Author: Warwick Schaffer

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.

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.

Loyalty programmes for bookshops that focus on ‘creating’ good customers. Learn about the CirclePOS no-strings attached loyalty programme.

The CirclePOS Promotions Tool with Discount Codes for Bookstores is a handy feature that lets bookstores craft personalised online promotions tailored for specific target audiences using discount codes.

Introduction Originally designed for new bookstores, CirclePOS has evolved over the years to support a growing number of second hand stores. Second hand bookselling is a specialised business with unique requirements and stock. Not least of which is the challenge of not being able to simply ‘reorder’ stock.  Although there are parts of the system … Read More

These extraordinary times require bookshops to operate in a remarkably different way.
Life in a time of Covid is forcing shops to reinvent the way they sell books and many are having surprising success at doing this.