Case Study Cover Pumpkin Patch

Infinity POS System Case Studies

Triquestra’s Infinity POS is showcased at retailers worldwide.

Infinity POS solutions Pumpkin Patch case study

Infinity POS solutions provides Pumpkin Patch with a global expansion solution

“We need POS software that works no matter how fast we grow, is reliable and that we can take anywhere. The Infinity retail point of sale software system has proven itself to be that system,” Zarina Thesing, General Manager IT

The requirement: POS solutions software to grow with us, go with us

With its innovative design and quality clothing Pumpkin Patch is a retailing success story, which has become established as an international premium children’s fashion brand.

Its expansion into a number of global markets means Pumpkin Patch requires POS solutions software that includes different tax regimes, currencies, promotions and gift card solutions, Pumpkin Patch’s General Manager of IT Zarina Thesing says.

At the same time Pumpkin Patch wants POS software that offers proven simplicity and reliability that will not become rapidly outdated. “I don’t want to be in the position of some companies which are always in a cycle of investing heavily in upgrading their inventory management software.”

Having POS software that is easy for sales staff to pick up and use was also an important consideration. “We don’t want to have to spend a lot of time training staff how to use the POS software,” Zarina says.

The solution: Triquestra International’s Infinity POS Solutions Software System

As it expands globally Pumpkin Patch trusts Triquestra International’s Infinity Retail Management System to be its POS software.

Infinity POS software is deployed in all Pumpkin Patch’s new stores, in its UK and US stores, and is being rolled out in the Australian and New Zealand stores that are using Triquestra’s legacy product, POS2000.

Each Pumpkin Patch store has two POS software lanes that use a standard PC–based terminals that run the Infinity POS system. The POS software terminals are thick client PCs linked to their store’s back office and to the head office.

When a new store is opened the POS software is loaded into the store PCs and configured remotely from head office. “Each store has a set of parameters that flag all the taxes, promotions, discounts and gift solutions. These are downloaded from head office along with all the product files,” Zarina says.

“Infinity POS software is very easy to configure. When we go into new markets around the world we can easily load in the local the tax requirements, local promotions, gift card solutions and staff discounts. This enables us to keep it quite simple at the front end with store staff not having to worry about any of those issues,” Zarina says.

“When we went into the United Kingdom in 2000 we had never dealt with VAT, but the Infinity retail point of sale software made it an easy transition. And Infinity POS software really helped in the USA where we had different tax rates in every state, and differing regulations covering retailing."

“For instance, in California it’s now a legal requirement that a POS software screen faces the customer as well as the operator. We were able to comply by purchasing extra screens for the terminals and simply configuring Infinity POS software to show sales details on two screens,” Zarina says.

Because Infinity POS solutions software is so scalable, Pumpkin Patch’s rapid growth has not increased the complexity of installing or managing the POS software. “Our processes are little different now to what they were ten years ago,” Zarina says.

And the simplicity at the back end is matched by its ease of operation for sales staff. “Infinity POS software is very easy to learn, very intuitive. Store staff pick it up very quickly,” Zarina says.

Benefits of Infinity POS software: reliability, resilience, reporting and control

Infinity retail point of sale has proved itself to be a reliable POS software that is able to handle very high sales volumes and keep working, Zarina says.

“We have customers queued up when we have a sale. It can be more like a supermarket than a fashion brand,” Zarina says. “Infinity POS software never causes us any trouble. It’s very reliable. Across 200 sites we never have any support issues.”

The Infinity POS system offers the peace of mind of full redundancy because it enables each POS software terminal to keep trading in the event of a network outage or LAN failure. Sales data is retained at POS until the network is restored and Infinity synchronises the sales files into the Pumpkin Patch data warehouse at head office and the back office PC.

“When our insurers’ risk analysts talked to us they were very concerned about how we kept the operation running in the event of a network failure. However, once we discussed it with them and explained how Infinity POS software worked they were much happier,” Zarina says.

At a company level Pumpkin Patch, uses Microsoft CRM software as its reporting tool as part of the company’s best-of-breed policy. Infinity retail point of sale software is suited to this environment because it interfaces easily with the CRM software and other software packages.

The Infinity POS system advanced reporting functionality is used at store level where it offers managers the capability to monitor their sales performance. The managers are able to work off the latest sales information because Infinity POS software synchronises all sales files across the Pumpkin Patch Network in close to real time ensuring that sales reporting is up to the minute.

“Having on-the-button information is critical for making decisions in retailing, which is all about today. If you have to wait until the next day for sales information you have already lost it,” Zarina says.

Store and regional managers in the highly competitive US market especially make use of the Infinity POS systems reporting capability. “In the US they are looking at their sales every hour on the hour to see what things they might have to do differently if the sales are down and make sure they have the right level of staffing to meet sales demand,” Zarina says.

“Getting staffing levels right is important for maintaining margin. If you have too few staff rostered on in a busy period, you lose sales. If you have too many staff on, you cut into your margin,” Zarina says.

While helping local managers track sales, Infinity POS solutions software enables all product, pricing and promotion information to be downloaded to the stores from head office. Files are loaded and synchronised in near real time with all stores. “Infinity POS software synchs all key files across the network as quickly as you can set them up,” Zarina says.

Central control makes it easier to ensure all stores receive timely information on changes to prices, products and promotions, which is critical for a company whose in-house design team creates 2000 styles per season.

This ability to control prices centrally is also important in maintaining profitability. It reduces the risk that stores will discount the best product in a bid to boost sales at the expense of margin, Zarina says.

Infinity also boosts the bottom line by being a cost effective solution that requires little support. Because the Infinity POS system has been developed from the proven POS2000 it has not required constant upgrading so the company avoids having to invest in regular upgrades, Zarina says.

“We need inventory management software that works no matter how fast we grow, is reliable and that we can take anywhere. Infinity POS software has proven itself to be that system,” Zarina says.

About Pumpkin Patch:

  • Founded: In 1990 as a premium children’s fashion label; started retailing in 1993
  • Turnover: NZ$376 million (2007 estimated)
  • Employees: 3,100 people including part timers
  • Retail chain: Pumpkin Patch operates more than 200 of its own stores in The United States, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. Franchised stores in South Africa also use Infinity

Key Infinity POS system features:

  • Implemented and supported in twelve countries
  • Full offline capability
  • Centralised control and reporting
  • Fast, intuitive transaction processing
  • Lower total cost of ownership

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