Grocery stores stock a myriad of goods from multiple suppliers, all of whom need to be paid—a process that, using conventional operating systems and manual processes, is time consuming and costly. The SparcPay app saves grocery stores time and money paying their suppliers, so it’s not surprising that more and more of them are adopting it to promote efficiency and bolster the bottom line. Today, we’ll look at two case studies of grocery stores that transitioned to SparcPay, one in the legendary resort town of Whistler, BC and the other on idyllic Bowen Island, just outside of Vancouver, BC.
Whistler Grocery
The accounting system of the grocery store in Whistler, here dubbed Whistler Grocery, was, to say the least, old school. Store management was well aware of its inefficiencies and determined that they could modernize their accounting system by shifting to QuickBooks Online. This was a good first step as QuickBooks is an accounting software package geared mainly to small- and medium-sized businesses that accepts business payments, manages and pays bills and handles payroll functions. It’s the industry standard in this segment of the accounting market.
Shifting to QuickBooks Online significantly improved Whistler Grocery’s accounting procedures, but it did not address two bigger issues:
- Accelerating the review and approval of invoices
- Streamlining payments, which were either by cheque or by uploading a file to the bank, a time-consuming process with numerous manual steps
Grocery shop billing software
Whistler Grocery’s solution to the above problems was to integrate SparcPay with QuickBooks. SparcPay is a paperless alternative to cheques that provided Whistler Grocery with the ability to review and approve invoices digitally from anywhere—even on a mobile device. This is vital when you live next to world-class ski hills and mountain bike parks…
SparcPay allowed Whistler Grocery to make quick and easy payments—while conveniently applying supplier credits as well. SparcPay’s bill payment process seamlessly integrated with the store’s QuickBooks Online accounting system, helping the business save money on paper and postage and avoid any additional steps and data entry. This is one of the reasons that SparcPay is rated one of the best QuickBooks Online apps. Amazingly, Whistler Grocery was up and running with SparcPay in only a few days—testament to the app’s refined functionality and the extraordinary support provided by the SparcPay team.
The results
Whistler Grocery is now paying thousands of invoices a year with SparcPay. It has allowed Whistler Grocery to leverage their shift to QuickBooks Online and keep their suppliers happy with prompt and secure payments. As the store’s office manager Alison Stein notes:
“We love the ease of use and the control of digital approvals from anywhere – you don’t even have to be in the office. For independent grocery stores, if you need a payment platform, SparcPay is the one to use!”
The Ruddy Potato
The Ruddy Potato is a health/organic food store and when it was recently purchased the new ownership group wanted to immediately transition away from the tedious practice of paying bills by cheque and then having to keep paper copies of those invoices and payments on hand. To achieve their goal of implementing a streamlined and efficient process, they required:
- An easy and painless onboarding experience
- A simple and intuitive platform
- Widespread vendor acceptance
Given the above goals, The Ruddy Potato quickly realized SparcPay was the right automated accounts payable solution for their business, especially considering its seamless integration with QuickBooks. In a matter of hours, The Ruddy Potato was fully onboarded, trained and set up to digitally review, approve and pay their bills. They encountered no resistance from their 200+ vendors who were onboarded within a few weeks. They were thrilled to be paid faster and to receive remittance information that included full payment details and credits applied
The results
As The Ruddy Potato’s accounting manager, Drew James (CPA, CGA) explains:
“I can’t imagine going back to how things were done before. SparcPay does exactly what we want it to do. I love the flexibility, too. I can be sitting on the beach with an umbrella drink in one hand and approving bills and making payments with the other . . . I can’t think of how life could be easier!”
Contact
If you are a grocery store operator looking to improve the efficiency of your accounts payable processes, click here to contact SparcPay. We’re confident you will find us to be friendly and knowledgeable—and that you’ll soon look back on the decision to contact SparcPay with a smile on your face.