Most retailers know NCR Counterpoint as a powerful point-of-sale system, but its biggest strengths happen behind the checkout counter. Built specifically for retail, Counterpoint includes sophisticated inventory, purchasing, and business management tools that many businesses never fully implement.

If you're only using Counterpoint to process sales, you could be missing out on features that save time, reduce costs, and improve profitability every day.

1. Purchase Advice That Practically Builds Your Orders

Instead of guessing what to reorder, Counterpoint analyzes sales history, inventory levels, seasonality, and reorder points to recommend exactly what should be purchased.

How to Take Advantage of It:

• Configure minimum and maximum stocking levels.

• Review Purchase Advice before placing vendor orders.

• Factor in seasonal sales trends.

• Reduce over-ordering while avoiding stock shortages.

  
  

2. Special Orders Without the Headaches

When a customer wants an item you don't have in stock, Counterpoint lets you create special orders that stay connected to the customer from purchase through fulfillment.

How to Take Advantage of It:

• Train associates to create special orders instead of turning customers away.

• Track order status from one dashboard.

• Notify customers automatically when orders arrive.

• Capture sales you might otherwise lose.

  
  

3. Serialized Inventory for High-Value Products

Selling electronics, firearms, jewelry, bicycles, or other high-value merchandise? Counterpoint tracks individual serial numbers throughout the entire sales process.

How to Take Advantage of It:

• Assign serial numbers during receiving.

• Record serial numbers during checkout.

• Simplify warranty claims and returns.

• Improve accountability for expensive inventory.

4. Vendor Scorecards

Counterpoint stores valuable purchasing data that helps you evaluate supplier performance over time, not just pricing.

How to Take Advantage of It:

• Compare vendors based on delivery speed.

• Review fill rates and backorders.

• Monitor price changes over time.

• Use purchasing history to negotiate better terms.

5. Transfer Inventory Before You Lose a Sale

One store may be out of stock while another has plenty. Counterpoint makes it easy to move inventory between locations before it becomes a missed opportunity.

How to Take Advantage of It:

• Monitor inventory across all stores.

• Create transfer requests directly in Counterpoint.

• Balance inventory between locations.

• Reduce emergency purchasing.

6. Smarter Pricing for Different Types of Customers

Counterpoint allows retailers to create sophisticated pricing rules for wholesale accounts, contractors, VIP customers, employee discounts, and more.

How to Take Advantage of It:

• Create customer pricing groups.

• Automate quantity discounts.

• Set contract pricing for commercial customers.

• Eliminate manual price overrides.

7. Drill Down Into Your Business Data

Counterpoint's reporting tools let you move beyond simple sales totals to uncover trends in profitability, inventory turnover, customer purchasing habits, and employee performance.

How to Take Advantage of It:

• Review gross margin by product category.

• Identify slow-moving inventory.

• Monitor best-selling products.

• Schedule recurring management reports.

8. Manage Multiple Stores Like One Business

Whether you operate two locations or twenty, Counterpoint centralizes inventory, pricing, purchasing, and reporting while still allowing each store to operate independently.

How to Take Advantage of It:

• Maintain one shared inventory database.

• Standardize pricing across locations.

• Compare store performance side by side.

• Make purchasing decisions using company-wide data.

Get More Out of Your NCR Counterpoint Investment

NCR Counterpoint is much more than a cash register. It's a complete retail management platform designed to help growing businesses operate more efficiently. From automated purchasing and serialized inventory to advanced reporting and multi-store management, the tools are already there. The key is knowing how to use them.

At Soft Intelligence, we help retailers configure Counterpoint around the way they actually do business, ensuring every feature works to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and support long-term growth.

Ready to unlock everything Counterpoint has to offer? Contact Soft Intelligence today to discover how your POS can become one of your most valuable business tools.