Lightspeed helps Squash Blossom automate reporting (and more)
With a focus on good vibes, a lively atmosphere, unique finds and systematic efficiency at every turn, Squash Blossom Boutique has earned its accolades as one of the best boutiques in Atlanta.
Business Type:
Apparel
Products:
Lightspeed Retail
NuORDER by Lightspeed
Payments
Advanced Reporting
Locations:
Georgia, USA
Squash Blossom Boutique by the numbers
25
Years in business
80%
Purchase orders created 80% faster with integrated NuORDER by Lightspeed
400
Purchase orders a year
The challenge: starting from scratch
When Lisa purchased Squash Blossom from its original founders, she wasn't just taking on a business—she took on an entirely new career change.
"It was a big career shift for me, because I came from a career in IT, doing the most opposite thing you could do to running a clothing boutique."
The learning curve was steep, and the state of the back office didn't help. Squash Blossom's operating procedures and systems needed to be standardized if Lisa wanted to grow the business.
Lisa immediately got to work updating Squash Blossom's systems.
But the new choice, Clover, wasn't much better. "It just wasn't ready for prime time," she says. On the surface, it seemed like it could do what Lisa needed it to do. But the more she learned about running Squash Blossom, the worse Clover fit. "It was missing a lot."
It was time to go back to the drawing board.
The solution: a system that checks all the boxes
Over a year into running Squash Blossom, Lisa was much better equipped to understand what she needed in a point of sale. And with her previous experience in IT, she knew exactly how to hunt down her next system, from the must haves to the nice to haves. There was a clear winner.
"Comparing what was on the market, Lightspeed stood out," says Lisa.
Unwilling to waste another day on a system that was holding Squash Blossom back, Lisa made the switch to Lightspeed POS and eCom just in time for Black Friday 2018, opening her up to sell on Instagram and serve holiday shoppers better.
I was on Clover for about a year and a half before I was like, there's got to be something better. Lightspeed stood out. It has everything you want and everything you want to know about your business.
Lisa Bobb, Owner, Squash Blossom Boutique
The Result: Lisa can focus on what she loves
Now that she has retail expertise to match her IT genius, Lisa can use Lightspeed to simplify and automate processes. Running the business is more efficient than ever.
Take reporting, for example. Automated reporting keeps Lisa's vendors informed of sales data so they can create purchase orders of best sellers for her, ensuring Squash Blossom's shelves are optimally stocked.
Lightspeed's reports help automate some fun employee engagement as well. "We'll do contests where the employee who signs up the most customers wins, and I'll then have a daily emailed report go to the store. They'll all crowd around every day to see who's ahead."
All my vendors love that Lightspeed can generate automated reports that they get monthly. They take that and create a reorder for me. They end up getting more business out of me and it's great because it's my best sellers. I don't have to guess.
Lisa Bobb, Owner, Squash Blossom Boutique
For her vendors on NuORDER, placing orders takes a fraction of the time thanks to integration with Lightspeed, especially since those orders come with product information imports—and photos. Working with the integration means NuORDER orders take 80% less time than before, another way Lightspeed is freeing up Lisa's valuable time.
"My personal goal in business is to only do what I love and nothing else," says Lisa. "Lightspeed really does give me the possibility of making that happen. I'm all about efficiency, delegating what makes sense, and making things easy for my staff and customers. I really think Lightspeed is the right tool for that."