EPoS and Ecommerce Solutions for Independent Retailers

EPoS and Ecommerce Solutions for Independent Retailers

The future of independent retail is multi-channel. Successful independent retailers will need to have a real time, single view of customers, stock and orders. Ultimately the channel is for the customer to decide. Contents What is Cloud Computing? About Cybertill EPoS Ecommerce Mail Order Multi-Channel Back Office Professional Services Benefits of Cloud EPoS 2 2 3 5 6 6 7 8 9

What is Cloud Computing? All of Cybertill s software is cloud based. But what is cloud based software and cloud computing? Below is a brief explanation. Cloud computing means that instead of all the computer software you re using sitting on your desktop PC, or on a back office server in your shop or office, it s provided for you as a service by another company and accessed over the internet. Exactly where the software is located and how it all works doesn t matter to the user, it s somewhere in the cloud that the internet represents. About Cybertill The concept of Cybertill was first sketched out on a napkin in a pizzeria, by founder and current Managing Director, Ian Tomlinson, in 2001. It was in recognition that independent retailers needed to seamlessly manage their store(s), ecommerce site and if they had one, a mail order operation. At the time the techie term used to describe using software over an internet connection was Application Service Provider (ASP). The most common phrase for this is now cloud computing Cloud Computing allows retailers sales channels (shop, website and catalogue sales) all to share the same product and customer file from a single database. This enables visibility of live stock and sales data across the business. This idea caught on with retailers as they could see the benefit of reducing their IT spend and having real time data. When you fast forward to today there are over 650 retailers using Cybertill in over 4,500 locations with the ecommerce platform hosting over 300 ecommerce websites. The Cybertill platform processes over 1bn in transactions each year. Cybertill is the leading EPoS and ecommerce provider for independent retailers in the UK. Cybertill is based on the outskirts of Liverpool and employs over 100 people. Cloud computing and multi-channel may be common terms now but in 2001 Cybertill was the pioneer of cloud in retail. 2

The majority of retail business is still generated through stores. So most of the business still goes through the till. So an EPoS system is critical in making sense of the data about your business, sales and customers. EPoS Today maybe the age of the internet and ecommerce, but almost all independent retailers still generate the bulk of their business through their store(s). That means the majority of money coming into the business comes through the till. This makes the EPoS system critical in gathering much of the information about your business, sales and customers. Point of Sale Software: The Till 3 Cybertill s point of sale software is more than just a pretty face. It is easy to use and intuitive. And of course the till connects your bricks and mortar stores with your website and the rest of the business. The till system comes with an array of tools that allows retailers to offer a better service to customers, such as live stock analysis and the ability to transfer stock to and from different locations, check back orders, raise purchase orders and much more. The till can also help you the retailer to manage your staff: staff can clock in an out using the till and it has an instant messaging and an email facility. On the next page is a brief highlight of some of the tools our EPoS system offers.

How Cybertill can help you manage your business Live Stock Control For retailers it is all about getting the right stock to the right location at the right time. You master that and you boost your sales and bottom line. With Cybertill s EPoS system you have the capability to share stock in real time across your business. Cybertill also comes with many simple to use reports that will help you turn stock control into an exact science. It will give you an invaluable insight into your stock such as identifying your best and worst selling lines, your most profitable products. Purchase Order Processing Knowing what stock to replenish across your store(s) and website is difficult enough, without having to manage the purchase ordering and tracking of orders and deliveries. Cybertill automates all this for you. When you use the minimum and maximum stock levels or the stock algorithm it can calculate which product lines to order and the right quantities and it can create the paperwork for you. Loyalty & Promotions Multi-Channel Stock Control Cybertill seamlessly manages your stock across your sales channels. And as you have live stock levels customers can click and collect or reserve and collect all of which help you increases sales. A loyalty scheme is a great tool to increase basket size and shopper frequency. You can configure Cybertill s loyalty programme to either be a points, discount or reward based scheme. And of course Cybertill s loyalty programme works across all sales channels. Our promotions engine gives you a wide choice of promotions to use including; product bundles, BOGOFs and percentage discounts. We make it easy to manage your promotions and to make them profitable. Workshop Some retail businesses offer repair services, such as Jewellers, Cycle and Sports retailers. Not only is this often an additional revenue stream but it can help create loyal customers as they come to rely on the expertise and service. Our workshop facility enables retailers to manage the workshop and repair process, from booking work in, allocating staff time, logging and charging for parts used as well as notifying the customer when ready to collect. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Knowing your customers means understanding what they buy, when they buy and where they buy from. With Cybertill s CRM system you can track all this centrally, as you share the same customer database in your stores and online. Mobile PoS Retail has changed dramatically over the last ten years. One trend that has appeared in that time is pop up stores. Many independents have embraced the pop up store by having a presence at events, such as festivals. Retailers can t simply lug their EPoS system with them to the pop up store. This is where mobile PoS (or M-PoS) becomes an ideal solution. Cybertill s cloud based EPoS system makes deploying mobile PoS simple and straightforward. You can manage stock, process sales, collect customer details and do all things you would do with a fixed EPoS system, except its mobile. 34

Did you know... 67% of the population shop online. Online sales in 2013 were worth 38.83bn and grew at a rate of 16.8%.* Ecommerce Ecommerce is constantly evolving and with it so are consumers needs and wants, whether it is click and collect, social media integration, different payment gateways and so on. This means ecommerce sites have to continually change with the consumer. So how do independent retailers keep pace with this ever changing landscape? Hop from the latest platform to latest platform and have their site continually redesigned or stay with an ageing platform? The Cybertill ecommerce platform is constantly evolving and developed to meet the changing demands of today s consumer. It comes with the latest marketing tools and management facilities so you are able to manage the ecommerce site whilst integrating it with the rest of the retail business, so services such as reserve and collect can be offered. Cybertill also offers an array of ecommerce packages for ecommerce novices to experts. So we can deliver a bespoke build, design and management website to the other extreme of providing a self-build package for those retailers with ecommerce skills in house. We are here to support you all the way. Mobile or a Responsive Website? People using their mobile phones to search for products will soon overtake people looking on their desktop PC or laptop. This means mobile sites (these are websites designed specifically for mobile devices, such as smart phones) are a necessity for independent retailers. Although managing an ecommerce and mobile-commerce site can be fraught with difficulties, essentially as they are two separate websites. Therefore we develop responsive websites. A responsive website changes its appearance and layout based on the size of the screen the website is displayed on. For example responsive sites can be designed to make the text on the page larger and easier to read on smaller screens. Best of all a responsive website is a single website, so you only need manage one website. This makes managing an ecommerce site that much easier and it ensures the user experience is the same no matter if the user is on their laptop, tablet or phone. Already have an ecommerce site? Some independents already have an existing website they are happy with. If that is the case we can still link our EPoS application to your ecommerce site via a tool called a SOAP Link. This essentially allows data to pass back and forth from the EPoS system to the website. This then enables stock levels and products to be regularly updated. 5 *Source Centre for Retail Research

Website Design Our in-house team has experience of designing and building hundreds of websites. We work with our customers to deliver the websites they want, whilst where appropriate offering our advice along the way. Our design services can also include re-designing a retailer s logo and brand. Mail Order For some independent retailers mail order can be one of its main sales channels. This means all mail order enquiries need to be dealt with quickly and professionally. With Cybertill s Sales Order Processing a mail order transaction can be taken at the till or at the head office or indeed anywhere and all with real-time transparency of stock. This means the mail order sales team can process orders knowing that products are in stock and can be picked from any location, a warehouse or store. Multi-Channel Retail The future of all retail is multi-channel. Successful independent retailers will need to have a real time, single view of customers, stock and orders. Ultimately the sales channel is for the customer to decide. Today your retail business has to be consistent in its approach throughout all sales channels and operations. This means offering customers a variety of ways to buy and return products and interact with your business. To meet and exceed your customers needs you need a multi-channel retail system. Cybertill provides a true multi-channel retail system in the cloud. It comes with an array of tools including EPoS, ecommerce and mail order that help retailers take a seamless approach to all their sales channels. 6

Back Office As an independent retailer you are always busy and on the go. Whether that s in-store, working from your office or home, meeting suppliers or visiting trade shows. When you are not in your business you still need to know how it is performing. So you need an EPoS system you can access no matter where you are. With Cybertill you can carry it round in your back pocket. As our EPoS system is cloud based this gives you numerous advantages, but critically for back office management this delivers one fundamental benefit, which is management can access the Cybertill EPoS system from anywhere, anytime, anyplace. So it makes it extremely easy for you to obtain the information you need that allows you to make the right decisions for your business. With easy to access reports the information is always live and available. You can access Cybertill anywhere from any device such as a smartphone or tablet. So you get all the information you want whenever you want. It s like carrying your office around in your back pocket. 7

Professional Services At Cybertill we understand that once you have invested in our system that is when you will need our support. We offer a variety of services, some standard and others bespoke, that help you get the most out of your investment into Cybertill. Training When you invest in any EPoS system you are investing in your business. So it is important you invest your time in learning how to use it. We don t offer half day remote training sessions as a way of keeping our prices artificially low. We typically offer three days of onsite training. This face to face training gives you the support and knowledge to properly learn how to use the system and more importantly get the most out of your investment. Otherwise with a lack of training you end up having an expensive glorified till. Support Cybertill offers an extensive support service, from phone support that is available 365 days of the year to online support services, to ensure that customers get their queries resolved quickly and efficiently. At Cybertill we don t use third parties or resellers to support our system, we have in-house support. So everyone on the support team is fully trained on the system and is solely dedicated to supporting our customers and no one else. Our team are also based in the UK, at our head office, so they are available when you need them. Free Software Upgrades We offer free bi-monthly software upgrades. This is all managed by Cybertill so a retailer you simply log on and use the software. This helps ensure you are using the latest technology in your business. Digital and Web Services We can offer a variety of web and digital services. This includes services that will help improve your website s performance in search engines as well. We can provide Search Engine Optimisation service that will help improve your website s performance in search engines as well as additional services such as social media consultancy and website design. Project Services Our project services team work with you to help you implement the Cybertill system. So whether that s helping supply the infrastructure, such as broadband, or simply arranging delivery of hardware and training times, they are on hand to ensure a smooth transition to Cybertill. 8

Still not sure which EPoS system to choose? We know choosing the right EPoS system can be a minefield. So why not request our brochure about Choosing the right EPoS system for your business. In the meantime below is an infographic that highlights the benefits of Cybertill s cloud EPoS system. Benefits of Cybertill s Cloud Based EPoS and Ecommerce Systems: Single Product & Customer Database Cloud based EPoS systems have a single product and customer database. The business shares this centralised database (stores, online, warehouses, head office) so there is only one version of the truth. Real Time Data With cloud based EPoS systems there is no need to poll data overnight as you have live stock and sales visibility across the business; in-store(s), online, warehouse(s). Access anywhere, anytime The system and data can be accessed anywhere, anytime all in real time. So you can stay in control and manage your business no matter where you are in the world. Lowers Costs The total cost of ownership (TCO) is reduced by cloud based EPoS systems. Expensive servers aren t required and upgrades are free. It can also remove the need for an in-house IT resource. Free Continual Upgrades With cloud based EPoS systems you don t get stuck with out of date software. Retailers get access to the latest version of the software for no additional cost. Seamless Retail Experience Consumers today demand a seamless retail experience. The buzz word for this is omni-channel retail. Integrating cloud based EPoS system with ecommerce or other systems is much easier with a centralised cloud based platform. Click and Collect Today s consumers value convenience and service. Cloud based EPoS and ecommerce systems enable retailers to offer vital services such as click and collect. Integrated Ecommerce Cloud Based EPoS systems, like Cybertill, give retailers an integrated ecommerce and mail order applications, making it easy to sell online, over phone as well in-store. Ecommerce Management An ecommerce site s product information is generated simply by maintaining the EPoS application. This makes managing multiple sales channels straight forward. Scalable Many retailers buy for today and not tomorrow and when they grow issues arise. In the cloud adding new stores can be done in minutes. And bringing an ecommerce store online is quick and seamless. 9 Online even when Offline What happens with cloud based EPoS systems if the internet fails. Cybertill provides offline sales in-store even if connectivity is disrupted. Safe and Secure Having your data in the cloud is more secure than on your premises. Multi-billion pound environments dedicated to data storage and safety versus servers at a head office that are designed around securing hardware and data.

The future of independent retail is multi-channel. Successful independent retailers will need to have a real time, single view of customers, stock and orders. Ultimately the channel is for the customer to decide.

www.cybertill.co.uk 0800 030 4459 enquiries@cybertill.co.uk @cybertill Cybertill Ltd, Clock Tower Court, Knowsley Park, Knowsley, Merseyside L34 4AQ