The challenge: Replacing a discontinued jewelry store POS
Pretty in Patina originally used QuickBooks Desktop Point of Sale, but Elizabeth found the system to be frustrating.
“I felt like it was really clunky. It wasn’t online. I knew I couldn’t access it from anywhere, so it made it really difficult to use.”
Elizabeth knew she wanted something more flexible, but she struggled to find a stable alternative with the online accessibility her business needed.
For years, QuickBooks remained the practical choice. But in 2023, QuickBooks announced that it would stop supporting QuickBooks Desktop Point of Sale, forcing Pretty in Patina to find a replacement.
Then, the stakes got even higher.
During the transition, a power surge damaged the jewelry store’s computer. When Elizabeth turned it back on, the QuickBooks data was gone.
Fortunately, Pretty in Patina’s closing procedure included backing up its data to the cloud. But recovering and migrating that information was still a massive undertaking.
With more than 20,000 SKUs to move, Elizabeth wasn’t sure how she would preserve the jewelry store’s historical and inventory information.
“I was really depressed and not sure if we were going to continue forward because I didn’t know how I was going to get our historical information and our inventory information.”
At that point, finding a new jewelry store POS was crucial to keep the business’ history — and the business itself — intact.
The solution: A jewelry POS built for flexibility
After searching for alternatives, Elizabeth ultimately chose Jewel360 as her new POS.
The Jewel360 team worked with Pretty in Patina to migrate its existing data and rebuild records that were affected by the power surge.
Elizabeth provided the team with her existing file, and Jewel360 staff helped map the information to the appropriate fields in the new database.
“One of the Jewel360 staffers helped us rebuild all of that information.”
For a jewelry store with tens of thousands of unique products, that hands-on support made the migration manageable.
“Jewel360 staff were the people that saved us.”
Pretty in Patina’s favorite Jewel360 features
These are the Jewel360 features that have made the biggest difference for Elizabeth.
Cloud-based POS access
Cloud accessibility was one of the first things that attracted Elizabeth to Jewel360.
Instead of being tied to a computer in the store, she can access her POS on the go.
“We can run anywhere and be able to just pop up an iPad and access it from anywhere.”
Whether she’s at the jewelry store, a trade show, or a pop-up event, Elizabeth has access to the same system.
One-of-a-kind inventory management
Pretty in Patina’s unique inventory makes e-commerce especially challenging.
Because the jewelry store often has only one of each item, Elizabeth needs to add and remove products quickly to keep her website and physical inventory in sync.
Before Jewel360, those operations had always felt separate.
Jewel360 helped integrate the POS with Pretty in Patina’s e-commerce website, giving Elizabeth a faster, easier way to manage products across both channels.
“That was really important to us to be able to remove and add things quickly and easily.”
Hands-on data migration support
The transition didn’t happen overnight.
Pretty in Patina spent roughly six months working with a Jewel360 team member to walk through the system. While the software itself didn’t require extensive onboarding, the major undertaking was integrating the jewelry store’s data.
That combination of technology and hands-on support was especially important for Elizabeth.
“I was really grateful for the help.”
Comprehensive customer profiles
For Elizabeth, Jewel360’s value goes beyond processing transactions.
One of her favorite aspects of the system is the amount of customer information it stores. Pretty in Patina can keep track of birthdays, anniversaries, customer preferences, and notes, giving the team more context for building relationships with shoppers.
Elizabeth describes it as a combination of a customer relationship management (CRM) and POS system.
For a specialty jewelry store where customer relationships matter, having that information readily available gives the team another way to deliver a more personal experience.
A smoother path forward with Jewel360
The transition to Jewel360 came at a difficult moment for Pretty in Patina.
After years of running her business, Elizabeth was suddenly facing a discontinued POS, damaged equipment, and the possibility of losing critical business information.
With more than 20,000 SKUs, starting over wasn’t a realistic option.
Jewel360 gave her a way forward.
“It was such a huge thing to have somebody, a stranger, help us take this information and make it into a store again.”
Today, Pretty in Patina has a cloud-based POS, a more connected approach to online and in-store selling, and customer information that helps Elizabeth and her team build stronger relationships.
And Elizabeth doesn’t hesitate when asked whether she’d recommend Jewel360.
“I would recommend Jewel360 to every jeweler that I know.”
