The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent shutdowns hurt many retail industries, but there were a few that actually saw their sales increase. Bookstores were one of them. Among big box and independent sellers alike, sales saw a surprising resurgence.
Many Americans were staying home more than ever. And we all needed to check out from the world for a brief period by getting lost in the chapters of a great book. While giant retailers like Amazon surely saw the biggest sales in the industry, local community-based bookstores also started to see an opportunity to capitalize on what they had to offer.
Naturally, even a smaller bookseller still has a multitude of titles that they sell. Therefore, such smaller independent shops need to be on top of their inventory and customer sales data in order to effectively and strategically serve their customers. We caught up with Downtown Books co-owner Troy Fountain about opening a local bookstore, how his community received them, and the operational tools that KORONA POS has afforded him.
What Is Downtown Books?
Downtown Books opened in the fall of 2021 by Troy and Stacey Fountain. Their motto is “find your story,” and they don’t just mean inside the pages of their inventory. The independent shop is centrally located in the business district of Dothan, Alabama, a meeting place for the community where all walks of life can take time out of their busy schedules to stop to connect and have conversations. They are proud to be part of the revitalization of this small downtown area about 200 miles south of Atlanta.
Learn more about Downtown Books!
Why Did They Need a POS System?
The store has seen its sales increase month by month, and its inventory is constantly getting replenished. They have hundreds of different titles, editions, and releases. In order to properly manage such a breadth of inventory, they required inventory management software that can handle all of these different prices and SKU numbers.
Downtown Books also hired many younger, first-time cashiers. They needed a POS system that could process purchases quickly with fast interface training and streamlined sales and returns.
KORONA POS proved to be a great match with both its powerful inventory management and product reporting as well as its smart and clean user interface.
How Has KORONA POS Helped Them Run Their Business?
So far, Troy couldn’t be much happier. KORONA POS made it seamless to get their young bookstore off the ground. And not only did it power their small business from day one, but Troy continues to use the software to gain more insight into their sales, optimize their ordering, and streamline their day-to-day operations.
Inventory Management
Because of the variety of not only authors and titles but also editions of books, keeping up with inventory seemed to be a daunting task. Troy explains that his bookstore adds an average of fifty new products a week. Yet, he’s found that KORONA POS has been up to the challenge.
A simple scan will quickly ring up any book in your stock. And with built-in ABC analysis, you know more about which titles are performing best and which have gotten a bit dusty from sitting on the bookshelf for too long.
Employee Training And Tracking
With KORONA POS, you can get your employees trained and ready within minutes. No need for lengthy training periods. Instead, the software has allowed his team to get more acclimated with his book catalog so that they can better sell and recommend books. In addition, built-in employee management tools have helped him review performance for specific employees, schedule accordingly, and train strategically.
Cloud-Based Access
With web-based backend access, bookstore owners like Troy can track their store’s performance from anywhere. Therefore, if Troy is traveling to a business conference, or simply home for lunch, he can easily monitor the store’s activity by signing into the KORONA POS application.
Our cloud-based model means exponentially easier and more efficient expansion if the Fountain’s decide to open additional locations in the future.
Customer Service and Value
Finally, it was the customer service and pricing that made Troy choose KORONA POS over Lightspeed and others. As he mentioned several times, we’re always here to answer your call whenever you have any questions or need immediate troubleshooting assistance. You can even call us now at 833.200.0213 to see how fast we answer our phones.
Why Choose KORONA POS
In the end, Troy, like so many others, is impressed by the value of both our software and our service. With some of the most competitive pricing on the market, KORONA POS brings its users a powerful business solution alongside the help and support that takes some of the stress and frustrations away from running a small business.
Check out some other customer reviews, too. And learn why so many businesses are switched to KORONA POS by signing up for a free product demo. We’ll show you how we can help. Click below or give us a call.
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