When the founder of SkyStreet Retail improved his business’ retail operations by 40% using his own cloud based PoS & Inventory Retail Management System he wanted to share his retail software solution with his fellow retailers.

In 2006 what started as a vision of developing a better web based software solution for his retail business turned into an enterprise of its own – Retail Express in Australia and SkyStreet Retail in the UK. Aaron Blackman, founder and CEO of both companies explains: “I knew I needed web based software that connected my inventory and sales across my operation and web store in real time. When I couldn’t find that on the market – I decided to design the software myself and hire a software developer. Over several years of continuous development I eventually had a cloud based PoS & Inventory Retail Management System which literally improved my retail operations by around 40%. That was the moment I decided to sell off my existing retail business, and focus all my energy on improving and marketing retail software solutions”.

Today, Retail Express in Australia and SkyStreet Retail in the UK enjoy revenues of around seven million a year, growing at 40% per annum.

Embracing the online future

Since the launch, the retail market in Australia and the UK has changed significantly with retailers becoming far more accepting and trusting of cloud technology, where previously they were very hesitant to have their data in the cloud, Aaron Blackman tells us. “Even though online sales are growing at an almost exponential rate, many retailers are slow to embrace the online revolution. Physical store retailers need to move with the times and embrace this channel as a way to generate more sales for their business,” he says.

Successful retailers understand that an effective and powerful EPoS system is an investment in the future of their business, states Aaron, and that to successfully implement a new EPoS system, retailers need to be ready to consider how they want their business to operate both now and in the future. For example, “They need to consider how they would like their product categories setup, so that they can extract relevant reports from their EPoS system”, he says.

Overall Aaron advises retailers to ensure they purchase a user friendly, easy to operate system which their staff can use with minimal training.

Focus on the client

Retail Express and SkyStreet Retails’ clients range from retailers operating single stores, up to retailers with 50+ stores. Building positive client relationships is at the core of their agenda with formal Product Enhancement program in place to manage client expectation. “We take the suggestions from our clients and consider these closely for inclusion in future releases of the software”, Aaron tells us. “Our retail clients are certainly providing us with some great feedback on our product and how they would like it to change in the future”, he adds. Right now, SkyStreet Retail is investing heavily in the redevelopment of the ‘back end’ of its software system to provide retailers with even more enhanced features and some great new ways to improve and grow their retail businesses.