A Fresh Approach to Bridal Shop Software

BRIMAS software improves bridal shop efficiency by reducing administrative tasks, eliminating waste and maximising sales and marketing opportunities.

UK IT support company, Clicknetworks is to officially launch in March 2011, the World’s first platform independent browser based software, to help bridal shop owners manage their business more efficiently and retain more customer’s by adding value to their sales.

The new software called BRIMAS (Bridal Retail Information Management and Accounting System) enables owners to manage their shop anytime, from anywhere by centralising the vast majority of wedding shop processes into one single online software system and database.

BRIMAS combines the central features of a Point of Sale (POS), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), stock inventory, diary planner and accounts management system into the one program, aiming to deliver significant time and cost savings to the bridal shop owner.

“By integrating features found in many different programs and by eliminating manual tasks and time consuming paperwork, Brimas not only reduces costs on software, hardware, stationary and accountancy fees, it also gives shop owners the freedom to spend more time concentrating on the creative parts of their business rather than the mundane administrative tasks”, said BRIMAS Business Manager, John Mahaffy.

The software is designed specifically for bridal industries and was developed in the UK over a two year period working in close consultation with bridal retailers and suppliers to create a product that meets the needs and expectations of modern bridal shops and boutiques.

Mr Mahaffy said, “Bridal shops today are faced with a number of technology and software options to enhance their business, however very few are designed to meet the specific needs of bridal retailers”.

“While most bridal software packages focus solely on organising your business, BRIMAS takes it to the next level by helping you build a profitable and scalable business by streamlining customer development and automating marketing practices”.

“After the first day of listening to shop owners it became clear that many of them were struggling to effectively use technology and the internet to build their sales and run their business more efficiently”

“We recognised early on the importance of providing software that does not box clients in or force them down a particular process. Each and every shop is different and unique but they all share some core processes”, said Mr Mahaffy.

The sale of a wedding dress can involve several different stages and appointments.

BRIMAS caters for this unique type of sale by offering a multi-stage approach to the process.

This accommodates for the 'stop and start' nature of wedding sales whilst keeping overall control.

Various stages of the sales process which BRIMAS tracks through to completion:

• Gather initial customer/wedding information quickly
• Browse and shortlist products anytime
• Finalise dress selection
• Record customer measurements
• Order dress and accessories
• Manage appointments
• Print and electronically store contracts and invoices
• Manage fittings and amendments

The BRIMAS system includes various tools to aid with bridal shop management.

The system is capable of tracking and storing a wide range of data which is then made available to a manager for marketing campaigns and financial control.

A reporting suite featuring interactive charts and graphs makes it easy for shop owners to understand their business at a glance including key metric sales data such as:

• Best selling dresses
• Best selling accessories
• Most shortlisted dresses
• Most shortlisted accessories

“BRIMAS makes it easy for bridal shops to increase sales by selling a better experience to their customers than their competition can provide”, said Mr Mahaffy.

To access BRIMAS all you need is an internet connection and a web enabled device, this means the system can help bridal shops fit their business around the customer’s lifestyle.

For example, BRIMAS makes it possible for staff to conduct a sales consultation and measurements within the privacy of the customer’s home and outside of core opening hours.

“Creating a personalised experience, especially for brides with special needs is essential when you have customers contemplating a huge purchase. The more proactive a retailer is, the more likely it will be to pull in the right customers”, said Mr Mahaffy.

BRIMAS also makes it easy for shops to proactively take more appointments from their website to retain more customers.

BRIMAS reinforces the bridal shop’s reputation for excellent customer service by offering customers the opportunity to book appointments online through the booking function.

The “Book an Appointment” web lead facility enables shops to conduct an initial consultation gathering the important details prior to the customer visiting the shop. This allows shop owners to order stock, prepare and control first impressions before the customer enters the shop.

A key requirement in the design and development of BRIMAS was to make the interface easy to use and as intuitive as possible, so that shop owners would not have to spend large amounts of time and money on training staff to use the system.

BRIMAS has been designed with a friendly touch-screen interface that can be run from any web-enabled device, including PCs, Macs, tablet PCs and mobile phones. 

To ensure that Brimas meet their customer’s expectations, they employ their own full-time technical support, customer service, and software development teams here in the UK.

The company is currently seeking UK bridal shops to participate in the Beta testing phase of the product before its official launch in March 2011. For more information and to register your interest in participating in the Beta Testing program please visit: http://www.brimas.co.uk/register/

Ends

Notes to editors

1. BRIMAS is an online Bridal Retail Information Management and Accounting System developed by Clicknetworks Ltd based in Glasgow, United Kingdom. The system has been developed over a two year period following a close consultation with bridal retailers and suppliers. The online software is fast, secure and easy to use, and no computer skills are necessary. Affordable for shops of all sizes, and available from £35 per month, the system requires no expensive set-up or hardware costs and allows the shop owner, to manage their shop anytime, anywhere.
   
   
   Website: http://www.brimas.co.uk
   
   Email: info@brimas.co.uk
   
   
   
   
2. Clicknetworks Ltd was formed in 2005 by a team of IT professionals from a variety of professional backgrounds who came together to provide a complete end to end IT support, services and solutions to the business community. Based in Glasgow, the company has grown over time purely by customer recommendation to
   
   
   Website: http://www.clicknetworks.co.uk
   
   Email: info@clicknetworks.co.uk
   
   
3. For more information please contact: John Mahaffy, Brimas Business Development Manager, Clicknetworks Ltd. Phone: +44 (0)141 530 9116 or email:  john@clicknetworks.co.uk