When Luke Fines realised his ambition to capitalise on the growing trend for keeping reptiles and spiders as pets by opening a retail outlet called Reptasia, he turned to an EPoS solutions provider with decades of experience in developing specialist retail software.
“I started with a blank slate,” explains Fines. “As a new business, I had a lot to think about and needed to know I had an experienced technology provider behind me. SPEDI came with a personal recommendation and gave me real comfort by offering me support 12 hours a day, 364 days a year.”
When it came to proposing the ideal hardware platform for the new business, SPEDI turned to its long-term partner J2 Retail Systems (now trading as AURES Technologies UK Limited) and proposed J2’s latest EPoS terminal, the J2 625.
“This new model offers the latest technology, high performance and reliability, all at good value for money,” explains SPEDI managing director, David Mendus. “It requires little or no maintenance, which is important to a young business watching its costs.” The spill-proof and dust-proof J2 625 comes with an easy-clean screen, ideal in this hygiene-conscious environment.
System performance and reliability on the new EPoS solution has been good. The team of four staff have found the touchscreen-based terminal easy and accurate to use, whether changing prices and product details or ringing up sales using product-defined hotkeys.
Customer loyalty is also managed as part of the SPEDI solution. “We have a lot of repeat business,” says Luke Fines. “We have already registered 330 loyalty accounts for customers who buy a lot or buy regularly.”
For an owner-managed start-up business, management information is critical and Fines relies upon the reports his EPoS solution generates. “I use all the Financials reports and have just completed my first VAT return. That was brilliant; the system automated everything.” He analyses sales by time period so he can fine-tune his opening hours and staff presence. He also uses the system-generated weekly sales reports to guide his order placement.
“Thanks to my EPoS system, I know my best and worst sellers, when I am running over and under stock and where I achieve high and low margins. All this really enables me to understand my business, which is critical for a start-up. I’ve done the right thing by investing in technology from the outset.”
“Our business has exceeded all expectations in its first 6 months,” concludes Luke Fines. “In the beginning we were selling tortoises like there was no tomorrow. We then sold a lot of chameleons but, overall, our most popular line has been royal pythons (with prices ranging from £60 to £3,000!).
He observes that the success of the reptile industry is something of a secret. “Reptiles are the biggest pet industry in the UK. By 2015, more reptiles will be kept as pets than dogs and cats!”
