Thesis Proposal
Point of Sale
The point of sale is the place and time at which a transaction takes place. Whenever a buyer and seller come together for the purpose of conducting a transaction, a point of sale is created. Also called a point of purchase, a point of sale can take a wide variety of forms. The cash register line in a gasoline fueling station is a point of sale, for example, as is the checkout page in an online store. The point of sale can be a salesperson's desk in an auto dealership, as another example, as can someone's front porch in a door-to-door sales transaction.
Transaction Processing System
A transaction processing system can be defined as a set of policies, procedures, equipment and technology designed to facilitate transactions at the point of sale. Transaction processing systems have evolved alongside advances in technology to add convenience, reliability and security to business transactions. Just like the point of sale itself, transaction processing systems can take a variety of forms. A cash box and a pad of paper at a lemonade stand is considered a transaction processing system, for example, as is a complex software package that connects digital cash registers, credit card processors, inventory databases and accounting software.
Correlation
For every point of sale there must be a transaction processing system to accompany it. The correlation is so close that software-driven transaction processing systems are often referred to as POS (point of sale) terminals. Different point of sale situations call for different transaction processing systems, and new transaction processing systems emerge to facilitate new point of sale types. An online retailer, for example, would be unwise to use a hand-operated cash register to process transactions over the phone; instead, online retailers often rely on software transaction processing systems.
Other Applications
The point of purchase is an important concept for other marketing disciplines in addition to sales.
The point of sale is the place and time at which a transaction takes place. Whenever a buyer and seller come together for the purpose of conducting a transaction, a point of sale is created. Also called a point of purchase, a point of sale can take a wide variety of forms. The cash register line in a gasoline fueling station is a point of sale, for example, as is the checkout page in an online store. The point of sale can be a salesperson's desk in an auto dealership, as another example, as can someone's front porch in a door-to-door sales transaction.
Transaction Processing System
A transaction processing system can be defined as a set of policies, procedures, equipment and technology designed to facilitate transactions at the point of sale. Transaction processing systems have evolved alongside advances in technology to add convenience, reliability and security to business transactions. Just like the point of sale itself, transaction processing systems can take a variety of forms. A cash box and a pad of paper at a lemonade stand is considered a transaction processing system, for example, as is a complex software package that connects digital cash registers, credit card processors, inventory databases and accounting software.
Correlation
For every point of sale there must be a transaction processing system to accompany it. The correlation is so close that software-driven transaction processing systems are often referred to as POS (point of sale) terminals. Different point of sale situations call for different transaction processing systems, and new transaction processing systems emerge to facilitate new point of sale types. An online retailer, for example, would be unwise to use a hand-operated cash register to process transactions over the phone; instead, online retailers often rely on software transaction processing systems.
Other Applications
The point of purchase is an important concept for other marketing disciplines in addition to sales.