Walmart POS system
It's pretty clear that Walmart has to have a robust POS system with more than 11,374 Walmart stores throughout the United States and one of the largest companies in the world today.
Which POS system does Walmart use and how does it handle such an incredibly high amount of sales data and customer volume?
Continue reading as we answer just that. Come with us as we explore Walmart’s powerhouse of a POS system.
Diving Into the POS System at Walmart
It is worth noting that the POS systems found at Walmart stores have been custom-built to handle the high volume of customers and the incredible amount of data linking between the multiple locations.
While the technical team behind Walmart's POS system customized the system to work for their stores, they didn't start it up from scratch.
Instead, the team started out with the SUSE Linux Enterprise Point Service to create the new point of sale system that they are currently using now
This unique retail point of sale system is incredibly robust, going far beyond what you might expect from a normal POS system at your local family-owned business. The great thing about this system is that it was able to integrate unified admin tools, multi-branch servers, and centralized servers.
With this technology, Walmart was able to develop very powerful software that could store and bring up data at everything from a local level to a national level.
Some of the major features found on the SUSE Linux Enterprise Point of Sale System include:
Beyond the fact that this unique POS system makes use of a central server, it is also worth noting that this customized system makes use of several servers at various branches, which are able to store data locally and on cloud-based servers.
In doing so, Walmart has been able to integrate mobile POS systems into its business, giving each store more flexibility with how they operate.
Overview of Walmart's POS System
Walmart has an incredible amount to offer beyond groceries. With Neighborhood market stores, Supercenters, and express stores, the Walmart brand stretches pretty far and wide. Beyond Walmart's completely customized system, the company has created some pretty unique tools to enhance the customer service available at its various locations.
In an effort to make every store as flexible as possible, the company developed a unique mobile POS for the garden center locations.
If you have ever spent time at one of the garden centers, then you probably have an idea as to how difficult it can be to take extremely heavy materials around in a cart just to bring it to one of the main checkout points.
With the mobile POS, Walmart has found a way around this.
You can think of it as a portable form of checking out. Staff members or employees are able to scan items while they are in your cart, accepting money by simply swiping your credit card. The process makes sense. With this unique retail link, the mobile point of sale system optimizes business.
The feature is known as the "Check Out With Me Program." The associates at the retailers can make use of this unique app to accept payments, print receipts, and more.
No customer has to haul a large set of trees or heavy bags of soil to the main checkout point to make their payment. Walmart's mobile service is one of the best around today.
Bring Your Own Device
Employees have access to several new mobile apps that they can use to make the checking out process much easier. One of the unique things that the company recently rolled out was the Bring Your Own Device program, a unique program that was made to help enhance the customer experience.
An employee can download an app straight to his or her smartphone, which can be used to help a customer out when they have any questions.
Customers often have questions about the products that they will ask the employees about. An employee can then check this unique app for inventory information, prices for certain products, unique company announcements regarding deals, and item location within the store.
All of these features are linked to the main point of sale system.
Essentially, the company has found a way to provide exceptional customer service with a mobile POS solution.
Walmart's commitment to crafting new and innovative technology to enhance their POS solutions is pretty clear when you begin looking at the way that they have optimized the way their POS works.
Walmart's Retail Link
The Retail Link tool from Walmart may be one of the most comprehensive tools around right now. Users can make use of this tool to pull data for any retailers that sell their products through the store.
The sales data found on these point of sale systems can then be used to predict trends and buying patterns, giving managers a better idea of how they should approach inventory management.
The beauty of this software is that there is more reliability in the supply chain. Stores get the important information that they need to optimize operations. With in-depth streams of data, everything from the grocery section to the garden center gets compiled together to create business growth.
Yes, it is possible to predict fashion trends when you look at the runway from a previous season, though the idea of doing so in the world of retail is very difficult. Companies like Walmart have to hire data scientists and analysts to go through their inventory and sales to make predictions about what they should do for the future.
This unique service gives managers and higher-ups the data they need without having to hire any external parties to do so.
Finding the Right POS System For Your Business
We hope that that answered your question about "What POS system does Walmart use?"
As one of the biggest companies on Earth today, it is easy to see why Walmart's POS system requires the ability to perform far and beyond what most POS systems are capable of.
While the POS System from Walmart might look like an incredible piece of technology from the outside, it doesn't make a lot of sense for small business owners. Your business is likely much smaller than Walmart's and you likely don't have the same amount of revenue or data to keep track of.
Luckily, we've done a ton of research into POS systems here at Orga Systems. If you're tired of searching endlessly online and you want to find the right solution for your particular business, then you've come to the right place. You can explore several hardware and software options here on our website.
Tyler Connaghan
Contributing Author
