Vendor name and address and contact (including owner/president)

How long has the vendor been in business?

What operating system and hardware platform?

What is the typical customer profile to whom the vendor sells?

How often are updates provided?

How much does the vendor spend on R&D each year?

When was package introduced?

When was it last updated?

How often is it updated?

What were the major features of the last update?

Is the software compatible with year 2000?

How many installations?

How many similar to your business?

Is the package multi-company? Multi-warehouse?

Does it have a note pad ("Post-it ®")throughout system?

Does it have a Report Writer (whose)

Can the user define information on screens?

What database structure is used? 4GL?

Include references of similar customer profile (name, contact, telephone#, date went live)

Password Security - Multi Level

Price Look Up (PLU) for each item, and displays item description for verification.

Inventory look up by item, vendor, description or price.

Multiple sales tax options

Discounts and returns per item or for the entire sale

Checks for promotion price in effect.

End of day ("Z" out) routine for controlling cash and nightly deposit.

Tendering user-defined payment types, i.e., cash, check, credit cards, gift certificates, store receivables, etc.

Credit limit checking on customers.

Allow for user-defined levels, i.e., style, color, size, width.

Provide customer profile information to allow you to better service your customers.

Ability to add new customers at the store.

Track customer "club" purchases.

Maintaining special functions like layaways and gift certificates.

Maintaining "kits" which are items made up of other regular inventory items.

Serial number control, if needed.

Accepts payment or deposits on account.

UPC bar code scanning.

Credit card authorization

Assess staff requirements for peak/slow periods and simplifying scheduling activities.

Maintain inventory items by manufacturer, class, subclass, department, season, product line, model and up to four user-defined levels, i.e., style, color, size, width.

Provide customer profile information to allow you to better service your customers.

Send mailings based on buying habits.

Produce purchase ordering information.

Physical inventory via scanning UPC bar coding.

Fast/slow moving reports.

Track sales by employee, customer and item for sales analysis.

Layaways, Gift Certificates and Bridal (or Gift) Registry.

Employee Time Clock

Sales exception reports

Sales promotions reports

Sales time analysis reports

Sales by day/week

Comparison sales reports - this year vs last year by day

Ease of Programming Price Changes & Promotions

Flexible Report Formats - Plus Easy Pre-programmed Report Formats

Ability to Network - do you want to do everything at the Sales Desk?

Sales audit reporting

Sales reports by department, vendor/season, vendor/class, class, fast/slow moving items.

Inventory turn report

Inventory sales reports and graphs

Sales performance report by employee.

Commission reporting.

Customer sales summary, call list, history, mailing labels/letters, etc.

Accounts receivable

Purchase order writing and control.

Merchandising reports and open-to-buy.

Ticket printing.

Polling from/to stores.

Accounts payable.

General ledger interface to many standard packages.

National 800 telephone number help line.

On-site support.

900 number "pay as you go" support.

What are the hours of support? (You need weekends and evenings.)

Software updates and enhancements.

Disaster recovery backup facilities.

Education assistance (at your site or vendor's?).

Regularly scheduled review meetings.

Implementation schedules.

Custom programming.

Consulting services.

Implementation meeting?

Training at your office or vendor's? To who is training geared?

One vendor for hardware, software, network & support?

What testing procedures are used? Parallel runs?

Data conversion if you presently have a system.

Computer form and supplies including custom-printed forms like hang tags, labels, checks, invoices and statements.

Identify management and staff

Physical planning

Operation of the system

Training and availability of time for staff to learn the system.

Staffing and discipline - employees must be reliable and available.

Extra workload and overtime - Plan for it!

Internal controls - check with your accountant