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E-commerce and Self-Order Kiosk solutions increase winery sales by 48% over the previous year

 

Located in Bark River, Michigan, Northern Sun Winery prides itself on producing a wide variety of award-winning wines. All of their wines are grown, produced, and bottled on-site at Anthony Vineyards. 

Northern Sun Winery, like all Michigan businesses, was ordered to close down March 20, 2020. They had a steep drop in wine sales in the last 2 weeks of March and saw an 89% decrease in sales overall. 

In order for them to stay afloat during this pandemic, they decided to implement a series of tools to help them increase their sales across the business and also allow them to sell the products that they would usually sell at the gift shop online. SalesVu’s e-commerce solution and smartphone branded app increased their web presence and boosted their sales, and the self-order kiosk got them ready for contactless payments in their tasting room once businesses could reopen. 

‘The SalesVu support team was very responsive in quickly pivoting my wine sales from tasting room experiences to online ordering and website sales. Amazing service, great communication skills by the staff’. – Susie Anthony

Online sales quickly took off, with customers very pleased by the user-friendly online shopping page and payments process. Not only did it allow them to weather lock-down, they found that they actually experienced an increase in sales compared to their pre-Coronavirus business. 

‘Thanks to the website builder our April and May wine sales actually increased by 48% compared to 2019.’ – Susie Anthony 

In order to reach customers through different channels, they also created a branded app for the business, which allows customers to place orders, view previous orders, and browse products easily from their mobile devices. The branded app is gaining popularity among the younger crowd, being available on the iPhone App Store and Android Google Playstore, and it’s customizable to match the business’s brand (logos, splash screens, pictures, colors, etc). 

Northern Sun’s tasting room has been allowed to reopen again and they have implemented a number of business policies to ensure a safe and socially-distant experience for old friends and new customers to enjoy their wine and food selection. The OrderUp kiosk, which they installed in the tasting room, has been a game-changer for social distancing, protecting both customers and employees from unnecessary contact. 

Susie uses a combination of SalesVu’s Sales and Orders reports to analyze sales by channel. With the Orders report, she is able to easily identify the source of the order, i.e. from the website or branded app, as well as manage order fulfillment and delivery. The sales report helps to break down the sales by POS and Kiosk station and allows her to analyze which stations are generating most sales.

The SalesVu online tools have been a lifesaver for Northern Sun Winery during a rocky time for the food industry and with the dramatic increase in sales compared even to pre-pandemic business, they are pleased to have adopted the new sales channels and plan to keep using all of these tools to increase online presence, grow their sales, and to maintain their customers’ safety even after restrictions are lifted. 

Looking for the perfect gift? Check out Northern Sun’s website and smartphone branded app to view their wide variety of products and place your order for pick-up or delivery!

 

Posted in RSS, Wineries

SalesVu Kitchen Display – A key way to go paperless

                                   Incoming by SalesVu is a iPad based kitchen display that allows users to go paperless. Seamless with the SalesVu and Square POS, heres how it is beneficial to Ryan over at Cocoa Coffee House

We’re a small quick service coffee shop but we serve a large American tourist market on a beautiful Bahamian destination called Harbour Island.  During our season our mornings especially can get chaotic and crazy in a matter of minutes.  And, because we have one iPad register if there is any confusion regarding an order, having to retrieve or query it slows down our operation.  We have long queues so when a customer has been waiting in line for any length of time, we prefer to not disrupt the flow of cashing to query another customers order.  Enter incoming!

With incoming this issue was solved so efficiently we wished we deployed the app sooner.  When considering where to mount the iPad POS  for the KDS, we were initially hesitant as we have an organic vibe and we were worried about looking commercial.  As soon as we deployed the screen however it literally folded right into our operation and did not take away from our overall feel.  We were able to use our older iPad as our KDS running incoming so its a good use case for older hardware.  We placed our screen in a convenient location between the kitchen and Barista floor because we realised that incoming was an excellent compliment to both functions.  

In the kitchen we still print receipts, but using incoming the team can quickly reference large orders, reprint orders and ready individual items in the order so that we operate in a more systematic and efficient way.  Incoming also functions as a time-clock so when team members join the shift in a busy time they are not interrupting the cashing workflow by clocking-in for their shift.

Looking to the future, we would like to deploy mobile ordering.  With incoming, the team will be able to utilise the order pickup and ready features to interact with customers in the mobile app letting them know that their order is ready.

We see SalesVu incoming as a necessary element for any busy operation seeking to be more efficient, seeking to grow (with delivery and mobile), and boost customer service. 

–  Ryan (Owner of Cocoa Coffee house)

 

 

Posted in Brewery, Restaurants and Bars, Wineries

Three Things to Consider When Choosing a Restaurant Self-Service Kiosk

 

Like an ever-growing number of restaurant owners, you may have decided that the many benefits of self-service kiosks — including higher ticket sizes, reduced wait times, and improved efficiencies — would make them a good choice for your business. If you’re ready to take the next step and start shopping for your solution, here are some things to keep in mind.

 

  1. Spatial Ergonomics

As they say in real estate, it’s all about location, location, location. Every square foot of your restaurant needs to be optimized for maximum efficiency and workflow, so you’ll need to give some careful thought to where your kiosks should be placed. Self-service kiosks are meant to enhance the customer experience by moving diners through your lines more quickly and with shorter wait times; but consider where they will wait for their meals, and how the kiosks should be incorporated into your floor plan for best traffic flow. You’ll also need room for more than just the ordering screen; there will likely be peripherals for payment processing and receipt printing.

 

  1. Durable and Highly Responsive Touchscreen Technology

Users will already be familiar with the projected capacitive touchscreens on their smartphones and personal tablets, so they should be comfortable ordering from a tablet-based kiosk. Projected capacitive touchscreens generally tend to be durable and have a relatively long life because there are no moving parts to wear out. The screens require only light touches to operate (and some can even be used with gloved fingers, depending on how sensitivity is adjusted), so customers won’t need to bang on them like manual typewriter keys. They also have good optical properties, enabling restaurant ordering screens that are easy to read and full of appealing graphic images.

 

  1. Point of Sale Integration

One of the most important features that restaurant owners want from self-service kiosks is easy integration with their point of sale (POS) software. The kiosks need to be able to communicate and share real-time information with several other POS functionalities. For example, with integration, kiosks can update your inventory levels as orders are placed, so that customers aren’t trying to order items that are out of stock (and if your inventory management system is good, it won’t let you run out of popular items). When the systems are connected, any menu or pricing changes are applied across the board, ensuring a consistent customer experience no matter which ordering option they use.

 

Integration with your POS System also allows kiosks to access customer information such as purchase histories, allowing them to make personalized upselling suggestions based on customer preferences. If the customer is a member of your loyalty rewards program, POS integration ensures that they can earn and redeem rewards when using the kiosks. Integration also enables the purchase and use of your branded gift cards at the kiosks. All of this sharing of POS data increases customer convenience and satisfaction.

 

When choosing the right self-service kiosk for your restaurant, you also need to look for a knowledgeable vendor. SalesVu’s OrderUp App creates self-service kiosk functionality on an iPad and fully integrates with our other POS solutions, all backed by 24/7 customer support. Contact us today to find out more about how our products can improve your business.

 

Posted in Beauty and Wellness, Brewery, Professional Services, Restaurants and Bars, Wineries

Tresori Vineyards started using SalesVu POS system in 2012 and they couldn’t be happier!


 

Tresori Vineyard is a small wine boutique located in Newberg, OR. They are a family business that started in 1997 and they produce their own Pinot Noir wine bottles and commercialize them in the region. David Walker shared with us their great experience with SalesVu and why they decided to innovate and start using a POS system.
 

‘In 2012 we started our journey with SalesVu, it had a very good price point and we decided the system fit into our business plan. We found the system browsing online and we look for recommendations as well. We talked to some people about SalesVu and thanks to the great reviews we decided this solution was perfect for Tresori Vineyards’ – David Walker
 

David and his team are using the Ipad POS module and it has been great with keeping track of the historical data. They produce a couple of specific pinot noir bottles every season and what they love the most about the POS is the ability to run sales reports, per general sales, categories or products. Basic analytics are available with the this module and are great to run any type of business. In Tresori Vineyards they also sell merchandise as t-shirts or caps but 99% of their sales are wine and they were able to get that information using the POS module and the specific reports.
 

David also uses the inventory module to keep track of wine bottles. He is always working offsite and he loves that he can login from any city and monitor every sold product and his stock remotely. He uses this feature on a monthly basis to make sure all wine bottles are deducting accordingly and to keep track of what they receive from their warehouse.
 

  

 

SalesVu offers 24/7 support and David shared with us his experience so far, he describes tech support as very easy to get ahold of and extremely helpful with any issue.
 

Looking for the perfect gift? Check out below Tresori Vineyard’s social media and find out if shipping is available for your state. Or if you’re in the area don’t forget to visit them and buy some Pinot Noir bottles.
 

   

Posted in RSS, Wineries | Tagged ,

6.0 has launched!

SalesVu 6.0 just launched and is now available in the Apple Store! In case you haven’t already updated your apps, we highly recommend you do because we came out with a lot of new features that will surely be beneficial to our valued merchants. Here is a complete list of the new additions we have just added in 6.0 – clicking on the feature will automatically redirect you to our Knowledge Base where you can find detailed answers and video guides to any question you may have.

  1. Customer Facing Display 
  2. Waitlist SMS Text Message System
    1. How to notify the customer their table is ready
    2. Assigning the customer a table
    3. Setting up the waitlist time on the web portal
  3. Removing a discount on the P.O.S
  4. Vantiv EMV Chip-Card Reader Integration
  5. Customer Based Discount
  6. Improved Tip Screen
  7. New Appointment Scheduling Improvements
  8. Improved Physical Location Map/Layout Screen
  9.  Improved Customer Screen
  10. Ability to Change Delivery Method and Date
Posted in Beauty and Wellness, Health Clubs, Professional Services, Restaurants and Bars, Retail, RSS, Uncategorized, Vape Shop, Wineries

Country Porch Winery wishes they have known about SalesVu iPad POS System and Employee Schedulling years ago.

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Country Porch Winery started a winery business in a large warehouse north of Cortland,Ohio by teaching wine making, selling homemade wine supplies, and starting their own winery. Wine, cookouts, and great music from local bands, Cortland Wine Cellar enjoyed a busy and fun five plus years of business. They met and made new friends and customers all while planing the perfect location for their winery. Country Porch Winery has been a work in progress for many years after joining the wine industry in 2006 and SalesVu iPad POS System is proud to be the official credit card processing system that helps them accomplish their goals and drive sales.
Debbie Belts and Sheila Fisher are the co-owners of D&she Inc. Who set out to find a location for their own winery to open in 2012.
“As small business entrepreneurs for 17 years running a fulfilling shipping company a MYO wine store along with a farm produce and antique market,  we knew we would need a good POS system to take care of their front counter, relay information to the kitchen and staff, take care of their customer needs and maintain their inventory, along with capturing all of that information in an easy to use format.”
The fit came naturally when in 2012,Sheila, the office “techie”, did some research and found SalesVu iPad POS System.
“The current POS systems available on the market are just not complete enough. We had previously used a standalone accounting POS system that was cumbersome and time consuming, but after reviewing and demoing several POS systems that were specifically designed for the wine industry Sheila sought out the options of a more updated system using iPads and the cloud as interactive solutions.  It was at this time she found SalesVu along with several other cloud-based POS systems.”
Country Porch Winery told us that upon demoing and reading the SalesVu iPad POS System customer reviews and industry based comments, they tried to teach the other owners and staff  that SalesVu was exactly the system she was looking for that it exceeded their needs and expectations
“Currently, we are using SalesVu iPad POS System on two iPads with a kitchen and receipt printing along with customer information and inventory modules.  It is really easy to ring customers out assisting them with their orders, reviewing their items and printing everything in the kitchen. At the end of the day, employee management and scheduling on the online clock goes on, and of course, the most important tool, the statistical and financial reporting  has made SalesVu invaluable to our small business.  We are looking to grow with SalesVu and the industry. All I can say is I wish I found SalesVu years ago for the other businesses I owned and managed!”
And we look forward to see you thriving too!
Follow Country Porch Winery of social media accounts by clicking any of the icons below and visit their website 
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Posted in Restaurants and Bars, RSS, Wineries | Tagged ,

“Inventory Management is Why I Love SalesVu iPad POS System so Much”

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Northern Sun Winery is an estate grown winery located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  Everything in their wine bottles is grown on site. The business includes a tasting room, a small gift shop and hosting events such as weddings.  They can also deliver their wines! They use SalesVu inventory management and simply love it for its convenience and simplicity. Northern Sun winery thinks inventory management is among the top features of SalesVu.

 “We needed a mobile POS system because our tasting room does not have phone or Wi-Fi service.  We are located in a desolate location.   We also can deliver our product to stores or customers, this way I can ring their sale on site accepting cash, check or credit card.  It is very convenient for our customers increasing their satisfaction.”
 

We talked to the business owner, Susan Anthony and she gave us her opinion about the SalesVu inventory management system. For Susan, flexibility and lower credit card transaction rates were a must when searching for a business management solution.

 
“SalesVu is my first POS system and feel very lucky I got the best.It is hard to pick out a favorite thing, it’s like looking at a picture and picking out one subject.  The whole thing is great.That being said I like that it keeps track of my inventory, COGS, taxes.  Taxes are huge because I need to really keep on top of that not only on the state, but also on the federal level.  I also really like that I can easily obtain my monthly sales of wine for filing purposes.  I can break the sales down by time, day or month.”
 
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According to Susan, SalesVu has helped Northern Sun Winery substantially. She says they can now accept credit cards, thus they can make each of their clients feel more comfortable with the transactions. Cold, hard and old cash is a thing of the past. Now everytime she gets foreign customers, SalesVu is perfect for their payment selection.

“SalesVu is priceless. What I paid for it has returned in so many ways to my business. SalesVu inventory management has given me comfort, tranquility, automation, and more importantly customer satisfaction.I must say that I tried the Quickbooks integration a year ago; however, I am not planning on using it this winter.”
 

If you are one of those people who think wine is bottled poetry, be sure to check Northern Sun Winery’s webpage and like them on Facebook clicking the icon below. 

 

Posted in Restaurants and Bars, Retail, RSS, Wineries | Tagged ,

“Every business should have an iPad POS System like SalesVu”

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Enjoy craft beers and fine wines in a cozy Downtown Rogers bar in Arkansas, featuring  crafts Arkansas beers and fine wines from around the world. Business owners Rick and Naomi were previously the owners of a Farmers insurance Agency a few blocks from Brick Street Brews and have chosen SalesVu mobile POS solution as their business management tool.

“We knew we wanted to be convenient for the people on the way to Beaver Lake or the Rogers Little Theater or any of new restaurants around the downtown area. Then we got to work and created a place we want to share with all our friends, including the ones we don’t know yet.”

We asked them why a mobile POS solution and they said the cheapest and the most convenient way to receive any type of payments at very affordable credit card rates, was under SalesVu mobile POS platform.

“Another Local Brewery gave us the recommendation, and certainly we made the right decision. Customer service is always available for us and they treat us very well every time we call with numerous questions. All business should have a mobile POS platform like the one SalesVu offers. As new business owners, SalesVu is our first POS. We are very satisfied with our choice and we are certain our happy customers are too.  We feel we are updated to nowadays technologies and included in the business trends”

Brick Street Brews owners believe that the best features that SalesVu has in comparison to other competitors is that is really easy to use, has a great variety of services that complement the overall SalesVu business management tool.

“SalesVu mobile POS has low start up cost and the mobility and reach is great. SalesVu have helped us grow and become better partners and offer not only great quality beer, but also a great quality service at the cash register. By choosing SalesVu mobile POS, we have chosen to save more than 3,000 dollars or more.”

Brick Street Brews uses the Quickbooks integration that SalesVu provides and their experience using it has been exceptional. They would recommend all other users to explore this option and enjoy the helpful resource it can become.

If you enjoy good beer and having high quality time with friends, follow Brick Street Brews social media clicking the icons below or find more info about them on their website clicking here.

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Posted in Restaurants and Bars, RSS, Wineries | Tagged , , , ,

Barnstormer Winery Explains Which SalesVu iPad POS System Features Make the Difference for Them

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The Company

Barnstormer Winery (BW) is a Seneca Lake winery located in a century-old, historic barn.

“Just like the Barnstormer pilots of the 1920’s, we make it our mission to entertain and provide our guests with an unforgettable experience,” said Kyle Knapton, BW tasting room manager.

The newly renovated winery offers a wide array of Finger Lakes wines.

“We incorporate the charm of the rustic barn into the design of our laid back tasting room where you can relax, enjoy great wines and experience a slice of the Finger Lakes wine region that you will be sure to remember,” said Knapton.

BW also provides local cheeses, cured meats, snacks and beverages for creating your own picnic to go.

Choosing an iPad POS

Barnstormer needed an mPOS because they “run everything” from behind a square tasting bar.

“It’s best to take our POS to our customer rather than make them search for a checkout location,” said Knapton.

When researching their first POS system, BW looked into Shopkeep and SalesVu. They chose SalesVu as it seemed to be the most affordable and customer-service oriented POS that also fully tracked inventory.

“We love the ability to track our inventory and get sales reports instantly online from any location,” said Knapton. “The ease of getting all of the information is incredible! This allows us to track daily sales and set up employee scheduling at a moment’s notice.”

For more information about Barnstormer Winery, go to www.barnstormerwinery.com, like their Facebook or follow them on Twitter: @BarnstormerWine.

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Posted in Restaurants and Bars, Retail, Wineries | Tagged ,

See SalesVu iPad POS System in Action at Dolce Vita

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