Electronic point of sale systems (EPOS) are the computerised systems that are used by retailers: modern tills and associated systems. Their basic functions include scanning bar codes or radio frequency ID (RFID) tags to identify products, scanning credit cards, and cash handling.
EPOS systems do not only handle transactions. They can also connect to networks making information on sales instantly available. This is useful for providing management with information for decision making, and for improving logistics and stock control.
Stock control improves because with exact sales data a retailer knows exactly how much of any given item is available at any given locations as well as how fsat items are selling at each location. This means less working capital is required, while at the same time the chances of running out of any item can be reduced.
Large retailers tend to have very sophisticated logistics systems and the data from EPOS systems is a vital to these.