The nomination highlights how Dove House Hospice has further improved its retail fundraising arm by deploying Cybertill’s new cloud-based “Advanced Gift Aid” retail software in its stores. Some of the benefits gained include: increasing gift aid* revenues, reducing fraud in store and eradicating all missed gift aid sales.

Dove House Hospice was the first charity in the country to use Cybertill’s new Advanced Gift Aid Software. This version has superceded Cybertill’s previous gift aid software, which around one in three charity shops in the UK currently use.

Since deploying Advanced Gift-Aid Dove House’s Gift-Aid revenues have increased dramatically, in two years gift-aid claimed has increased by almost £50,000: 2012 saw an increase of 27% (YoY) in gift-aid revenue up to £122,240.

Advanced Gift Aid introduces retail best practice to the charity sector, in that every item sold has its own barcode, this is created when the goods are donated. Like other retailers Dove House defines stock in ‘categories’ (e.g. Menswear) and ‘sub-categories’ (e.g. Trousers). So when selling goods, by scanning the unique barcode, it captures every item sold. Marisa Haines, Retail Division Manager, explains, “We can now analyse exactly what we sell. We used to churn out shops, in that 40% was ladieswear, 20% menswear etc. Some categories don’t sell in some shops no matter what the price, so now we know we remove that category. Now we maximise sales per foot in each shop and look at sales in a mainstream retail way.”

With Advanced Gift-Aid every item is barcoded so shoplifters cannot swap ticket prices, eliminating ticket swapping in-store. Advanced Gift-Aid speeds up transaction time at the till point, as volunteers and staff no longer have to input the item and price but simply scan a barcode then take payment.

“Advanced Gift Aid is changing the way charities approach retail,” commented Ian Tomlison, Cybertill CEO. “Cybertill’s Advanced Gift Aid has helped Dove House significantly increase its revenues, as well offer many other benefits. We are now finding many more charities adopting Advanced Gift Aid thanks to Dove House’s pioneering spirit.”

* Gift Aid Explained:
When individuals (who pay UK tax) donate goods to a charity shop, that charity is able to claim back the tax that they have paid on the donation from the government, with the donors consent. This is called Gift Aid and it typically allows charities to claim an additional 25p in every £1 they earn when selling donated goods. The processes in reclaiming gift aid involve intensive administration, but Cybertill automates this process for charities.

With the high street in a state of flux Cybertill, who develop cloud-based retail software, was the only retail focused software company to be shortlisted. The aim of TechMarketView’s ‘Little British Battlers’ initiative is to give an opportunity to small, privately-held UK software and IT services companies get some honest feedback on their market positioning while giving them far reaching visibility across the marketplace.

Founder and CEO of Cybertill, Ian Tomlinson, commented. “It is a real fillip for Cybertill being the only retail software company shortlisted. In a sluggish high street Cybertill’s cloud-based approach has enabled retailers to embrace, and also prosper, in the multi-channel era. This has been a key driver in Cybertill’s on-going success. The Little British Battlers is an excellent platform for constructive feedback whilst also highlighting the UK’s brightest potential stars.”

At Spring Fair 2013 Cybertill will be offering free advice to retailers on how they can improve the ranking of their website on Google.

The power of Google and the influence it has on websites is vast, so appearing on its first page, and the higher the better, can have a huge bearing on the volume of traffic and therefore sales. Ask an ‘expert’ and retailers often get bamboozled with dark arts on how it is done. Actually, it is quite simplistic, and at Spring Fair Cybertill will be offering retailers free advice on how they can improve their ecommerce site’s performance in Google (known as Search Engine Optimization) and other search engines. To take advantage of this retailers should visit Cybertill’s main stand at Spring Fair (Hall 5, Stand K53). Sessions can be booked in advance by emailing enquiries@cybertill.co.uk or calling 0800 030 4432.

Cybertill will also be showcasing its new mobile point of sale (Mobile PoS) system that can run on an iPad. Cybertill’s Mobile PoS enables retailers to carry their EPoS system with them wherever they are. Ideal at trade shows, allowing retailers to check previous orders, live stock levels as well as placing new orders, this ensures retailers don’t under or over order. In addition to that Cybertill will be demonstrating its award winning EPoS and ecommerce systems.

Visit Cybertills Spring Fair Stands: Hall 5, Stand K53 & Hall 17, Stand 17T63

British Red Cross

British Red Cross has a pop up store in Westfield, White City for four days in December (13-17th December 2012).
Customers can find everything from vintage aprons and mugs to classic children’s toys. British Red Cross is encouraging shoppers to tweet about their visit and sharing pictures of their best buys using the hashtag #generositywrappedup.

They are managing their pop up store with Cybertill’s cloud based EPoS system. The nature of cloud based software enables super quick deployment and instant scalability.

Virgin Media

Designed with all the creature comforts typically found in the home but with a twist. There is an electronic display that acts as the front door; motion sensors trigger the door bell where visitors are greeted by a digital Usain Bolt, Mo Farah, Richard Branson and even a T-Rex. Within the store there are two TiVo lounges, full touchscreen mobile wall, as well as a garden, and patio area.

In keeping with an interactive experience at every touch point, Virgin Media sales staff  process sales using Cybertill’s cloud based EPoS system on iPads.  This allows staff to engage, showcase and sell to customers in a unique new way.  Customers will be invited to sit down and enjoy a cup of tea in the garden while staff complete the sale.

“Virgin Media has embraced mobile PoS, and I’m sure they’ll see a shift in customer perception as they engage with the technology,” commented Ian Tomlinson, CEO of Cybertill. “As mobile PoS is key in delivering a more tailored and personal experience for the customer, removing the traditional over the counter experiences.” 

Paul Williams, Virgin Media’s retail director, said: “We’re in the business of connecting and entertaining people whether they’re at home or on the move, so we wanted to inject fun into the shopping experience too. This transformational approach is inspired by what our customers have been telling us and we’ve created a more immersive experience in keeping with our Virgin heritage.”

There was just 17% who don’t use social media, but those that don’t the majority, 66%, are planning to start using social media in the next six months. The most used social media platform was Facebook, with 93% of those that use social media actively using it, second was Twitter, with just over half using it. In third spot was the business social media site LinkedIn, with one fifth utilising it.
 
When asked what they used social media for 93% said they use it as a sales tool to communicate special offers to customers. 60% use it for a public relations tool to communicate with their local press, bloggers and so forth. 40% use social media to try understand what their customers want and to engage with their customers. 20% use it help with the optimisation of their website across search engines, such as Google.

Ian Tomlinson, CEO of Cybertill commented. “Social Media is becoming a sales channel in its own right, and it is also a perfect fit for sports retailer, especially for those selling into clubs. Facebook and Twitter give them a ready-made platform to engage with members of clubs. For example it is easy for a retailer to post on a running club’s Facebook page that they will have a pop-up shop at the club’s next 10K run with 10% discount to all members. It makes engaging with club members simple and straightforward.”

Cybertill is the leading supplier of gift aid software and EPoS (electronic point of sale) software to charities in the UK, with an estimated 1 in 3 UK charity shops using Cybertill.  Dove House Hospice, a charity retailer in the Hull area with 31 shops, has achieved some outstanding results by using Cybertill’s new Advanced Gift Aid software. For example on average Dove House have increased gift aid revenue by a further 20%, reduced fraud in-store and are now able to manage stock on donated goods in store. This last year Dove House has been able to claim in excess of £100,000 in gift aid from HMRC.

According to Marisa Haines, Retail Division Manager at Dove House Hospice, “Initially we were apprehensive, introducing this level of technology into our stores, as many of our shop staff are voluntary. But they welcomed it with open arms, and the response from customers as well as staff has been overwhelming. Customers have commented on how professionally run our shops are, and what good customer service we have. I believe this is solely due to Advanced Gift Aid  doing the thinking for the till operative allowing them time to really serve our customers.”

Founder and CEO of Cybertill, Ian Tomlinson, said, “On today’s high streets charity shops actively compete with mainstream independent and multiple retailers for a share of the consumer’s wallet. With the current economic environment this is not without its challenges; from charity retailers operating on much tighter budgets than their peers and to the quality of many donations deteriorating as we, the public, hold on to clothes and other items for longer before donating them, as many households continue to feel the economic pinch. With that in mind we’re delighted that Cybertill’s EPoS and gift aid software has helped Dove House Hospice improve the efficiency of its business and helped raise even more money. And we are also delighted that Cybertill’s advancement in of its charity EPoS software has been recognised by the Retail Systems Awards, especially considering they received a record number of entries in this category in 2012.”

* Before Advanced Gift Aid charity retailers would have two tags on items in store. One would be price, which is often hand written, thus it was open to manipulation, and the other (if the goods had been gift aided) with a bar code carrying the donor ID. Advanced Gift Aid is a single bar code which carries the product price, and description (identifying the category and sub-category [i.e. ladieswear and ladieswear jackets respectively]. Thus when at the point of sale the price always goes through as set by management and gift aid is always captured.

** Many charities now reclaim Gift-Aid on donated goods in their charity shops. Gift-Aid allows charities to reclaim the tax paid on donated goods by UK taxpayers (with donors’ consent), typically 25p in every pound. HMRC has set out strict guidelines on the procedures around Gift-Aid and the reclaim process is administratively intensive. Cybertill has introduced Advanced Gift-Aid software, which integrates with its retail point of sale system, and this automates Gift-Aid processes for charities and in addition guarantees to eradicate all missed Gift-Aid sales and increase the revenue a charity takes through Gift-Aid.

Cybertill is the leading supplier of gift aid software and EPoS (electronic point of sale) software to charities in the UK, with an estimated 1 in 3 UK charity shops using Cybertill.  Dove House Hospice, a charity retailer in the Hull area with 31 shops, has achieved some outstanding results by using Cybertill’s new Advanced Gift Aid software. For example on average Dove House have increased gift aid* revenue by a further 20%, reduced fraud in-store and are now able to manage stock on donated goods in store. This last year Dove House has been able to claim in excess of £100,000 in gift aid from HMRC.

Founder and CEO of Cybertill, Ian Tomlinson, said, “On today’s high streets charity shops actively compete with mainstream independent and multiple retailers for a share of the consumer’s wallet. With the current economic environment this is not without its challenges; from charity retailers operating on much tighter budgets than their peers and to the quality of many donations deteriorating as we, the public, hold on to clothes and other items for longer before donating them, as many households continue to feel the economic pinch. With that in mind we’re delighted that Cybertill’s EPoS and gift aid software has helped Dove House Hospice improve the efficiency of its business and helped raise even more money. And we are also pleased that Cybertill’s advancement in of its charity EPoS software has been recognised by the Retail Systems Awards.”

*Many charities now reclaim Gift-Aid on donated goods in their charity shops. Gift-Aid allows charities to reclaim the tax paid on donated goods by UK taxpayers (with donors’ consent), typically 25p in every pound. HMRC has set out strict guidelines on the procedures around Gift-Aid and the reclaim process is administratively intensive. Cybertill has introduced Advanced Gift-Aid software, which integrates with its retail point of sale system, and this automates Gift-Aid processes for charities and in addition guarantees to eradicate all missed Gift-Aid sales and increase the revenue a charity takes through Gift-Aid.

Cybertill is the leading supplier of gift aid software and EPoS (electronic point of sale) software to charities in the UK, with an estimated 1 in 3 UK charity shops using Cybertill.  Cybertill has recently developed a new solution called “Advanced Gift Aid”. Dove House Hospice, a charity retailer in the Hull area with 31 shops, has achieved some outstanding results by using Cybertill’s new Advanced Gift Aid software. For example on average Dove House have increased gift aid* revenue by a further 20%, reduced fraud in-store and are now able to manage stock on donated goods in store. This last year Dove House has been able to claim in excess of £100,000 in gift aid from HMRC.

Founder and CEO of Cybertill, Ian Tomlinson, said, “On today’s high streets charity shops actively compete with mainstream independent and multiple retailers for a share of the consumer’s wallet. With the current economic environment this is not without its challenges; from charity retailers operating on much tighter budgets than their peers and to the quality of many donations deteriorating as we, the public, hold on to clothes and other items for longer before donating them, as many households continue to feel the economic pinch. With that in mind we’re delighted that Cybertill’s EPoS and gift aid software has helped Dove House Hospice improve the efficiency of its business and helped raise even more money.”

*Many charities now reclaim Gift-Aid on donated goods in their charity shops. Gift-Aid allows charities to reclaim the tax paid on donated goods by UK taxpayers (with donors’ consent), typically 25p in every pound. HMRC has set out strict guidelines on the procedures around Gift-Aid and the reclaim process is administratively intensive. Cybertill has introduced Advanced Gift-Aid software, which integrates with its retail point of sale system, and this automates Gift-Aid processes for charities and in addition guarantees to eradicate all missed Gift-Aid sales and increase the revenue a charity takes through Gift-Aid.

Cybertill’s latest ecommerce incarnation allows retailers to optimise their website through a wide array of search engine optimisation tools as well as being able to promote and manage their site across social media websites. Cybertill is also offering a search engine marketing (SEM) consultancy to coincide with the new platform.

With the fragmentation of the ecommerce channel Cybertill’s ecommerce software embraces all the different online channels, with eBay integration, a wide array of social media plug-ins so retailers can optimise their site and sell across social media platforms, as well as the central ecommerce engine. This seamlessly merges with Cybertill’s multi-channel retail software so retailers can manage and optimise all channels efficiently in real time.

“A stable and sophisticated ecommerce platform is critical for retailers in today’s environment,” comments Ian Tomlinson, founder and CEO of Cybertill. “Ecommerce is the one channel that is truly thriving posting double digit growth year on year. Cybertill’s latest ecommerce software will help retailers improve their visibility online and across social media. It will also make online a more flexible and consumer friendly experience with a one page checkout and guest checkout facility as well as a host of other tools, such as Amazon checkout.”

“It also allows true multi-channel integration,” continues Tomlinson. “We have updated the ‘click and collect’ facility, so it also allows ‘reserve and collect’ too. As Cybertill is cloud based all sales and stock can be seen real time, ensuring retailers sell what they stock. Cybertill can also offer a search engine marketing consultancy for those retailers unsure how best to optimise their site. The good news for retailers is that search engine marketing is not a ‘dark art’. From simple keyword analysis and planning to writing relevant copy and inputting the appropriate headers, tags and so forth to link building and linking into social media. We want to share our knowledge to empower retailers to improve their visibility online. I am confident that Cybertill’s latest ecommerce software will be central to allowing retailers make the most of the ecommerce channel.”

Many charity retailers reclaim gift aid on donated goods in their charity shops. Gift Aid allows charities to reclaim the tax paid on donated goods, typically 25p in every pound. HMRC has set out strict guidelines on the procedures around gift aid and the reclaim process is administratively intensive. Cybertill has introduced Advanced Gift Aid software, which integrates with its retail point of sale system, and this automates gift aid processes for charities and in addition guarantees to eradicate all missed gift aid sales and increase the revenue a charity takes through gift aid.

In congratulating the winners, the Big Chip judging panel commented. “Cybertill’s Advanced Gift Aid solution automates the Gift Aid process at the software level, making it easy for charity retailers to comply with the strict guidelines involved and dramatically increasing the amount of money they can bring in.”

Founder of Cybertill and current CEO, Ian Tomlinson, commented. “The awards ceremony was a great evening, made even better by winning. I am pleased the judges recognised the Cybertill’s ground breaking web-based software for charity retailers. This success is attributable to many factors including personnel, experience our unique product offering, and of course our customers. Customers, like Dove House Hospice, who have benefitted from using Cybertill act as a real vindication for Cybertill and our retail software.”

There were many different reasons cited for this confidence although there were central themes that resonated across responses including, ecommerce driving growth, providing excellent customer service and operating in retail sectors that were thriving. Such sectors included charity retail and cycle retail. Although when asked if the Olympics would affect their business 54% of respondents replied it would have no or minimal effect on my business. The 19% that responded it would increase sales were predominately either based in the London area or sold sporting goods that expected a fillip from the Olympics.

Mobile PoS

Other questions asked if they were considering rolling out mobile EPoS in their stores over the next 12 months. Only 18% responded ‘Yes’ with 41% saying ‘Maybe’. The remaining 41% said they would not be deploying mobile EPoS. The types of retailers interested in rolling out mobile EPoS were wide and varied, they included: sports, furniture, charity, fashion, footwear, cycles.

Ian Tomlinson, CEO of Cybertill, commented that “The results from the survey are a fillip for retail but also highlight that there are businesses doing well and confident despite the on-going negativity surrounding the economy. It was refreshing there were a variety of reasons for the confidence. It also highlighted that if retailers do the simple things well of excellent customer service, backed by knowledgeable and well trained staff they can thrive in this environment.”

Cybertill surveyed their customers, in excess of 600 retailers nationwide, throughout May and June 2012. “It was interesting that 18% of customers are looking to roll out mobile PoS,” explained Tomlinson. “I believe mobile EPoS systems are a great tool for added customer service, but I also believe that mobile PoS should be deployed to add value and not just as an expensive gimmick. I think when this question is asked in twelve months’ time however mobile PoS will have gained greater traction in the retail environment and be a proven solution and more retailers will be looking to deploy it across their business.”

Founder and current CEO of Cybertill, Ian Tomlinson, said, “On today’s high streets charity shops actively compete with mainstream independent and multiple retailers for a share of the consumer’s wallet. With the current economic environment this is not without its challenges; from charity retailers operating on much tighter budgets than their peers and to the quality of many donations deteriorating as we, the public, hold on to clothes and other items for longer before donating them, as may households continue to feel the economic squeeze. With that in mind we’re delighted that Cybertill’s EPoS and gift aid software has helped Dove House Hospice improve the efficiency of its business and helped raise even more money.”

*Many charities now reclaim Gift Aid on donated goods in their charity shops. Gift Aid allows charities to reclaim the tax paid on donated goods by UK taxpayers (with donors’ consent), typically 25p in every pound. HMRC has set out strict guidelines on the procedures around Gift Aid and the reclaim process is administratively intensive. Cybertill has introduced Advanced Gift Aid software, which integrates with its retail point of sale system, and this automates Gift Aid processes for charities and in addition guarantees to eradicate all missed Gift Aid sales and increase the revenue a charity takes through Gift Aid.

Cybertill, founded in 2001, supplies multi-channel software, specifically electronic point of sale (EPoS), e-commerce and mail order software and systems to non-food retailers. Over the last financial year it has grown customer numbers as it signed over 120 new retail customers. The strong and eclectic customer base covers many different sizes and sectors of retail (from independent to high street chains, including fashion, footwear, cycle, charity, home ware and many more). Such strong growth in customer numbers and new business indicates that many different retailers are turning to cloud based retail software for the real benefits it brings, such as being able to seamlessly manage multiple sales channels in real time.

“Cybertill has performed strongly in all areas of the business,” commented founder and CEO Ian Tomlinson. “Being able to increase revenues and customer numbers in such a testing environment is testament to that. Profits also increased and we have invested a further £150,000 on future products and development, and created ten new full time jobs increasing the workforce to 58. What’s more the liquidity of the business increased by over £250,000, which will help to sustain and grow the business in the future. I believe our figures bear out the fact that cloud computing is now a mainstream technology within retail. In addition to that retailers understand the benefits that web based software delivers, such as reducing total cost of ownership, managing multiple sales channels in real time. Such widespread adoption of cloud technology within retail, underpins Cybertill’s strong performance and its position moving forwards.”

Cybertill’s cloud based multi-channel software was a world first, introduced in late 2001. Whilst there are more cloud based retail sofwtare systems available today, Cybertill has the largest market penetration by some way and is continually evolving its offering to help it stay ahead of its competition.

Ian Tomlinson, CEO of Cybertill, stated. “The awards ceremony were an incredible evening, made even better by winning. I am pleased the judges recognised the company’s groundbreaking SaaS retail solution and the benefits it brings retailers. This success is attributable to many factors including personnel, experience our unique product offering, and of course our customers. Customers, like St Barnabas Hospices, who have benefitted from using Cybertill act as a real vindication for Cybertill and our retail software.”

The nomination demonstrates the business benefits that Cybertill has brought St Barnabas and Chestnut Tree House Hospices following the implementation of Cybertill’s cloud based Electronic Point of Sale (EPoS) system. The main objective for the St Barnabas and Chestnut Tree House Hospices was to begin claiming gift aid* in their charity shops, which helps them increase their revenue and profit, which can then be reinvested into the both hospices. One of the issues around re-claiming gift aid is it is a laborious task for charities, not only are the steps and administration labour intensive but it has to adhere to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) strict guidelines. This is the main obstacle that prevents many charity retailers from claiming or attempting to claim gift aid. The hospices have been amazed at the simplicity of these processes in Cybertill, because everything is automated. Thanks to Cybertill in the first year they claimed £100,000 net in Gift Aid and are targeting £120,000 in this next financial year. Already Gift Aid is generating about 18% of the retail operation’s net profit.

There have also been other benefits of deploying Cybertill, which St Barnabas and Chestnut Tree House were unaware of. The initial brief was to reclaim gift aid and manage the shops more efficiently along with the stock. But they also operate a Christmas mail order business from their distribution centre and send out 30,000 of their Christmas card brochures every year. Cybertill can also manage mail order and ecommerce businesses and links store, ecommerce and mail order together seamlessly. So they now be manage the mail order operations in Cybertill including orders, stock levels, customers and in future use historical data from Cybertill to predict sales and future orders, helping increase card sales.

Colin Wakefield, who is Head of Retail at St Barnabas and Chestnut Tree House, commented. “The benefits of Cybertill are multiple. It has changed how we approach our shops, they are not formulaic charity shops, in terms of selling all product departments, such as ladies wear, bric-a-brac, furniture and so forth. We consistently analyse what lines each shop sells. Some specialise in children’s wear, furniture, bric-a-brac and so forth. With Cybertill we can see what is selling where so we get the right product lines to the right stores thus optimising our sales, and catering for local demand. Cybertill has also enabled us to claim gift aid on donated goods which in turn helps us run and maintain both hospices. It has exceeded all our needs in terms of what we planned for the retail side of the charity. The additional advantages we have now are immeasurable, as far as I am concerned. It has proven so successful, and we have paid for the system within six months and not the twelve months originally estimated.”

Founder and current CEO of Cybertill, Ian Tomlinson, said, “On today’s high streets charity shops actively compete with mainstream independent and multiple retailers for a share of the consumer’s wallet. With the current economic environment this is not without its challenges; from charity retailers operating on much tighter budgets than their peers and to the quality of many donations deteriorating as we, the public, hold on to clothes and other items for longer before donating them, as may households continue to feel the economic squeeze. With that in mind we’re delighted that Cybertill has helped St Barnabas and Chestnut Tree House improve the efficiency of its business and helped raise even more money.”

* Gift Aid Explained:
When individuals (who pay UK tax) donate goods to a charity shop, that charity is able to claim back the tax that they have paid on the donation from the government, with the donors consent. This is called Gift Aid and it typically allows charities to claim an additional 25p in every £1 they earn when selling donated goods. The processes in reclaiming gift aid involve intensive administration, but Cybertill automates this process for charities.

This is the second year that Independent Retailer Month has taken place in the UK, it originated in the USA in 2009, but in 2011 it went global. This is the inaugural launch conference, specifically created to provide independent retailers with access to examples of best practice retailing and to gain insights from subject matter experts. “We’re delighted to welcome Cybertill as one of our launch conference sponsors,” commented Clare Rayner, “They work with a wide variety of Independent Retailers in the UK, helping retail business owners and managers to understand their business performance and to control their sales channels more effectively. I am looking forward to their keynote presentation at the launch Conference on 1st July; it will provide valuable insight for independent retailers in terms of the management and organisation of their businesses.”

“It seems that there has been a change in attitude of late by those in Government about protecting and improving local high streets. With Mary Portas’ completing her high street review, commissioned by the Government. It now seems both those in power and consumers realise the importance of their local high streets to their communities and economies. Without them the lifeblood of many areas drains away. Events like Independent Retailer Month help raise the profile of this important cause, but perhaps more importantly it can help change the culture in how we, as a nation, shop. This event not only drives retailers to their local high streets but also offers retailers resources and information on what they can do to help themselves, and has a real community spirit to it. Cybertill is proud to support such a focused event, as many independent retailers benefit from using our cloud based EPoS systems to manage their shops, and ecommerce system for their online stores,” explained Ian Tomlinson, founder and CEO of Cybertill.

By deploying Cybertill’s charity retail system, which combines an electronic point of sale (EPoS) system and Gift Aid solution, Cancer Research UK, over the next five years, aim to generate an additional £18 million in revenue through Gift Aid. The Gift Aid scheme allows charities to reclaim an extra 25% in tax on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. Because of the Gift Aid incentive both national and regional charities have embarked on deploying Gift Aid systems throughout their charity shops, as it has become a welcome source of additional revenue.

Cybertill is used by many charity retailers and now with Cancer Research UK deploying the Cybertill charity retail system, nearly one in three charity shops in the UK are signed up to Cybertill.

There are strict procedures to follow, which are overseen by HMRC, when reclaiming Gift Aid. The whole process of making the claim can be quite labour intensive, this is one of the reasons many charity retailers turn to automated systems like Cybertill’s Gift Aid system. Cybertill automates much of this process for charity shops, this in turn saves administrative time as well as helping generate substantial extra revenue.

Head of Retail Operations, Sue Azzopardi, said, “Cancer Research UK has some ambitious fundraising targets to meet in the coming years and our retail chain has a vital part to play in us reaching that goal. By installing the Cybertill system into our 555 stores across the UK, it will enable us to claim Gift Aid and manage our bought in goods and stock more effectively. This is a wonderful opportunity and I know that we can deliver some great results for Cancer Research UK by achieving the very best from the donated stock so generously given by our supporters.”

“I am extremely pleased that Cybertill is working with Cancer Research UK,” commented Cybertill’s Chief Executive Ian Tomlinson. “Their research and tender process was extremely rigourous to ensure their expenditure optimised return on investment for the charity. And by using Cybertill’s Gift Aid system, that is integrated with the EPoS solution, they hope to deliver an additional £18m in revenue in the first five years of deployment. The project is particularly exciting in that 555 stores will be deployed in just three months. With our own experience of managing projects of this size with national retailers and other large national charity retailers we are looking forward to completing the project so Cancer Research UK can start to see the benefit of installing Cybertill’s charity retail system. What’s more as the Cybertill retail system is cloud-based this makes the project deployment so much easier, as does managing the system on an on going basis. This is because all upgrades, data back ups are managed for Cancer Research UK centrally by Cybertill. We hope that the Cybertill system will make a real difference to Cancer Research UK and assist them in the excellent work they do.”

Global manufacturer of PC-based touchscreen point-of-sale hardware, J2 Retail Systems, and one of the UK’s leading EPoS solutions providers, Cybertill, have revealed details of the partnership they have recently forged. 

Explains Moray Boyd, managing director of J2 Retail Systems: “Our Cybertill partnership is a good match.  We’re always adding to our product range, using emerging technologies to make for a better user experience of EPoS and achieve a lower cost of ownership.  Retail is particularly tough at present, and we believe we can help Cybertill clients run more efficient and more profitable businesses.”

Cybertill has one of the most diverse retail user bases of all the EPoS solution providers.  The company’s clients span some of the UK’s biggest charity retailers and both multiple and independent retailers in many specialist trades.  For Cybertill clients who are sophisticated fashion boutiques, till appearance and silent operation are important.  For garden centre or bike shop clients, system durability is paramount.

Observes Ian Tomlinson, chief executive of Cybertill: “Each of our clients makes different demands of EPoS.  The good thing is that J2 shares our broad presence in the retail sector, and its EPoS hardware is proven and well regarded.  With J2, we can be confident that wherever we install its units they’ll fit in well and be reliable and cost-effective.”

Continues Tomlinson: “There’s no doubt that J2 tills are good-looking and have a smaller footprint than many other units.  This is of real value to our independent retailer clients who need to maximise their space for merchandising and promoting the business, as it helps them de-clutter the point-of-sale area.”

Whilst Cybertill has its own hardware support partner, it is still important to the business that it supplies robust equipment.  “The fact that J2 hardware is well-engineered makes it cost-effective for our customers as well as suitable for the most rugged environments.”

Ease of use is a compelling reason for selecting EPoS, as Ian Tomlinson concludes. “Our clients look for something that gives them confidence.  They want to focus on serving their customers, rather than be distracted by using the till, and this is where J2 scores.”

Direct Golf UK

Direct Golf UK was founded by Class AA PGA Professional John Andrew in 1991 and has grown quickly over its 20-year trading history. John still has hands-on involvement with Direct Golf UK and managing director, Neil Bell, is also a PGA Professional, as are many of the management team. This helps the business retain its passion and focus for the sport and ensures that the business is entirely customer focused.

“Direct Golf UK needed a true multi-channel solution to help manage all sales channels”, Neil comments. “The appeal of Cybertill is that it is web based, so everything is real time. We have a 75,000 square foot distribution centre, 17 retail stores as well as the ecommerce site and mail order business. Cybertill will help all sales teams to access live stock levels across the estate meaning that no sales opportunity is missed and that customers always get the products they need,” he continues.“Another advantage of installing a web based system is that we can quickly deploy it across all stores and can keep the current EPoS hardware, which minimises in-store disruption.”

Ian Tomlinson, Chief Executive of Cybertill, adds: “Direct Golf UK is a multi-channel success story for retail. When many high street retailers appear to be struggling, Direct Golf UK has successfully grown their business across all sales channels. This has been achieved by offering a combination of world class customer service, expert professional advice, competitive pricing and large stock holdings. The company now employs over 45 PGA qualified Professionals across all channels to ensure customers receive the very best advice and product at the right price. I am pleased that they have chosen to work with Cybertill, as it is a proven golf and sports retail system. And as Cybertill is cloud-based, they will have access to real time sales and stock figures helping to further consolidate the service they offer throughout the business. Cybertill also has a robust CRM system built-in, where all customer records are also in real time; which will aid the continuity of service across all sales channels, helping Direct Golf UK to maintain its high standards”.