Streamlining Retail Operations for Stanford Health with Shopify POS

First Glance

The Stanford Health Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital is a world-renowned pediatric and obstetric care facility based in Palo Alto, California. Dedicated to providing specialized care for children. The hospital is recognized for its innovative treatments and commitment to improving health outcomes. With a mission to support their community and patients, the hospital features in-store gift shops and online ecommerce solutions. The shops offer various merchandise to support fundraising efforts for the hospital.

Stanford Hospital needed an experienced partner to help modernization their ecommerce and inventory services using a fully integrated Shopify solution. They reached out to Sunrise Integration to provide expert Shopify point of sale and online integration. Sunrise Integration worked closely with their team to deliver a modern experience tailored to their unique needs.

The Challenge

The Stanford Health Children's Hospital faced several challenges in transitioning their retail operations. Their old POS system lacked the flexibility and integration needed to support their modern retail workflow and inventory management needs. Their retail team was complaining about inaccurate inventory counts and misplaced online orders. They also wanted a new system that was more user-friendly as the online store and Gift Shop are run by volunteers from the community who are not all tech proficient.

Stanford Hospital posed these challenges to Sunrise Integration and asked for our expertise in online sales, retail POS implementation, hardware configuration, staff training and ongoing support. The partnership aimed to enhance retail efficiency, streamline workflows, and empower their staff with a robust system tailored to their unique requirements.

Key challenges included:

Comprehensive Hardware Setup:

Stanford Health needed a complete hardware solution, including iPads, card readers, cash drawers, receipt printers, and barcode printers, all configured and optimized for Shopify POS. All of these systems needed to work within their strict security and HIPAA rules.

Custom Workflow Integration:

The new system had to support critical workflows such as product barcode scanning, manual item entry, discounts, and refunds.

Inventory management:

The systems needed to support the existing inventory and warehouse locations to maintain continuity and avoid downtime. The hospital maintains multiple warehouse locations and they wanted a unified solution to help track stock.

Staff Training and Documentation:

With a large staff of volunteers, onsite training was essential to keep the team up-to-date on the new system. Documentation was also needed to onboard future staff and volunteers effectively.

Ongoing Support and Scalability:

Stanford Health required a dedicated support plan to address potential challenges and ensure the system could scale with their growing operations.

Success for Stanford meant deploying a fully functional Shopify POS system with customized workflows, training staff for confident use, and establishing long-term support to maintain operational excellence. This where Shopify and the Shopify POS solution came together to create a unified solution.

The Solution

Sunrise Integration delivered a comprehensive solution that addressed Stanford Health’s challenges and aligned with their operational goals by integrating a new Shopify Plus and POS solution. The backend warehouse and inventory were integrated with Shopify's Stocky app to manage purchase orders, stock transfers and more.

Shopify POS Setup and Configuration

The project began with a three-day onsite setup and training program. During this phase, Sunrise Integration installed and configured all required hardware, including iPads, Shopify Tap & Chip Readers with docks, cash drawers, receipt printers, and barcode printers. Each component was optimized for compatibility with Shopify POS, ensuring seamless functionality.

The Shopify POS system was customized to mirror Stanford Health’s existing workflows. Key functionalities included barcode scanning, manual item entry and discounts. The POS interface was tailored with customized tiles and actions, providing a user-friendly experience for staff. Integration with Shopify Plus allowed for real-time inventory lookup, web order processing, and synchronized reporting, creating a unified system for both online and in-store operations.

Stocky App

Inventory and warehouse management was a crucial part of this integration and the Stanford team was excited to use Shopify’s Stocky solution. Stocky provided an integrated app to ensure inventory and stock was accurate. The operations staff use Stocky to create purchase orders and receive inventory from vendors. The team uses the connected barcode scanners to make quick work of the receiving process. Since Stocky is fully integrated with Shopify, the new inventory is automatically added to the shops for immediate purchasing.

Staff Training and Support

Training was a critical component of the project. Sunrise Integration conducted three full days of hands-on training for staff, covering everything from POS login and product search to processing orders and managing auxiliary equipment like cash drawers and barcode scanners.

To ensure long-term success, Sunrise Integration established a robust support plan. This included reserved hours of virtual support, phone support cases with a 1-hour response time, and regular check-ins to review business priorities and plan future tasks. A dedicated project manager provided consistent communication, ensuring that all support needs were addressed promptly and efficiently.

The Outcome

The implementation of Shopify Plus, Shopify POS and Stocky transformed Stanford Children’s Hospital’s retail operations, delivering modern improvements and a unified solution. The hardware setup and POS customization provided a reliable foundation for retail operations.

The new system enabled complete integration allowing Stanford Health to manage inventory, process web orders, and handle in-store transactions with ease. Customized workflows reduced staff workload and improved transaction accuracy, enhancing the overall customer experience.

Sunrise Integration is providing an ongoing support plan to give Stanford priority access to technical assistance and regular check-ins to address evolving business needs. Stanford Health now has a scalable solution that can grow with their operations, providing the flexibility to adapt to future challenges and opportunities.

Looking to the future

Stanford Health is now well-positioned to expand its ecommerce operations and continue delivering exceptional service using a unified Shopify solution. The streamlined workflows, enhanced reporting capabilities and robust support plan provide a foundation for growth.

Sunrise Integration remains a trusted partner for Stanford, ready to support future enhancements, new feature integrations, and long-term scalability. This project highlights how tailored solutions and strategic implementation can transform retail operations, enabling organizations to achieve their goals and deliver lasting value to their customers.