iShipa is a cloud-based Point of Sale (POS) and Retail Management solution targeted at small to medium enterprises. The App is easy to use and can scan barcodes using the phone camera and also integrates with the Socketmobile Bluetooth scanner. User can also sell by tapping on the respective product. Sales data is automatically saved in a cloud database thus eliminating the need for backups. The App will work offline and automatically synchronise with the cloud database when network connection is re-established.
In addition to the real-time Inventory and Sales management capabilities, the App is designed to facilitate the creation of Co-operatives or Bulk Buying groups. Multiple businesses can club together and nominate their own distributor thus improving their bargaining power by buying their stock in bulk. The nominated group distributor can continuously monitor sales in the different stores that form part of his/her nominated co-operative or bulk buying group.
The Ordering functionality allows individual Store owners to submit their orders to their nominated distributor thus facilitating the bulk buying process. The reporting capability allows for the monitoring of daily, monthly and yearly sales. Profitability contribution of each inventory item can also be monitored on a monthly and yearly basis. The storeowner can easily compare product sales for the current year and the previous year.
Some of the key features of the app can be summarized as follows:
• Store owner can easily load barcoded and non-barcoded stock items. The App automatically generates a unique code for non-barcoded items.
• App is designed to also sell products that are sold per weight. For example, butcheries can sell meat by defining the price per kilogram.
• Store inventory can be downloaded to multiple devices for stores that have more than one pay-point.
• Introduce product Parent-Child relationship that allows for selling of packs and individual items within pack.
• Link products to PLU numbers thus enabling the selling of weighed products by scanning barcode generated by scale.
• Item re-order limits can be captured so the App can warn store owner when stock is below the re-order limit. Items below the limit can be put into a shopping list by a tap of a button.
• App has stock-taking functionality that shows items sold since the last stock taking activity.
• Store owner can flag items that are sold as loose items as opposed to pack. For example, cigarettes can be sold as loose items and not entire pack of twenty.
• Joining a Bulk-Buying Group or Co-operative is a simplified process.
• Real-time reports on sales and profit contribution of each product are easily accessible.
• Store owner can easily create a shopping list of items that will be submitted as an order to the distributor.
• Distributor can view combined order or the individual orders submitted by each store owner.
• Store owner can capture all the store expenses thus monitoring all the cost drivers of the business.
• App allows for the store owner to manage all stock purchases from the various suppliers or wholesalers.