Like many small and independent businesses, Dress Cheshire, the stunning boutique based in Prestbury, known for their treasure trove of top-quality second-hand haute couture clothing and accessories including Chanel, Mulberry and Louis Vuitton, were forced to close their iconic pink doors on 23rd March 2020 as the government stepped up measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus and save lives.
Prior to this date, Dress owner, Christine Colbert, who had spotted a niche in the market for savvy yet sustainable shopping, offering preloved, one off, designer items, under the slogan of ‘Buy Now or Cry Later’ as these unique items were really gone, when they had gone, had already noticed a considerable drop in footfall, as people were observing social distancing, which was having an adverse on sales and revenue, so, with a positive, mental attitude she decided to take her business online and hope for the best.
Christine said “Following some advice, from our acquiring partners, at Worldpay and as part of our fraud prevention and PCI Compliance project, we had already implemented Gala Technology’s SOTpay solution and their payment gateway, which allowed a ‘click and collect’ service for those people who wanted to buy from me but couldn’t get into the shop quickly enough. Although this facility provided a small number of transactions compared to my physical store, it did give customers the opportunity to ‘secure an item’ I had for sale, enabling them to Buy Now rather than Cry Later”
“My existing WordPress website, albeit desperately in need of an update, had a Woo Commerce shop integrated, so I reacted quickly, to turn this feature on and began to populate the online store with items from the shop in Prestbury Village”
Christine implemented Instagram TV as a way of promotion and made authentic, daily videos showcasing the items for sale in the shop and received an extraordinarily response.
Comments and feedback from a new client base flooded in along with increased sales. Likewise, Christine has also used Facebook as an effective marketing tool to engage with customers across the nation.
Christen go on to say “SOTpay enabled me to trade online without the fear of fraud. And it gave my customers confidence that I was a trusted retailer with secure payment gateway. I’m so pleased I had this technology integrated into my business, because without it I would not have had the confidence to move my businesses model online so quickly in a crisis
In doing so I have a prove of concept that online is an additional revenue stream worth implementing and one my business cannot afford to ignore moving forward, so Dress online will carry on after the COVID 19 coronavirus has ceased to disrupt us. I have found a whole new audience as I am shipping my preloved, designer items now nationally.
Steve Jones, Commercial Director of Gala Technology said ‘We have been delighted to play a small part in Christine’s continued success. It is great to see such adaptability, creativity and resilience from UK businesses as they combat unprecedented challenges. Not only has Dress Cheshire, managed to keep its head above water, Christine is reporting that they have reached a whole new client base, which stands the future in good stead
We are recently seeing a huge uptake with SME’s in all sectors which need support in setting up a merchant accounts to enable them to process card payments online and perform compliant customer not present telephone transactions. We are also seeing business which solely operate in social media channels moving to take secure and compliant payments within this channel.
Almost a third of identity fraud victims have a visible digital footprint on the web, with the vast majority on social media1. These types of scams are getting more and more sophisticated, often using brand logos and false terms and conditions to appear genuine. Here we look at the most common types of social media fraud and how to protect yourself online.
Jones warns that these channels are riddled with third of identity fraud and the merchant must select secure payment platform that will authenticate a genuine customer. Fraudsters are taking advantage of unusual working practices to obtain goods and services from businesses desperate for revenue. If your business is using a Virtual Terminal or Card Machine to process ‘Customer Not Present’ transactions, then the merchant must be aware that you are exposed to fraud and subsequent chargebacks.
Founded in 2015, Gala Technology is a fast-growing Fintech company globally supplying PCI DSS Compliant mail order card not present payment solutions.
Gala Technology is a preferred supplier for organisations including contact centres, payment service providers, charities, home workers and hundreds of corporate businesses.
