Your customers wouldn’t go to a coffee shop to buy thread or needles.
So, why would you choose a one-size-fits-all point of sale (POS) system that’s built for general retail stores and not specifically for quilt shops like yours?
It’s a common mistake for quilt shop owners to make, but it can lead to frustrating and expensive setbacks down the road.
Instead, make your life easier (and your customers’ experiences better) by using a quilt shop POS that’s designed to address your unique needs, from tracking fractional yardage to managing quilting classes.
Here are five foundational features to look for when choosing your new POS system.
If you don’t know exactly what problems you need your quilt shop POS to solve, then you’re much more likely to choose a system that doesn’t check all the boxes.
For this reason, it’s important to do prep work before you start shopping. Here’s how to get started:
After figuring out which workflow wrinkles you want to smooth out, it’s time to start shopping around for a new POS system. Here are five essential features to keep an eye out for while you do.
Most retail stores don’t routinely cut their products down to halves, thirds, or quarters — but quilt shops do so on a daily basis. That’s why standard POS systems simply can’t keep up in a shop like yours. Sure, they may allow you to easily mark an entire bolt of fabric as sold, but they’ll likely come up short when you try to ring up a quarter of a yard.
If you’re looking to minimize headaches at the checkout counter, the natural solution is a quilt shop POS that’s built to support fractional yardage. Like Sew makes it a snap to ring up fractions of a yard. Simply input the fabric measurements of a customer’s purchase and the system automatically determines the price from there — no manual calculations required.
Related Read: Manage Fractional Fabric Inventory With These 8 Tips & Tools
Fractional yardage support isn’t just critical at the cash register, though — it’s an indispensable part of any quilt shop’s inventory management system. After all, when your quilt shop POS is equipped with an inventory management system that knows you have 4 ¼ yards of a particular fabric remaining, you can accurately tell customers whether there’s enough in stock to complete their project.
And when you know exactly how much of each fabric you have left, you can also place restock orders precisely when you need to. Ultimately, this leads to fewer disappointed customers walking out of your shop, and less money leaving your bank account before it needs to.
Related Read: Fabric Inventory Management: 5 Tips & Software Tools
What does your current ordering process look like? If it’s something along the lines of a dozen open browser tabs and more than a few frustrated sighs, there’s a better way: a quilt shop POS system with built-in catalogs from major vendors.
With Like Sew’s many integrations, you can order from vendors like Moda Fabrics, Checker Distributors, EE Schenck Company, Notions Marketing, and many more — right from your POS. In other words, you can easily explore new collections, reorder top sellers, and stock up on notions, all from one place.
Related Read: Fabric Store Vendor Catalogs: 4 Time-Saving Benefits You Need
For quilt shops, offering classes is a no-brainer: They keep existing customers coming back, bring new customers through the doors, and help your local quilting community thrive. The only catch? If you use a generic POS that doesn’t support class management, then selling spots in those classes can be an exasperating experience.
But with a quilt shop POS that caters to your needs, your classes can run like a well-oiled Viking. Best of all, Like Sew won’t just help you sell seats. With our e-commerce and POS solutions, you can:
In short, your students will enjoy a significantly more convenient experience that’s sure to keep them coming back for more, and you’ll be able to spend more time improving class quality, rather than stressing over class management.
Related Read: How To Teach a Quilt Class: 8 Pro Tips
An advanced quilt shop POS can have all the bells and whistles it wants, but if it’s difficult or impossible for real quilt shop owners and employees to use, then it might as well not have any features at all.
That’s why it’s so important to judge POS systems not just on the capabilities they offer, but also on their ease of use. Like Sew is specifically designed to be straightforward and simple, even for owners and staff with minimal tech knowledge.
And if you need assistance or answers, our support team is always available to help — whether you’re new to Like Sew or you’ve been using our solutions for years.
Whether you’re a first-time quilt shop owner or an industry veteran, you already know that the true cost of something can’t solely be measured in dollars and cents. You also have to factor in time, effort, and resources, all of which are precious commodities for a small business.
As a result, you’d be wise to consider all of these elements when evaluating the cost of a new quilt shop POS:
With those factors in mind, you’ll be well-equipped to determine the real cost of any quilt shop POS system.
At this point in your quest to get a new quilt shop POS that fits your needs, you’re probably about ready to sign a contract and get started. But before you do, it’s critical to know what you’re going to ask a POS vendor about the system they’re selling.
While the exact questions you ask may vary, these are a solid place to start:
Want a quilt shop POS system that can offer not just a couple of those five features, but every single one… and more? Put Like Sew on your short list.
Since it was built especially for quilt and fabric shops just like yours, Like Sew is equipped with:
And since every quilt shop is unique, you can configure Like Sew to suit your unique needs and budget. Build your custom POS and get a free quote today..