Share:
Your love for animals goes as far back as your childhood memories of when you confided secrets in your furry, fluffy, feathered, (and perhaps scaley!) friends… but it sure didn’t stop there. Instead, you, the die-hard pet store owner, opened up your business to help pets and pet owners on a much larger scale. But with technology changing every year, customer’s tastes changing every other day, and all the speedbumps of any small business owner, how are you supposed to devote the time needed to choose the right point-of-sale (POS) system? Luckily, we’ve got your covered. Below, we’ve produced a list of 5 essential modern POS features pet store owners need to look for in order to make their life easier.
In addition to the “cool factor” of checking your customer (and their pets!) out on a modern pos that runs on a sleek iPad, switching to a cloud-based tablet gives you the mobility and security to make your customer’s experience an enjoyable one! With a modern POS like Bindo’s, you can store your data on the cloud, access it from anywhere inside or outside of your store (yes, at home too), and even ring up customer purchases right from the comfort of the aisle. For example, if the customer is buying a humongous dog bed near the exit, you can check them out right there without them needing to come all the way back to the check-out counter (if it’s thaaat far). When shopping in-store with an excitable poodle, the last thing a customer wants is a long check-out line – why not shorten unnecessary wait times with a modern POS like Bindo?
Whether you need to keep track of doggie biscuits, pony shampoo, kitty litter, hamster wheels, or iguana leashes (oh yes, they exist), tabulating your inventory by hand at the end of each day is the absolute most wasteful way to spend your (and your employees’) time. A newer, more modern POS like Bindo is not only able to automatically update your stock and sales data, but it will allow you to access real-time stock reports and notify you when a particular product (like the ever so popular cat, Meow Mix) is running low. Does your store have a large number of products? No problem, unlike other less modern POS providers, Bindo is capable of handling an unlimited number of SKUs. You can even place multiple orders to your pet-product suppliers all from the ease of Bindo’s POS.
Even though running your pet store has become increasingly complicated given the amount of technology and competition out there, the solution itself can be as simple as plug-in, create an account, and go – which will definitely give you an edge over competitors. If part of the appeal of switching to a modern POS system is the time it saves you, spending lots of time setting up your system just doesn’t make sense. Look not only for an intuitive interface, but for a helpful and, most importantly, reachable service reps who can walk you throughout the installation process. Look on their website: Do they offer 24/7 service? Do they at least have a support line for you to call? Surprisingly, some POS companies don’t even have a number to call. From installation to SKU integration, choose a POS provider who will be there every step of the way, via email, phone, text, Google Hangouts, Skype, etc.
Pet-owners can be a real finicky bunch. Today they like organic Norwegian salmon-based snacks for their precious four-legged pal, tomorrow they want gluten-free dog biscuits. Many modern POS systems like Bindo’s can create customizable data reports that allow you to filter by top seller, highest rated, most profitable, or even frequent buyers. Now that you have the data, you also need a way to integrate all that information into your business. Do this with a comprehensive Loyalty Program like the one Bindo offers where you can reward your frequent buyers with in-store credit, create sales on popular items, produce custom gift and/or loyalty cards, and generate long-lasting relationships with happy customers and their pets.
Some pet owners are shifting from the traditional in-store experience to pampering their pals with items bought online from their computers or even from their mobile devices. Things like giant fish tanks or huge kitty playgrounds are sometimes just too large for your customers to carry home. Sometimes your customers may look to pick up some aquarium fish feed on their way home from work, but want to make sure that you have it in stock. With a modern POS system, they can can order it through their mobile devices beforehand and pick it up from your store before heading home. Even though your in-store experiences with customers and their pets are very important, you still need an online presence. Bindo’s modern POS system is the only one on the market that will aggregate your products and service listings on the cloud, and require just one click to make everything accessible on the Web, on mobile, and, of course, in-store!
Your love for animals, like your business, has and will continue to grow – choose a modern POS system like Bindo’s that will go where you go and grow as you grow.
Today, we’re writing to make sure you’re aware of an awesome tax deduction, available only in 2013 – Section 179. Section 179 of the IRS tax code lets you deduct the full purchase price of qualifying equipment and/or software purchased or financed (and put into use) during the 2013 tax year. In other words, you may be able to deduct the full amount of your Bindo contract.
This week, we talked to Johanna Chan, the Greater China distributor of Ril Creed, a Tokyo-based handbag brand. Not only did she introduce Ril Creed from Tokyo to the biggest department store in Hong Kong earlier this year, Johanna also launched their products 2 months ago in Taiwan.
