The year was 1900. Two salesmen set off looking for opportunities to sell shoes in the far reaches of the world. After a few weeks that they’d been gone, the first salesman sends a telegram back; “Situation is hopeless! Nobody wears shoes here”. The second salesman, however, wrote quite a different message – “Glorious opportunity! They don’t yet have any shoes here”.
Making the most out of market opportunities requires the right perception – a product of both knowledge and creativity. Knowledge, in an ever-changing world, is one of the most valued assets sought by businesses in any market. It allows for measured risks and informed decisions – two of the most important ingredients in a successful business.
Cracking the Maze Code
Data has changed the face of how businesses operate in any given market. Acquiring and using data is the holy-grail for businesses where competition for the customer’s attention is stronger than ever. Having operational data gives businesses the competitive advantage needed to learn and adapt to the changing needs of the market, iterate and succeed.
Business software can allow a wealth of data to be gathered and processed, providing businesses with the automation and opportunities to expand in a digitized world. Through different software and hardware components, the entire process can be automated and optimized saving the business money and increasing market accessibility.
Much like a team’s effectiveness can be measured by their ability to communicate with each other without bureaucracy, software and data should be able to communicate with each other flawlessly in a way that only systems built to work with each other can.
Many systems are localised for the Maltese market as an after-thought, leading to expansion restrictions, bugs and compatibility issues.
A Local Solution built for the Local Market
In the retail sector, Shireburn Software has made great strides in both the local and international markets when it comes to offering a modular, end-to-end solution. From single-location stores, through chains and franchises, shopping malls and airports with hundreds of stores, Shireburn caters for every commercial setup at the right price point with all of the required options to expand operations when needed.
Shireburn’s POS is the front-end component of the retail solution, providing a configurable Point-of-Sale solution with an easy-to-use interface optimised for touch screens and bar coded products. It offers all of the functions required to run and promote your business including a built-in punch clock for recording staff attendance, promotional and discount schemes. It is also internet-ready allowing you to check stock levels for an item across multiple stores in real-time.
Complementing the POS solution, Shireburn also offers a stock management solution that has been designed from the ground up to work seamlessly with the rest of the Shireburn Business Suite. With sales, purchasing, distribution and inventory modules available as required, it offers complete control over the entire process whilst remaining cost-effective and modular enough to grow with your business. Since it is designed for the Maltese market it is also fully compatible with local laws including tax, shipping and other reporting requirements and is supported by our local team.
As your business expands online, Shireburn’s eStore provides real-time connection to Shireburn’s Inventory Management system ensuring you never miss a sale whilst developing your customer’s trust in your business as a dependable and trust-worthy choice. This greatly reduces your workload allowing you to focus on running your business.
Tying it all together is Shireburn Business Intelligence that runs ad-hoc and pre-set reports and graphical dashboards on real-time data giving you the insight and information required to make decisions right when it matters most.
Shireburn’s retail solution offers a true 360 degree, multi-channel solution ensuring that the entire process is catered for without hindering the data process flow or profit whilst supporting you in boosting your business’s performance.
Contact us if you’re looking to improve your retail revenues.
As first published in Money Magazine May 2015 issue 30. Click here to view e-mag.