Congratulations! You are on your way to managing your liquor store better than ever with CobaltConnect. In this blog, we will go over the easy to manage steps to get started. We will also highlight some of CobaltConnect’s best features. In no time you will see that running your business with CobaltConnect is the best set-up you could ever imagine. Our support specialists will help you speed up your purchase order process and accurately report your business trends. Let’s get started!

Setup

The CobaltConnect team has made it a breeze to get started with CobaltConnect. First, you will need to provide us with the following information:

  • Completed/Signed CobaltConnect Agreement
  • Voided Check & Drivers License
  • CSV File of your inventory database
  • Clover Login Information (If Applicable)

The CobaltConnect system will automatically upload your information into your digital inventory as it was handed to them. Our development team will match any missing product information from the Beverage Journal database. (Ex. Case cost, bottle cost, category, etc). The training staff will show you how to make any changes to the product information after your account setup is finalized. 

Taxes

Ensuring that you have the right taxes set to the right products is critical to the safety of your business. To help assure you that management with CobaltConnect is a breeze we automatically set up your account with all your store’s state required taxes. After setup you can add, remove, or make any adjustments to your product’s taxes in the Manage Taxes Module. All these amazing features help make tax season a breeze because all your bottle deposits and taxes are automatically recorded in your End of Day and Sales Year-To-Date Reporting Modules. 

Products

Starting CobaltConnect with your inventory as accurate as possible can help you stay on top of your database with ease for months. Being able to track your stock, run reports, and ensure strong inventory levels needs to be doable from day one. The CobaltConnect system has made it easy to accomplish all of that but before you pass along your inventory to our team, be sure that you are happy with your inventory’s data in your submitted CSV file. Check your inventory’s:

  • UPC 
  • Product Name 
  • Current Stock 
  • Distributor 
  • Category
  • Case Cost 
  • Bottle Cost 
  • Retail Price

Doing a double check of your inventory will help ensure that you are starting an inventory that will take you above and beyond your competition. This will also guarantee that your Cost of Goods and Margins are 100% accurate as soon as you make the switch between systems. 

Managing Products

Once you have your inventory completely uploaded and set, you can start editing and adding products as you see fit. When adding new items into your database after the initial upload simply head to the My Products Module of CobaltConnect. At the top of your inventory table you will see a purple plus button  + . You can add new products here one of two ways. First, you can simply manually add in the products information and then select Save & Close to update your system.

The second, is by using the Search & Match with Distributor search bar. This feature allows you to search for new products directly from your state’s Liquor Pricing. To utilize it just search for a product, by name, Product ID, or UPC, in the search bar. Possible matches will appear below the search bar for you to select. Once you find the product you are looking for select Autofill to pull the product information and then Save & Clover to add it to your inventory. 

You can make any changes at any time to any of your products by selecting the gear icon at the end of the product’s row. To make mass changes to your product’s sizes, taxes, category, or distributors you can do so in the Manage Attributes section of your CobaltConnect menu. 

Hardware

Having the perfect inventory management and point of sale system team is the most important part of running your liquor store. That is why CobaltConnect is paired with Clover to ensure your business’s long term success. If you haven’t already registered a Clover account with CobaltConnect, now is the time to consider one. Clover devices come in a variety of formats to help fit your register system to your unique business needs. Not only do Clover devices accept multiple types of payment options, but there are hundreds of other app add-ons that can help run your register system the way you need it to. 

Setting up an account with CobaltConnect is that simple and unlike other Inventory Management software, we continue to be there for you after your setup is complete. Schedule training as much or as little as you need, and we are always listening to where our system can make improvements to better the user experience. If you haven’t joined the CobaltConnect family yet, now is the time. Members of our staff can give you a free same day demo to show you all CobaltConnect system can do for your business, so don’t waste another minute.