Epos Now has raised the bar for A Reader’s Heaven
The challenge: A stock-tracking nightmare
Paul Phillips and his team in Lithgow, Australia, use their Epos Now system to run a bubbly bookshop, A Reader’s Heaven, which plays a key role in Lithgow’s community!
The store has seen many changes since its opening over 25 years ago and has been on quite the journey, so managing it is a mammoth task! With 15,000 books and their other product lines to keep track of, A Reader’s Heaven has their work cut out to stay on top of inventory.
Early on, A Reader’s Heaven ran a simple database on the computer that kept track of all the stock in-store. Paul states: “I didn’t know exactly what stock was sitting on the shelves for long periods. And I started having bulging bookshelves full of books that hadn’t shifted in years.”
“When we sold books, we would write down the titles and then remove them from the database at the end of the day. Our Epos Now system has been a revelation for our business. Now, we have a printout of what has sold, and it makes our job so much easier.”
Getting started? As easy as ABC
Taking on a new point of sale is a huge undertaking for any business, and with so many products to stay on top of, Paul knew he was taking on a big task. But Epos Now focuses on making things as straightforward as possible.
“Setting up the system as far as categories, users, new products etc. was very, very simple. I can add one item in 60 seconds. Very easy.”
New customers at Epos Now have a dedicated staff member to help them through the first few weeks, and Paul was quick to mention how useful his manager was.
“Having access to an implementation manager was a godsend. That really helped us get on top of the major obstacles that we would have stumbled over without such help. And secondly, everything is laid out in such a way that making a sale is a simple process of scan, payment method, receipt. How much easier could it get?”
We asked how the rest of the team found getting used to the new system. Paul told us that Jo, his wife, sat in on the demo we gave him and remembered a lot of what she heard.
“Our third staff member took a little time to get the hang of it ... but it still only took probably 3 working days for him to be across all the possible sale types, payments, credit, back office and so on. And that is because the system is just so user-friendly.”
Keeping Paul in the know with easy-use sales reports
“As the store became more successful and began to grow quite quickly, I found I was having trouble knowing what I was selling or, more importantly, NOT selling.”
Equipped with Epos Now’s analytical tools, Paul can now access real-time reports on bestselling and underperforming products. His system also offers the team a rundown of each day’s sales, which Paul can print or export to other programs and devices.
“Now, we have a printout of what has sold, and it makes our job so much easier in that regard.”
Overcoming obstacles facing Australia’s small businesses
We asked Paul what he found were the biggest challenges to running his business in recent times. He felt the answer came down to Covid-19, but not for the reason you’d think.
“I believe that one of the lasting challenges from Covid-19 has been the uptick of people shopping online. The challenge for us (and other small businesses/sole traders) is to remain relevant. To provide customers with an experience that they can’t get online. To treat our customers as more than just an order number.
“We believe that online shopping definitely has its place, but we hope that going forward, we continue to have a place alongside it.”
Here at Epos Now, we’re glad to free Paul to focus on staying competitive and (during the pandemic) staying Covid-19 safe.
Epos Now, giving A Reader’s Heaven the options they need
As a bookshop owner, Paul is surrounded by business tools designed to help him in his work. But he doesn’t often notice the impact they have on his daily life. When it comes to his point of sale system, things couldn’t be more different.
“Epos Now has raised the bar for us as far as performance is concerned. So, do I recommend Epos Now? Obviously. But not just because of those things I mentioned – it is also because I have a business that has around fifteen thousand products at any one time. And for that kind of volume, I need a system that can do it all.”
Paul signs off by summing up the Epos Now system with typical bookstore eloquence:
“Thank you for creating a system that is generic enough to be manipulated to work for us – but specific enough to have the options that we need. That is no easy feat!
So, thank you!”
No, thank you, Paul!
Whether you run a bookshop like Paul’s, a butcher’s, a barber’s, or any other kind of business, Epos Now has the tools you need to make trade effortless. Request a call today and talk to our team about how you can simplify your operation or expand your business to meet your vision, all with Epos Now!