RetailT
echnology
from Xero, the team compare weekly and even annual sales to help them keep track of items that are selling well and inform future buying decisions. One of the biggest challenges they
face is that, unlike larger stores, the small shop has to think carefully about buying large volumes of any one particular style or brand of shoes or clothing, something many manufacturers insist on. “I think this system has been good at
letting us know more, giving us the bigger picture so we’re not buying where we can’t afford to,” says Fergusson. “You know what you’re buying because you knew it was selling last year so you can compare. You know how much you need to spend each season merely because you’re comparing it to last year’s results. It’s directly informing our stock buying decisions.” Having brought in Xero last year, the
Juney Shoo team increased its technical capability further in March this year by introducing the Vend add-on app. Stock details are uploaded to the system so
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that, when serving a customer, Shaw and Fergusson can see the size, style, colour and price of any item using a tablet device. “When they come to pay, I simply select the payment type and the invoice automatically shoots through to Xero and reconciles,” explained Fergusson. “This has saved me loads of time because I don’t need to enter the sales invoices any more. It’s also cut out the likelihood of
human error in terms of any sales that have not been added. So we know when we look at our totals at the end of the week or month that we’re seeing the right figure.” The immediacy of the tablet has also
allowed Fergusson to answer questions on the spot. “If you weren’t sure of what something cost, you can now go straight to the iPad and avoid guesswork. You’ve got your retail price and your cost price and you’re not making selling mistakes.” As well as helping the team save time
and keep on top of stock and cash flow, the use of Xero and Vend over a tablet- based PoS solution has changed the
Juney Shoo customer experience. “We have sofas and even a catwalk to create a comfortable and fun atmosphere, but we were a bit surprised about how much the in-store tablet really adds to the customer experience,” she said. I want customers to come in for the experience of the shop and when you take out the iPad it looks so much more modern.” Fergusson has also noticed that there
are fewer bargain-hunters asking for a discount since she started using the iPad, which she says is great for preserving margins. With the shop firmly on top of local demand, in future, Juney Shoo is looking to use the flexibility cloud technology offers to bag more sales. Specifically, it is considering opening
its doors to prospective customers who live further afield by offering an e-commerce element to its website. “I’m so used to our new solution that I find it hard to look back and remember how I did it before,” said Fergusson. “I’ve already seen differences in terms of sales.”
Autumn 2014 51
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