From Local to Global: Jack & Co.’s Sweet Path to Growth

Have you ever heard of elderberries? They’re among the most beneficial fruits for fighting colds and boosting immunity.

Nikki Schoeny and her husband tapped into the wonders of this berry and founded Jack & Co. Elderberry Syrup, a company selling organic elderberry syrups and products. 

Back in 2019 BC (pre-COVID), they began their business out of their home, selling locally and gaining traction through word-of-mouth. As the couple worked full-time with children, they needed to set up a website quickly and easily.

They had no experience with ecommerce and it took off fast. Nikki states, “we were kind of building an airplane in the sky while it was flying.”  

And they chose  Ecwid to help guide them to their destination. Their business quickly became a success, and Ecwid was and still is by their side throughout their journey.

Jack & Co. Sprouts Exponential Growth 

When COVID hit a year later, their sales skyrocketed. As the illness spread and uncertainty grew, people wanted to avoid it at all costs and build immunity.

Jack & Co. would get calls from customers saying nurses recommended their products. Their customers would stop shoppers in the cold and flu section and tell them to buy Jack & Co.’s elderberry syrup instead. Even the local news featured them on their station.

The business went from local to state-wide to a national, full-time venture over a short period of time.

In addition, starting in 2022, the business roughly doubled its revenue during the off-season months. Their revenue keeps growing on Ecwid, even during less busy periods like the summer (before back-to-school and cold and flu season kicks in.)

We interviewed Nikki Schoeny to learn how Ecwid by Lightspeed helped their business handle the crazy high demand by reducing manual tasks, saving costs, and rapidly building their online empire.

Let’s dig into the sweetness!

A Fruitful, Sleek Storefront

As mentioned,  Nikki and her husband needed a website for their business — and quick. Nikki set up her Ecwid website in just one afternoon.

 It just worked so well for us to be able to quickly get something out there because we didn’t have time; we needed to work on our business. I didn’t have time to be a web designer at the time. It worked great for us to just be able to keep moving. Nikki Schoeny, Owner of Jack & Co. Elderberry Syrup

They also wanted to offer the option to pick up in-store and pay cash upon arrival since many customers would still prefer to do so. And with Ecwid, they can provide that option at checkout. 

With her marketing background, she designed her logo, takes product photos in-house, and grows her brand.  Just look how sleek:

As the company has grown significantly, it is now looking to expand its staff. They aim to shift their time and focus away from production, move more toward business operations, and increase their marketing efforts.

A Cost-Effective, Efficient Payment Solution

Jack & Co. first began receiving payments with Square. But one thing kept catching their eye in their Ecwid admin: a popup about the cost they would save per transaction if they switched to Lightspeed Payments. That would catch my eye, too!

They hesitated to switch initially, as they didn’t want anything to go wrong.  But they decided to go for it and gradually moved from Square to Lightspeed Payments. As they say, you’ll never know unless you try.

With Lightspeed Payments, they saved on costs and benefited from many other features. 

For instance, Nikki enjoys being able to process refunds and manage everything from one place, the Ecwid admin. 

Beforehand, she would have to remember her password to log in to Square, find the order, and go through the process; “it’s so nice to just be able to open the same app that we always use for everything else and be able to refund someone super quickly.”   

Running a Business on the (Grow)

Ecwid’s mobile app has been a game-changer for Jack & Co. Given their busy schedule, the ability to manage operations from wherever they are is invaluable. With the mobile app, they can view sales, edit orders and products, add discounts, and much more—all from their fingertips.

 As a mom and business owner, time is quite limited. That’s why being at the park and effortlessly activating a sale for the day is great. I frequently use my phone to monitor my sales, and my kid does a little dance every time he hears the cha-ching sound. Nikki Schoeny

In-House Customization to Further Develop the Storefront

Did you know you can leverage in-house Ecwid developers to customize your Instant Site beyond the features already offered? Depending on your plan, a certain number of customization hours are included, or you can purchase additional hours for a fee. 

Jack & Co. has their products at around 40 stores and counting, plus its online business (it takes omnichannel sales to the next level). So, they wanted to be able to show all locations on the map displayed on their website. Therefore, they hired our customization team to create a custom multi-location map and show pins of current and soon-to-be locations.

Here is what the interactive map looks like:

The customization highlights their growth and helps customers find the nearest physical store to them that sells Jack & Co. products. 

Support, Always by Your Side

Jack & Co. contacts support whenever they have questions or issues. Nikki loves using the in-product chat support; it’s super helpful when on the go or while performing tasks and quick to get a response.

Support has taught them about many new functionalities they didn’t know Ecwid offered. That’s why it’s always good to ask!

 Along the way, I’m always like, I wish I had this. Then, I hop on a chat with a support agent, and they tell me that they do actually have that! Nikki Schoeny

Let’s shed some light on what we are talking about here.

Selling to Wholesalers and Customers on One Platform

A lot of Jack & Co. stores are for pickup and purchase, but a lot of them are also for wholesale. Their website was set up only to serve direct customers, not wholesalers.  As a result, wholesalers would order by texting, calling, and emailing — which is inefficient and error-prone. 

As wholesale orders became hard to manage, Nikki asked the support team for a solution. How can our wholesalers order through our website?

The Ecwid support team quickly helped them by enabling features in their store. The wholesalers now have a different login and can order wholesale through it. Jack & Co. now takes B2B and D2C orders on the same platform, which has heavily improved their workflow.

Shipping Locally and Globally

Elderberry was initially local and regional, but they started selling nationwide when sales grew. They have sold to people in Guam, Alaska, and Hawaii. But at first, they did not know how to handle this.

They were used to using a regional shipper just for the Midwest.

 “We relied on chat support a lot because I wondered, “what do I do for this? And how do I add on different shipping options?”

Our support team helped them through their shipping expansion, “it was almost like you were my right hand; I really relied on you to be able to get our product out there.”

Seamless Business Growth on Ecwid

Ecwid has enabled Jack & Co. to manage its growth and expand even further. When complexities arise, Ecwid is there to help. Running a business doesn’t have to be overwhelming—with the right solution, you can focus on what matters most. 

We hope this story inspires you to push the limits! Want to be featured in our next success story? Reach out to us.

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