Following the great success photographer Joel Coleman had launching his on-line image gallery saltmotion, where anyone around Australia could purchase his images of the Australian surf lifestyle, Joel decided it was time to expand his business model. In June 2010, saltmotion Gallery & Cafe opened at Market Place Manly, with BrighterShop Au their chosen retail POS software solution.

In 2007, respected photographer Joel Coleman started saltmotion, initially as a website where anyone could view Joel's photos from around the beaches. The site grew - and eventually became a weekly update of photographs with a wrap-up of surf events and conditions. It became an on-line gallery where Joel could sell his photographs and limited edition prints.

"It was not long after this that we began discussing a permanent place to display and sell the photographs," explained Joel. "We really wanted to create a space where people could come and appreciate art, but also stay a while, relax and enjoy each other's company."

In partnership with Marc Desveaux and Sep Ashakni - who had shared with Joel their dream opening a cafe which also sold designed t-shirts - Joel planned a unique venue with a good vibe, lots of creative energy and first class coffee and cakes. Just before Christmas 2009 they found the perfect location in Manly and after the mammoth task of refurbishing the space, saltmotion Gallery & Cafe opened in June 2010.

Finding the Right POS Solution

The evaluation of the software to manage sales for the gallery was a collaboration between Joel and his partner Sherrie Daley. They knew that they had unique requirements and that the solution would need to be flexible enough to accommodate these requirements and that it may also need custom functionality.

"Initially I was nervous about committing our business to a point of sale system that I wasn't familiar with" explained Sherrie. "It was a big decision for us given the intricacies of our specific business and the way in which we manage sales, ordering as well as managing the limited edition art pieces."

Their initial testing using the trial version of BrighterShop allowed them to develop a workflow to suit their specific business model. saltmotion sells customer's selected prints in the desired size with their preferred frame type. They had to track each of the components of the sale and manage ordering and reporting for costs.

The BrighterShop Au Bill of Materials feature allowed them to build items from the required components and present the finished product to the customer at point of sale. As the distributor of BrighterShop Au, Ambrite provided guidance and on-line demonstrations to assist in the best implementation to suit their business model.

The BrighterShop Au Bill of Materials feature allowed them to build items from the required components and present the finished product to the customer at point of sale. As the distributor of BrighterShop Au, Ambrite provided guidance and on-line demonstrations to assist in the best implementation to suit their business model.