NEW YORK–October 21, 2013–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Q3 Same store sales for brick and mortar retailers using iPad point of sale (POS) software increased by 20 percent, with transactions up 13.6 percent over Q3 2012. This is according to data from the ShopKeep Small Business Insights Center, released today by ShopKeep POS, the cloud-based POS software designed by a retailer for small businesses. The data indicates new businesses are steadily growing and maturing using cloud-based business management software.

“We’ve seen a consistent trend all year with same store sales for our retailers sitting up around 20 percent”

“We’ve seen a consistent trend all year with same store sales for our retailers sitting up around 20 percent,” said Jason Richelson, Founder and CEO, ShopKeep POS. “Our customers are typically new stores, a younger demographic and early adopters of technology. They are not afraid to try new things and embrace change, and you can see that reflected in their business performance. Retail technology is evolving incredibly quickly and those stores that are evolving with it are clearly seeing great results.”

Q3 2013 Report Highlights: The following data indicates average growth in Q3 2013 same store sales over Q3 2012.

Average Revenue and Transactions Growth In Order of Highest Overall Sales
Top Cities – All Stores $ Revenue Growth $ Growth Rate # Transaction Growth # Growth Rate
New York City $15,340 14% 1274 8%
Los Angeles $22,974 30% 1664 23%
Seattle $26,202 42% 2046 33%
Portland $24,827 47% 2106 30%
Chicago $12,644 21% 553 6%
Manhattan vs. Brooklyn – All Stores $ Revenue Growth $ Growth Rate # Transaction Growth # Growth Rate
Brooklyn $17,682 13% 1520 9%
Manhattan $13,467 16% 1077 8%
  • Markets including Portland, OR; Chicago, IL; and Seattle, WA are emerging as rapid adopters of cloud-based POS, and saw the highest sales growth by city over 2012.
  • More established markets including Los Angeles and New York City saw the highest overall sales by city, but lower growth rates.
  • The borough of Brooklyn, a region of early adoption with the highest concentration of iPad POS systems nationally, saw overall higher total revenues than Manhattan and Los Angeles.
Average Revenue and Transactions Growth In Order of Highest Overall Sales
Top Vertical Groups $ Revenue Growth $ Growth Rate # Transaction Growth # Growth Rate
Quick Serve Restaurants $18,197 23% 1576 15%
Specialty Food Stores $11,784 16% 404 10%
Mobile Food Vendors $21,410 34% 156 3%
Specialty Services $10,480 23% 429 25%
Specialty Retail Stores $8,663 18% 254 20%
Top Store Types $ Revenue Growth $ Growth Rate # Transaction Growth # Growth Rate
Coffee Shop $18,732 24% 2212 16%
Bakery $20,015 27% 1796 24%
Quick Serve Restaurants Group – Top Cities $ Revenue Growth $ Growth Rate # Transaction Growth # Growth Rate
Brooklyn $21,097 12% 2228 8%
Los Angeles $32,090 28% 2858 22%
Manhattan $17,402 15% 2705 13%
  • Quick service restaurants as a group in Los Angeles grew at around twice the rate of those in Brooklyn and Manhattan.
  • Quick service restaurants saw the highest overall sales by vertical market.
  • Food trucks enjoyed the largest revenue increase by vertical, although transaction volume remained flat.
  • Coffee shops and bakeries enjoyed the largest sales increase by store type.

To celebrate the largest growing retailers of Q3, here are some summer insights from coffee shops and bakeries across the country:

  • CHARGING IT: For bakeries, transactions made by credit card were over 90 percent higher in dollar value than cash transactions every day except on Friday and Sunday. At coffee shops, transactions made by credit card versus cash were more than 60 percent higher in dollar value every day of the week.
  • FRIDAY CAFFEINE FRENZY: The day of the week with the highest volume of transactions for coffee shops nationally is Friday.
  • SPLURGING ON SATURDAYS: Coffee shop customers on average spent almost 20 percent more in dollar value on Saturdays compared to Mondays, and bakery customers spent 32 percent more.
  • CHEAP MONDAYS: Average store sales were lowest on a Monday for both coffee shops and bakeries. The average dollar amount per transaction on Monday is $5.89 and $9.76 respectively.

About the ShopKeep Same Store Sales Index (SSSI)

The above SSSI data is based on average Same Store Sales for ShopKeep POS customers nationwide during Q3 2012 and Q3 2013. Data is based on a group of 556 customers that were using ShopKeep during both time periods. Measurements are based on average $ sales and average # volume of transactions.

Detailed coffee insights are based on a sample size of 775 coffee shops across the U.S. and Canada, which are all ShopKeep POS customers. Insights are based on sales and transaction data gathered between September 2012 and September 2013.

Detailed bakery insights are based on a sample size of 509 bakeries across the U.S. and Canada, which are all ShopKeep POS customers. Insights are based on sales and transaction data gathered between September 2012 and September 2013.