Caroline Dalton, CEO of SOSU Cosmetics, on running a beauty business and the tech that powers it

The brand

SOSU Cosmetics is an award-winning affordable luxury Irish brand, offering the customer the opportunity to look and feel good for every event. We offer everything from colour cosmetics, lashes, tanning, skincare and accessories. Our brand is for everyone who wants to look and feel amazing. We are sold internationally in over 2,000 stockists across Ireland, the UK, the EU and the US. 

Lashes and tan are our two biggest product categories, and our lip oil continues to be our top-performing product in our store every week.

The business

The most important decision for us when it came to choosing a POS system was ease of use and full integration into our own current systems. And so, we were introduced to Square when we signed the contract for our new lease in Dundrum shopping centre. 

We are seeing bookings increase week on week by 20 per cent as customers and staff get more familiar with the system and awareness is building.

With Square reporting there is the potential to manipulate the data to suit our needs, additionally, there are videos and tutorials in the system to help the staff on the ground to identify how to use the system and pull the data they need. The reporting allows us the ability to make live updates on stock counts and check for any errors, we have access to data on any potential heavy stocks and can act appropriately to ensure stock levels are maintained at an optimum level. We receive regular low-stock reports which highlight out of stocks, to ensure sales are not missed.

We see Square as a one-stop shop for us, it offers us the ability to control and manage stocks, track sales and monitor and plan for beauty services in-store. We have several users logged on with access to Square, you can do this from your mobile phone or with desktop access. Within seconds we can access information on live sales, stock information and service bookings to make informed decisions. 

The transition

When we opened our store we knew we wanted to offer beauty services to the customer, using Square has enabled us to integrate a fully operational booking service for customers to choose the service they would like and book in advance at a time that suits them. Square has enabled us to identify the potential patterns for bookings, times and services, this in turn gives us the ability to plan staff accordingly and maximise key footfall times.

Square for Retail saves us at least 10 hours a week by managing our inventory for our store.

Square for Retail reduced our business admin time by approximately 25 per cent. It takes no more than 15 minutes to get staff trained on how to use the system. If customers arrive in store to make a booking we can direct them towards using the online service which then enables them to make changes to their booking at a later date. We are seeing bookings increase week on week by 20 per cent as customers and staff get more familiar with the system and awareness is building.

Square has integrated seamlessly into our stock management portal, this means we can see live stock figures in the store and can react to any spikes in sales and maximise the sales potential. Our sales team receive alerts of low stock levels directly from Square. It is then a quick and easy process for the sales team to implement a new next-day delivery order for the store to action additional stocks. Square for Retail saves us at least 10 hours a week by managing our inventory for our store.

We are a really fast-paced business and always have something new and exciting coming up. We continue to innovate and bring new products to the market. Later this year we have an exciting collaboration with a well-known make-up artist and we are also launching a new brand to the market. Our store will continue to be integral to any new product launch and having Square as our POS and Appointments provider will enable us to forward plan for the launches, to maximise the sales potential and ensure stock is always at an optimum level.

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About Square

Square offers a comprehensive suite of hardware and software tools designed to help run and grow businesses. Taking customers’ payments is a cinch. It implements secure payment systems that work both in-person and remotely. It also has a range of useful tools to make managing day-to-day tasks simple, including scheduling, sales management, inventory tracking, staffing levels and more through a fully integrated system.

Square for Retail

Square for Retail is an intuitive point-of-sale system streamlining operations by connecting inventory, sales, employees and customers in an all-in-one platform. It is for the business owner/manager who sells across one or multiple in-person retail locations, online and social channels. With our 30-day free trial of our Plus plan, you can experience how Square for Retail can help omnichannel retailers of all sizes start and grow their businesses.

Square Appointments

Make scheduling easy with Square Appointments – the all-in-one bookings and payments point of sale. With a free online booking site and integration with Google, Facebook and Instagram, let your clients book 24/7 even when your business is closed. Keep your calendar full with Waitlist functionality and automate reminders and confirmations. Let Square Appointments handle the admin and scheduling, so you can do more of what you love! 

The best part is that Square’s system can be tailored to meet the specific needs of any business, including those operating remotely and mobile companies.

To learn more about Square, visit square.com.