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Vend and PayPal: Improving Speed, Mobility and

Flexibility for Retailers and Seasonal Businesses

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ContentsIntroductionCase Study 1: Top Shelf BoutiqueCase Study 2: MedisaveCase Study 3: Magic MemoriesConclusion

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IntroductionFor most consumers, the notion of shopping in one static location is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. Ecommerce sites, pop-up shops, trade shows, and other mobile stores have proven that shoppers and retailers can interact in just about any environment. However, competing in this new arena cannot be accomplished through traditional means. Businesses that wish to serve their customers in dynamic settings like events or retail trucks must adopt solutions that are nimble and flexible enough to keep up in fast-paced environments. Enter Vend and PayPal. The following case studies will illustrate how three different retailers--a fashion truck, an online medical supplies company, and a tourism photography provider--were able to take their businesses to the next level by adopting an iPad-based POS and payments solution powered by Vend and PayPal.

Read their stories below, and find out how you can make the Vend and PayPal integration work for your business.

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Top Shelf Boutique: How to Cut-down Checkout Time While Providing a More Convenient Customer Experience

The Challenge

Decrease checkout time and increase customer satisfaction.

Top Shelf Boutique, San Francisco’s first fashion truck, was using a payment processing platform that did not integrate with the store’s POS system. As a result, the staff spent a lot of time switching back and forth between applications whenever they were ringing up their customers. This not only increased checkout time, but it also opened up more room for error because users had to re-enter the amounts when switching apps. “I was already using Vend (and loving it) at that time, but since my payment processing service did not integrate with any POS, I had to run two apps at the same time and I was constantly

switching between them,” said Top Shelf Boutique founder Christina Ruiz. “I had to ring up a customer using Vend, remember the amount, switch to my payments app, enter the amount, take the payment, then go back to Vend to complete the sale. It was a cumbersome process.” Additionally, Christina said that having to re-type the amount and switch from one app to the next curbed customer interaction. “It wasn’t easy to carry a smooth conversation with customers while I was switching between apps and remembering the amounts,” she added. “There were times when I had to go back and double check the numbers to make sure I entered everything correctly.”

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The Solution

Switch to Vend + PayPal Christina switched to PayPal which seamlessly integrated with Vend. All she had to do was install the app, run PayPal’s iPad-based solution, and start accepting payments.

Results

Top Shelf Boutique’s switch to Vend and PayPal allowed the retailer to speed up its checkout process and serve its customers better.

Christina added that the ability to quickly get customers in and out is critical in her business. “We get a lot of customers during lunch hour, especially in the Crocker Galleria, which is in the financial district. People there don’t have time to stand around and wait for things to work. It needs to be as quick as possible.” According to Christina, PayPal’s check-in feature—the capability that lets customers check-in to a business and pay with their PayPal app and the retailer can confirm their picture at the register—has also been a big boon for Top Shelf Boutique. “People can use their phone to check in to my store and then their photo pops up in my POS system. “That allows me to ring them up without asking for any identification, cash or credit card,” said Christina. “I think it’s nice because it saves time and it’s also secure.” Aside from offering an added convenience to customers, providing them with the option to pay with their phone gives Top Shelf Boutique more opportunities to complete a sale. For instance, if a customer forgets their wallet in their car or office, they can simply whip out their phone and pay. The customer stays happy because they get to purchase the items they want hassle-free, and Top Shelf Boutique doesn’t have to miss the opportunity for a sale.

Now I just have to swipe, and that’s it. The solution reduced our checkout time by up to 50%. Customers are always pleasantly surprised with how fast we ring them up. They’re always saying, ‘That’s it? I’m done? Great!’

Christina Ruiz, Owner at Top Shelf Boutique

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Key Highlights

Vend and PayPal significantly sped up Top Shelf Boutique’s checkout process, thus improving the flow of traffic in the store. Shorter lines also meant happier customers.

The seamless integration eliminated the need to switch between two apps, so the retailer spent less time entering and checking the amounts, and more time engaging with shoppers.

Give Vend and PayPal a try and see how they can speed up the checkout process and improve customer happiness in your store.

PayPal’s photo check in feature gave customers the added convenience to pay with their phone.

TOPShELFBoutique

I think it’s nice because it saves time and it’s also more secure.Christina Ruiz, Owner at Top Shelf Boutique

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Medisave: How to Deploy Walking POS Systems at Trade Shows

scanners, networked printers, and manual credit card terminals at the events.

“Our main problem was that the equipment took up so much room. Space is very expensive at many of the medical exhibitions – some stand space run into $150,000 for 2 days, and we want to dedicate as much of the space as possible to marketing and stock.”

Moreover, Graham said that the system was very temperamental and they ran into several issues such as firewalls, SQL problems, and more. “So many things could go wrong that at EVERY show, so we would have to bring an IT person to ensure everything went smoothly.”

Then in 2013, Medisave encountered a challenge that prodded them to find a better

The Challenge

To find a powerful yet simple POS system that can handle thousands of sales without taking up heaps of space.

Medisave, a global Internet-based supplier of medical supplies, attends two large medical shows in the US every year where it sells personalized Littmann Stethoscopes. The products are being sold and personalized on the spot, so Medisave needs a system that works fast. It’s also important to note that the shows that Medisave attends are incredibly busy and the company makes up to 1,000 sales over a two-and-half day period. According to Graham Wright, Managing Partner at Medisave, the company had to use three laptops in conjunction with USB barcode

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POS solution: The company had to attend a smaller show, and the size of their booth was less than half of what they had at the bigger events.

“Physically, there was just not going to be enough room for all of our laptops, scanners, printers and credit card machines. We were faced with the challenge of finding a new, leaner solution and reinventing our sales process in less than two months!”

The Solution

Replace their bulky laptops, printers, and credit card machines with an iPad-based POS powered by Vend and PayPal. Medisave set up a mobile 4G WiFi Hotspot to ensure continuous connectivity. It paired its printers and scanners to iPads via Bluetooth, and then it set up its store using Vend.

The Results

According to Graham, Vend and PayPal worked without a hitch during the entire show. Despite having a smaller booth, Medisave was able to comfortably entertain customers and complete over a thousand sales without running into any issues. The Medisave team became “walking POS people” armed with printer belts and scanner lanyards. “It was completely self-sufficient,” he said.

Graham also noted that the solution’s speed and portability enabled them to keep the hectic crowds moving, so people could get back to their conference agenda as quickly as possible.

“For all three days of the show the system worked flawlessly. This is easily the best mobile POS solution we have deployed and we will definitely be using it for the foreseeable future.”

We could walk the line during busy times and go to the customer rather than them pushing through the crowd to get to the counter. Plus, credit card transactions were integrated directly into the process, and that cut our checkout time in half.

Graham Wright, Managing Partnerat Medisave

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Test drive Vend and PayPal to find out how they can improve your tradeshow experience.

Key Highlights

Vend and PayPal’s iPad-based solution eliminated the need for clunky laptops, manual credit card readers, wires, and cables, so Medisave was able to set up a powerful system and process the same amount of sales with half the equipment and half the show space.

Checkout time was twice as fast, thanks to the system’s credit card integration.

Vend and PayPal’s speed helped Medisave get people in and out of their booth, so show attendees were able to go back to the conference quickly.

This is easily the best mobile POS solution we have deployed and we will definitely be using it for the foreseeable future.

Medisave

Graham Wright, Managing Partner at Medisave

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Magic Memories: How to Streamline Sales and Inventory Reporting Across Multiple Locations

cloud, so we couldn’t get a consolidated view of what was happening across all our other stores.”

In terms of size and portability, Steve mentioned that the system was tied to a desk, so the staff didn’t have much freedom to walk around and engage shoppers. And as a company that operates in tourist attractions such as theme parks and aquariums, having the mobility to interact with customers is a must.

The Challenge

Extract actionable business insights through convenient and consolidated reporting.

Magic Memories, a tourism photography provider that sets up shop at hundreds of attractions around the world, needed a point-of-sale and inventory management solution that can support its rapid growth. According to the company’s Chief Operating Officer Steve Taitoko, Magic Memories’ initial POS system worked fine at a smaller scale, but lacked the functionality to support their expansion to other markets. “It provided very basic reporting and it was difficult to extract the data that we needed,” said Steve. “Additionally, the system didn’t run in the

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The Solution

Roll-out Vend and PayPal across Its US Locations Magic Memories rolled-out the Vend and PayPal POS and payment system in its attractions in the United States.

The Results

According to Steve, Vend worked extremely well in giving them the business intelligence they needed to make important decisions. “The data for all our stores is consolidated so I can view information for all our locations from one dashboard. And if I want to zero in on a particular country or just a cluster of sites, I could do that as well.”

When it comes to inventory, Steve said they’re pleased that Vend is able provide real-time information. “We always have a handle on our inventory, and that helps us manage our supplies more effectively.”

In addition, Vend and PayPal’s tablet-based solution made it easier for Magic Memories’ staff to market and sell to tourists.

Since we’re able to use tablets to process payments, our staff can actually go out to where the customers are, as opposed to just sitting behind the register waiting for people to come up.

Steve Taitoko, Chief Operating Officerat Magic Memories

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Try out Vend and PayPal to get the insights you need to make smarter business decisions.

Vend and PayPal’s iPad-based solution also allowed the staff to approach customers instead of waiting for people to come up to the register.

Key Highlights

Vend’s real-time reporting made it easier for Magic Memories to extract data and actionable insights.

Vend and PayPal eliminated the need for bulky cash registers, so the flow of traffic in Magic Memories’ locations improved.

We always have a handle on our inventory, and that helps us manage our supplies more effectively.

Magic memories

Steve Taitoko, Chief Operating Officer at Magic Memories

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ConclusionDeeper insights, faster checkout, and more convenient payment options are just some of the many benefits that retailers can get from Vend and PayPal.

Click here to learn more or to try out the solution for you own business.

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