Starting up is all about finding new solutions to old problems. When the founders of Stok.ly found the process of integrating third-party software into the websites they designed frustrating, they decided to fix it themselves and create something new - and the rest, as they say, is history. We chatted to founders Daniel Preece & Ian Coplans about how they started their business.
Explain your business in thirty seconds or less
We provide a seamless ePos, stock control and multichannel eCommerce solution for retailers. It's a plug'n'play cloud solution that provides you with real-time analysis and reporting, for unlimited users, anywhere, anytime on any device.
Upload your stock and add ePos, websites, Amazon and eBay stores for a seamless online and offline retailing experience for your management team, staff and customers. You can manage B2B and B2C sales, purchase orders, goods in, pick'n'pack and fulfilment from your Stok.ly dashboard, and use the stock app to manage pick'n'pack, stock-takes and goods in. Scan items in and update your inventory across all channels in real-time. No more data entry, duplicate entry, human error and wasted time on paper-based systems.
We integrate with couriers and accounting software for a seamless online / offline retail experience, and offer professional, creative Magento & WooCommerce website development.
Where are you based and why is it a good location for your business?
We are based in Hereford, West Midlands.
How did you come up with the idea?
We were developing eCommerce websites and our clients were always asking us to integrate with ePos, Stock Control and Multichannel software. These projects were frustrating and often didn’t deliver what the client expected because the third party software vendors didn’t plan for seamless integration via the cloud. So we thought, lets deliver a simple plug'n'play solution and solve the problem for retailers looking to sell online and in-store. Stok.ly was born!
What stage was your business at when you applied for the Start Up Loan?
We had a few customers but we needed to evolve our software to scale and grow.
How have you used it to grow your business?
Yes! We are scaling up now and onboarding clients. We are being careful to onboard clients at a sustainable rate so that we can always deliver excellent customer service and technical support.
Who is your mentor and how have they helped you?
My mentor is Andy Honess. Andy has asked me to think about the sales process and how we present ourselves to potential investors. Our time together has been very helpful and I am looking forward to our next meeting later this month.
Biggest achievement so far?
Innovating is exciting! Our software is easy to use and a really powerful tool for businesses looking to scale online. We go beyond normal multichannel or ePos software by helping manage purchase orders, goods in, barcoding and B2B and B2C sales.
What’s next for your business?
We are scaling and looking for another round of investment to create a machine learning layer to analyse and make accessible all the fantastic data we capture across a retail business. We want to make this data available in real time to personalize a shopping experience instore and online, improve customer loyalty and maximize profits.
Providing retailers with a true, real-time view of their business across in-store and online is now a reality with Stok.ly, and we will continue innovating in order to further disrupt retail and perceptions of the in-store / online shopper experience.
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