Whitney and Phil first saw Clover in a few other small businesses in Valentine. After doing some research, they realized that they wouldn’t have to overhaul their existing online shop; Clover could integrate with their eCommerce provider, WooCommerce, as is. So, they made the switch.
“We use the SKU IQ app, which is the ‘middleman’ that syncs all our inventory between WooCommerce and Clover,” Phil explains. “So we can just go into SKU IQ and add inventory, adjust totals, set prices – everything. Once we hit save, it automatically goes online and it goes into the Clover inventory. Before this, it was a mess. It was a nightmare. Clover makes it so much simpler.”
The new capability frees the Mayhews to push the eCommerce site and sell their unique wares far beyond Valentine, competing with trendy boutiques nationwide. Phil estimates that the store now carries over 15,000 individual items in its inventory, a number that keeps growing.
“If Whitney scans a new item into the system at the store, it syncs that new inventory to SKU IQ, which syncs it to WooCommerce,” Phil says. “It's amazing. Sometimes we ship items that are sold out everywhere in New York and California, but that we have in stock. We're at the point now that there's no way that we could manage the website if we didn't have something that worked as seamlessly as that.”
The couple quickly noticed that Clover’s user-friendly experience also extended to their customers. In their surrounding area, it’s not unusual for small businesses to take only cash.
“We get people in all the time who still ask if we take cards, or only cash and check,” Whitney laughs. “We take American Express, we take it all!”
The Mayhews have found the Apple Pay feature to be especially useful. “I don’t know how many times people are out walking and spontaneously pop into our store, and then say, ‘Oh no, I really want this, but I left my wallet at home,’” Whitney says. “I love seeing the look on their faces when they realize they can pay with their phone or watch. Having features like that makes a huge difference.”
Phil agrees. “If you're wanting to grow, if you're wanting to expand, you need these things implemented into a system to make it easier for you.”
