Going Digital

When my father, Bruce, joined The Shoe Tree towards the end of my grandfather Sid’s career, he faced the challenge of convincing Sid to transition the business from a paper-based inventory system and manual payment processing to a computerized Inventory Management and Point of Sale (POS) system. Although Sid was hesitant, Bruce recognized that embracing this change was essential for the business’s growth and success.

This conversation came up again when I proposed to my father the idea of updating our outdated POS system to a new cloud-based solution and launching an online store. While he was cautious about making another significant shift, he understood the importance of evolving to meet modern demands and ensure long-term success.

In November, we successfully migrated our inventory management system to Shopify. While the transition has been a significant learning curve for our team, it has been, overall, a smooth and rewarding process. This migration was a critical step in launching our new online store, which provides us with an exciting opportunity to showcase our products and expand our customer base beyond Sydney—reaching Nova Scotia’s mainland and even a national audience.

That said, our loyal customers who visit us in Downtown Sydney remain our top priority. The online store is designed to complement our in-store experience, offering the convenience for locals to browse products from home and conveniently pick up their orders in-store.

One of the most challenging aspects of launching this online platform has been replicating the exceptional customer service we’re known for in-store. While we understand that shopping online can never fully replicate the personal touch of shopping in person, we are committed to finding the best solutions to deliver the same high level of service both online and offline.

Whether you choose to shop with us in-store or online, we truly appreciate your support and your decision to shop at The Shoe Tree.