After I got that little SNAFU fixed up with registration, we began our hostile takeover of Interbike. Hawley, QBP, Raleigh, Chrome, GoPro Cameras, and a few hundred other vendors had some spectacular booths that could have swallowed our 10’ x 10’ whole. Even Mr. Sock Guy had a two story exhibit with a green plush carpet and couches on the 2nd floor that begged for a hookah in the middle. Mr. Sock Guy had a great view of the expo too!

Now, while the other vendors got plenty of praise for their products and services, I have considerable doubts that they received nothing but positive feedback and inquiries. Our booth was showered with praise, intrigue, and FREE T-SHIRTS! This is the first time I’ve really got to meet our customer base, so I wasn’t totally prepared for our celebrity status there.

Justin and Ivan started going to this trade show 7 years ago. That was a different time as Justin explained to me. “We used to have to go out and harass people with, “Hey, what point of sale are you using?” As per Christina, “Even last year we had potential customers approach us with skepticism and had no idea who we were.”

This year was different by all accounts. There wasn’t a single potential customer that showed up at our booth that walked away without sincere interest in what we have to offer. The six of us there were in non-stop “here, let me show you why we’re awesome” mode. MerchantOS as a product has grown with new features and integrations that really seemed to entice bike shops on the hunt for a Point of Sale system. While those were great talking points, it was our customers and their willingness to share their success with others that we owe this prosperity to. So again, I’d like to thank you for all of your commendations and feedback.

We want to give a special thanks to Gary & Jean Schumacher from Cain Park Bicycles as well as Gene & Sarah Wells from Fat Tire Cycle. Them showing up to the event wearing MerchantOS shirts from a previous Interbike put an instant smile on my face and a song in my heart.

Alyssa from T3 Multisport and Jo from The Green Commuter, you two get my personal thanks for mentioning me in front of Justin & Ivan. You gave the leverage I needed to write off the drug & stripper funding as a corporate expense!

About the only not-awesome thing that happened from this whole experience was my liver giving me two weeks notice.

Cheers!

Feel like seeing more of our shenanigans at Interbike? We have a full album on Facebook of our adventures in Lost Wages, Nevada.

Lowertown Bike Shop in St. Paul, Minnesota put us at the millennial mark on April 29th!

We’re inviting one and all to come celebrate our 1,000th location!

Enjoy Fishtale beer, al Forno Ferruzza pizza, and desserts from Bonjour Cupcakes and the Bearded Lady Bakery.

Also, view the awesome power of our web based retail management system.

That’s right! Software + Beer = Geek Party!

RSVP at EventBrite ?

Ivan and Scott will be at Frostbike. If you’re there come by and say hello. They’ll be giving out ‘too cool’ MerchantOS t-shirts and getting your feedback. They will also be doing a presentation / feedback / discussion of the future.

MerchantOS Point of Sale Session at Frostbike 2011:

When: Saturday, 2:30-3:30
Location: QBP Mezzanine Two

Ivan Stanojevic, Co-founder and CEO of Merchantos.com
Erik Smeby, QBP Web Coordinator

MerchantOS is a powerful point-of-sale and inventory control system that tracks sales, customers, inventory, purchase orders and more. Join Ivan and Erik as they explore the many facets of this versatile business tool. During the session you’ll learn how to integrate with QBP and Smart Etailing and use the software’s inventory management functions. Followed by a Q & A Session, this is a great opportunity for participants to offer feedback and influence upcoming refinements to MerchantOS.

About Ivan Stanojevic
Partnering with Justin Laing, Ivan Stanojevic created MerchantOS, a web-based retail system in 2003. The tool was launched at Slough’s Bike Shoppe in San Jose, CA, the store where Ivan worked as a bike mechanic during high school and college. By the end of 2005 their small company ran daily operations for more than 20 bicycle retailers across the United States. In 2006, they launched MerchantOS, the next generation retail software service. Ivan graduated from San Jose University with a degree in Management Information Systems and raced for the Team San Jose cycling team. He enjoys rock climbing, surfing, mountain biking, hiking and spending time out in the waves with his wife Erica.

About Erik Smeby
Erik focuses improving user experience on qbp.com, and managing online catalog content and data exchange with POS vendors. A 14-year veteran of QBP, he has worked in customer service, purchasing, sales and marketing. Additionally, he has ten years of retail experience.

I’d thought I’d share a few pictures in case you missed all the excitement at the show:

From left to right: Erica, Christina, Luke, Stormtrooper!, Ivan, Justin, Scott

Yes that is a stormtrooper at our booth! Kick-ass!

Who’s that charming fellow?

What am I doing? Your guess is as good as mine!

Thanks for coming, and see you next year!

P.S. if you have any pictures of yourself with the Stormtrooper send em over and we’ll add them in.

Want to see us at a show you like? please comment on those shows below this post. We’re always looking for more shows where we can spread the message.

• Outdoor Retailer Winter Market
  January 21-24 | Salt Lake City, UT | Booth 177
• San Francisco International Gift Fair
  February 6-9 | San Francisco, CA | Booth 1716
• Frostbike
  February 20-21 | Minneapolis, MN
• SPREE
  April 13-15 | Las Vegas, NV | Booth 203

Visit us next week at Interbike in Las Vegas and get a sneak peak at the new version of MerchantOS.

We have been working hard for months on a new version of MerchantOS. And it’s almost done! It’s a complete over-haul of the point of sale interface. It adds the ability to do more, while making everything easier. Here’s a couple of the enhancements the new version will introduce:

• Easily make refunds to gift cards or store credit.
• Seamless integration of work orders, layaways, special orders, and credit accounts.
• Easier layaways, special orders, work orders, and refunds.
• Simplified customer credit accounts.
• Faster
• And much more.

Sound too good to be true? Come by our booth #4804 at Interbike and see for yourself. We’ll have two demo stations setup. One using a Mac Mini and another with a Touchscreen monitor.

We’d love to see you, get your feedback, and hear how things are going for you. So please stop by!

-Ivan and Justin

p.s. For those of you who can’t make it to Interbike we’re hoping to let you see the new version of MerchantOS some time in October. We’re working as fast as we can to get it done and make sure the transition from the current version to the new one is painless.

If any of our current customers will be attending the show, please swing by and say hello. We would also appreciate any time you could spend at the booth telling potential customers about how you use our service in your shop.

Please send us an email if you would like to help out or if you want to make an appointment.

We’ll be working hard in the coming weeks and months while we add new customers and help them get up and running. We’ve also got a bundle of features that we are working on. Customer Accounts and Gift Cards should be released very soon.

As always, let us know if you have any suggestions or feedback. You can always drop us a note from within the system by hitting “Help” and then “Suggestions / Feedback” on the menu.

MerchantOS will be at booth #4804. We’d love to have a chat with you about our product and service. Our development is driven by your input, so take this opportunity to shape the service you rely on daily. Contact us to schedule a meeting time at the show. Scheduling a meeting will allow us to give you our undivided attention.

Help Spread The Word!

Please come by our booth and let other shops know how we have helped you and how they could benefit from our services. If you’re interested in helping let us know. The more help we can get the better.

New Customer?

If you are interested in using MerchantOS and are not yet a customer please contact us to setup an appointment at the show. We would love to speak with you about how we can help your shop.