More fabulous new titles in this month’s bestseller list, including Long Island by Colm Tóibín which sold 2,497 copies. Also new to the list was Table for Two by Amor Towles which sold 1,309 copies. Coming in third was Caledonian Road by Andrew O’Hagan with 1,269 copies.
Ultimately, all businesses are systems. The quality and the reproducibility of those systems separates the good from the bad. A good group or franchise is, at its core, a good system.
Running a group or franchise is difficult as not only do the stores themselves need to run well, but there needs to be synchronisation and commonality between stores. Centralised information/systems are required; making cloud applications ideal.
A cloud application has the ‘have your cake and eat it’ advantage of being centralised and accessible from anywhere. If you are a multi store operation you should be looking at this kind of architecture.
In June we worked on:
New Features:
• In General Ledger we made significant progress by adding validations for ledger accuracy, implementing tax-exempt handling, and simplifying the process by removing the ability to un-drop payments and invoices.
• In Stock Valuation Cache we created a P&L cache database to track and analyse monthly stock values.
Housekeeping concentrated primarily on Rails, Vue 3 and Deadlocks
Improvements this month concentrated on:
• External Services
• Settings
• Pre orders
In May we worked on:
New Features:
• In General Ledger we progressed Layby and tax-exempt items
• The Gmail Mailer was improved and now complies with DMARC rules.
• We have enabled seamless integration and improved product visibility in the Google Merchant feature.
Housekeeping concentrated primarily on Rails and POS. We also addressed Flaky Specs, Feature Flags, Vue 3 and Ruby.
Improvements this month concentrated on:
• Stripe
• Pre Orders
• POS
• Spreadsheet Deals
• MailGun
• GiftCard Load
• SEO & Social Media
More fabulous new titles in this month’s bestseller list, including Long Island by Colm Tóibín which sold 2,497 copies. Also new to the list was Table for Two by Amor Towles which sold 1,309 copies. Coming in third was Caledonian Road by Andrew O’Hagan with 1,269 copies.
In April we worked on:
• Load Stock & Search & Update: Improved feedback during stock searches to reduce user confusion; locked the “Search & Update” button after clicking to ensure stability; automated updates to the “Reg Price” field for accurate pricing information.
• Core Code: Optimised the codebase to improve performance and maintainability.
• Association Portal: Added a flag to identify second-hand books for better categorisation.
• Deals Interface: Implemented a responsive design for better accessibility on smaller screens; added features for marking deals as done or in progress; supported timezones; improved pagination, filters, sorting, and deal product views.
• General Ledger: Implemented functionality to handle CREDIT & DEBIT special items; allowed for slight deviations in amounts when creating new transactions; developed handling for Non-Tracked Items and introduced a method to translate Shipping into the Ledger.
Housekeeping concentrated on: Flaky Tests; Deprecate Feature Flags; Switch to BETA; Rails; Ruby; Core Code; Gems & Vue 3
The April 2024 bestseller list saw lots of fresh titles. Bri Lee’s ‘The Work’ came in first with 1,812 sales. In second place was ‘Sanctuary’ by Garry Disher with 1,304 sales. Third spot went to ‘The Scarlet Shedder’ #12 in the popular children’s series, Dog Man with 1,270 sales.
The goal of CirclePOS is to make local bookstores as good online as they are in-store. Local bookstores have the killer advantage of being just down the road and offer a genuinely personal relationship with local customers. Local bookshops will prevail over central giants if given the right tools. This article focuses on specific features, including how it’s designed and integrated into the inventory system to provide customers with a similar level of service online as they would have in-store. We have another article on why the CirclePOS website is laid out like it is.
Opening a bookstore is a great thing to do and you will be joining a supportive and inclusive community. Before you do, have a clear idea on what sort of store you want to be and if there is a local customer community for you. Use suppliers and associations to get advice and support and make sure you have enough capital to properly stock your store. Finally, get organised well in advance of opening, which of course includes getting a bookstore management system.
Starting a bookstore requires careful consideration of various financial aspects. From stocking an appropriate amount of inventory to designing an efficient floor plan, every detail impacts the success of the business. Understanding the costs involved in shop fitting, signage, branding, hardware, and other essentials is crucial for planning and budgeting. By being aware of these financial aspects and making informed decisions, aspiring bookstore owners can avoid costly mistakes and create a successful and sustainable business.