New Retail Research by Actinic Finds Big Gap Between EPOS Perception and Adoption

West Byfleet, Surrey - 28 November 2007 - 70% of small and medium retailers can see the benefits of EPOS systems (computerised tills), yet only 40% percent have actually adopted them, according to a new survey by pfa Research for EPOS and ecommerce systems supplier Actinic.

Out of a sample of over 100 SME retailers, only 12% did not think an EPOS system would bring any benefits – although 18% did not know enough about them to express an opinion.

Stock control was the most widely recognised benefit, cited by almost a third of respondents, and was also most commonly cited as the main reason for adopting EPOS (by 21% of users), followed by control of the business and accounting and reporting (10%). Other benefits such as enhanced security and increased efficiency were recognised by fewer than 10% of those interviewed.

The results indicate that there is still some way to go before all of the benefits of EPOS are widely recognised, and before a majority of businesses move to adopt the technology.

Chris Barling, CEO of Actinic, comments: “Businesses in the UK still seem to find it hard to invest in things that will make them more efficient, even when they recognise the need. This is in stark contrast with the US retail market, which is considerably more productive than the UK, and where it’s hard to find a retailer without an EPOS system.”

Other findings of the research included:

· There is more widespread use of off-the-shelf EPOS packages (54%) compared with bespoke systems
· Over half of all EPOS systems are installed by an EPOS specialist
· The average cost of a system is £5,200
· 71% of EPOS users had no problems with their system
· Among non-adopters, 5% have firm plans to implement EPOS, 56% have decided against and 39% are undecided
· 5% of companies with an EPOS system have plans to replace it.

Copies of the full research report are available to download from www.actinic.co.uk/Actinic-EPOS-Report-2007.pdf or contact 0845 129 4800.

Contacts:
Bruce Townsend, marketing manager, Actinic, Globe House, Lavender Park Rd, W Byfleet, KT14 6ND
www.actinic.co.uk
0845 129 4800, btownsend@actinic.co.uk

Actinic PR: Jane Lee, Dexterity.
+44 (0)1273 470199, jane.lee at dexterity.co.uk

About Actinic:
Founded in 1996, Actinic (www.actinic.co.uk) specialises in helping small and medium retailers trade, both online and offline, using its ecommerce and electronic point of sale (EPOS) packages. It also provides tailored solutions to high-volume retailers via Actinic Business Services (www.actinicservices.co.uk).

Actinic EPOS systems are designed by former retailers and give a comprehensive feature set that is straight forward to operate at great value prices. The range covers everything from a low cost, single till installation to integrated multi-till and multi-site systems with head office functionality, for centralised product, stock and price updating and reporting. Visit www.actinic.co.uk/epos-system-software.htm

Actinic also has two ranges of ecommerce products for web designers and self-builders. These web-based and desktop store-building solutions comprise of Actinic Enterprise, Actinic Designer, Actinic Business, Actinic Catalog and Actinic Express, and power more UK ecommerce sites than any other company.

Trademarks: Actinic, Actinic Catalog, Actinic Business and Actinic Designer are registered trademarks of Actinic Software Limited.

This release was published on openPR.