The retail apps that have got your small business’ back

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Retailers are navigating unfamiliar challenges in our current climate, with many adapting to maintain revenue and keep staff and customers safe. Those with physical stores open for business, like pharmacies and supermarkets, have been inundated as essentials rush off shelves, and sometimes run out. While many retailers who’ve had to close their physical doors are focusing on moving their brick-and-mortar businesses online and working in new ways.

Xero’s app marketplace has a range of tools to set retailers up for success as they work through these challenges and adapt to a ‘new normal’. For instance, specialist inventory management systems can help retailers optimise stock levels and reduce working capital. While eCommerce apps make it easy and cost effective for retailers to build their own online store – to get up and running with online sales fast.

So for this instalment of Xero’s app partner of the month, we want to shine a light on a few retail apps that can offer support.

Shopify

Now more than ever, unifying your online presence with your retail stores is essential, especially when it comes to inventory management. With Shopify POS Pro, you can generate purchase orders and move inventory between locations based on demand forecasting. Plus, you can get a better understanding of what products are underperforming and why, and then focus on the best ways to sell them. It all works together so you have the flexibility to get your in-store products into your online store with just a few clicks. Then, seamlessly offer local pickup, delivery or shipments from your store to keep your inventory moving and free-up cash flow.

A2X

A2X helps those using Shopify, as well as selling on Amazon, to get their sales data into Xero. Accounting for these platforms can be tricky. Large marketplaces, like Amazon, often pay periodically in one bulk payment, rather than for each sale, making it hard to figure out when and why you’re getting paid. A2X solves this problem by posting Shopify or Amazon store sales automatically to Xero, and reconciling your payouts so you know everything has been accounted for correctly.

Dear Inventory

Dear Inventory is a specialised inventory and order management platform designed to take time and stress out of managing inventory and sales. It allows products, customers, suppliers, contacts, purchases and sales to be managed within one easy-to-use system. Along with Xero, it also integrates with Shopify and Amazon, so businesses can quickly get set-up with online sales.

Vend

Vend is a cloud-based point-of-sale and retail platform. It enables retailers to accept payments, and manage their inventory and customer base. With eCommerce integrations to WooCommerce, Shopify and BigCommerce, it makes it easy for retailers to operate online. Vend has a user-friendly interface, making it fast to use and easy to learn, and with all data synced to the cloud, it’s accessible from anywhere.

To support retailers navigating the challenges of the current environment, Vend has also developed a ‘Love local retail’ initiative in conjunction with a number of partners, which brings together helpful tips, advice and offers.

Unleashed Software

With real-time inventory control and reporting, Unleashed Software is a powerful cloud inventory management solution for retailers, manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers. Unleashed makes inventory management easier and more efficient, so retailers can make better decisions in real-time.

Unleashed has also created the good products marketplace, which showcases Unleashed customers – artisanal creators of everything from coffee and wine to healthcare products and clothing – who are ‘open for business’ online, and would love support in tough times.

For those based in the US or Canada, read our new small business guide – Moving your retail business online to learn more about the retail apps that can help your small business.

The Xero app marketplace features 800+ third party apps that help small businesses and their advisors seamlessly run their business. With apps that support everything from inventory and logistics to cash flow and project management, businesses have an array of options to build a customised experience.

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