How to connect your retail business with online retail!

Brick-and-mortar retail vs. online retail - where previously strict boundaries were drawn, the retail of the future combines both sales channels and embraces all the advantages. Having an online presence creates visibility for retail and offers shoppers the greatest possible flexibility. In order to adapt to the ever more rapidly changing retail sector and not fall by the wayside, retailers need to break new ground in the direction of e-commerce. What many still perceive as a threat should be seen as an opportunity for new sales channels. Online retail is growing every year and you, as the owner of a brick-and-mortar store, should take advantage of the digital opportunities to secure a slice of the pie. Have you been thinking about setting up an individual online store for some time, but need help with creating a digitalization strategy or do you need a reliable partner to support your existing store? As a certified shopware agency with many years of expertise, we at EXWE will be happy to help you set up your own store!

The question now is how you can take your brick-and-mortar retail to a new level and benefit from the advantages of digitalization. In our article "How an online store can save your brick-and-mortar store", we already talked about the fact that every owner of a brick-and-mortar store should also operate an online store. Both sales channels can thus be linked and used hand in hand for customer loyalty, a competitive advantage and increased sales. Having your own store is therefore definitely worthwhile for your company. But how do you go about professionalizing your merchandise management and optimizing processes? Find out today in our article:

Reading time 5 min

1. Your own online shop
2. These tools combine retail with online retail
   1. Online retail made easy with Pickware
   2. JTL - The free merchandise management system
   3. Card terminals and checkout systems from iZettle
3. The difference between Pickware and JTL
4. Our conclusion

Brick-and-mortar retail vs online retail - where strict boundaries used to be drawn, the retail of the future combines both sales channels and embraces all the advantages. Having an online presence creates visibility for retailers and offers shoppers the greatest possible flexibility. In order to adapt to the ever more rapidly changing retail sector and not fall by the wayside, retailers need to break new ground in the direction of e-commerce. What many still perceive as a threat should be seen as an opportunity for new sales channels. Online retail is growing every year and you, as the owner of a brick-and-mortar store, should take advantage of the digital opportunities to secure a slice of the pie. Have you been thinking about setting up an individual online store for some time, but need help with creating a digitalization strategy or do you need a reliable partner to support your existing store? We at EXWE will be happy to assist you with our years of expertise and as a certified Shopware agency!

The question now is how you can take your brick-and-mortar retail to a new level and benefit from the advantages of digitalization. In our article "How an online store can save your brick-and-mortar store", we already talked about the fact that every owner of a brick-and-mortar store should also operate an online store. Both sales channels can thus be linked and used hand in hand for customer loyalty, a competitive advantage and increased sales.

In this article, we will introduce you to tools that can help you on the path to digitalizing your store and support you in combining retail and online retail.

Your own online shop

The prerequisite for using the following tools is that you already have an online store or are planning to set up an online store. The tools will only help you and your company once you have met the right requirements with an online store. Don't have an online store yet and need help creating one? Then we're here for you! We specialize in creating online stores with the Shopware store system. If that doesn't mean anything to you right now, that's not a bad thing. You should just know that in the following we will only introduce you to tools that work with a Shopware store. So if you want to create such an online store, you can use the tools Pickware, JTL and iZettle.

These tools combine retail and online retail

Now we'd like to explain how you can use the Pickware, JTL and iZettle tools to make your business even more efficient.

1. ONLINE RETAIL MADE EASY WITH PICKWARE

Pickware is a merchandise management system specially developed for Shopware. A merchandise management system is a system that records all flows of goods within a company. It can be particularly useful in the areas of logistics and retail. You can adapt your online store to your store with the Shopware store system and then connect it to Pickware, creating an interface between your online and offline retail. Pickware consists of various modules that help you automate your warehouse and shipping processes through to sales in your store.

With the help of an iPad, receipt printer, cash drawer and scanner, you have a POS system that you can connect to your online store. Your stock is managed automatically, products and prices do not have to be entered separately into the cash register and contactless payment by card or cell phone is also possible. The system is ideal if you have limited storage capacity. Your work processes are simplified and you also offer your customers an all-round relaxed shopping experience with the combination of Shopware and the Pickware merchandise management system. Another plus point: Click & Collect is possible thanks to Pickware - your customers can order in your online store and conveniently collect their purchase from your store. This allows you to keep an overview of your business and stock levels, even though you offer your goods in a store and online - the merchandise management process is optimized.

Further information at pickware.de

2. JTL - THE FREE MERCHANDISE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Another tool and alternative to Pickware is the JTL software, which organizes purchasing, item and offer maintenance, multi-channel sales, order processing, warehouse and shipping organization, sales and payments. At the heart of the e-commerce software is the JTL merchandise management system, which is available free of charge. With the JTL Connector, you can connect your Shopware online store to the ERP system and synchronize items, stock and orders. The JTL Connector is also available for Gambio, Shopify, WooCommerce and other providers and can also be connected to Ebay or Amazon. As with Pickware, you can use JTL to maintain your product range, adjust stock levels, enter invoices, reminders and credit notes and process orders.

With JTL POS, you can purchase professional POS software that has been specially developed for stationary retail. The software is also available free of charge as an app and can be used with an Android smartphone or tablet. With JTL POS, you can manage your items, use cashier functions, issue receipts, check sales and at the same time have a high level of checkout security thanks to automatic log-out.

Like Pickware, JTL is a merchandise management system that gives you an overview of your inventory and simplifies the organization between retail and online retail. We will explain which merchandise management system is better suited to you and what the differences are between Pickware and JTL at the end of the article.

3. CARD TERMINALS AND CHECKOUT SYSTEMS FROM IZETTLE

From JTL and Pickware, we come directly to the mobile payment provider iZettle. Both merchandise management systems can be connected directly to the iZettle card terminal. The advantage for you is that iZettle does not collect a transaction receipt during the payment process, so there is no monthly basic fee, which is often incurred with other card terminals. iZettle includes a small chip card reader that can be used in conjunction with smartphones and tablets. Paypal can also be linked to iZettle - your customer pays with their card and the revenue is automatically transferred to your Paypal account. The combination of JTL, Pickware and iZettle gives you more flexibility and security and your customers a better shopping experience.

That was quite a lot of information, if you need help setting up the technologies in your online store - feel free to contact us! The EXWE team is at your side as a strong partner with extensive expertise.

The difference between Pickware and JTL

Pickware is a merchandise management system that was developed for Shopware and uses the same technology and database - therefore no additional connector is required to connect the system. Pickware's mobile apps are based on Apple iOS, while JTL works as a standalone Windows application with its own database, so the connection to Shopware is made via a "connector" plugin. The JTL mobile app is based on Google Android. In principle, you can use both ERP systems with your Shopware store. However, there are differences that may help you decide between Pickware and JTL. Pickware, for example, is open source. You or your programmers can view the entire code and extend it as required. If a function does not yet exist, it can be programmed independently. Unfortunately, this is not the case with JTL. The functions are prescribed and cannot be extended or changed.

Another difference is that you can also connect marketplaces with JTL. If you sell on Amazon or eBay, for example, you can also connect these. With Pickware, you need a third-party provider to be able to use this as well.

Our conclusion

If you want to really get started in online retail, it makes perfect sense to purchase an inventory management system that helps you keep track of everything. Especially if you have several sales channels at once, things can quickly become chaotic. Overselling is exactly what you should avoid as a beginner in e-commerce - Pickware and JTL can help you with this. But iZettle is also a cool tool that can be linked to one of the two merchandise management systems and makes it easy for your customers to make purchases. So take the opportunity for your company now and get started with your store. If you still have any questions, please feel free to contact our team.