What Version of FileMaker do I need?

BrighterShop works with any of the following versions of FileMaker:

FileMaker Pro 10
FileMaker Pro 10 Advanced

FileMaker Server 10

FileMaker Pro 11
FileMaker Pro 11 Advanced

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Will BrighterShop work with Windows 7?

Yes. FileMaker Inc. has certified all current FileMaker software products for Windows 7. Please visit the FileMaker web site for the most current information.

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Can I import inventory data from another system?

Yes. You can import inventory items from any file format supported by FileMaker Pro, including:
FileMaker Pro (created in FileMaker 7 or later)
Tab-Separated Text
Comma-Separated Text
SYLK
DIF
WKS
BASIC
Merge
Excel
sBase

You can import the following fields into the Items table:
Stock#
Shelf#
UPC
Category
Description
Retail Price
Unit Type
Current Count
Cost per unit
Vendor
Vendor SKU
reorder below
Notes

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Can I import my customer address and phone list?

Yes. You can import the following fields into the Customers table:
First Name
Last Name
Address
City
State
Postcode
Country
Phone
Cel
Email
comments

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Can I import Sales data from another system?

No. However, BrighterData may be able to import sales data for you. Please tell us about the format of your sales data and we will provide an estimate for the cost of data importation.

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Can I import Purchase Order data from another system?

No. However, BrighterData may be able to import purchasing data for you. Please tell us about the format of your purchasing data and we will provide an estimate for the cost of data importation.

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Can I export data from BrighterShop?

Yes. You can export from any table in BrighterShop to to any file format supported by FileMaker Pro.

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How do I set up BrighterShop for Euros or Pounds?

By simply typing in a currency symbol that will be used by BrighterShop globally.

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Will BrighterShop support multiple currencies?

BrighterShop for Australia supports Purchase Orders and payments to Vendors in foreign currencies. (BrighterShop for USA does not support foreign currency Purchase Orders. Neither version of BrighterShop supports currency conversion on sales.)

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Will I have to change my stock numbering system?

Stock numbers in BrighterShop can be any combination of numerals, alphabet characters, spaces, hyphens, or decimal points. Stock numbers longer than eight characters may not display properly on some layouts, so it's best to limit them to eight characters. You can change the stock number of an inventory item at any time without causing problems, so you can easily redesign your numbering system in the future if you wish. The stock number field can be left empty, and stock numbers do not have to be unique, but as generally good practice we recommend assigning a unique stock number to each item record.

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Does BrighterShop track sales of services?

BrighterShop is not designed for business that primarily offer services, but if you offer a few simple services along with your merchandise, BrighterShop may meet your needs. For example, if you charge for fitting, you can create an non-taxable inventory item called 'fitting' and enter an arbitrary number for the 'quantity' of 'fittings' in stock (say, 999). BrighterShop will subtract one from inventory each time you sell a 'fitting', but it doesn't matter because you can replenish your supply. Since your cost basis for a 'fitting' is zero, your profit on fitting will be properly calculated as the full amount charged to the customer.

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What kind of barcode scanner do I need?

A barcode scanning device is optional. If you get one, make sure it has the proper connection for your computer. Scanners with USB connectors are available from many suppliers; most current model computers have USB ports.

Also make sure the scanner can read UPC, EAN, and 3of9 codes. Most scanning devices can read these codes. UPC and EAN are the product codes found on mass-produced goods; 3of9 is the code system BrighterShop uses to print your custom barcodes. It supports both numerals and alphabet characters.

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Can I print my own barcodes?

Yes. BrighterShop can print barcodes which are a representation of the stock number you assign to an item. You will need an ordinary desktop printer and standard 30/page label sheets (such as Avery 8160). You can scan your custom barcodes the same way you scan UPC codes. Unlike UPC codes, which are regulated by an international governing body, your custom barcodes belong to you and you are free to use them any way you wish.

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Can my store logo appear on sale slips and gift certificates?

When you purchase a License to use BrighterShop, you can purchase an option to print your Custom Logo for an additional fee. Your logo can be printed at the top of Sale slips, Purchase Orders, and on Gift Certificates. You must send your logo artwork to BrighterData so we can format it for BrighterShop.

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Can I add a new product to the database while ringing up a sale?

Yes. If a customer finds something on your shelf that you forgot to add to the database, you can add it from the sale layout.

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Can I ring up a sale with split tender?

Yes. You can enter any combination of cash, cheque, credit card, store credit, direct deposit, or gift certificate redemption.

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Can I sell goods on lay-by (lay-away)?

BrighterShop for Australia supports lay-by sales. We plan to support lay-away sales in future versions of BrighterShop for USA.

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How are sale slips printed?

With an ordinary desktop printer. BrighterShop for USA can print on either US letter or half US letter (8.5 x 5.5 inches). BrighterShop Au for Australia can print on A4 or A5 paper.

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Does BrighterShop process credit cards?

No. Each sale record has fields into which you can enter credit card information, but you will need your own processing equipment and your own account with a service provider.

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Can I use my pre-printed Gift Certificates?

Yes. BrighterShop requires that every gift certificate has a unique number (containing any combination of numerals and alphabet characters.) If your pre-printed certificates came with unique numbers, you can enter them in BrighterShop. If not, BrighterShop can generate unique numbers for you to hand-copy onto the certificates. BrighterShop can also print gift certificates with unique numbers and barcodes.

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What end-of-day reports can I get?

1. Check Out Summary
subsummarized for each salesperson, shows total amounts of sales and returns, and the total amount of each form of tender (cash, check, creditcard, store credit, and gift certificate)

2. Earnings Summary
shows value coming into and going out of your business, including the amount of sales and returns, gift certificates sold and redeemed, store credit banked and redeemed, consignor's proceeds, and the cost value of goods sold.

3. Sales Tax Summary
shows tax collected and returned, subsummarized by tax district. BrighterShop for Australia offers GST reports calculated by both cash basis and accrual methods.

4. Credit Card Summary
shows total sales and returns, subsummarized by types of card used (Visa, MasterCard, etc)

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How does BrighterShop calculate the value of inventory?

BrighterShop automatically calculates the cost value of goods when you mark them as received. You need to enter the wholesale price of each item and any freight and tariff costs applied to the whole shipment. BrighterShop automatically allocates the freight and tariff cost proportionally among goods received within a shipment.

BrighterShop also automatically calculates the cost value of merchandise at the time it is sold, applying the FIFO method to any situations in which lots of the same item were acquired at different cost.

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What price testing routines can I run?

BrighterShop lets you enter a test price for any item. It will compare your margin at the current price to the margin at the test price. If you enter a test volume number, you will also see the difference in profit. BrighterShop can automatically get test volume numbers from your actual sales within a given period. For example, if you want to test a new price for a martini shaker, BrighterShop can test using the number of martini shakers you sold in the past year.

BrighterShop can also set test prices using a variety of calculations. For example, you can set test prices for a group of items as an increase of 10% over the current price. You can set prices to end with a given number of cents ( for example 10.95, 11.95, 12.95, etc.).

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Can I add fields and layouts by myself?

No. BrighterShop is a commercial solution that has had administrative access removed before distribution. But it has so much flexibility built in, you'll be able create almost any report your heart could desire.

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Can I restrict data access for certain employees?

Yes. When you log in as the owner, you can create and control login accounts, with two levels of access:

The Staff level has access to all data and reports.

The Sales-Only level has access only to layouts related to sales and returns. Users with Sales-Only access cannot delete sale records. And users with Sales-Only access cannot see the cost of merchandise.