Celerant Technology Corp. — Celerant Command Retail

Celerant Command Retail from Celerant Technology is a fully integrated retail management system. Designed for small to mid-size retailers with multiple locations, this system offers a series of integrated modules designed to help retail stores run more efficiently.

BASIC SYSTEM FUNCTIONS

Command Retail’s main user interface is logically arranged, with all system modules/functions displayed on the left side of the screen. Placing the cursor on a tab will display all of the related functions within that system feature. The POS interface has an option to enter customer information, scan a product barcode or search inventory for the product. Navigational tabs provide access to a variety of information, including discount, salesperson, hold, recall and shipping interface screens. Special receipt types can be set up, including layaway, special orders, gift certificates, etc. Once in the product lookup fields, additional navigational tabs provide extensive lookup options. A running total of all products entered or scanned appears at the bottom of the screen. The Pay Screen contains a calculator in the center, along with various tenders to the left. Clicking on a credit card will display the card swipe screen, allowing users to manually enter credit card information or swipe the card. Once payment type is determined, the calculator is used to finalize the sale. Clerks also have the option to cancel the sale before processing the payment and posting the transaction.

All user screens throughout Command Retail are easily navigated, with a series of tabs that provide access to related functions, making data entry quick and painless.

Command Retail is scalable and works with multiple platforms such as Windows, Linux, Macintosh, UNIX, or even a combination of platforms. Module availability is vast and includes the following: POS, Inventory, Physical Inventory, Integrated e-Commerce, Purchase Orders, Reporting and Analysis, Warehouse, Sales Back Office, Open to Buy and Planning, CRM and Buying Clubs, and Financials. An export function provides GL integration with QuickBooks, Microsoft Dynamics Great Plains, and Sage MAS 90 ERP. (The company noted that the next release, which should be out by the time this review is published, will include its own General Ledger in addition to the export integrations.)

User roles can be assigned in groups, and all employees are assigned detailed rights-based security roles for each application. Command Retail can be fashioned to suit the needs of any retail business, with the ability to arrange buttons and tabs on the page desired. Only the top part of the POS screen is non-customizable, with all other areas able to be modified as needed.

Cashiers have easy access to customer and item information while processing a sale using system-wide lookup fields. Command Retail is designed for multiple locations and uses an online database that stores data in real-time from all store locations, eliminating the need to download or transfer data every evening.

The user interface allows cashiers to efficiently process activities, including normal sales transactions, customer data maintenance, layaway processing, and payment on account acceptance. Command Retail offers multiple pricing levels and allows for creation of custom pricing strategies as needed.

An enterprise-level product, Command Retail offers the highest level of retail management, including warehouse management, a fully functional distribution center, allocation capability, fully integrated e-commerce functionality that easily ties to the central database, and mail order processing. The system also offers wireless integration so retailers can easily process orders in remote locations or from the field. 5

SPECIALIZED FEATURES/SERVICES

Command Retail offers customized screen entry to suit every retail model, including touch-screen entry. e-Commerce support is easily available, with integrated website capabilities. All inventory totals are integrated with brick-and-mortar totals for accurate, real-time inventory levels. The system also offers customized tender setup, and multiple tender types can be used for each transaction.

Command Retail offers an excellent customer management tool. Cashiers can easily enter valuable data from the POS screen, including zip code, birthday, family members and even photos. Customer purchase history is easily tracked, with visits within set parameters noted. Related transactions are also easily handled, such as customer layaways, special orders, sales orders and on-hold items.

Various other methods of payment and payment-related transactions are handled, as well, including buying clubs (where members receive special pricing), gift cards, and stored value cards (where customers can maintain a balance on the card). Private-label credit cards can also be offered, and employees can cash their paychecks at the POS terminal. Using the CRM function, along with Command Retail’s data mining capability, makes it easy to target sales and marketing campaigns to the correct customers. 5

TRACKING/REPORTING

Reporting options are excellent with a good selection of reports, including a long list of sales transactions such as receipts, items sold and payouts. Other reports include hourly sales, layaways, and merchandise sold by department. All system reports can be saved and printed as needed. Reports can also be exported to Excel or in ASCII format. The ODBC interface makes easy work of producing custom reports. All reporting data is in real time, with the system updated each time a transaction is processed.

Inventory reporting is also extensive, with easy tracking of inventory movement, as well as pinpointed detail to determine best and worst selling products. Customer information is easily tracked, with detailed information on purchase history, buying club status and more. Both the CRM and data mining features allow for access to specific customer demographics.

The audit trail report provides management with detailed information on all system activity as well as cashier name and time of transaction. 5

INTEGRATION/IMPORT/EXPORT

Command Retail’s integrated modules work together for top-end performance. The application also offers third-party integration with accounting applications such as Microsoft Dynamics Great Plains, QuickBooks and Sage MAS 90 ERP. Integrated shipping tools are available for UPS, FedEx and USPS. It also works with all necessary hardware peripherals such as touch-screen monitors, barcode scanners, receipt printers and pole displays. A time clock is available for cashiers to punch in/out for easy recording of shift hours. 5

HELP/SUPPORT

Command Retail provides users with a login link in order to access system updates as needed. System support is required during the first year but is optional after that. A user community is also available. 5

SUMMARY & PRICING

Command Retail pricing starts at $3,750 for the server license, with a $2,500 fee for each concurrent user. A complete single-user system starts at $12,000. This is a top-notch POS product that is ideal for small to mid-size retail businesses with multiple locations. Designed to fit the needs of the most demanding customers, this full-featured product truly does have everything.

2010 Overall Rating 5