[RetailEdge Moderator]

We think that the RetailEdge pricing is pretty simple but we get this question a lot. Maybe it is too simple?

RetailEdge Pricing

The first workstation in a location is $450 (Client and Server). Additional workstations in the location are $225 (Clients only). The reason for this is that with the first workstation you are purchasing a database server ($225) for the location that allows all the other clients to access the data. You only need to purchase this database server once for each location.

How The Installation Works

A typical installation is done by installing the Client and Server on the primary POS machine in the location. When additional clients are installed on secondary workstations you will be asked to enter the IP address of the main POS machine. The RetailEdge client will then access the data on the main workstation through the database server on the primary POS machine.

RetailEdge licensing is typically controlled with the use of a USB dongle. When RetailEdge starts it looks for the dongle to determine if it is licensed. If it does not find a dongle it will run in "Demo Mode". Demo mode allows you to run RetailEdge and view data but not post it (read only mode). Some people choose to run client versions of RetailEdge in demo mode from a back office computer because they only need it for running reports, closings and exporting data to Quickbooks or Excel.

The beauty of the dongle is that it can be moved. So if you don't want to pay for an additional workstation license, you can move it from machine to machine. This can be useful if you temporarily want to post some data from another computer. For instance if after hours, you want to create some purchase orders on a back machine. Or if you have a license for a back office machine and you want to move the dongle to a front register for overflow during heavy traffic periods.

We can also virtualize license and not use the dongle. We do this sometimes for international customers who want to save on shipping or customer who are worried about the integrity of the dongle (<0.5% failure rate) or who are using RetailEdge Island (see below).

RetailEdge Island

Another product you can purchase is RetailEdge Island. RetailEdge Island is $450. This is because it, like a main workstation, includes a client and a server license. RetailEdge Island is typically a secondary workstation in a location. Unlike a client workstation, it has its own copy of data and will synchronize its changes every couple of minutes with the main workstation in the location. The RetailEdge Island has a number of advantages over a client.

Since it has its own data, you can be disconnected (hence the name Island) from the main data and continue to operate the workstation. This can be useful if you have the workstation on a laptop and want to bring the laptop home or on vacation and continue to operate the workstation (mobile POS). Also if you have a business that relies heavily on each workstation and can't afford for one of the workstations to be down if the network or the main workstation goes down (i.e., yogurt shops, grocery stores, convenient stores, etc.). And of course it is a good solution for businesses that want to have a temporary shop or popup or trunk show and want to just pull a register machine out to a location where there might not be a network connection. RetailEdge Island will just synch back up when you get the machine back into the LAN.