YOYOSO New Zealand
YOYOSO is a vibrant and innovative brand that has taken the retail world by storm. Founded in 2014, it now has a global presence with over 1000 stores across 36 countries.
With its unique fusion of style, affordability and quality, it’s become a go-to destination for those seeking trendy and practical products in the fashion, home and electronics space. YOYOSO offers a variety of general merchandise and gifting options including cosmetics, stationery, toys, digital gadgets, fashion and home & living accessories.
In New Zealand, the brand is committed to providing a youthful, simple and sophisticated range of products that is carefully curated and displayed in a chic store environment. YOYOSO has gained a ton of popularity with Kiwis looking for unique, stylish and fashionable products.
We caught up with Andy & Dennis, the co-founder and director at YOYOSO NZ and the people responsible for bringing the brand to New Zealand, to chat about how their business needed an EFTPOS solution that is agile enough to reliably support their fast-growing brand.
YOYOSO tells us more about their business
With the dollar store presence and culture being prominent in NZ, Andy and Dennis saw an opportunity for YOYOSO to create a niche for more premium and better quality products at affordable prices.
In 2018, consulting with the head office in China, YOYOSO began conducting market research in New Zealand. They identified the gap in the market where YOYOSO’s range of products fitted with younger, more fashion-conscious Kiwis and wanted to bring in a range of more attractive, unique and relevant products to the NZ market.
With this, they launched their first store in Newmarket on Broadway, which quickly gained popularity among their target market. They started to open more stores in popular shopping centres. Now, YOYOSO has an extensive presence in NZ with 13 stores spread across three cities and more than 100 staff working across these stores.
This is a great feat considering the disruptions from the lockdowns were also part of their journey. They also have their entire product range available online and orders are fulfilled from their Auckland warehouse.
What prompted the switch from their previous EFTPOS provider?
The key factor that prompted Andy to consider switching EFTPOS providers was the lack of prompt service and customer support from the previous provider. He recalls spending almost an hour on hold every time he needed assistance with the payment solution across any of their 13 outlets. Even then, there were several instances of not being able to get the right solution once he did get through to them. This was undoubtedly affecting their ability to accept payments and serve their customers.
Additionally, the devices from the previous provider were difficult to use in critical (yet fairly common) situations like when they wanted to switch the Wi-Fi connection, for instance. This required them to call the provider so they could make the device change its connection, which led to lost time, connectivity and frustration among staff. On a multi-outlet level, this was even harder to manage and took away a certain level of independence.
With Smartpay, not only did he receive prompt support whenever he called in, but his team also had the independence to switch the Wi-Fi configuration or switch to backup communication methods all by themselves without needing to make a call to us.
“With a Smartpay terminal, it’s just three simple steps to follow to switch the comms types. This makes it easier to train our staff as well as ensures we are able to do this independently when the need arises,”, said a pleased Andy.
Among the options you considered, what made you choose Smartpay?
“I had known about Smartpay since 2018 when I had initially leased one machine from you guys,” said Andy. He visited the Smartpay head office in Auckland and checked out the EFTPOS machines on offer as well as talked with a sales representative. The first store of YOYOSO in Newmarket was initiated with a Smartpay terminal 5 years ago; however, the other stores had EFTPOS terminals supplied by another provider.
After receiving less-than-ideal service from the other provider, Andy and Dennis decided to phase out their terminals but had to also wait until the contracts with them came to an end. Due to there being multiple outlets, the switch to Smartpay was done in a phased manner. Since the middle of last year, YOYOSO entirely operates on a Smartpay fleet of terminals.
How easy was it for you to get the information you needed about EFTPOS from Smartpay?
“The process was too easy because Key Account Manager Libby was absolutely amazing. She gave me all the information I needed with patience and clarity. With her assistance, I was able to work out the best phased approach to make the switch for all YOYOSO stores to Smartpay. She had the right advice and was accommodating and understanding of our situation and requirements,” said Andy and Dennis.
Dennis added, “There was clarity of price, timelines and easy-to-use machines that integrated with our [point of sale] POS of choice. Everything fell into place pretty easily and systematically, thanks to Libby and the Smartpay team.”
What features did you find most useful in the EFTPOS solution we provided?
“The POS integration with Vend was most important for our business,” said Andy. YOYOSO has been using Vend (now Lightspeed Retail) since its launch in NZ and manages many of its business operations on this point of sale (POS) system. Being a multi-outlet operation, it was of significant importance to Andy and Dennis that the Smartpay EFTPOS solution works seamlessly with their POS system.
“I found the documentation from Smartpay so easy to follow that I was personally able to integrate the terminal with the point of sale system in a few easy steps,” said a very pleased Andy.
He added, “Apart from the POS integration, I really enjoy the ease of switching comms with the Smartpay terminals. My staff and I can do this in about three simple steps without needing to make phone calls for support and assistance. We really appreciate having this independence so we can quickly get on with serving customers and keep accepting payments smoothly.”
Dennis added, “The simplicity of the terminal, the plug & play set-up, the ease of integration and switching comms all make it so much easier to add new terminals to our fleet as we increase our outlets and add new terminals to existing outlets which are busier.”
How do you find the integrated POS solution from Smartpay? Can you tell us how it benefits your business?
“The most important thing to us is multi-outlet management so we have a view into how our outlets are performing across the country,” said Andy and Dennis.
They also highlighted how easy it is to send over transactions directly from the POS, which means staff doesn’t need to manually key in the payment amount and can serve customers more effectively. The cashier simply scans the product and chooses Smartpay and the transaction is sent over and completed on the EFTPOS terminal, which avoids errors and creates a better customer experience. End-of-day reconciliation across all the outlets also becomes a breeze with a POS like Vend (now Lightspeed Retail).
Each of their stores is registered as a separate company and is a separate outlet in the POS system so whenever they need to set up a new store or even add an extra machine to an existing store (like a new payment counter), it gives them a lot of control and independence. They simply enter the serial number of the terminal and label its location and everything is good to go.
What do you like best about your Smartpay EFTPOS solution?
“What I love the most about Smartpay is the company culture – it is absolutely amazing! I have visited the head office many times and had several interactions with the staff who are always prompt, friendly and helpful. The office environment is great and it feels much like being welcomed in someone’s home,” Andy answered with a smile.
He continued, “The level of service we receive and the promptness we receive it with is impressive. It’s always easy to get in touch with someone quickly and receive the information or assistance we need. The team quickly understands our questions and is prompt with their resolutions.” He appreciates being able to have peace of mind from this.
What would your advice be to other businesses looking to accept payments for their business?
“I would absolutely recommend Smartpay because they prioritise quick service which is the kind of support a business needs with a critical solution like payments. Smartpay’s large number of POS integrations is also a positive factor apart from the ease of setting up their terminals with your POS. The onboarding process is also super easy and the rates they provide are very lucrative especially for multi-outlet corporates like ourselves. I would recommend businesses to always check for good service to ensure you have support where it counts the most,” he summarised.
As a payments provider with 20+ years of experience, we understand the importance of prompt, effective and relevant support and the value this provides to our customers. This is why we prioritise timely support and have in-house teams available to assist our merchants 24/7, all year round.
If you’re looking for your next unique gift, functional house utility or fashion accessory, drop in at one of the many YOYOSO outlets across Auckland, Hamilton and Christchurch. Or, check out their offerings online on their website. You can also follow their Facebook page and Instagram page to keep up to date with new product launches, offers and events.
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