BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Core Bike regulars will likely be familiar with Citrus-Lime, but if you’ve yet to meet the team there’s a number of incentives to introduce yourself, as project director Grant Hadwin explains to Mark Sutton…
BikeBiz: You’ll be at Core Bike again this year – are you looking forward to spending some time with the trade?
Citrus Lime: Yes, we sure are. Core Bike is a big part of our year where we can catch up with new retailers, but also new suppliers for our Supplier Integration Module. We will be coming with a host of new products and things to talk about, so I hope for another good year at Core.
What will you be introducing at the show this year? Any new modules or services?
We have been very busy here at Citrus and have a whole host of new developments, including our mobile ecommerce solution called ‘Citrus-Store Mobile’, the ‘Click and Collect’ solution, latest versions of SIM (Supplier Integration Module) and workshop module. We also have updated versions of our integrated eBay and Amazon modules.
One of the products we are most proud of this year has got to be our Custom Bike Builder, which allows our clients to offer custom bike builds on their Ecommerce platform for any bike.
We have also entered into a working relationship with GfK, Bike Secure, MoneyWay and Pay4Later.
Any incentives or reasons to swing by the Citrus-Lime booth?
Swing round for a chat with the guys and have a talk about our new modules mentioned in above and we can conduct software demos as per request. Anyone who signs up to a proposal at Core Bike will receive a free iPad Mini.
How many bicycle dealers are on your books now?
We have been working very hard to refine our products and services this year and we now have 100 cycle sites with a number of these being chain stores.
What feedback have you been receiving from your customers and what do you expect to hear come January?
Our clients have reported a very strong finish to the summer season and have carried that into autumn, with the weather holding up quite well in most places. We expect most clients to be a little quieter on the sales front over the next few months, but with most taking advantage of this situation to improve systems and add modules. Toward the end of this year and beginning of next we expect to launch a number of Citrus-Store Mobile solutions and new clients onto the Citrus Platform.
What do you expect future generations of retailers to demand from EPOS software?
We think true multi-channel retail is going to be massive in the future. Including EPOS and Stock Control, Supplier Integration, Workshop, Integrated Ecommerce, eBay and Amazon store modules, Click and Collect solutions and Mobile Ecommerce. Retailers are going to need systems that are going to integrate all of this into one platform.
For our cycle clients all of the above can be integrated with suppliers through our Supplier Integration Module, meaning getting product data, pricing and stock position can be integrated through the EPOS system to all our Ecommerce Solutions. No other EPOS provider can offer a solution with all these boxes ticked.
What are the costs associated with setting up with Citrus Lime?
We produce tailor-made packages with a module-based system, this allows our customers to pick a package that suits their budget and needs. That said, systems begin at £4k.
Is there any way a dealer can trial the software to see if it’s for them?
We will be giving software demonstrations at Core Bike. Retailers can also contact us to book online demos. Alternatively, come see us in our Manchester office, or our Lake District office. Why not combine it with a bike ride? We are quite happy to take people out for an evening ride around the Lakes. We are also able to travel to conduct demonstrations and we also have a YouTube channel with various videos. We are in the process of putting together some marketing and training videos, so new and existing customers can reference these as they need to.
Citrus Lime: 0845 603 9254
To register for CoreBike (trade only), click here.
