Launching ecommerce and popups

Owner of Complete Business Group, Carrie Kahn shares her expert tips for retailers. Carrie is a QuickBooks expert who has worked with retail business owners for over fifteen years helping set up systems for multi-channel selling and growth. She was recently featured on our Let’s Get Retail podcast to share her practical tips for streamlining the processes for ecommerce and popups. 

What’s ecommerce vs. popup  

Let’s define the difference between ecommerce and popup. 

Ecommerce is a way for retailers to sell online, usually through a website or social channel. Examples include the ones you’d imagine like eBay and Amazon.

Popup refers to selling outside of your physical store. One of Carrie’s clients is a school. During football games, students armed with iPads integrated with POS and boxes of t-shirts cruise through their stadium selling t-shirts. Because of their connected POS, their t-shirt inventory automatically updates in their school-based store.

Getting it right with multiple channels

Carrie has helped many retailers set up their systems, knowing they’ll need the flexibility to grow. She recommends QuickBooks Online as a system base. Retailers can then integrate a cloud-based point of sale (POS). Your POS gives you the flexibility to sell on multiple channels, including popups, instore or ecommerce. “The main goal of this setup is to have a single place which keeps an accurate, up-to-date inventory,” says Kahn. With the two integrated tools, a retailer can easily and flexibly add or remove selling channels.

Carrie recognizes that getting the initial inventory set up in any system can be difficult. Getting an accurate, physical count of products can be challenging, but is a mandatory exercise to ensure the system starts out with the right foundation.

“Everyone knows the frustration of ordering online only to learn your purchase is out of stock. This approach is to help retailers avoid out of stock issues,” says Carrie.

Steps for an integrated system

Accurate inventory makes the rest of the customer-facing selling easier. With connected systems, your inventory stays updated in real time whenever a product is sold through any of your channels. This foundation helps ensure you’re always ready to sell. Carrie recommends starting with an expert in retail. 

1. Find a QuickBooks Solution Provider who understands the tools and has a history of success setting up technology for clients. 
2. Ensure your POS integrates with your accounting system. This helps ensure your inventory stays up to date. Lightspeed and Webgility integrate with QuickBooks Online, creating a cloud-based foundation.

Carrie mentions “Like building a house, make sure your foundation – inventory – is solid and reliable.”

Invest in a flexible system for future growth 

It’s worth investing in the tools that will give you the right solution for growth.  

Here is Carrie’s step-by-step guide for launching a popup: 

1. Be sure to have the latest technology. 
2. Check if the device is connected to Wi-Fi or can access cell service.
3. Download and update all software and apps. Then ensure the apps to be used are connected to your cloud-based system.
4. Ask your app vendor about a contingency plan. What happens if you get locked up in a transaction? Prepare for the mishap.
5. Don’t overthink the credit card processing - it’s a cost of doing business. Research and know the industry standard so you can choose an option that’s inline. Don’t choose solely based on the percentage but rather the service. 
   
   • Ensure the processing integrates with your solution. 
   • Then check with your solution provider, who may be able to help you get a better rate than going direct.
6. Do a test run! This helps work out the questions and helps ensure your customer experience will be positive. 
7. Go sell!

Invest in your tools

Carrie recommends avoiding free options for tools and apps so you don’t run into challenges down the road. As you explore your options, think ahead to determine if your tool choices can deliver flexibility for growth, or can be upgraded for more functionality.  

Once your system is in place, be sure you and your staff become comfortable with day-to-day use. With this foundation in place, you can begin to discuss growth opportunities with your solution expert. Create a plan for growth considering your systems, products and cashflow. Lean into your solution expert to learn from their best practices and the successes of their other retail clients.

Unlock marketing 

With inventory and integrated systems in place, it’s a great time to begin exploring marketing options to drive sales to your new channel(s). You can determine which products/services you want to focus on selling. Mailchimp integrates into QuickBooks Online for a more complete view of your existing customers.

If you’d like help setting up your ecommerce or popup channels, get in touchwith a QuickBooks Solution Provider. And check out our retail page for more blogs and podcasts focused on helping you grow your retail business.

All opinions and advice expressed here are personal and do not represent those of Intuit QuickBooks. We recommend you work with a professional to assess your specific business needs. Additional terms, conditions and fees apply with app integrations.

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