What: Apparitions

Where: Raymond Terrace, New South Wales 

What: Apparitions is a Gift Shop and Spiritual Centre located in Raymond Terrace NSW, Australia. Their mission is to promote spiritual awareness - and the peace and well-being they feel follows naturally - within their community of customers. They also actively support their community by carrying local, handmade pieces as much as possible.

Love your Customer: The exact moment when a person goes from thinking to doing is an ephemeral one. Sometimes all it takes to act, is the sudden realisation that you really can make your amazing vision a reality. Michelle and Murray Byfield took the plunge into business three years ago (similar to when we did!) and (like the Vend team) haven’t looked back since. It’s almost like were meant to be together.

Love your POS: We were searching for an online POS system that we could easily setup, update and have future options for online sales and found Vend. The system was so easy to setup and create the ideal point of sale for our business.

My questions were answered so quickly and I have found Vendhq to have the best customer service I have come across for many years. I love that I can log in from anywhere and check on daily sales etc and also can use my system for fair and workshop sales. -Michelle Byfield, Owner, Apparitions

Would you like to be Vender of the Week? Just email tara@vendhq.com ^Tara

It’s no secret that the traditional cash register is on it’s way out. More and more businesses are ditching their cash registers and replacing them with handheld, mobile devices powered by the cloud. What may seem a mystery is how - and why - businesses untether themselves from the front counter.

We visited iPad enthusiast and Vend customer Ali McIntosh, of Tessuti luxury gifts and homewares to learn more. Ali was very quick on the draw when it came to switching shop operations to an iPad POS system , and we wanted to find out how she approaches business, untethered. 

Though Tessuti has been in business for 22 years and kept it’s edge, when Ali McIntosh took over two years ago she knew she needed to take steps to adapt with the times and surpass her customers’ changing expectations. Still, she wasn’t sure where to start.

“My daughter made me use Vend at first.” she said. “I didn’t grow up with this stuff and I wasn’t sure I wanted to take on technology like this. But it’s really easy now. And it really impresses all my friends.” Ali laughs.

Not having a front counter puts “less pressure on the customer. There’s nothing that lurks and draw focus from the rest of the shop. It’s so much easier to arrange the shop and keep a good flow.” Plus it saves space. “We can pop the iPad under the workbench when we gift wrap, which is often.”

“Using the iPad is much more personal and doesn’t interrupt the sale,” says Ali. “We can take it to a customer looking at products (without taking them away from what they are wanting to buy!) and look up what stock the other store is holding, and flick between Vend and our online store for visuals and other colour options. And offering to email customers a receipt if they require one is a great on the spot paper saving option.” 

“Our customers are always interested in the fact that we run our POS on an ipad. It has the ‘cool’ factor and engages them in the process.”

Do away with “business as usual.” Learn more about customising every customer experience with an iPad point-of-sale. Untether yourself and your business.

Ali is strongly dedicated to customer engagement and takes a very hands-on approach to ensure every detail is right for the maximum experience. She handwrites all of her labels and employs an artist as shop assistant to help expertly arrange the showroom.

“You have to have something that sets you apart. Tessuti is about the whole experience. The colours and textures and small details are what draw people in.” 

“Well,” she amends, “Monty often brings people through the door - but the other things keep them here.” Monty is the resident chocolate lab shop assistant.*

“He’s very helpful,” Ali says with a laugh, “but we do have a product called ‘Monty Breakages’ we’ve had to use from time to time.” 

Customer experience and aesthetics aren’t everything. “Cost saving was another consideration for us as a small business when chose our POS.”

Vend “is affordable. And investing in an iPad was worth it. We do everything from it. Run our music. We use iMessage to communicate with the other store. We run Vend and Shopify. It’s so tidy.”

*We did try to get a photo of Monty. However he was very camera shy and wigglesome. Luckily you can find one here. ^Tara

Who: Bmobile & The Cloud Lounge

Where: Auckland, NZ

What: Bmobile, provider of comprehensive SME business solutions, have recently launched The Cloud Lounge. A space in which business owners can interact with the latest cloud apps, in the real world.

Love your partner: Just like business owner’s can now hand-pick just the right ecosystem of apps to meet their specific business requirements, so too can they select the hardware that will best harness these apps in their specific environment. Because no solution is one-size-fits-all.

By providing hands-on experience with diverse apps, integrated in various combinations and implemented on myriad devices, the Cloud Lounge is an invaluable asset to Auckland businesses as they inevitably turn to the cloud. 

Love your POS: Cloud technology is the future. Partnering with Vend means I’ll always be at the cutting edge when it comes to cloud business technology. Technology moves fast. The only way to keep up is to partner with the makers of the applications themselves and hang on tight. -Cam Scott, Managing Director, Bmobile Solutions 

Who: Three Ducks, Gluten Free Gourmet

Where: Melbourne, Australia

What: While assembling the most scrumptious - and honest-to-goodness gourmet - gluten-free products was a task born from necessity, the process quickly flourished into a passion for Ali Morrow, founder of Three Ducks. Now Three Ducks is Melbourne’s go-to for quality, gluten-free food so everyone can eat, entertain or gift a gf-free foodie with confidence. 

Love your customer: It’s pretty remarkable when an individual transforms what could easily have been an show-stopping obstacle into a life-changing challenge. Ali Morrow’s business is the result of her refusal to compromise her life and love of food, even if the rest of the non-coeliac world assumed that was her only option.

Love your POS: One of the most appealing things to us, as small business owners, was the support provided via email at each stage of the set-up, including handy video demos to step you through things clearly, without the techno-speak. It meant we could save on the installation and select the features we needed.

It also helps that Vend works nicely with a ‘friendly’ accounting system to keep everything simple. The Vend team has also been super-responsive and helpful when needed and we can’t wait to see what else we can do with our Vend POS account. -Ali Morrow, Founder, Three Ducks

Want to be Vender of the Week? Just email tara@vendhq.com ^Tara

Our resident hardware expert and support superstar, Cristina Borsan is helping Vend customers the world-over set up their receipt printers, barcodes scanners, and label printers without shedding a tear. 

And, as if that’s not awesome enough, she’s the most fearless tackler of any challenge we’ve ever seen. Be it delving into the latest technology without pause, or smashing the trails at the local mountain bike park, Cristina does not back down. Ever. 

1. Who are you?

Cristina Borsan - AKA Christine, Christina, Tina - This may vary depending on customer. :)

2. What do you do at Vend?

Proud member of the awesome support team. Specialised in Hardware, by choice, but currently extending my expertise. 

3. What were you doing before Vend?

Sales and Marketing specialist for a small IT company, in a far far away country. 

4. Why Vend?

To be honest, I had no idea about Vend and how awesome Vend is until I applied for the job. Love at first sight(interview). I learned more about this amazing could based POS and the whole concept after I started working here. 

I always wanted to work in a start-up IT company and basically this was my initial information about Vend. Growing start-up, awesome people, awesome customers - my dream came true. 

5. Tell us something interesting about yourself.

Interesting?? Me? 

Let’s see… I  come from Dracula’s home country, so I’m the only authentic Romanian vampire at Vend. No worries, I won’t bite. 

Also I have a passion for everything that is IT related, foreign languages (I speak five) and crime novels.

See, nothing interesting here!

6. If Vend was a character in Harry Potter, who would it be?

Harry Potter of course! Small guy (startup business) learning to do good and help people, growing powers (just like Vend!). Vend is saving people from bad POS. Match made in heaven.

Who: Mademoiselle M

Where: Auckland, New Zealand

What: Handmade in New Zealand, Mademoiselle M’s creations have an old-world charm. Which is no surprise, as their maker hales from France - and brings a lovely touch of Paris with her. 

Love your customer: We’re always inspired when people choose to live their dreams. When these people are also our customers our excitement knows no bounds. The fact that we can play a part in anyone’s succes is what brings us to work day to day.

Love your POS: I was just about to finish my website when I realized that I had no way of tracking my sales and more over my stocks. I create handmade jewellery and use a lot of little composites. For this reason, it was just impossible for me to know how much of this stock of parts went out with each sale. Moreover, it would take me days each week to count each little part. I was really annoyed about this issue.

One day my friend told me about Vend. The following day, I signed up. It was exactly what I was looking for!! Most of the other Apps don’t provide the composites field. It is really easy to use and now I don’t have to worry about my stock. I can sleep well and let the sales come ;-) - Emma Politzer, Founder, Mademoiselle M

P.S. Like Mademoiselle M on Facebook this week and you could win some pretty things! 

Next week Vend partner, Bmobile Solutions, will launch The Cloud Lounge, a new venue in which Aucklanders can explore the cloud and learn how best to harness it in store. At the lounge, solutions providers, consultants and customers can interact with diverse cloud business applications on different devices, paired with diverse hardware. 

If this is something you’d like to know more about, please join Vend and Bmobile Solutions on Tuesday, April 9th from 5:30pm - 7:30pm at The Cloud Lounge. We’ll enjoy a casual drink, a few painless presentations (promise), and canapés.

Please register to attend.

What: The Cloud Lounge Launch

When: 5:30pm - 7:30pm Tuesday, April 9th

Where: Bmobile Solutions, Level 1, 272 Richmond Road, Grey Lynn, Auckland (map)

Why: Because the cloud is awesome.  And networking isn’t bad, either.

Dont forget to register!

Who: The Perc Cafe

Where: Dunedin, NZ

What: The Perc Cafe is a wonderfully run, immaculately kept little cafe in the heart of Dunedin. Not only are they the source perfect coffee and cinnamon pinwheels - but The Perc is fast becoming a Dunedin cultural hub, with live music and late meals. Awesome!

Love your customer: We had the pleasure of visiting The Perc for an event a few months ago. Sarah and her team were amazing hosts, and the coffee was exquisite. We love what we do every day at Vend. But we particularly love it when we get the pleasure of meeting such a wonderful customer. 

Love your POS: I like Vend because I can see what my staff and my businesses are doing no matter where I am or what I am doing - from my phone, from home, or from overseas. It helps me keep tidy books, it is efficient, easy to use and low maintenance which means we can serve our customers better and it really helped with customer monthly accounts.   Simply, it helps me understand and control my businesses better and allows me to spend more time with my family. Which is really what it is all about. -Sarah Henderson, Owner, Dunedin

Who: The Modern Shop

Where: Ontario, CA

What: No stranger to retail - or fine home design - Michael Shaikin has been providing Ottawa with modern and vintage furnishings since 2002. With his newest venture he’s forging new waters and taking on brands previously unavailable in Ontario. 

Love your customer: There’s nothing quite so lovely as beautiful pared back design. Few frills, fewer distractions - just plain beautiful function. Sort of like   an app should be. Just like Michael, we want to brighten people’s lives with elegant design paired with perfect functionality. So everything fits and flows just. Right.

Love your POS: I chose Vend as it’s a great POS option that integrates perfectly with Shopify. Simple. -Michael Shaikin, Owner, The Modern Shop

Want to be Vender of the Week? Email tara@vendhq.com ^Tara

A few friendly folks from Vend will be let loose on the streets of Melbourne next week. We’ve decided it is a fine opportunity to do two of our favourite things; have a drink or two with friends, and talk about Vend. And we’re going to do them at the same time. 

Please join us for a casual and informative user group at The Little Mule, where we’ll walk you through cool new features (even some top secret ones), discuss your most burning questions about the app, and ask you to teach us a bit more about how you operate and what we can do to help.

This event is for everyone. Customers and curious alike are welcome. We’ll have canapes, beverages, a wealth of information and a great deal of fun.

Please register online so we can have your name tag chair ready and waiting.

What: Vend User Group

When: 5:30pm - 7:30pm, Thursday March 21st 2013

Where: The Little Mule, 19 Somerset Pl, Melbourne VIC, 3000 (map)

Why: Because we’d like to get to know you, share a thing or two and learn a thing or two. And also because we really love Melbourne and everyone wants to go to there.

See you there! Don’t forget to register!