MWSF: Xsilva's Lightspeed point-of-sale system

Montreal-based Xsilva Systems demonstrated LightSpeed 2.5 at Macworld Expo this past week, showing users how the software works with touchscreen computers. CEO Dax Dasilva guided MacNN through the workings of LightSpeed, pointing out the iPhone-like functionality of Cover Flow integration. Users can browse through products or customers using Cover Flow, giving retailers a visual overview of their database. Licensing for LightSpeed 2 starts at $750, and is available through Xsilva's online store.

The "Parking" section on the right of LightSpeed's main window allows users to stow and retrieve products, customers, as well as a number of other different elements. This gives sales staff the opportunity to easily juggle multiple items during the decision making part of a sale, making quotes and sales simple to modify at the customer's whim.

Smart Finds allow users to locate very specific information quickly, by taking multiple criteria to narrow down search options. LightSpeed can also call up information on related products, such as cases or accessories for a particular iPod, filtering out duplicates or already-chosen items for a clean interface.

Moving through to the point-of-sale front-end, the interface spins around using Apple Core Graphics services. Detailed customer information is visible, including pictures of the individual, as well as a final list of what products they are walking away with. The right-hand pane shows product pictures and information for the selected line item, with a button for checkout located underneath it. Checking out causes the center pane to spin around, revealing a number of different payment methods

Managers are able to keep tabs on business operations through their iPhone, by calling up a web-app that shows information on sales, staff, and more. iStats – recently featured on Apple's iPhone apps page – requires a web host and FTP account to function, and will update statistics based on a set interval.

LightSpeed's multi-store stock transfers allow larger store chains to manage product allocation, as well as generate reports that can be used with accounting software, such as MYOB or QuickBooks. Lightspeed also integrates with other business software, such as Marketcircle's Daylite planning software.

Filed under: iPhone, software
Other story tags: POS, LightSpeed, MWSF, front-end, XSilva, iStats