14 Mar 2018

One of the UK’s leading charities steps into the future with cloud technology at its fingertips

Fifty-one Barnardo’s stores across the UK are now using the most cutting-edge cloud technology in retail today, with a further roll out planned for the rest of their stores throughout the year.

CharityStore, powered by Cybertill, supplies EPOS systems to more than a third of charity shops in the UK and Ireland, and has rolled out the latest ‘one platform’ software solution with Barnardo's.

The charity, which supports the most vulnerable children, young people and families across the UK, has more than 720 stores and will now use CharityStore to sync all transactions.

A highly secure and advanced cloud system, Cybertill was created by CEO Ian Tomlinson in 2001 and developed into the CharityStore solution chosen by Barnardo’s. CharityStore will be used for back office reporting, customer communications and engagement and to raise Gift Aid capture, amongst other functions. The Cloud retail system automates processes, relieving volunteers and staff of excessive administrative duties.

Roy Clark, Director of Retail and Trading, said: “Investing in EPOS is an essential move into the digital realm for our retail chain, giving us a vast amount of consumer insight and enabling the simplification of processes both on and off the shop floor.

“Starting with an initial roll out of 51 stores, we will take our learnings and streamline our processes before continuing roll out to the rest of our estate next month. Converting to the new system will save our store teams considerable time on manual tasks and will inevitably generate more income through added insight, simplification of the Gift Aid process and enhanced experience in-store. I look forward to seeing the benefits that CharityStore brings to Barnardo’s.”

As part of the roll out, 24-hour support will be available online, as well as a dedicated Cybertill Account Manager, allowing them to make the most of the ‘paperless’ system. Since the initial roll-out, CharityStore has helped Barnardo’s capture 11% more Gift Aid.

Ian added: “We went from project kick-off on 1st September to 51 stores rolled out in December and there will be a further 25 rolled out in February. It’s been a thrilling start to the onboarding of this esteemed charity, with some remarkable results already.

“Not only have the Barnardo’s team fed back and let us know that they have enjoyed the process of working with our team, but it is clear that they see the vision of what the future of charity retail looks like. That is multichannel. It’s great to see that Cybertill technology can help charities and businesses future proof themselves for the years ahead and increase revenue for their good causes. We very much look forward to continuing our work in helping Barnardo's to achieve their goals.”