J2 580s and LOIS software now running Brighton-based shops and website
J2 580s and LOIS software now running Brighton-based shops and website
She Said, the lingerie and adult gift boutique, has invested in a new electronic point-of-sale (EPoS) technology solution from specialist providers, J2 Retail Systems and LOIS Systems.
The solution comprises chip and PIN-compliant, PC-based touchscreen J2 580 tills, together with integrated EPoS and e-commerce software from LOIS. For both suppliers, this contract marks their move into the adult retailing sector.
She Said’s founder and managing director, Nic Ramsey said: “I’d failed to convince myself that web and store-based integration could work as I needed it to and was considering two separate systems. What LOIS offered me was designed to make multi-channel operations work seamlessly.”
The She Said business, with its boutique tucked away in an alley off Brighton’s famous ‘Lanes’, was established eight years ago. In common with many independent retailers, it used cash registers without connectivity between shop and online store until recently. This was constraining the business in terms of stock management, particularly limiting what could be sold online.
A long search for true integration
Plans for expansion included developing the online channel, with greater integration with store-based business. Ramsey spent two years researching the software market and was on the verge of committing to another product when she met Steve Waller, co-founder and managing director of LOIS Systems.
Ramsey continued: “LOIS had been developed by Steve Waller for his own fashion business, and for the small chain of shops that I aspire to have. I found the system very understandable and easy to use. It’s also scalable, and will work for one, two or more shops as I develop the She Said brand.”
“I was impressed with the software and with Steve. I also knew that a number of other local businesses I respect had taken LOIS. I’d watched them grow and was reassured.”
When it came to recommending PoS hardware, LOIS Systems turned to its preferred partner, J2 Retail Systems. Steve Waller explained: “The She Said environment is small and intimate. I knew the J2 tills would be ideal in a setting that relies on atmosphere. Being fanless, the J2 580s are completely quiet. As they can also be bracket-fitted, they free up the entire counter space.”
Hardware aligned with software and expertise
Ramsey agreed: “We went for the integrated J2 tills, which are quite a neat system. The machines are discrete and take up very little room. We’ve merchandised round them so they look at home, fitting in as if they’d always been there.”
She Said is now starting to enjoy the hoped-for integration of the web site and store sales. “Thanks to our new system, we’ve been able to look at our web site with fresh eyes and a different approach. It can now be a growing part of our business model, essential for survival in the current climate,” added Ramsey.
The system is also improving stock management and facilitating some crossover stockholding with sister business, Tickled, which is located nearby. “The system allows us to carry slightly less stock overall and to share stock,” she said.
Ramsey now feels that the She Said business is equipped to expand and to remain competitive in the current climate. “We’re seeing a shift in how people are responding to the adult industry,” she concluded. “Buyers are now more likely to be women, and they’re discerning about how and what they want to buy. Our growth is being driven by responding to what customers want.”
