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Osprey Retail Systems, Inc. was founded in 1990 by a small group of industry-leading POS integrators to develop state-of-the-art, general retail, in-store software for the Reseller Distribution Channel. We write the software and support our channel who in turn are close to our mutual customers and provide the local support presence that is so crucial to long term systems success and usage.
Osprey chose the suite of technology tools from Progress Software Corporation. Osprey's development environment, Progress, Sonic and their tool sets offer end users operating system and hardware platform independence, bringing new levels of interoperability, scalability, and connectivity through the retail enterprise.
The result of Osprey's development effort is UnifyPOS and UnifyHOST, a feature-rich, highly robust, scaleable Point-of-Sale (POS) system with supporting HOST applications through open INTEL hardware platforms, and the Windows Operating Systems environment (2000 and XP today). Utilizing advanced, Client/Server architecture, UnifyPOS employs "replicated and distributed" databases to provide full system redundancy without a backup in-store server. UnifyPOS’ Client/Server design supports TCP/IP and wireless network protocols.
Revolutionary developments in relational database design and object-oriented program development allow Osprey to produce a system "kernel" that includes a rich feature set of POS functions for the high volume general retail and supermarket segments as-well-as the specialty store retail marketplace. We define these segments as: Convenience, Department, Discount Stores, Hardware Stores, Home Improvement, Liquor Stores, Chain Drug and HBA, Specialty Stores, Non Profit, Pet Stores and Small Terminal Count Supermarkets. Osprey's approach to personalizing UnifyPOS with parameterized tables and unique "function key programming" has easily satisfied the most demanding requirements of non-traditional POS environments without encumbering front end operation with unwanted features.
Perhaps UnifyPOS’ and UnifyHOST’s most dramatic virtue is its 4GL heritage that gives Osprey's designers the ability to rapidly personalize in-store software to meet unusual retail and non-retail requirements without the associated delays and copious anomalies commonly found in 3GL environments. By incorporating “smart data objects” Osprey is able to easily add functionality to UnifyPOS without modifying the POS "kernel", thereby insuring product migration in our ever-changing world for customers who wish to leverage their personalization investment for many years to come.
Today, the Unify product line is installed in over 2,500 locations, both independent stores and large chains alike. Through unique personalization, UnifyPOS has been able to handle the diverse in-store system requirements of retail chains like;
- Goodwill Industries – from sophisticated Tag Production users to those who just want to gain secure cash and sales data via fixed function price points.
- Low Bob's Discount Tobacco – through the use of EDI these locations replenish their inventory each morning.
- Waterfront Rescue Mission – through the use of a WAN they are able to carry out unique financial reporting for the entire enterprise.
- Cool Cuts – uses the standard customer tracking information at host to drive product sales through their operation that more than doubles industry product sales
- Centennial Liquors – second generation user that has recently layered in the HOST application to better track inventory and sales information throughout the enterprise.
- Grand Teton Lodge - use UnifyPOS to capture sales and transactions that can be used in the park and these transactions are then passed back to the AS400 for consolidation for visitors to the park so they have all purchases on one bill.
- Pet Food & More – small chain using the standard application that is using an email regimen to their wholesaler to place their orders and receive notification on shipments.
- Nash Finch Independents – the small supermarket initiative with IBM has allowed our resellers to bring a great deal of functionality at the right price point to assist these retailers in running their business to counter Wal-Mart
- Spartan Independents – another wholesaler that we have had success with similar to the Nash Finch program above.
- Associated Grocers (KY) – the first location under the same program will be live in May ’05.
Osprey is well positioned to move into the future by embracing evolving software technologies such as n-tier systems architecture, data warehousing, multi-dimensional data bases, "data warehousing", activity-based management reporting, and on-line analytical processing that will handle emerging customer-oriented requirements such as preferred shopper programs, expert management reporting systems, rules-based decision support, and interactive, multimedia POS front ends.
UnifyPOS supports the OPOS (OLE for Retail Point-Of-Sale) standard. UnifyPOS’ advanced, in-store system design now includes:
- Complete GUI (Graphical User Interface)
- Rich Point-Of-Sale Feature Set
- Host-Supported In-Store Replenishment Module
- Physical Inventory Control including Cycle Counts
- Historical Inventory Movement Analysis
- Shelf/Price Label Printing
- Special Order System
- Credit/Debit/EBT/Check Guarantee including Settlement
- Gift Cards with select processors
- Wireless Application;
- Cashier Monitoring
- Queue Busting
- Price Checks
- Cycle Counting
- Replenishment
- Receiving
- Cashier Messaging
- Product/Price Batch Maintenance
- Time Keeping System
- Rules-Based Basic Labor Scheduling
- Commission Reporting
- Batch Handheld Terminal Support
- User-Programmable Inventory Adjustments Module
- Club Membership Program
- Host Price Management System
- UNI-EYE Host-Supported Loss Prevention Module
- Host-Supported Sales Audit Module
- "Real-Time" communication between UnifyPOS and
UnifyHOST
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