ONESYNC : Point of Sale (POS) system with RFID - based payment and sales forecasting for optimized food business services. 6

Undergraduate Thesis: (Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering) - Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, 2024. 56

5

ABSTRACT STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM: Current payment and inventory management systems in producer-consumer transactions are inefficient. Existing methods are slow, error-prone, and not user-friendly, leading to poor customer experience and lost sales for vendors. Additionally, vendors lack sales forecasting tools, leading to overproduction and food waste. These issues negatively impact both customer satisfaction and vendor profitability, highlighting the need for improved systems. With these in mind, the research aims to answer the following question: 1. How can the implementation of a Point of Sale (POS) system improve transaction efficiency in PLM cafeteria? 2. How can the implementation of a Point of Sale (POS) system enhance user-experience in order processing? 3. How can the development of OneSync App optimize order volume and track product stocks? RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: The OneSync system was developed using a combined Design Thinking and Agile methodology. Design Thinking, with its user-centric focus, guided system design by identifying user needs and pain points. Agile methodology, implemented during development and construction, ensured flexibility and responsiveness through iterative sprints and continuous testing. The three integral components-the OneSync App, Reader, and Card-were all developed and constructed. Th OneSync card utilized RFID technology for canteen payments, with unique identifiers embedded in each card's RFID tag, allowing access to the database via the OneSync reader. The OneSync Reader comprised an ESP8266 and MFRC522 RFID reader for card identification, facilitating wireless real-time data transmission to the database via the Android app and displaying feedback messages using an SSH10x OLED Module. Lastly, two Android apps, Vendor and Customer, were created, allowing vendors menu management, order creation, and sales tracking, and customers balance checking and transaction history; built with Flutter for accessibility, Firebase for real-time data sync, and Google Collab's Jupyter Notebook for sales forecasting. After the development of a user-friendly and efficient system, it was validated through comprehensive testing, including Black Box testing, usability surveys, and time-based efficiency measurements. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS: The OneSync Point of Sale (POS) system, incorporating RFID payments and sales forecasting, was successfully implemented within a small-scale food business, demonstrating significant improvements over traditional manual systems. Statistical analysis revealed a significant increase in ease of use with p-value of 0.00010446 and a substantial reduction in payment processing times with p-value of 0.00649286. Black-box testing validated the system's functionality, including real-time inventory tracking, and short-term sales forecasting using a simple feedforward neural network (FFN). However, limitations in data availability affected the accuracy of long-term forecasts incorporating seasonal variations. Overall, the OneSync system showcases the potential of RFID technology and sales forecasting in enhancing the operational efficiency and customer experience of small-scale food businesses. CONCLUSION: The OneSync Oint of Sales (POS) system, integrating RFID payment and sales forecasting, was developed to address inefficiencies in the PLM Cafeteria. Statistical analyses were used in determining the significance of ease-of-use and time-based efficiency, conforming its effectiveness compared to the existing system. Black box testing validated core functionalities like real-time inventory tracking, and short-term sales forecasting. The sytem's success aligns with previous research highlighting the benefits of POS systems and RFID technology in enhancing food service operations. While further refinements are possible, OneSync's positive results suggest its potential for broader implementation in similar settings with enhanced efficiency and customer satisfaction across the small-scale food business sector. RECOMMENDATION: Based on the findings, the researchers have identified several key areas for improvement and expamsion within the existing system: 1. Improve sales forecasting by incorporating advanced models such as RNN, LSTM, ARIMA, Prophet, and additional transaction data, including seasonal trends. 2. Enhance the OneSync system's design and usability by adding features like a best seller section and improving the user interface. 3. Integrate payment gateways such as PayMongo, Finverse, Brankas, and Xendit to streamline cash-in and cash-out processes. 4. Expand OneSync's use within the school environment by integrating it with school IDs for various transactions and access points. 5. Apply the OneSync POS system to other small-scale food establishments and retail SMEs. 6. Strengthen security measures with multi-factor authentication, strong passwords, and end-to-end encryption.

5