Monday, January 23, 2012

Maxpawn.com delivers

Well, we soft launched the site last week with our “add to cart” eCommerce.  We will turn on our remaining stores over the next 2 weeks and will have 40,000 items available.  The following day we were certified with GOOGLE.  Within 2 days we had our first sale -  click here and the following day this item – click here was sold.

Case 1 – Skis goggles from a store in Las Vegas – sold at 8.18 p.m. (store was closed) to a person in Virginia.  Paid full price – Customer got a great deal  – found the item shopping on Google.  Maxpawn.com shopping channel integration with Google, the item became relevant, easy to find, available, and paid with the integrated payment system PayPal.  Michael Mack’s store utilizing Bravo Store Systems identified the sale from the Dash Board of Bravo – Web Fulfillment Task button.  2 clicks in Bravo item scanned, Done.  The system kicks out the eCommerce shipping form with shipping label – money in the bank – and customer is informed the item is on its way with tracking number.

Case 2 – Logitech Home Audio – sitting on the shelf in the store for the last 3 months a customer calls the store to inquire.  The following day the Bravo Dash Board – Web fulfillment button lights up at 10:34 a.m.  A man from Washington State makes the purchase.  Click Click – verify item – Done – Money in the bank – auto email to the customer the item is on the way.

Mikes comment – Mike is one of the most experienced EBay sellers in America said out loud.  This is so cool!  That says a lot from a person who sells between 5 – 15 items a day through various web channels.  See Mikes Store – Click here .  Mike has the largest Louis Vuitton Hand Bag selection on the web.

What is also revealing about this sale is Ski Goggles in Las Vegas, are you kidding.  First why would you buy them to resell?  Second, who would walk in his store and ask, do you have ski goggles.   With Bravo and Maxpawn.com there is always someone.  This was a $70.00 sale!  This did not require posting to a website.  This was completely automated and did not require an extra minute of effort to put for sale into the web.

WHATS NEXT

Bravo turns on “ Make an Offer”.  Pawnshop site with “make an offer”, the merchandise is going to start flying off the shelf.  Check out www.Maxpawn.com and witness the vision of Bravo Store Systems take hold.



Sunday, January 15, 2012

Maxpawn.com - LIVE!


CLICK ON MAXPAWN


After 2 years of dedicated development, a vision back in 1998 has finally become reality – Maxpawn.com.  Mike Wishart, Kelly York and myself have dreamed for years, saw our opportunity converge December 29, 2008 and dedicated the last 2 years to make this a reality.  Many of you have asked me why after selling Superpawn for a zillion bucks and recognized for technology,  do you want to put yourself through this challenge?  ANSWER is simple – to create a better opportunity for Small businesses and Pawn Brokers

We packed every secret, proven business practice, and the power of today's computing resources into Bravo Store Systems   Then  we attached a completely integrated distribution channel – Maxpawn.com  to every store  and connected our users inventory directly into the web.  Thursday we turned on Mr Pawn of Boulder City, Nevada.  Friday we turned on my brothers store Max-Pawn of Las Vegas, Nevada.  From these 2 stores, we have 4237 items for sale today .  By the end of next of week we will have our 7 additional companies and 45,000 items for sale.  Items for-sale on Google, in the stores, and on Maxpawn, all at the same time.  We expect 5 million items for sale by year end.

No other system exists.  As each item is sold from the store, sold on Maxpawn, priced from pawn, new merchandise added from vendors, the systems from Bravo does all of the heavy lifting in keeping track of the details in your store and online,so you can take care of the customers.  Kick back and watch your merchandise fly off the shelf during your store hours and when your store is closed.
 
As a pawnbroker myself, selling and handling $600,000,000.00 dollars of merchandise during my tenure at SuperPawn, I can now tell you now why I am so excited today. 

In the last few years operating Superpawn I discovered through PRIMA, our former legacy technology, how this idea became the most astonishing business model I have every come across.

We were selling between 1200 – 3000 items per day on the web from our stores.
Most of the items were being sold through the very first API developed with EBay – read this article.
During this period of online sales, we figured out that it was costing us more to sell on EBay than we were profiting in the majority of transactions.

We discovered that integrating online and in-store processes through technology we could create the most efficient selling operation.  Your Store – BRAVO – Maxpawn ----------AS ONE.

BIG SURPRISE – read carefully
As pawnbrokers we all have been committed in driving regular main stream folks into our stores.  Its extremely expensive and nearly impossible to drive new customers.  We as pawnbrokers haven’t scratched the surface even with the help of “Pawn Stars”.  Also, more people are shopping on the web and mobile, so this is a delema for all brick and mortar operators.

The secret salsa of Bravo and Maxpawn is 30% of the online sales driven from Maxpawn are “In Store Pickup”.  Of those that pick up merchandise from your store – 90% are new, never been a pawnshop customers.  We never saw new customers like this before!  This is the difference when Pawnbrokers design a system.  We know the Pawn facts.

This makes double sense.  First, people continue to be reluctant in purchasing used merchadise from any online seller.  Now they can shop online, find the item in your store, try it out, and then take it home.  Second, there are customers that love to shop pawnshops everyday, and there are many people that are afraid to go in, but are hugely curious.  Now they can shop everyday and in their privacy, we sort the merchandise specifically by your store and most recent merchandise.  Customers can see new stuff everyday, and they do!

Obviously with Bravo and Maxpawn, your store is seen around the globe.  Now you have the Web resources that Wal-Mart has to level the playing field.

Find out how easy it is to change to Bravo.  We have developed a new self service conversion process that is the simplest ever, so don’t fret, we want this to go smooth as you do. 


Thanks to all of our early adopters that drove this product development.  Thanks to everyone else that has read and commented on our progress.

You are all great people in a great business.

If you have any question please feel free to contact me.

Steve Mack