Xero Innovation & Evolution

We love Xero here at Zahara. It's so simple and easy to use, even the boss's dad who is 78 years old uses it! (He likes to keep the accounts in the family.)

Origins of Xero

Back in 2006 the founder & CEO of Xero Rod Drury, noticed that the traditional desktop application model of the current accounting systems on the market was not meeting the demands of the modern accountant. Rod and his personal accountant decided to develop a modern cloud-based approach, using a software as a service model (SAAS). On the 28th February Xero went live in New Zealand. Similar to us at Zahara, Xero kept adding more and more brilliant features. They were constantly improving and refining their system, adding more & more value to their customers. By the end of the year, they were launching in the UK.

However, what was a game changer to Rod & his team, was the introduction of their system into their Neighbours, Australia. The uptake of cloud accounting in Australia has been around 8%. Showing us, that those down us know how to spot greatness when they see it.

Taking Over the World?

The problem for Xero is that one of the biggest markets in the world, the U.S is conservative to trying new things. "The uptake of online accounting reflects the reality. Australia sits at 8 percent, the UK at 6 percent and the US at just 4 percent (Intuit’s numbers). Yes – even the English are moving faster than the Americans." Why Xero Won’t Take the US In a Hurry. Quickbooks is king in America, We here at Zahara integrate with both. However, we have noticed that when we interact with enquiries from the U.S the majority of them are using Quickbooks or Sage.

Xero & Zahara Purchase Order Management

When we first started work on Zahara two years ago, we did not focus on our competitors. We wanted to focus on our vision and create a great user experience. Martin believed there was a gap in the market and decided to start development on the greatest purchase order system there ever was or will be! We knew Xero had a purchase order system but we believed what we were creating had much greater functionality. The idea being that Zahara should be a companion to the most popular accounts systems on the market.