS lets you generate order sales reports as well as item sales reports to be aware of how effectively your money is being spent. 

Order Management: 

Howmuch lets you manage all your orders in one place. Even when you have a poor internet connection, your service still is functional. Your customers can order from you even when you are offline as all their orders are stored in the cloud. As soon as you come back online, all the orders are synced up to your device. Howmuch realizes that disappointed customers can cause severe harm to the business and thus, does everything in its power to make you avoid it! 

Data Safety: 

Howmuch POS is a cloud-based POS system, meaning all your data is stored virtually on cloud storage. This allows you to access your data from wherever you want, at whatever time you find convenient. If your mobile device is damaged or stolen, you don’t need to worry about losing your data as it is secure on the cloud. All you need is correct login credentials and you can have all your data back with you in no time. 

Notifications: 

You will never miss orders from your customers using Howmuch POS as you get orders of new notification, get the option to move it to ‘in progress’, set the timer for it, and then move the order to ‘completed’ list. This feature ensures that you are always on top of your game.  

The retailer can also change the status of an order from unpaid to paid and vice versa. Likewise, he can set an order as take away or delivery according to the situation. 

Social Campaign: 

No business can reach its full potential without internet presence and social media is a big part of internet marketing. Howmuch can help retailers a lot in this regard as it is excellent in running Facebook ads campaigns and making a brand name. Register yourself with howmuch and we can do the same for you! 

Quick Inventory Updation: 

Inventory needs to be updated regularly and timely. Typing in one product after the older isn’t the way, especially in retail stores where there are hundreds of products with many different variants. With Howmuch POS, you can update your inventory in bulk with just a single click. Just select the CSV file with product details and upload it. Howmuch POS has options for ‘inventory grouping’ and ‘managing product variant’. Inventory grouping allows you to group items into different categories, so management is easier for you. Through ‘managing product variant’, you can group the variants easily by just uploading its SKU which gives you the variant details, price, etc. 

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Your Business Buddy- A Smart POS System!

A POS software’s company sends regular updates to equip your system with up to date technology and gives your business the capabilities to stay at top of the game. This in turn, gives you the fighting chance against your competitors. The best thing about software updates is that you aren’t required to shut off your processes even for a little when the update is in progress, unlike manual system updates. Similarly, no expert is required to install these updates, with just a click the system updates. 

Accurate Billing: 

Another major feature of your POS is calculating accurate bills. Human beings are prone to making a lot of mistakes when it comes to calculations, but machines are very accurate. When you use a POS solution, these bill records are also stored so you can always recheck them when required. 

Businesses and markets are changing rapidly. If a business wants to be able to capture the market, it is imperative that the business stays on its toes and makes new, engaging strategies. Having the support of a friend can help us in the challenging journeys of life, similarly, a smart POS solution, like howmuch, can be just that for your business. A supportive friend that will help you conduct a lot of operations effectively and accurately! Not only does a POS support you, but it also cuts down your cost a lot and improves your profitability too. 

Managing any business is hard, but managing a grocery store is especially hard. You have to manage the inventory accuracy; a little negligence and you can suffer from a lot of problems. You need to keep track of your sales so you can know which of your items are the most profitable and which areas require more attention. You need to have an up-to-date customer database so you can communicate with your customers efficiently and effectively. All these tasks, along with many others, can easily be performed by a grocery store POS software. 

Inventory Management Solution: 

Inventory management is one of the biggest concerns for any business concerned with product sales.  For grocery stores, especially,  it is vital that you have an accurate idea of your stocks. When you are overstocked, there is a huge risk that the perishable items will go bad and other products get expired, waiting in your warehouse. This would cause huge business losses for you and thus, you should avoid it! 

Similarly, when you are understocked, you won’t be able to meet your customer requirements and will have disappointed customers as a result. This, in turn, will result in them seeking out some other service to fulfil their needs! Losing customers can turn out to be disastrous for any company. So, you need to use a POS through which you can manage inventory in real-time! 

Cut Down Hardware and Staff Costs: 

To make profits, each and every penny’s usage should be well reasoned and well recorded. With mobile POS software, you aren’t required to buy bulky, space-taking, hard-to-maintain and expensive hardware. The cost for its purchase and maintenance are completely cut off when you use modern POS software. Plus, as POS systems automate a lot of your business processes, you lose the need for hiring a lot of additional staff. 

The Takeaway: 

The competition in the market is just growing day by day. If businesses want to succeed, they need to do everything in their power to make it happen. Technology is the present and the future and thus, investments in POS systems should be made. Howmuch POS is an amazing POS that is used by a lot of retail and grocery stores in Pakistan because of its reliability and user-friendliness. 

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Efficient POS Use and Better Online Grocery Delivery

The trend of online grocery shopping has been slowly and gradually increasing with every passing year. This year, because of coronavirus, it has seen a spike, like never before. The search for the best POS software for supermarket is increasing day by day as vendors are aware that they need proper technical support to meet the increasing demand for online grocery shopping. 

It is important for online delivery retailers to think of how they can improve their delivery to stay at the top of their competition. Given how popular online delivery services have been since 2015 onwards, supermarkets have had quite some time to prepare for the shift online, despite this, very few have stayed on top of the trends. Businesses who haven’t invested in omnichannel are suffering and thus, need to make the change to meet their customer requirements. 

Online shopping has become popular among all ages and geographies, so there is no reason to believe that even when we get over coronavirus, the popularity of shopping from the comforts of one’s location is going to fade away. 

Here are some tips retailers can follow to provide better grocery delivery services: 

Simple and Easy to Use POS:

No one likes to operate a system that requires special training, is complicated or slow. From the process of registering to check out, there should be self-explanatory icons and buttons. Users should be able to shop from you the way they do traditional shopping. They should be able to view the products in your store, their respective details, add them to the cart, view them in the cart, remove them from the cart, and checkout. 

You need to have high-quality pictures and updated product descriptions on your POS. You also need to place the products in categories, so people can easily search them up. Just like people go to the juice aisles, to buy a specific juice, they should be able to go to the ‘juice’ category in your store to do the same!  

Display all the Important Information Upfront:

Retailers need to be upfront about important information from the get-go. Your customer will be highly disappointed if he learns that you don’t deliver in their area after he’s already added all the products he wants in the cart and is ready to check out. You’ll be wasting his valuable time and he will, most probably, not have anything good to say about you; rather the opposite. 

Buyers should be aware of the shipment charges, availability of products, delivery restrictions, and any other special condition before they’ve even started adding items in the cart. It is also wise to add notes at the checkout page informing the buyer that after they press checkout, they won’t be able to make changes in their order any more. 

Have a Strong Online Presence:

In today’s world of technology, for a business to succeed, it is necessary for it to have a strong online presence. Your business should have a website and social media pages. You need to ensure that your business stays on top of your customers’ minds and thus, you need to make regular posts on your social platforms. You also need to engage with your customers and learn what they want and expect from you. It’s a strong marketing strategy to ask your customers what they want and then give it to them! 

High-Quality Service:

People who have reservations regarding online grocery shopping have them mainly because they fear they won’t get fresh products, rather will get expired or spoiled products. To ensure that your customers don’t have these concerns, bring about the delivery options that offer minimal time delivery, refrigerated lockers, etc. Make sure to include these details in the fresh products section, if you have one. Take feedback from your customers and have reviews under each of your products. To gain customers’ trust, allow customers a refund or exchange if the product doesn’t meet their expectations at delivery. 

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The Need to Practice Social Distancing During Ramadan

After months of waiting, the blessed month of Ramadan is finally here but some of its celebrations have been dampened because of the coronavirus pandemic. No longer can you have iftar parties with your friends and family, enjoy praying Taraweh together in the mosque, and do anything that gathers a community as COVID-19 spreads from human to human contact. A lockdown is in effect in nearly all countries and people are advised to do all their shopping, dining, and other activities at home. 

Given that we are observing the holy month of Ramadan, special groceries need to be purchased to meet the Sehri and iftar needs. Thankfully, best grocery stores are onboard howmuch so you can order anything and everything you want within minutes! You don’t need to go out and risk yourself to the virus. 

Social distancing is hard during this month considering that Ramadan is the month where there are a lot of gatherings, exchange of food and celebrations as a community. This is why so many people are concerned with how to practice it. You can celebrate Ramadan while social distancing, it’s unusual, yes, but it’s also the need of time. So here are the few ways you can celebrate Ramadan while continuing social distancing:  

Don’t Make Unnecessary Shopping Trips: 

I have seen a lot of people unnecessarily going to grocery shopping because it’s the only way they can leave their homes and have some social interaction. I know these are horrible times, but we need to take precautions against coronavirus. You need to avoid going for grocery shopping every day, in fact, try to limit it once a month. Make a comprehensive list and buy everything you need in one go! 

It’s best to just shop groceries online. You can select the products you want by browsing through an app, add the things you need in the card and order away. Howmuch offers delivery within 24 hours, so why bother going to a grocery store and risking your life as well as of those you love? 

Avoid social gatherings: 

I know a lot of people look forward to Ramadan because of Sehri and iftar gatherings. After fasting for the entire day, you get to fulfil your body’s craving for food and water with your family and friends. Sehri gatherings have also become a common thing in our society where friends or family decide to go to some restaurant or order in sehri. Yeah, both sehri and iftar gatherings need to be stopped for protecting the health of you and those you love. 

You can, instead, have virtual gatherings. Technology has advanced so much that we can have everyone in the room even when they aren’t physically in the room! Get your friends and family on video calls and enjoy a lovely meal with them without endangering anyone’s life!

Online Donations: 

Yes, it’s the month of Ramadan, and we all like to do charity because it is heavily rewarded by Allah (SWT). A lot of people also like to give their Zakat during this Holy Month but we need to keep in mind to maintain social distancing while doing so. 

There are so many low-income families and daily wage earners that are suffering heavily because of the corona outbreak. Welfare societies come in contact with them and are great for passing on your donations. So, it’s best to donate to these welfare organizations online. Edhi and chippa are some of the most renowned charity givers who even send their representative to your door to collect the charities.  

You can also purchase howmuch’s Ramzan package and donate it to a family in need. These packages have everything that an average Pakistani family would need during the Holy Month. Be kind to Allah’s creations and He will be kind to you! 

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Debunking Common House Cleaning Myths Circulating During COVID-19!

As we know that Coronavirus can survive on surfaces for quite some time, I’ve found different cleaning myths circulating around the internet. Everyone is trying to find the best techniques to ensure that their house or their workplace is germ-free. The other day, I couldn’t find disinfectant in any supermarket because people are purchasing it in bulk. Howmuch, the online grocery store in Lahore, Islamabad, and Rawalpindi comes to my aid during such times, not going to lie! 

Anyway, as I was cleaning my room, I realized that there are so many traditional techniques, imparted to us by our families, that are useless and frankly, just make things worse! And so, today, let’s have a look at the common cleaning myths that have been passed to us through generations! 

Bleach is the Best! 

No, it’s not! It is common for a lot of people to associate the smell of bleach with cleanliness. Well, this is just a myth! Bleach’s function isn’t even to clean! It doesn’t remove dirt off surfaces, it can disinfect, kill germs and whiten stains though. So, if you need to whiten your shirt or disinfect bacteria from meat, go for bleach but cleaning your bathtub and faucets with it, isn’t the way to go. 

Cleaning and disinfecting are the same. 

This is another cleaning myth. Cleaning is the process of removing dust, dirt and grime from surfaces while disinfecting involves the threat of bacteria and germs to be removed. They both do go hand in hand though. It is best to clean a surface before disinfecting it so that every corner of the surface can be disinfected. When there is dirt on a surface, a disinfectant can’t reach every part of it. 

Newspaper is your best friend while cleaning glass surfaces: 

This theory hits home for me. Growing up, wetting newspaper to clean glass surfaces is what I used to do until we found out it was just a myth! The fact is, the wet newspaper makes cleaning very difficult as it can tear down very easily. Furthermore, the ink used on newspapers can be transferred to the surface when you are cleaning it, so it does more harm than good! If you want to clean the surfaces well, then use microfiber cloths instead. Glass cleaners are specially made to clean glass so spray some of it on the cloth, clean the surface and watch the magic happen! 

Feather dusters dust: 

We all love to use those soft, fluffy ‘feather dusters’ to dust, right? Well, let’s stop. Feather dusters just spread around the dust, and don’t clean it. If you really want to clean dust, use vacuum cleaners with tiny nozzle attachments that can suck up the dust particles. Pro-tip is to attach a slightly damp cloth at the nozzle so you can have shiny, dust-free, clean surfaces as a result! All the dust will be attached to the fabric which you can wash later! 

Vinger is the jack of all trades when it comes to cleaning: 

Yes, vinegar can cut through dirt and kill off bacteria from a surface, but only when it is used with full potential because it is acidic in nature! The common trend is to put a capful of vinegar in a bucket of water, which dilutes the acid so much that it becomes useless. You should also keep in mind that the acids in vinegar can easily damage wood and natural stone surfaces! 

It’s better to manually wash dishes than use dishwasher: 

One of the most widely believed myths is that manually cleaning dishes is much better than using a dishwasher. Dishwashers do a great job of cleaning your dishes and even save you a lot of water, as compared to cleaning them one by one by hand. Dishwashers also heat water when they clean the dishes, meaning they sanitize the dishes as they clean it! So, choose dishwashers over manual cleaning and save your time, energy and water! 

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Top Stores to Order your Groceries Online in Lahore

Grocery shopping is the daily necessity of life, however, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, it isn’t safe for you or for your loved ones to roam around supermarkets, looking from aisle after aisle for what you want. Plus, there are several areas in Lahore that have been sealed because of the risk of the virus’s spreading. All these measures are necessary if we want to keep ourselves and others out of harm’s way. 

So, how does one conduct shopping during these tough times? Well, online grocery shopping is a simple solution! Howmuch.pk has the best grocery stores of Lahore onboard its portal, giving you the convenience of ordering at home and getting your groceries delivered to you on your doorstep on the same day. Here are the best grocery stores of Lahore you can find on howmuch: 

Al-Fatah: 

You will find a large variety of products here. From dry fruits to hygiene products to dairy products, you can get everything at this store. With a strong rating of 4.3 on google, this store is a hit among the residents of Lahore. Howmuch allows you to browse through Al-Fatah’s vast catalogue and order your favourite items online from the comforts of your home. 

Jalal Sons: 

Many people enjoy shopping, but it’s impossible to do so during these days when every sphere of life has been affected by the coronavirus. But, worry not, you can download howmuch’s app, go to Jalal Sons and check out their grocery collection from the comforts of your couch! This can be just as fun as the traditional shopping, if not better Plug in your earphones, play some upbeat music and browse through Jalal Sons catalogue. Make a list of items you require and cross them out, as you add them to the cart! 

Bin Ramzan Foods: 

I don’t know about you, but my family is very picky when it comes to rice. They need to be of top quality with long grains, pleasant aroma and everything which is why we’ve been purchasing rice from Bin Ramzan Foods since ages! Now that Bin Ramzan Foods’ rice variety is on howmuch, you can easily buy the best rice online and get it delivered to you the same day with cash on delivery! 

Irum Mart: 

You can get every product you need at the most affordable price at Irum Mart. Even before the ‘lockdown days’, I remember logging into howmuch and checking out Irum Mart whenever I required something that wasn’t readily available in a nearby store and now, during the lockdown, Irum Mart has become a blessing for everyone. You can get everything you require here and howmuch promises to deliver your products to you in minimal time! 

Sabroso: 

Chicken items are an essential part of our meals. You can find all kinds of frozen chicken pieces at Sabroso. Plan on making a chicken steak? Sabroso has chicken breast pieces for you. Plan on making Handi? Sabroso has boti chicken to fulfil your needs.

Similarly, if you are in the mood to make burgers, Sabroso’s patties are a great option. You can browse through their extensive range of chicken items on howmuch.pk and order accordingly. You will have the delivery made to your doorstep within a day so that you can continue with your food plans! Enjoy staying at home by try making new, delicious dishes! 

Given how dire the situation in all cities have turned because of the global impact of coronavirus, it should be noted that howmuch.pk is doing everything in its power to ensure that all your deliveries are safe and secure. The riders have been provided with gloves, face masks, and sanitizers. Moreover, they are instructed to wash their hands after every delivery. So, stay home and let us get your groceries for you! 

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Reasons to Plan For Ramadan

Ramadan is the most sacred month out of all 11 months for Muslims. It, unfortunately, is also the month that seems to pass in the blink of an eye, or maybe that’s just me? I personally feel with every passing year, the Holy month is passing faster and faster. It’s always heart breaking for me when the month comes to an end because I feel like this month lets us see our inner reflection, makes us improve ourselves and become less selfish and absorbed in the worldly activities. 

Given how short this month feels like, I believe it is best to have a good plan on how to spend it in the most effective manner. Even before the arrival of Ramadan, I start preparing for it by doing the best online food shopping I can! Online because I have a lot of other things to take care of too and when such a service is available, why should I waste time in a market? Anyway, there are several reasons why I think you can make the most of Ramadan by planning ahead for it.

Mentally Prepare: 

Fasting during Ramadan is not just about abstaining from food and water and cleaning your body, it’s about cleaning your mind and soul too. You need to put yourself in the ‘Ramadan mode’ before the month starts. You need to force yourself to acknowledge that the special month is approaching and you need to change your mentality and lifestyle for it. 

Adjusting to New Schedule: 

People waste the first ashrah (10 days) of Ramadan in adjusting to the new schedule. By planning in advance, your work, sleep and eating schedule can be arranged in a great way. If you start sleeping early a few days before Ramadan, you an your body won’t object to getting up at sehri, you will have time for your daily routine activities and will carry this routine to Ramadan. 

Plan Ramadan Menu: 

Ramadan is not only meant for males of a family to seek Allah’s blessings and forgiveness. If you are one of those individuals who lets the females of your household do all the kitchen chores even during Ramadan, I’d politely ask you to lend them a hand! They are fasting just like you! 

Plan your menus beforehand so you know what meals to make on what day. Distribute iftar and dinner work between the members of your household so everyone gets time to make extra Ibadah during the blessed month. No one should be stuck in the kitchen for these 29-30 days! 

Plan Iftar Parties Beforehand: 

Islam encourages brotherhood and hospitality. So, it’s a great idea to have your friends or relatives over for Iftar. The best course of action is to decide the dates when you want to hold the iftar, confirm from the guests about their availability on the date, and prepare for it before the month starts. There’s a lot of reward for one who feeds the fasting person so enjoy with your friends and family and earn sawab too! 

Do Your Eid Shopping: 

There’s a really bad trend in our society for shopping on Chand Raat aka eve of Eid. People forget this is the last night to seek as many blessings from Ramadan as possible and therefore, they should spend it praying rather than roaming around in the market place. Try shopping for eid a few days before the start of Ramadan and you will see how much time you have for prayers during the month, with no distractions. 

The Takeaway: 

Ramadan is a blessing for us, Muslims. Make sure to include those in need in all your celebrations of the month and Eid. Different stores have made Ramadan packages that include the essentials items required to run the kitchen for a household. Howmuch itself has affordable Ramadan packages that you can purchase for not only your family but those in need to. Let’s try to be better Muslims by not only planning how we are going to spend our Ramadans but only looking out for those in need. 

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Signs of a good POS system

If you want your business to become a success story, it is wise to use a POS system to manage all your operations efficiently and accurately. The biggest challenge that a retail owner faces is managing his inventory. If there’s a discrepancy between the inventory number and the actual sales, the entire business could be jeopardized. 

The notebook system for keeping track of your sales, inventory, customers is not only time consuming but also full of flaws. With a POS system, you no longer need to worry about this. However, given their popularity in the retail industry in the last few years, every other company is developing and deploying POS systems. POS systems, especially grocery store POS software, need to have certain characteristics to prove to be successful for a business. Below are the signs of a good POS system that you need to keep in mind while purchasing one: 

Inventory Management

Inventory management is, of course, an essential part of POS systems. Your inventory system should automatically update your inventory stock as your store’s items are sold and also update the inventory count when they are replenished. Moreover, you need to be notified by the system if you a product of yours requires to be restocked or if there are more items present that the amount you have set in the inventory. Many businesses ignore the problem of overstocking but for a grocery store and stores that deal with perishable goods, overstocking can prove to be disastrous for the business. 

Setting accurate inventory levels is essential to ensure the correct working of a business. Your POS system should suggest the inventory levels based on the trend it observes in a month or two. A POS’s inventory level suggestion is much more accurate than humans guessing the inventory level. 

Customer Management 

Imagine walking to a store daily to purchase your grocery items, talking to the cashier as he/she makes the bill and thinking you have developed a nice, friendly relationship with the worker and the company. Flash forward to a few weeks after and you are presented with a coupon because you’ve become a loyal customer of the place, and you are overjoyed at this. However, as you are leaving the premises of the store. You hear the cashier call out, “See you soon, Ahmed.” Your name is Hashir. 

This kind of customer service, or lack thereof, can result in losing customers. With a POS system, though, you can generate personal emails and offers, addressing your customers appropriately! The customer database gets updated whenever someone purchases something from you. You are also provided with the data about how frequently each customer has shopped from you. 

Real-Time Analytics 

A good POS system provides you with data about every activity that happens at a business. The real-time data helps you in making intelligent, informed and smart decisions. For example, you have information that you have more stock of tomatoes that are predicted to sale in the week. It would be smart to put up an offer on them to not only sell them quickly but to also make name for your brand doing so! These smart decisions, in the end, are what account to a company’s success. 

Mobile POS 

In today’s world of technology and portability, it is unrealistic to think that people would like to be chained to their POS systems to access information regarding their business. Nearly every POS comes with the ability to integrate it with mobile devices. Thanks to cloud technology, mobile devices can have access to all the business data anywhere, at any time. However, it is common for POS selling companies to charge extra for providing you with mobile POS too. 

Fortunately, the mobile POS for howmuch comes free in the package when you purchase the POS system. This, along with reliability and accuracy, is one of the many reasons why Pakistani retail owners have employed the system in their retail stores. 

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How Howmuch’s POS Software Differentiates from other POS Software:

Given how technology has infused itself in every sphere of our life, it is only natural for it to handle the management processes of our business too. Plus, it is a well-known fact that us humans can be imperfect, but technology is precise and perfect. This is probably the reason customers are no longer tolerant of calculation mistakes made in billing. POS systems have brought an operational revolution in the industry. 

Every POS grocery system has also been deeply affected by this revolution. It has always been taxing to keep track of each and every item in the inventory, know the sales trend daily, weekly or monthly, as well as having an acute idea of your customer base. But, with the use of a POS, you can streamline and automate these processes. Businesses recognize this and so do software development houses, therefore, we see every software company designing a POS software. 

Howmuch is one such POS software that can be used by retail store owners. It contains the basic features like inventory management, customer management, real-time analytics, etc. like all the POS systems but there are certain features that make it stand out too:

Free and Trial Period 

Howmuch’s POS software allows you to use the software for free if you are a small business owner with limited needs. You will not be charged for transaction costs, listing of products and many other services. Up to date, real-time analytics will be also available to you. 

If you are satisfied with the free version services and want to try the premium one but still have doubts then we have offers users a trial period of 14 days. During this trial period, users can avail all the facilities that are offered in the premium version and judge for themselves on whether or not it is beneficial for their business. 

Mobile POS

In this day and age, it is unfair to chain a man to a system when technology is available to allow mobility. Unlike many systems, howmuch provides mobile POS, downloadable from both Apply Store and PlayStore, that allows users to view their business’s insights from wherever they want. 

Howmuch’s excellent cloud-based system ensures all your business’s data is in one place and that you have the freedom to access it from where you want. You can also make changes that will get updated in runtime. This is especially handy when updating the inventory of a retail store. 

Marketing Strategies

Howmuch POS system is great at identifying trends in your sales and presenting them to you in an easy, clear and understandable format. For instance, you will be notified that you are selling lesser products on Wednesdays than other days of the week. Now, you marketing team can generate promotional codes on that day easily to help boos the sales. 

Furthermore, you can send bulk emails with just a single click. Your customer database will be up-to-date, having the contact information of every client that purchased your product. You can send your newsletters and promotional emails and SMS to them in a few seconds. Plus, you can also find your most frequent customers and generate offers for them accordingly. 

24/7 Support and Services 

You can email or live chat on howmuch’s official website, any time of the day and you will find an operator at the other end, ready to help you as soon as you send the message. Customer satisfaction is our number one priority and thus, we try our level best to meet you halfway. 

In addition to this, our website has blogposts, textual instructions, setup guides, instruction videos on how to operate the POS and the best tips to use. Anyone can view it for free and if there are still any queries, we have provided the contact number of our support team too.