Cloud vs Hosted. Does your supplier give you the choice?
‘Cloud’ technology has been talked about since the mid 90s in various terms. Hosted, SAAS (Software as a service) and lately people have embraced the term CLOUD. The NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) definition of cloud computing is “cloud computing is a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g. networks, servers, storage, applications and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.” The main benefits that IT companies talk about when selling cloud is the removal of the reliance on fixed servers, real time access to data, scalability and simple software upgrades. Although these benefits are acknowledged within the industry, it is important to consider that with cloud solutions there will be monthly charges whether for the application, the data or both. Dependant on the size of the business, often the payback for implementing a local server is seen within 18 months. It is also important to consider speed of delivery of data. Although we now have the benefit of faster internet connection with leased lines, there will always be a restriction to the speed of the connection whereas with local servers, there would not be this speed consideration. Many software houses have placed all of their development resource into developing purely cloud based solutions which offer all of the above benefits, but have had to implement various fail safes for the rarity of failure of service. However there are still many businesses out there that for many reasons still require a local server based infrastructure. This could be due to ‘internet’ connectivity reliability, security issues or the fact that it is far easier to utilise integration tools when all software is stored locally. As a well-established supplier of merchandise management solutions for over 25 years, Eurostop are fully aware of the various delivery methods that our customers require, and this why our solution can be delivered either in the traditional local server method or as a full cloud solution. Dependant on the estate size, each of these methods has its benefits but what Eurostop enable retailers to do is adjust the method as their requirements grow. A single store retailer may wish to have a hosted platform as they do not have the technical ability or resource to manage a server, backups and upgrades, but as they grow and reach a larger number of locations, they may want to start integrating other packages and therefore want to take the management of our product and data in house. At the other end of the scale a retailer may already have a server array in their business and wish to install our products onto this array. With cloud only solutions it is normally the provider who decides which Hosting provider you will be working with, and this may still mean that you are having to work ‘cross platform’. The most important thing to remember is that it should be the functionality that is most important to your organisation and not how it is delivered; as Eurostop can offer both.
Ask the Eurostop Expert
At Eurostop, customer support is key to the personalised service that we provide. This month, Manjit Sanghera our Assistant Support Manager shares with you some of the questions that our customers have asked us. If you have an issue that you need assistance with, please log your call with Eurostop Support. Question “Am I able to see the daily till transactions for a specific branch, at head office without connecting to the tills?” Eurostop “There is a report in e-rmis called ‘Transaction Log report’ which is one of our latest Pos-manager reports. This shows the transactional breakdown” Question “How do I see what movements have taken place on one of our products – we had 10 in stock in the Warehouse at the beginning of the week but I am unable to find out why there is now only 5 in stock.” Eurostop “Two useful reports which can be found in e-rmis under ‘System Functions’ are the ‘Audit Report’, which shows all historical transactions by date or week range, and the ‘Authorisation Report’ which can tell you when transactions have been confirmed/authorised on the system.” Question “How can I zero all the stock for one of our branches, do we need to do a write on/off for each item or do Eurostop have to do something to zero it for us?” Eurostop “You can actually use Stock take to zero all the items for that branch. Simply create a stock take batch for one item with zero quantity for that branch and when you process the stock take it will zero that one item and also all items which are not on that batch. This will result in all the items having zero quantity.” Question “When customers are visiting us in store, I’d like to take the opportunity to update their details, can this be done on our tills, or does it have to be done via Head Office? Answer “You are actually able to edit the CRM details on the till. Search for the customer record then select ‘add’ which will then give you the option to either add a new customer record or edit the existing customer details.” Question “I want to find how much we have taken today. How do I do this without having to pull off a report on each till?” Answer “You can run the ‘Flash sales’ in the Back office options which will give the total takings for today for all tills.”
The man at the top – Richard Loh
Richard Loh, Founder and CEO of Eurostop, has a personal motto: “The higher you reach the closer you get to achieving your goals”. It is a maxim that inspired the software entrepreneur to build a global retail systems company with customers and offices in some of the most challenging and emerging markets. Growing up in Malaysia and from a young age, Richard had dreams of becoming an entrepreneur – his incentive was to turn his 10 cents daily allowance into 50 cents, so that he could afford his daily lunch. This motivated Richard to open his first ‘office’, working after school from his home where he sold kites and ice cream, creating his first profitable turnover. At the age of 18, he managed to convince Bata Shoes to let him compete for their Graduate Trainee Programme. There he passed a week of rigorous exams and began as a trainee executive. Richard worked hard and progressed through the ranks from trainee executive to store manager, area manager and finally to head office as a merchandiser. He believes this retail training gave him the discipline needed later in life to successfully develop and build his own business. In 1970, Richard left Malacca, his city of birth to chase his dreams and he headed west for the UK. His first job was at K Shoes as a sales assistant. Twelve months later, he moved to Lady at Lord John as a cashier. Within three years his skills were recognised and he celebrated being appointed Merchandise Director of Lady at Lord John. When Lord John was subject to a takeover, Richard’s career took a new direction. He appreciated the growing potential of IT systems, and took the decision to join Honeywell Bull (who at the time were the fifth largest computer company in the world) as a retail consultant. Here, he established and built on relationships with colleagues that were to later join him at building Eurostop into the company you see today. Richard also worked with many of the Tier 1 clothing and footwear retail companies in the UK gaining important knowledge and experience which was to prove invaluable for what was to be ahead. From shoe seller to software entrepreneur Eurostop was born in 1990. Richard knew now was the time to use his retail experience and set up his own company developing a stock control system for the fashion and footwear industry. Starting with just himself and 2 developers, Richard was determined in his belief that he could design a better system than anything available on the market. With no proven track record his first multi-store customer was won with just a promise and a handshake. Twenty five years later, Eurostop’s internationally renowned EPOS software is used in more than 30,000 fashion, footwear and general merchandise stores across the world. Offices in London, Singapore, and China have been established to service the growing demands for the Eurostop systems. High profile customers include Ann Summers, Anta Sportswear, Aquascutum, Ben Sherman, Charles & Keith, Joseph, Speedo, Trespass, The Face Shop, Vertu, Help for Heroes and Marks and Spencer Franchise. With the blistering pace of technological advancements, Richard continues to keep Eurostop at the forefront of the market with his drive and enthusiasm. His integrated suite of software is constantly developing, with focus today on mobile technology and omni channel. Richard is actively involved in leading the firm’s expanding operation in China where Eurostop’s largest customer, the sports brand Anta Sportswear, has more than 12,000 retail stores. From gaining the trust of potential clients to running an established international business Richard has achieved many of his goals. He now goes out of his way to give others opportunities and help them fulfill their potential.
Meet the Eurostop Support Team
Gerard Maghoo leads the Eurostop London Support team where the ethos has always been to put the customer first. He is reinforced by his management team who have amassed 130 years of service at Eurostop and a wide range of retail experience within both business and customer service roles. This provides an unparalleled knowledge of the company, its products and a wealth of specialised expertise in the sector. Gerard studied at the French Lycee Charles de Gaulle de Londre and with his bilingual skills has been invaluable as the company continues its international growth. Starting his career as a John Craig export clerk, he soon progressed to take on the position of senior allocator and merchandiser at Lady at Lord John (part of the Raybeck Group). Gerard joined Eurostop in 1998 and now heads up the front line Support Department. “In my opinion, Eurostop is like no other company and prides itself in giving our clients the best support with minimum fuss. I have a dedicated team with lots of experience to support our clients. This year we will extend that support to 22:00, seven days a week (bar Christmas Day), when needed. I could not have asked for a better career path. Being part of such a company where we are not just a number but more of a family is very important to me. This motivates me and my team to ensure that the company will continue its success, not only in the UK but internationally.” Manjit Sanghera started at Eurostop as a Support Engineer 17 years ago and now assists Gerard in managing the Support Department. “I have seen the company and its products evolve over the years from DOS based products to the state of the art Windows solutions that we now offer. My main area of focus is not only ensuring that we don’t just ‘support’ our customers but place emphasis on the quality of service delivered. This will assist our customers in meeting the growing challenges ahead of them.” Francis Adjei has now completed 11 years of service with Eurostop and holds the position of Engineer Supervisor. He and his team are responsible for e-pos rollouts. “I have learned a lot from working with some amazing people. As the e-pos engineer supervisor, I have to manage various rollouts with technical expertise. This includes defining, reviewing and validating hardware requirements and solutions. It has been great working in such a team; each project has come with new and different challenges, this is part of what excites me about my job. I have seen Eurostop grow to become an international company, established within the market and a leading provider of retail solutions. I have had great opportunities to travel around the world installing tills and training clients and have made many friends along the way.” Kumar Ramanathan joined Eurostop 18 years ago after completing his MSc degree in Computer Science. He has worked his way up in Eurostop from being a junior programmer to IT/Systems Manager and now heads the IT System/Infrastructure team. “Over the years, I have enjoyed learning new technologies to keep up with current IT trends and have played a pivotal role in server installations and giving third line support to clients. I have extensive experience in Systems Administration, Server Security Analysis, Systems Auditing, Systems Engineering and BHT scanner programming. I am also a technology specialist in Microsoft platforms with core focus on Enterprise Business Servers and SQL / IIS Administration. I have assisted and advised many companies with their IT requirements and enjoy working on projects both internationally and in the UK.” Raj Rajeswaren completed an MSc degree in Information Engineering and then joined Eurostop Support in 2001 as a Technical Support Technician. Raj’s initial role was to maintain and configure e-pos hardware for installation and support. He is now Technical Support Supervisor and his role includes managing all of Eurostop’s application upgrades. “I run a team of dedicated staff within support to ensure that our customers come first. Having been in retail for so many years and dealing with five continents and different dialogs, my staff and I understand how to communicate with and assist customers in the best possible way to ensure the quick turnaround needed in retail.” Sabesan Sothinathan has over 25 years of experience within the retail sector including 18 years within the company. His experience covers working as an analyst programmer and e-pos Engineer and he now works on Application Support. Sab specialises in designing barcode labels for the manufactured items for the clients, e-rmis reporting and technical aspects of the system. Sab continues to gives his best support to the clients and the company. Jack Steckiw brings over 30 years fashion retail experience to the company. In the early days of his career he first began working with Gerard as an Allocator, and then joined the Eurostop support team 14 years ago. Jack currently works in Application Support on the frontline, and also plays a key role in discussing, testing and implementing new features. “With all the experienced staff available within Eurostop, I am constantly learning and gaining experience as our products are evolving.” Jeremy Rodrigues graduated in Electronic Systems Engineering. Jeremy’s formative industry years were in the design and development of security devices and systems. Having joined Eurostop in a development capacity, he was engaged in the design and development of Eurostop’s first and subsequent entries into the e-pos software arena. “My goal at Eurostop has always been to produce a robust, flexible and intrinsically user-friendly system capable of catering to the customer’s requirements irrespective of size. Through the years, the roles undertaken have allowed me to represent Eurostop in various capacities, in many countries, meeting numerous companies and their staff. The most satisfying feeling, having liaised on customer requirements, is to manage their implementation from pre-sales, to launch/rollout and through to maturity. An experience that I have enjoyed with many customers.”
Even more than service with a smile – what makes Eurostop different
At Eurostop we pride ourselves in not only providing applications and hardware, we also make it our business to understand your business. Most of us come from a retail background, so we really do get the challenges that you face and the process implementation that you need. However, it goes deeper than that; the whole DNA of our company is built around our dedication to serving our customers – we really do go that extra mile. Our staff turnover rate is very low, with over 40% of staff now having been with us for more than 10 years. This indicates a stable, well run business, and a commitment to delivering a great service to our customers. It also demonstrates the friendly, family atmosphere at Eurostop (when you visit our office, you will see what we mean). If you need to call us with an issue, chances are, the next time you call in a year’s time, you’ll speak to the same person, and certainly some of the same team. We appreciate how frustrating it can be to deal with multiple suppliers, the hardware supplier blames the software, and vice versa. At Eurostop we provide a one-stop-shop, so there is nowhere to hide. We take ownership of the issue and because we supply every component we are able to resolve the situation quickly and efficiently. Here are some facts that show just why the Eurostop service is so different We have over 20 years’ experience of supplying solutions for the fashion, footwear, apparel and lifestyle sectors. We have 55 staff in the UK, over half of them have been with us for more than 10 years. Our solution is fully scalable, so whether you have 1 store, or 12,000 stores with 24,000 tills (like one of our customers in China), you can rest assured that our software will be able to handle your requirements. And as you grow your business, the system will expand to meet your business needs. We offer full multi-language capabilities, both for the operator and the customer. Our mobile solution also offers Chip & PIN. The system can be configured as a cloud offering (so that you don’t need to worry about servers and software updates), or it can be installed in-house, depending on your requirements. Our in house support team operates 364 days a year. We have our own stock of tills, so if disaster strikes, we can have you up and running again very quickly. Our in house installation team means that over 95% of installs are performed by our own highly experienced staff (The other 5% are via trusted third party consultants who also have experience of our systems). We provide a dedicated project manager for every installation. We have an in house training facility where we provide hands on experience with the software. At Eurostop, service is ingrained deep within our culture. We think like retailers, we approach each project with one aim in mind, to deliver the best solution to our customer. Whilst service with a smile is always welcome, with Eurostop you get much, much more.
Eurostop’s first open day proves to be a hit with our customers
On Wednesday 19th November we ran our first Customer Open Day. The objectives of the day were to provide an overview of the latest product developments and to share our road map going forward. Attendees had the chance to ask questions, interact with the software and network with other users of the Eurostop system. The customer feedback we got from the day was that the sessions were both informative and beneficial, and the lunch was very enjoyable! As a result, we have decided to introduce Customer Open Days as a regular event, and we’ll be running a number of sessions during 2015. The next one will be on Wednesday 4th March 2015. During January we will be sending out invitations, and hope that you will be putting this date in your diary. There are a number of functional updates to e-pos touch, and we will also be showing the latest version of mobile e-pos. To register your interest now, please email: [email protected]
Expanding into China – the green pastures of the Chinese retail market
According to the Economic Intelligence Unit, China is expected to overtake the U.S. as the world’s largest retail market by 2016. With the retail market in most of the developed world still recovering from the global slump, the Chinese market is viewed as providing greener pastures for retailers looking for expansion. The Chinese government is trying to change its development model more towards domestic consumption rather than dependence on exports. The result is that retailing in the world’s fastest growing economy is poised for growth. Changes in China’s socio-economic framework have also led to the emergence of a buoyant retail sector which thrives on the ever hungry Chinese consumer. Domestic retailers are already benefiting from this mounting retail appetite. Now we are seeing global retail chains looking to expand and take part in this booming retail market. To succeed in the Chinese market, it is important for foreign retailers to fully understand China’s legal system, business environment and culture. For example, there are certain legal limitations and restrictions in the Chinese business environment that companies in the West will not have encountered and may not be able to anticipate. Eurostop is a long standing UK based provider of retail systems for fashion, footwear and general merchandise. For the last seven years we have been building our business in China and other countries in Asia and intend to help others do the same. From our offices in Shanghai, Xiamen and Singapore we have been able to offer retailers in the region a strong, local support network backed up by the latest technology. Our retail management and EPOS solutions are used across China and Asia and are available in English and Chinese language options. We are already working with several well-known chains from the UK and USA now trading in China. Our largest customer is the sports retailer ERKE which has 7,000 stores across the country. Just recently, ANTA Sports Products Ltd (www.anta.com) selected Eurostop’s e-retail and e-pos solutions to support its rapid growth. This is interfaced with SAP. Already with 12,000 retail stores, Anta is looking to further expand across the whole of China and beyond. With the China economy offering huge opportunities for retailers looking to expand, we are poised on a retail wave. We have the experience and expertise to help customers to overcome cultural and legislative issues and seize the opportunities that this new market offers.
Expert Opinion: Phillip Moylan – Future Proofing Your Retail Systems
When looking at new retail, Epos or even e-commerce systems, it is important to make sure you select a future-proofed solution. However, it is sometimes easier said than done. You can’t know what the future holds, and with the best will in the world, our businesses don’t always move in the direction we expect. But what all retailers can ensure is that the systems they use are sufficiently flexible and adaptable to cope with most eventualities. A system that will grow with you First of all, it is important to select a system that not only meets your requirements now, but that is scalable and will expand as your business grows. Look at what other retailers in your sector, particularly those that you aspire to be like, are using. Just because you only have one or two shops now, doesn’t mean that you won’t have 10 or 20 shops in five years’ time. Live sales and live stocks are crucial as your e-commerce business grows and larger retailers use Estate Manager software to monitor, investigate and diagnose branch and web sales performance issues. Many retailers purchase very expensive systems as the business grows and, as a consequence, their long-term costs rise as they expand their head office team. If you don’t derive direct business benefits including economies of scale, paying for bespoke development work on your current system could be a viable alternative. It is also important to check if the system provider develops and supports the software and hardware. Many retail systems resellers do not have access to the software source code and are restricted in developing and fixing bugs in the software. Another thing to think about is that hardware support may be outsourced to reduce costs. Easy integration will keep your options open Ensuring that all your business systems speak to each other is crucial. It enables the fast flow of information enabling better analysis, improving commercial decisions. Your product and stock file is the lifeblood of your business, so make sure that whatever product you select that the Epos, stock control and retail management can easily interface with any other systems you use, for example your ERP manufacturing or wholesale system, e-commerce platform, planning, financials and warehouse logistics. Taking this approach means that diversification or changes are much smoother because you already have one core system. This also enables retailers to reap the benefits of best of breed solutions for e-commerce, mail order, Epos, wholesale, manufacturing and finance because the development time is shorter and as a consequence costs are cheaper and software is both more up-to-date and feature rich. Franchises and multi-lingual Epos Selecting a system that is multi-lingual is a must if you plan to open stores abroad. Being able to use the same system across all your operations at home and overseas saves both time and expense and ensures that stock can be managed centrally and that information is available to support company wide strategic decision-making. If you are considering having franchises, it is important to decide on the level of control. If you treat the franchise as a “wholesale customer” the franchise will buy products from you but you would have no visibility on how successful the products are as you could be reliant on piecemeal information coming back from the franchise. Waiting for them to rebuy each season is re-active rather than pro-active. Retailers can be pro-active and have clear visibility on sales within that market by purchasing Epos tills on the franchises’ behalf with connectivity to your head-office solution. It may be possible to offset the cost by renting them to the franchise. If the franchise already has a retail system, it would be advisable to generate company specific EAN codes and have an overnight product interface. E-commerce and m-commerce Having an online presence that has all the latest features is very important. Not only does it help to provide all the facilities to your customer that they expect, keeping up with technology also gives your brand credibility, and will reassure the first time visitor. As the whole, retail experience is now a combination of your store and your website, shoppers expect to be able to flip between the two almost seamlessly. This goes for the device that they access your website from as well. It could be a desktop in their lunch hour, a smartphone while they are on the train and a tablet in the evening on the sofa. It is important your website is optimised to look good and work well on any device. Choosing an e-commerce platform that automatically adjusts to the device it is being viewed from will ensure that your customers continue to experience your brand as you intended. Many retailers typically look to upgrade or refresh their e-commerce platform every couple of years to keep up with the latest look and feel. If you have your product information in an easily accessible format, changing your website doesn’t need to be a long drawn out and painful affair. Once you have agreed the design elements, it should be fairly quick to change. So in summary, to future-proof your retail systems and get the most from your investment in technology, choose a system that does more than you think you will need. Keep your product information in a standard file format that is easily shared with other business systems. Select systems that are flexible, multi-lingual and multi-currency, and that can run on different types of device. Phillip Moylan is sales and marketing manager for stock control and e-commerce specialist at Eurostop.