New tools and solutions have emerged to help even the smallest businesses and budding entrepreneurs grow and succeed.
For example, Steepers, a multichannel tea merchant based in Campbell, Calif., uses cloud-based solutions from SalesVu for POS, inventory management and e-Commerce. As a specialty grocery merchant, Steepers sells a myriad of loose-leaf teas, fruit and herb infusions, herbs and spices, as well as teapots, kettles, teabags and other accessories.
Overall, Steepers is still a young business, with its store only being open for 19 months. The biggest challenge, according to Julie Davey, the retailer’s founder and owner, is “promoting the bricks-and-mortar business so the locals know of its existence.” Steepers also has a budding e-Commerce business, and Davey is using Facebook and Google advertising to drive awareness and traffic.
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Most small business owners and entrepreneurs typically have an employee or two to help with and marketing obligations. But as of now, Davey currently does the bulk of the work on her own.
“I spend many hours doing everything myself,” Davey said in an interview with Retail TouchPoints. “Ideally, I’d like to work in the store for three days and spend two days concentrating on marketing. I’m not at that point yet, but fortunately I have interns who are willing to help out.”
SalesVu also helps take the pain out of day-to-day tasks. And because the system facilitates POS, inventory and e-Commerce, Davey can manage and complete tasks more efficiently.
“Like any other entrepreneur, I spend hours and hours building the business so anything that eases the workload is a plus in my mind,” she explained. “If the POS, inventory and e-Commerce run smoothly, then my time is freed up to concentrate on the important stuff: Marketing! I love the fact that I can work with one solution to run my POS and use that same inventory to build the online shopping cart.”
Davey initially researched iPad-based POS systems that were affordable, had competitive merchant banking fees and contained features that allowed her to keep pace with new retail trends and consumer demands. “Many systems out there were strictly geared to restaurants and did not have such features as an inventory.”
After implementing SalesVu in 2013, Davey built all inventory into a spreadsheet and uploaded it into the system. “If there were ever issues, their customer support worked with me to fix them. I find their tech support incredibly helpful and they respond swiftly, which is huge.”
Now, Davey is focused on familiarizing herself with SalesVu’s new offerings, and providing feedback and suggestions for new capabilities. Specifically, “we’re looking forward to receiving Apple Pay functionality, which SalesVu says will probably be ready later this summer.”
