POS for toy stores
A toy store does a large part of its year between November and Christmas, with promotions by brand and a rush on whatever is popular that season. SeroPOS runs the promotions on a schedule, labels the stock and warns you before the shelf is empty.
Toy stores in SeroPOS
Discounts by brand
Discount rules take a fixed amount or percentage off a brand, a category or chosen toys between two dates.
Rule priorities
When two rules apply, the one with the higher priority wins, so promotions don't stack by accident.
Barcode labels
Print stickers from the back office for toys that arrive without a usable barcode.
Low-stock alerts
The back office dashboard lists every product at or below its alert quantity.
Combos and bundles
Sell a starter set or a party bundle as a combo product made of items you stock.
Birthday regulars
Customer profiles store a birthday and purchase history, and reward points bring parents back.
Promotions that start and stop on their own
Toy promotions are usually by brand or by category: 20 percent off one building-block brand, a deal on board games, a clearance on last year's licensed toys. Discount rules in the back office handle that. Choose the products, the brand or the category, the locations, a fixed or percentage discount and the start and end dates. The till applies it at the right time and stops when it ends.
Each rule has a priority, so a brand promotion can take precedence over a store-wide offer instead of adding to it. Rules can also apply within selling price groups and customer groups, for example a standing discount for schools or daycares. Users at the till can have a maximum manual discount, so a cashier can't add an unplanned extra 30 percent.
- Brand, category or product rules
- Start and end dates
- Priority when rules overlap
- Location-specific promotions
Labels and the stockroom
Most packaged toys have a UPC or EAN code, so scan them at the till with a USB scanner or the camera. For toys that don't, such as small pocket-money items sold loose, generate a SKU and print labels from the back office with the name, price and barcode on the sticker size you use. Labels print from a browser on a computer with a label printer.
Racks, rows and positions can be recorded per location, which helps when the stockroom fills up in November. Spreadsheet imports load new ranges quickly, and Bulk Edit updates prices for a whole brand when the distributor's list changes. Purchases record each delivery's cost and raise stock where it arrived, and purchase returns send damaged boxes back to the supplier.
Ready for the gift season
Set an alert quantity on each product and the dashboard's Product Stock Alert table lists what is running low. Lead time and reorder quantity on the product help you order early from suppliers who sell out before December. The Trending Products report shows last year's top sellers by brand and category, which is a better guide to this year's order than memory.
Several POS menus let you keep a Holiday menu of the season's lines and gift wrap, and switch the till to it when the season starts. Combo products sell a bundle, such as a craft set with extra refills, at one price while taking each item out of stock. Purchases from several suppliers can be entered as they arrive, so the alert list stays accurate.
Parents, birthdays and returns
Customer profiles hold contact details, a date of birth and every purchase. Reward points give parents something back on each visit, with earn and redeem rules you set and an expiry period. With the CRM on Pro, the CRM dashboard lists upcoming birthdays and campaigns can email or text customers about a new range.
Gifts come back after the party. Switch a cart line to Return for an exchange, or refund the original sale from Recent Transactions, with card refunds sent to the terminal. Refund rights can be limited by role, with a manager's password approving them when needed. Returned toys go back into stock automatically when the return is recorded.
Frequently asked questions
Can I run a brand promotion automatically?
Yes. Create a discount rule for the brand with a fixed or percentage discount and a start and end date. It applies at the till on those dates without staff entering anything. Rules can be limited to certain locations and given a priority over other rules.
Do overlapping discounts stack?
Each discount rule has a priority, and the higher-priority rule is used when more than one applies to an item. That stops a brand discount and a category discount from both being applied by accident during a busy weekend. Check the priority whenever you add a new rule for the season.
Can SeroPOS print toy price stickers?
Yes, from the back office. Choose products and quantities in Print Labels, decide what prints, such as name, price and barcode, and pick a sticker layout from Barcode Settings. Printing runs from a browser on a computer connected to a label printer.
Can I sell a toy bundle?
Yes. A combo product groups several products you stock into one item with its own price. When the combo sells, each item in it comes out of stock, so a starter set doesn't throw off your counts of the individual pieces.
Is there a loyalty program for parents?
Yes, through reward points. Set how much a customer spends per point, minimum orders, the most points per order and an expiry period. Points are redeemed at payment, and each customer's earned and redeemed points show on their profile in the back office.