Here's how to connect your retail with online commerce!

Stationary 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 retail and offers shoppers the greatest possible flexibility. In order to adapt to the ever more rapidly changing retail industry and not be left behind, retailers must break new ground in the direction of e-commerce. What many still perceive as a threat, you should see as an opportunity for new sales channels. Online retail is growing every year and you, as a brick-and-mortar store owner, should take advantage of the digital opportunities to secure a piece of the pie. Have you been thinking about setting up an individual online store for a while, but need help in creating a digitization strategy or do you need a reliable partner to support your current store? We at EXWE are happy to assist you with our years of expertise and as a certified Shopware agency and build your own store together with you!

The question now is how you can take your brick-and-mortar business to a new level and benefit from the advantages of digitization. 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, competitive advantage and increased sales. So having your own store is definitely worthwhile for your business. But how do you go about professionalizing your merchandise management and optimizing processes? Find out today in our article:

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

Stationary 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 retail and offers shoppers the greatest possible flexibility. In order to adapt to the ever more rapidly changing retail industry and not be left behind, retailers must break new ground in the direction of e-commerce. What many still perceive as a threat, you should see as an opportunity for new sales channels. Online retail is growing every year and you, as a brick-and-mortar store owner, should take advantage of digital opportunities to secure a piece of the pie. Have you been thinking about setting up an individual online store for a while, but need help in creating a digitization strategy or do you need a reliable partner to support your current store? We at EXWE are 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 business to a new level and benefit from the advantages of digitization. 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 be linked and used hand in hand for customer loyalty, competitive advantage and increased sales.

In this article, we will introduce you to tools that can help you on your way to digitizing your store and support you in combining retail and online trade.

Your own online shop

The prerequisite for using the following tools is that you already have an online store or are planning to launch one. The tools will only help you and your business once you have made the right arrangements with an online store. You don't have an online store yet and need help creating one? Then we are gladly there for you! We are specialized in creating online stores with the Shopware store system. If this doesn't mean anything to you at first, it's not a big deal. Just know that in the following we will only introduce you to tools that work with a Shopware store. If you want to create such an online store, you can use the tools Pickware, JTL and iZettle.

These tools combine retail and online trade

But now we finally want to explain you how you can use the tools Pickware, JTL and iZettle to make your business even more efficient.

1. ONLINE TRADING MADE EASY WITH PICKWARE

Pickware is an inventory management system specially developed for Shopware. An enterprise resource planning system is a system that records all flows of goods within a company. It can be very useful especially for the areas of logistics and trade. You can adjust your online store to your store with the Shopware store system and then connect it to Pickware, thus creating an interface between your online and offline trade. Pickware consists of various modules that help automate your processes in the warehouse and shipping to the sale in your store.

With the help of an iPad, a receipt printer, a cash drawer and a scanner, you have a POS system at your disposal 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 with card or cell phone is also possible. The system is ideal if you have limited storage capacity. Your work processes are simplified and the combination of Shopware and the Pickware merchandise management system also offers your customers an all-round relaxed shopping experience. Another plus point: Click & Collect is possible thanks to Pickware - your customers order in your online store and conveniently pick up their purchase from your store. This way, you can keep track of your business and the inventory, even though you offer your goods in a store and online - the merchandise management process is thus optimized.

More information at pickware.de

2. JTL - THE FREE INVENTORY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Another tool and alternative to Pickware, is the software JTL, which organizes purchasing, article and offer maintenance, multi-channel sales, order processing, warehouse and shipping organization and sales as well as payments. At the heart of the e-commerce software is JTL Merchandise Management, which is available free of charge. With the JTL Connectors, you can connect your Shopware online store with the WaWi system and thus synchronize items, inventories 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 assortment, adjust inventory levels, enter invoices, reminders and credit notes, and process orders.

With JTL POS, you get a professional POS software that was specially developed for stationary retail. The software is also available for free 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 cash register security through automatic log-out.

As with Pickware, JTL is an inventory management system that gives you an overview of your inventory and simplifies the organization between retail and online trade. At the end of this article, we will explain which merchandise management system is more suitable for you and what the differences are between Pickware and JTL.

3. CARD TERMINALS AND CASH REGISTER SYSTEMS FROM IZETTLE

From JTL and Pickware we come directly to the mobile payment provider iZettle. Both merchandise management systems can be directly connected 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 for this, 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 sales are 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 support in setting up the technologies in your online store - feel free to contact us! The team at EXWE is a strong partner with extensive expertise to help you.

The difference between Pickware and JTL

Pickware is an inventory management system developed for Shopware and uses the same technology and database - so no additional connector is needed to connect it. 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 done via "Connector" plugin. The mobile app from JTL is based on Google Android. So you can use both WaWi systems with your Shopware store. However, there are differences that might help you to decide between Pickware and JTL. For example, Pickware is open source. You or your programmers can see all the code and extend it as you like. If a function does not yet exist, it can be programmed independently. Unfortunately, this is not the case with JTL. The functions are prescribed, not extendable or changeable.

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

Our conclusion

If you want to get started in online retailing, it makes sense to get an inventory management system that helps you keep track of everything. Especially if you have several sales channels at once, it can quickly become chaotic. Overselling is exactly what you should avoid as a beginner in e-commerce - Pickware and JTL help you with that. But also iZettle is a cool tool, which can be linked to one of the two inventory management systems and allows your customers an easy purchase. So take the chance for your business now and start with your store.