Oracle Netsuite Review
Detailed customer management & profiling
Attractive, tablet-based interface
Unified online and in store experience
Built-in reporting tool
Pros & Cons
- Strong support
- Flexible options for serving customers
- Integrates with Oracle’s CRM and ERP systems
- Many technical support options and resources
- High and non-transparent pricing
- No “off the shelf” integrations
- No self-service demos or trials.
Plans & Pricing
SuiteCommerce InStore is a high-end point of sale solution and there’s no “off the shelf” pricing available. To obtain a quote, you need to contact the NetSuite sales team. Oracle offers a “no obligation” product tour of SuiteCommerce. Again, this is available via the sales team, so it’s not possible to simply download and play with a demo. In many cases, customers purchase InStore alongside other SuiteCommerce modules, as part of an all-in solution. The pricing for this is always bespoke and based on your exact requirements. We should emphasise that SuiteCommerce InStore is aimed at large enterprise retail businesses, and priced accordingly.
Overview
SuiteCommerce InStore is part of the comprehensive NetSuite solution from tech giant Oracle. It offers a point of sale system best suited to large retail businesses with multiple locations. SuiteCommerce has a focus on making detailed customer and inventory data instantly accessible via a friendly touch-screen interface. It can also integrate with a wide range of other Oracle enterprise systems, including their ERP and CRM solutions.
Features and Functionality
“360 Degree” Customer Data
SuiteCommerce InStore makes a rich set of customer data instantly available to its users. The system stores extensive information about each customer’s purchases, returns and interactions with the business.
Fully Cloud-Based
SuiteCommerce InStore is fully cloud-based. This provides considerable flexibility in terms of accessing the system from anywhere, and negates the need for lots of on-premise hardware. The system runs on “off-the-shelf” tablet devices.
Company-Wide Inventory Management
As previously stated, SuiteCommerce InStore is aimed at larger retail businesses. The system capably deals with multiple global stores and warehouses, making all inventory information instantly available to every user. This can come in useful in various situations, such as when you need to locate stock in another branch to fulfil a customer order.
Multi-Channel Sales
SuiteCommerce supports the way modern consumers shop, and “unifies” operations between physical retail stores and websites. It makes it easy to maximize sales from each customer, thanks to full visibility of how they interact online. Many shoppers browse and order online, and visit stores. Thanks to the depth of customer data, an in-store assistant could, for example, identify items previously added to online carts and offer them as an on-the-spot upsell.
Multiple Language and Currency Options
You get multiple language and currency support baked into SuiteCommerce InStore. This is a definite plus-point for companies who have a global presence (or aspire to one!)
Hardware Requirements
SuiteCommerce InStore is browser-based and accessible from anywhere. However, it’s intended to be primarily used via a touchscreen mobile app. This is available for Apple iOS and Windows. In the case of the latter, the documentation specifically recommends Microsoft Surface Pro devices.
Oracle doesn’t provide an online catalogue of supported supplementary hardware. However, the system supports the key mainstream brands for items like cash drawers and receipt printers. These include Epson, Star and APG. If you require a barcode scanner, SuiteCommerce supports a range of models made by Socket Mobile.
Integrations & Add-ons
Many POS providers publish a large list of mainstream software that can integrate with their products. SuiteCommerce InStore has a rather different approach. As part of Oracle’s NetSuite, it’s assumed that you’re more likely to integrate with other Oracle modules, for example CRM or eCommerce. That’s why there’s no list of popular names such as Shopify and QuickBooks.
That said, the bespoke nature of Oracle NetSuite and the presence of an API means that it is possible for developers to build extensions to provide custom functionality. There will, inevitably, be a cost attached to this, so it’s important to note that it’s very different to an “app store” approach to integration.
Ease of Use
SuiteCommerce InStore is highly customizable, and it’s possible to create an attractive and intuitive POS system for in-store use. On the flipside, this is an advanced product. Initial configuration can feel overwhelming, with an abundance of options. The initial roll-out of enterprise products such as this often involves system integrators or product specialists. There are some complicated settings, so it’s far from a “plug and go’ scenario.
Customer Support
As you would expect from a tech giant like Oracle, there are many high-quality support options for SuiteCommerce InStore. Everything is delivered via a central “SuiteAnswers” portal, which also provides support for other NetSuite modules.
-
24/7 Help & Support
Oracle provides 24/7 support for all of NetSuite, including SuiteCommerce. Exactly what you have access to depends on the solution you choose. If you need 24/7 support and are willing to pay for it, it’s available. -
Phone Support
Telephone support is available for SuiteCommerce InStore. There are both toll-free and international numbers available. -
Live Online Chat
There is live chat pre-sales support available for NetSuite. However, post-sales queries are dealt with by phone or ticket submission. -
Email
Email support is available via a ticketing system. All NetSuite users submit their support requests via a password-protected portal. -
Video Tutorials
Oracle provides an extensive library of training videos for all modules of NetSuite. -
FAQ
There’s a refined and extensive library of FAQs and support guides available to NetSuite customers. -
Community Forum
There’s a busy community forum available to all NetSuite users. -
Blog
Oracle operates a large blog that covers the entire NetSuite product range. There are some POS-relate articles, and others covering wider NetSuite functionality.
Final Word
SuiteCommerce InStore is definitely at the corporate end of the point of sale spectrum. This is top-end enterprise software that’s best suited to larger retail businesses and likely too costly for smaller concerns. However, for its target market it’s great fit, and particularly appealing to those who already use other NetSuite modules. Large retailers who want to boost sales by learning exactly how their customers shop should certainly think about requesting a product tour.
Leave a Reply
Leave a comment
Join the discussion by writing a question or comment in the form below.
Leave a comment
Join the discussion by writing a question or comment in the form below.