Point-of-sale store system built using FileMaker delivers up to the minute data to the factory
Hot retailer Brandy Melville relies on the FileMaker Platform to bring teen fashion purchases forward
When it comes fashion, nobody is more on-trend than teenage girls. Catering to the whims of a discerning and ever-changing audience of teens takes a business that is both smart and extremely agile. So when Brandy Melville became the #1 up-trending brand among teen girls in 2014, it was evident that they were doing something right. To make both in-store and online purchases as easy as possible, Brandy Melville turned to a custom app created using the FileMaker Platform.
Creating a point-of-sale (POS) system for Brandy Melville was a natural choice since the clothing company has been using FileMaker apps in their factories for over 15 years. Connecting the manufacturing processes to inventory and sales in over 150 stores worldwide made good sense.
Brandy Melville’s custom POS system, BMOS, (Brandy Melville Operating System) launched in 2015 to 23 American stores, and will continue to roll out to an additional 10 retail outlets in Canada and 35 outlets internationally by mid-2016. BMOS is a completely customized POS app providing a sleek, intuitive interface that is on-brand for an employee and customer base that is as tech-savvy as it is fashion conscious. Behind the scenes, the custom app manages a product database of over 10,000 items, plus reports, customer data, and gift cards.
A POS system with a brand of its own
The new Brandy Melville Operating System (BMOS) delivers a POS system that shows everything--from customer information to cash payment and credit card processing--in one glance
“We needed a fast POS system to keep up with our busy stores, and we wanted it have our brand’s look and feel," Flickinger said. “It needed to be truly a custom system that integrated our inventory management system, credit card terminals, and connect our multiple brick-and-mortar locations as well as our online store."
To create their custom POS system, Brandy Melville turned to KiBiz Systems, a consulting organization with FileMaker Certified developers, which is located near Brandy Melville’s USA headquarters in Los Angeles. Flickinger worked closely with Allen Imbarrato, president of KiBiz Systems, to use KiBiz Systems’ POS, KiPoint, as a foundation. KiPoint is a robust POS in itself, with many advanced features. During a sales transaction, employees can scan items using the bar code on the tags, or employees can look up the items in the built-in database. Plus, the POS app also takes advantage of the camera on Mac and iPad to photograph products. BMOS and KiPoint both integrate with the Genius credit card terminal system, and can accept Apple Pay. Meanwhile, the back end of the POS system centralizes inventory and accounting across multiple locations, using FileMaker WebDirect. The back end also uses Custom Web Publishing with PHP, which allows data-driven apps to operate in a web browser and the FileMaker Web Viewer to display web content inside BMOS.
Having this up-to-the-minute data allows the factory to determine which items to put on the production line. They have 10,000 items to produce, and they use this sales data to make real-time production decisions.
Store reports inform production schedules
Employees and management can also use the app to run detailed reports by product, customer, and invoice. Meanwhile, sales activity keeps the production line producing the right items at the right time. “The system is set up so that every store syncs its data back to the corporate offices in Switzerland every night. Having this up-to-the-minute data allows the factory to determine which items to put on the production line. They have 10,000 items to produce, and they use this sales data to make real-time production decisions." This blend of brick-and-mortar sales and online convenience is setting the new standard for retail.
Teen approved: global gift cards
The connector between in-store and online sales is the all-important gift card. Since upscale teen couture is often out of scope for a typical teenager’s budget, a Brandy Melville gift card is a sought-after present. But before the implementation of the FileMaker POS system, the cards were harder to use. “We weren’t centralized," Flickinger explained. “Before the app, gift cards would only work in one store, and didn’t work online, and now that we’ve networked it all together, it’s a much better experience for the customer. The FileMaker app is the repository for the gift card numbers, and it can communicate with Magento to redeem the card. So now, you can buy online or in any store. We’ve also switched our return system to gift cards as well, and the interfaces are branded exactly like our website. It’s nice to have something that reflects our personal style."
As the custom app iterates, Flickinger plans to extend the POS to include mobile functionality using iPad. Soon, retail employees will be able to check out customers where they stand, helping them avoid long lines, and creating a smooth, almost online-shopping experience even when in the store.
Brandy Melville staff was exceptionally happy with their choice of a developer in KiBiz Systems. “Allen impressed us with his dedication and honesty," Flickinger said. “I was looking for a developer who was FileMaker Certified, and who had extensive experience building a POS system using the FileMaker Platform," she explained. “We required a very high level of customization, and we had large scale plans, so we needed someone who could make all of that happen and work with our brand." Ki Point had already built other complex POS systems, so Imbarrato’s company was a perfect fit.
Well-designed app creates a perfect outfit
“We programmed BMOS (Brandy Melville Operating System, the rebranded name of the Ki Point POS app) to work with multiple peripherals," Imbarrato said. “We’re harnessing the power of FileMaker Server to create a centralized app that’s essential to connecting all the stores. The accounting department has a FileMaker WebDirect interface to the app and can see all of the sales information for each store through a web browser. This is opening up a world of possibilities for Brandy Melville. A lot of people don’t think that the FileMaker Platform is capable of doing all of this, but we’re proving that it is."