20 Feb The Tucr Spotlight: Petit Cheri

We spoke with Anita Power, manager of local Waterford retailer Petit Cheri. She spoke to us about her love of the job and how retail has changed for her over recent years. Petit Cheri are embracing technology like Tucr and Facebook, and it’s having positive impact on their business.

Located in the heart of Waterford City, Petit Cheri offers exclusive children’s clothing for boys and girls, from newborn to teenage years. Located on Patrick Street for 28 years, the store offers customers beautiful and unique clothing. These are paired with the warm and welcoming atmosphere offered by store owner Maria Healey and store manager, Anita. When entering Petit Cheri, you are greeted with the reassurance that the ladies are there to assist you when needed. Strolling through the cosy store, you are graced with designs from Caitimini, Pamplonia, Kate Mack, 3pommes, Absorba, just to name a few. Not only do they cater for the local Waterford area, but with the help of Facebook, Petit Cheri has broadened their customer base across Ireland. 

We sat down with Anita to get an insight into the world of Petit Cheri. What was evident from the start was Anita’s passion, she adores her work. ‘I love dealing with the public, meeting nice people and selling beautiful clothes and I like keeping up with the latest styles in kids clothes, and seeing what’s on-trend’. This passion is a common thread with many of the business owners and managers we meet with on a daily basis. It is the foundation of great customer service. At Tucr, we thrive on this of passion. We enjoy working with businesses who love what they do.

How has business changed for Petit Cheri?

Business has changed a lot for Petit Cheri over the past 28 years.  Anita explained some of the differences she has noticed, there are ‘less people coming through the doors, with more people sitting at home on their phones buying online, and less dealing with the customer personally’. It is true that many retailers similar to Petit Cheri are interacting less with their customers on a personal level, because of online retail. It is critical that businesses like Petit Cheri can extend their in-store customer service to include how they interact with customers online.  ‘Giving customers the ability to have that personal assistance in store is so important and it’s also important to offer customers the option of paying online’ 

In fact Petit Cheri now have customers all over Ireland thanks to their very active Facebook page, taking online payment from customers through Tucr. Their success on Facebook particularly due to the fact that Anita manages the page in a very personable and friendly way, especially when dealing with comments and queries from customers. This is a real example of traditional bricks and mortar retailer matching their in-store with their online customer service.  It is an example of a forward thinking retailer, reacting to the shifting needs and purchasing habits of their customers.

Being a member of the Tucr Family.

Petit Cheri became part of the Tucr family last year, one of the first retailers to use our product. The store has a long tradition of accepting deposit payments from customers, allowing them to reserve clothing in store. Anita says she came across Tucr by speaking with Tucr co-founder, Justin Kearns, who approached the store. Justin gave them the chance to build on the strong relationship they have with their customers. He offered a simple online deposit system to their customers, an upgrade to what they already had. So now Petit Cheri customers can pay a deposit in-store or online and view their receipt from their phone/laptop/tablet and make follow up payment online or in-store. ‘I thought it was a really good idea from day one, when Justin introduced it to me. ‘It allows us to give customers the option of paying online’.

“People are now starting to say ‘Will you set that up on Tucr for me?’’

From the beginning, Anita says she has had a very positive experience with Tucr and our friendly team. The demographic of customers using Tucr ‘range from old to young’ and ‘they say it is very easy to use, if they have used it once, they are using it again’. Tucr allows her to start off her work day with ease, ‘When I come in, in the morning, open my email and I see someone paid off through the Tucr over night, that’s brilliant, it’s a great start to your day.’

“It’s a cheaper way of selling to the public online, without having to invest in selling online”

According to Anita, Tucr ‘is the way forward for small businesses’. She says ‘it’s giving small businesses an easier and cheaper alternative to selling online’. Petit Cheri are growing revenue, accepting deposit payment and follow up payment both in store and online. However,  the personal experience offered by their staff in store is still there. A true example of a local bricks and mortar retailer becoming a bricks and clicks retailer.

Would like to learn how you can become a bricks and clicks retailer?  Sign up for our webinars or schedule a demo call with one of our friendly team members.