NCR Extends Reach of Checkout Software

Designed to help retailers large and small reduce their total cost of ownership and adapt to changing business needs, ACS 6.1 incorporates best-in-class system management tools that make it easy for resellers and retailers to install, configure, update and support the solution. For example, ACS remote update features give users the ability to distribute application and operating system updates to the store for automatic or scheduled installation. The new version of ACS also includes enhancements to the platforms popular Consumer Marketing (CM) module and suite of Mobile Retail Manager (MRM) applications, plus additional support for industry standards that extend and simplify the use of third-party applications. The ACS CM module now features an extended set of flexible promotional wizards - interactive step-by-step guides that help users implement promotional pricing programs. CM enables retailers to create a nearly endless variety of customer promotion opportunities, with or without a shopper loyalty card. NCRs wireless MRM suite provides more than a dozen functions that make it easy for store mangers to interactively access back-office applications from anywhere in the store. New additions to MRM with ACS 6.1 include Operator and Terminal Productivity reporting. These join other popular applications such as access to price-lookup file maintenance and cash-drawer position reports, as well as remote supervisor overrides, system alerts and cashier monitoring. ACS now supports the XML-based POSlog standard, developed by the Association for Retail Technologys IXRetail Committee. POSlog reduces the time and cost of integrating POS systems with related applications, such as enterprise resource planning, inventory, fraud analysis or customer purchase history. The ACS 6.1 base solution includes Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Engine database for data storage, providing the benefits of relational databases with no acquisition expense. In-store database applications include frequent shopper, check management and accounts receivable.