More than ever, social sites like Pinterest and Facebook are influencing how people make choices. This has led to an increasing number of businesses jumping onto the digital bandwagon, allocating a larger portion of marketing and promotional budgets to their online presence.

Summer passed way too quickly and the first stages of Fall are upon us, with Halloween and Thanksgiving just around the corner. After that, it’s the retail “holiday rush”—and there’s no better time than the present to start preparing for it. The following tips will help to start you off on the right track.

In the previous blog, we discussed the ways you can promote shopper loyalty through the digital world. While blogs are a great option, we have a few more ideas that might help.

pcAmerica, a leading developer of point of sale software applications, will be exhibiting at VARTECH 2011 USA/Latin America from August 15-17 in Miami Beach, Florida at booth #431.

The first of these features is the option to integrate a security camera and DVR system to record in-store activity. Why is this important? Employee theft—caused by a combination of theft of cash and inventory along with the granting of unwarranted discounts by employees (a practice known as “sweethearting”) is one of the leading causes of retail shrink.

Faster, more efficient processing ranks at the top of the list of benefits to be reaped from deploying an integrated fuel pump and point of sale system. However, it is far from the only benefit—providing that the solution you select has a top-notch reporting component.

For many independent gas stations, gas station chains, convenience stores and grocery stores, selling both gasoline and merchandise has become a competitive weapon as well as a way to bolster productivity. But while it is not difficult to persuade consumers to fill up the gas tank while simultaneously making a food purchase (or vice versa), managing these different facets of the business can be challenging on many levels.

The most comprehensive end-to-end security solution available today, the IPAD ® SC helps merchants and restaurateurs prevent personal cardholder data breaches, without compromising the speed and convenience of customer transactions. Here’s how:

pcAmerica has the technology that can get you started with social marketing, using solutions from behind the counter.

Additionally, under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, passed by Congress in 2010, retailers and restaurant owners can set minimum price levels for the use of credit cards in their establishments. The minimum must be under $10. Why bother? The transaction fees operators pay to process really small purchases—say, below $5—essentially cancel out the profit from the sale.