Retail Modern POS (mPOS) installation and setup via AX 2012 R3 CU8 demo machine

When you open the AX 2012 R3 CU8 machine, you'll notice that you cannot see the Retail Modern POS (mPOS) application (Figure 1 below). Additionally, if you spend time trying to load it onto the administrator account's Windows 8 profile, you will not be able to run it. The application was specifically designed to not allow the user to run this app. So you will have to log into a different user to access it.

So the whole purpose of this post will be: 'How can I get into the mPOS'.

OPTION 1 - Use an existing user with the mPOS installed and configured
There is a user setup out of the box for this. Literally you can spin up the machine from Lifecycle Services (LCS) and start getting into the mPOS in this version. In previous versions, there were issues but it seems to have been ironed out now.

1. Log into the RDP session as contoso\Emmah, with the 'standard' AX password with the '@' sign we all know and love .
1. You will now see a number of POS registers on the desktop. If you navigate to the Start screen, you will see the Retail Modern POS (Figure 1 below) installed.
2. Click on the Retail Modern POS application
3. Enter the Device activation information in Figure 2 (or whatever yours is but this is from the demo)
4. Click 'Activate'. It will take ~15 seconds to activate as seen in Figure 3.
5. You are in the modern POS now!

Something interesting happened for me testing this route though. I was in the mPOS and poking around very casually. Then got up to get coffee, started documenting this in this blog post and noticed that the screen flashed and the app apparently crashed or something. Now the app can't be found anywhere. That's fun. So onto the second option I guess...

Figure 1 - The Retail Modern POS application

Figure 2 - The mPOS settings needed to log in

Figure 3 - The mPOS processing and activating the device

OPTION 2 - Create a new user, install the mPOS, configure, and go.

I wanted to use my own username instead of Emmah and do the configuration from beginning to end. This includes installing the mPOS on the machine for the user. Since the Emmah mPOS session crashed and apparently uninstalled itself, this option was a natural progression now.

1. Create the new user and add them to the appropriate permissions (I did admin group because I need to do a bunch of admin tasks in demos)
1. I believe you need to be an admin to install the mPOS. I haven't confirmed but I have a very strong feeling that you do.
2. Add the user to AX (not required for mPOS but I have to demo other stuff)
3. Setup the user in AX as a POS user that will ultimately get into the POS
1. I won't get into the details of how to do that in this post as that would be off topic.
4. Install the mPOS app to the user (note that the other components have already been installed on the machine
1. Navigate out to the Retail Modern POS Tools in Windows Explorer (C:\Microsoft Dynamics AX\60\Retail Modern POS\Tools)
2. In Windows Explorer, click File->Open Windows PowerShell->Open Windows PowerShell as administrator
3. UPDATE 6/21/2016: change your directory in powershell to: cd "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Dynamics AX\60\Retail Modern POS\tools"
4. Enter the following in PowerShell: .\Install-RetailModernPOS.ps1 -Path "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Dynamics AX\60\Retail Modern POS"
1. If you enter the location wrong, obviously you will get an error. If its correct, a bunch of stuff will occur and fly around in the PowerShell script.
2. When successful, you'll see Figure 5 below.
5. Create a new Device in AX
1. You should create a new Device in AX for every new mPOS instance (Dynamics AX->Retail->Setup->Devices)
2. If you skip this step and you activated the 'Houston-3' device like in Option 1 above, you'll get the error below in Figure 4.
3. You can skip this step if you deactivate the other device and associate it with this instance. Up to you, but I want a new device setup.
6. Activate the new device with the new user (Figure 6)
7. The mPOS will open and you can log in!
8. The device activations can be seen in Figure 7. All done!

All done! Easy enough!



Figure 4 - The error trying to activate a device that's already been activate

Figure 5 - Last part of the PowerShell script indicating everything installed correctly

Figure 6 - Activating the new device

Figure 7 - The device activations

Retailing in the modern world Pt III - The careful balance in maximizing profits

The goal of a business is to make profit. You need to increase profit in order to grow or sustain a business. You can increase profit by lowering costs and/or increasing revenue. How do you do this? That can literally be the million dollar question. It can also be the question standing between your business and prosperity. The answer can vary from industry to industry and the key to finding it depends on number of factors ranging from timing to personalities to ideologies. The answer will also change as the retail landscape continues to evolve at an ever increasing rate. 

When determining what path to take, remember that there is a delicate balance between reducing costs and increasing revenue. As an example, If you reduce costs by using cheaper parts, you may be making an inferior product. This may result in fewer purchases and more returns thus lower revenue. On the other hand spending too much money on something, like a mobile app for your company, can increase your costs and thus lower your profits.  

How do you know where to skimp and where to splurge?

As stated in previous posts in this series, the answer is different from channel to channel and industry to industry. What may work for the restaurant industry may not work for the wine industry. What works for a textile producer may not work for a clothing manufacturer. From a consultants perspective, how will you know how to advise your clients' positioning for optimal revenue growth? 

The key here is to really know your client's business intimately. Even if you know their industry, do you know your client's secret sauce? Do those industry secrets change the way various sales channels should be leverage? More than likely, its a resounding yes. Truly understanding an organization is a key component to turning a good strategy into a great one.

The next series of posts will analyze the various retail channels mentioned in Pt 1 of the Retailing in the modern world series: http://daxdude.blogspot.com/2014/05/retailing-in-modern-world-pt-i-business.html

Retailing in the modern world Pt II - Omni-channel vs Multi-channel buzz words

It is a big buzz word to say 'omni-channel retail' in today's world but what does that mean? Is it the same as multi-channel? No. Then what is the difference? Depends on interpretation.

    Multi-channel retail – involves both the sales and supply chain aspects of a retail channel independent of any other channel

    Omni-channel retail – same definition as multi-channel but involves integrating the various channels to create a seamless, 360 degree experience for the customer. For example, it is creating a wish list on the website and continuing your order from any other channel.

Really, omni-channel is an evolved iteration of multi-channel that was created as time went by and systems didn’t have to be disjointed solutions. When technologies like mobile first came out, they were completely separate worlds from existing retail channels that relied heavily on integrations and imports/exports. There were commonly large lags and discrepancies in data due to physical and data limitations of the time. Now that the concepts have been around for a while now and limitations reduced, solutions for that retail channel can be improved with interfaces reduced and optimized if existent at all.

Omni-channel is also a bit of a sales buzz word. Elements of the 360 view existed in systems that were dubbed multi-channel at the time. When things improve significantly, it helps to have a new name or something to distinguish it as new and an improvement. For instance, omni-channel sounds better than multi-channel. Xbox 360 is better than Xbox. PS4 is better than PS2.

However you define and view it, it all boils down to improving a seamless customer experience to assure a consistently exceptional experience. How do you best accomplish this? Have a centralized location for your ‘One version of the truth’.

What are the aspects of the seamless experience?

·         Branding

·         Pricing, Discounts, Shipping, and Taxes

·         Channel Management & Publishing

·         Catalog Management Enrichment & Publishing

·         Customer Management

·         Merchandising

·         EOD & Financials

·         Order Management & Fulfillment

·         BI/Reporting

·         Payment Processing

·         Inventory & Replenishment

As an example of a fully integrated omni-channel situation, if a customer has special pricing for an item at 9am on a specific day, they should be able to engage any retail channel at 9am and see consistent pricing across the board. It doesn’t seem like a big deal until you are encounter a situation where it isn’t working. These incongruences between systems is where some internet discount sites get their ‘hacker’ pricing or discounts. When I see these, it always makes me as a consumer second guess if I’m truly getting the best price from the same company.

Retailing in the modern world Pt I - Business marketing and sales channels

I'm going to write a series of posts relating to various retail channels and concepts in each. I hope they are informative to you. This is part one but look for the rest of the series to come out in the next few weeks. That being said, here is post one:

People generally specify marketing channels into two classifications: 1) Business to Business (B2B) and 2) Business to Consumer (B2C). Both channels are geared towards enticing increased revenues by optimizing the sales in retail channels via strategic planning for certain customers. They often share the same retail channels types to accomplish this.

What are the 3 big differences between B2B and B2C channels?

Customers: B2B channels are sales avenues between businesses while B2C are typically sales avenues for end-users of a product or service

Marketing: B2B sales are typically marketed through trade shows or mutual business associations while B2C are marketed through advertising, retail channels, or word of mouth.

Revenue: Generally, B2B transactions are larger in revenue and volume. The volume may be higher in this avenue but at the expense of margin (sales price). Quick note: Overhead may be lower in an organization with no brick and mortar and just B2B via portals and catalog sales

What are the different channels of B2B and B2B retailing?

1. Brick and Mortar stores
2. Online (E-commerce) stores (including B2B portals)
3. Call Centers (telephone orders/support)
4. Mobile stores
5. Kiosks 
6. Catalogs
7. 3rd party direct sales

As the 'Retailing in the modern world' series goes on, we will look into the above channels in deeper detail in regards to increasing revenue, brand awareness, and leveraging technology to optimize these channels (my favorite topic!).  Stay tuned for more in this series!