This article talks about booksy, and how it will be using its new capital to add more features. Booksy is the first mobile booking app for appointment-based businesses. It is a great app for barbers, hair dressers, masseurs, etc. This app makes it easier for both customers and business owner to schedule an appointment. In facilitating the appointment process this helps business owners to have returning customers. It is said that most appointments are made after business hours, so booksy helps with this because the business owner does not have to answer the phone. Booksy does not only book appointments but also has other features such as CRM, marketing automation, inventory, management, point-of-sales, reports, the management of commission for the employees, and now with their new capital they will have in-app payments.

Cloud-based systems are a great way to keep track of a business anywhere you are. They are also great to keep people connected and informed of what they need to know. Sage Intacct is a cloud-based accounting software that is great for hotels, restaurant chains, entertainment venues, resorts, clubs, or other hospitality businesses. It automates hospitality accounting and financial management to give greater visibility into one's business and help make decisions to boost profitability. With the system, your staff can enter and view information for specific properties and locations, without seeing the financials for other sites and businesses. It has features such as franchise operations, fractional ownership, global business units, and other complex holding structures. The greatest part of this system is that it helps keep up with evolving revenue recognition requirements. The system is also great for different ways of measuring performance by viewing accounting and finance information of individual locations, groups of locations, concept, region and/or other dimensions.

This article was very interesting. It is a short read but it talks about the future POS systems and it is a very cool and definitely increase customer satisfaction. The article mentions five examples which are image scanning, quick sales/mobile POS, RFID, Biometrics, and digital product tracking. Image scanning would recognize items on a conveyor belt so it will eliminate human error like double scanning and will speed up the process. The implementation of quick sales/mobile POS will also speed up the process of check outs by allowing associates and customers the ability to purchase anywhere in the store. RFID will ensure accurate scanning and product security. Instead of a tag on the garment a RFID transponder is printed directly into the cloth or packaging using biodegradable conductive inks. Biometrics will improve store operations and customer experience by personalizing the experience for each customer. Digital product tracking will eliminate the need for checkout lines. This will be done through the customers' mobile device, tracking the items on there and then transferred to the POS or self-checkout. Then a digital receipt will be sent to the mobile device. This article at the end is exciting because of what the future holds for POS systems.

This article is very interesting because it talks about how establishments like Sports Authority and Toys 'R' Us are out of business due to e-commerce sites like amazon, ebay, Jet.com and others. It explains how businesses can adapt to an era of e-commerce. The first thing a business can do is to consolidate inventory, in other words have all the inventory in one single pool instead of different channels like brands have done before. The second thing is to establish a two-day shipping network, here the article explains how consumers expect immediate gratification with online orders. We see grocery stores doing this but with faster shipping within hours. The third thing one can do is leverage from an existing e-commerce channels for visibility. A business can sell its products on networks that are already established such as amazon, Jet.com and ebay. The fourth thing a business can do is use brick-and-mortar channels to increase exposure, meaning using physical stores such as Sports Authority and Toys 'R' Us to help increase exposure. It explains that drop shipping to these companies will help sales, 0% of all retail purchases still happen in physical stores. The final thing a business can do is use its resources. It is important to have an e-commerce expert on your payroll to grow the business online which will help in sales and stay on top of the this era. The article finishes by explaining that adaptability is the future of retail, which I believe adaptability is the future for any business. It is important to adapt and keep making things easier and more convenient for consumers.

This article is about how hotels should take advantage of solar energy. Hotels are becoming more green, whether it be by switching to LED lighting, more efficient equipment, key card that deactivate power in the room or movement sensors in corridors, they are doing what they can to be more energy efficient. However they should do more by installing solar panels. Solar panels will save tons of money in the short run and the long run. Government is giving lots of benefits to the companies that are going green. Hotels that switch to solar panels can receive tax credit. There have been hotels that save an average of $7,400-$8,800 per month when they switched to solar panels. I believe it will be very beneficial for many businesses to switch to solar panels.

This article discusses how technology such as the internet, Reservation systems, computer systems and mobile communication are being used in hospitality & tourism. Internet is the first system the article discusses and how important it is for a business. It is a tool many consumers use in order to make a decision so it is important to have the business website user friendly and attractive. The next technology is reservation systems and how it facilitates and reduces the cost of a business by reducing call volume. Here it talks about reservations on traveling sites like Expedia but I also thought about reservations for a dinner at a restaurant that is a technology that is being used as well. Computer systems are an important way of communicating between branches and locations. This is very important with how many businesses are being more global. Last technology this article talks about is Mobile communication and how they use it to send notices or even to advertise like when a user is on an app.