With Black Friday fast approaching and the Christmas season already underway, now is the time you should be finalising Promotions and Discounts for the festive season. You should also be thinking about till security.

Promotions and Discounts

Your Futura software includes multiple screens where promotions and discounts can be created, all with a wide range of options. But which screen you use will depend on the type of promotion or discount you plan to run and whether these are applied automatically or manually at the point of sale.

Don’t forget that the functions in Futura allow for promotional events to be pre-planned for specific dates, with the system reverting automatically to the normal ticket price at the end of the offer period. You can also set any promotion to be branch specific, so a promotion may run in some stores but not others.

You can create promotions for example on total spend, percentage off, quantity and price, as well as happy hour, mix and match or fixed offers. Flexibility is key. Specials, exclusive offers and coupons can also work well and with Futura, you can create bundles of different product lines to promote a complete look or your latest collection.

If you are new to Futura, or simply need to refresh your skills, a comprehensive user manual with step by step examples for creating Promotions and Discounts is a great place to start. You can download your copy here and remember if you are completely stuck Futura Support is here to help.

Till Security

Christmas is also a time when till security is important, especially if you are adding temporary staff to cover busy periods. With this in mind, we recommend you review and update User Permissions, to be sure who is authorised for specific tasks. With Futura, you can easily restrict functionality or set up individual user profiles. Above all, avoid blanket permissions as this is open to abuse.

POS Audit Reports

Understanding till behaviour based on real data is another great way to monitor what is going on and to spotlight any issues or security concerns. Futura’s POS Audit Reports puts you in full control with detailed insight for why the till drawer is being opened – essential for monitoring voided sales and for correcting habits that diverge from normal store procedures. POS Audit Reports are free and easy to use, supplementing core reporting in Futura. To find out more get in touch or download the user guide HERE,

Use Your Hot Key Functionality

A final last tip before the Christmas rush is to make the most of your Hot Key functionality. These are often forgotten or underused, but it’s one of the simplest ways to speed up transactions and cut queues especially for Christmas goodies and those difficult to barcode stocking fillers.

For further information or help with any of the subjects covered here or any other matters don’t forget we are here to help. Email [email protected] or call the Futura support desk on 01189 841925.