According to Wikipedia, the point of sale (POS) is the time and place where a retail transaction is completed. The boiling point of every sale business, from small cafes to enormous online “all-in-one” marketplaces, POS is an important part of the sale process which should be supported by proper POS services today.
There is an enormous amount of POS systems and solutions covering all types of customers’ needs based on type of their stores, their amount and services they provide. Let’s cover some of the most popular POS services and mention several promising POS startups out there on the market.
Please note: the price for each POS system is calculated individually, based on the type of your store, their amount and emailed directly to you on private basis.
15 POS Systems to Check Before Starting Your Retail Business:
Lightspeed Retail is one of the notable POS solutions that can be accessed anytime, anywhere and on every platform. Lightspeed OnSite is a Mac and iOS exclusive server-based decision for retail management. With both of these actions retailers can combine inventory, process transactions, operate customers and go deeper into analytics related to their store.
The capability to maintain several stores includes the feature of keeping all inventory synchronized across all of the locations. And extensions for mobile let associates check on inventory and carry out sales in the store from anywhere via iPad.
One of the main features of Lightspeed is the full integration of webstore, handling all inventory across online and instore, so this should be closely considered by retailers who look forward to seriously expand into e-commerce.
There are large photos included and offered by design-centric software to easen the inventory handling for retailers.
And now for some statistics: only in 2013 the clients of Lightspeed processed more than $6 billion in transactions with more than 18 thousand stores in 30+ countries. There is also a solid global network of resellers who are available for meetings with retailers face-to-face at the place of residence.
This POS tool by Axia offers a good decision for certain types of stores such as consignment stores, art galleries, antique malls and also small retailers and resellers. You don’t have to download this solution and don’t need to set it up, everything is included, data backups and conversion particularly. Needless to say, SimpleCongign is extremely easy to use.
This tool is easily accessible anywhere its users are connected to the internet. For novices the tool has live training and also their monthly fees include customer support.
Software’s features include Point of Sale managing, customers tracking, consignor relationships and dashboard monitoring in real time. There is an option to buy the tool outright and obtain the capability to have automated cash or credit option on your checkout screen.
The solution has a built-in complex reporting with a full realtime monitoring of sales and operations.
This POS solution is developed for iPad and designed to help you maintain your restaurant. Lots of features are included here, allowing staff to bring the register to every table and provide a fast and easy checkout experience. Traditional restaurant, fine dining or casual eateria – TouchBistro is being used by over 3,000 various establishments in more than 34 countries all over the world. It can manage split-checks and parties of different sizes. If customers have the desire to get your receipts, you can easily print or email them right away.
There are certain types of reports available telling you the best selling items and helping you to effectively manage these factors. Also, no more shunned rushes will bother your customers and staff due to the fact that the POS services can be just removed from the counter and go down the line with your staff. So the customers won’t be kept waiting more than necessary.
RQ Retail Management POS system is iQmetrix’s forward Point Of Sale software product, allowing user to manage all of the retail business’ main components like POS, Inventory Management, CRM, Accounting and Human Resourcing. There are also additional modules for managing Marketing, Analytics, Reporting, Service Automation and Sales.
RQ is designed for the wireless retail industry including special integrations for conciliating carrier commissions, and wireless partner integrations offering services such as bill payment, handset trade-in and handset protection at POS. There is also a handful of front- and backend integrations like marketing automation, payment processing, biometric security, vendor managed inventory, automation of marketing and much more.
With RQ product suite there is an extension to in-depth analysis of data via its Business Intelligence platform. With Business Intelligence user can pull all types and display RQ data in various types of standard and custom reports which can definitely help in making better decisions for your store. Also BI is connected to iQmetrix Maps, allowing to visualize interactive geographic data.
There is also a pair of nice mobile apps extending RQ even more: RQmobile and myRQ. RQmobile turns your iPhone or iPod Touch into a pocket Point Of Sale and inventory scanner right away. MyRQ is also a mobile web application helping your staff in accessing customizable RQ metrics in realtime for reading latest company updates, tracking performance and more.
The Booker POS platform is intended for class-based and service businesses planning to continue the lines of client-engagement more efficiently. It makes the new clients finding process much easier as well as selling services, scheduling appointments, maintaining inventory and client retention. Booker software is very flexible, delivered through the web and can be accessed from any device – computer, smartphone or tablet.
Booker has POS and eCommerce integrated within, assuring a seamless experience, both in-store and online. It obviously processes credit and debit but also mobile payments, so your customers will be able to pay for your service anywhere. The tool also provides tracking of product inventory and vendor thus giving you helpful insights about the products being used by staff and bought by customers.
There are useful features such as payroll management synchronizing and automated scheduling included which really helps to keep everyone on track and reduce errors.
One of the most promising Booker’s strains is staying connected closely to customers. Its Marketing Network is partnered with well-known sites and consumer applications, letting customers to automatically book appointments in a very easy way. By the way, the Booker Customer app can be fully customized and has a nice set of features such as map integration, sending appointment reminders and promoting engagements via social media sites.
Booker is attested to work great with health spas and salons, managing all details, from sales and customers to inventory and staff schedules.
Revel Systems is a cloud-based POS system specially made for iPad. It can be used for a whole range of businesses like pawn shops, florists, bars, bookstores, art museums and many more. The tool can be vastly customized and has tons of features like customer and inventory management, integration in social media etc.
Revel Systems promises to give you security starting with the system’s backend where owners can control and maintain employees’ access to only applicable information. Of course this includes users’ logins, unique IDs and passwords management, swipe cards are involved as well.
This POS software offers intelligent reporting – a special application providing data analysis to keep owners informed up to date. The system provides detailed reports and graphs from continually gathered data: order history, product mix, hourly sales, payment summaries for instance.
Revel Systems can be implemented for businesses of various sizes, with up to 20 users and 1,000 employees. Support is provided in many ways from website articles to web support and phone packages.
This POS software is built specifically for the flower industry professionals. Featuring a variety of applications, FloristWare is designed to enhance your florist operations. An Accounts Receivable module helps stores to track incomes from customers payments with ease, also it has a customer-inducing loyalty program. There are also AutoFill features helping florists to take orders fast and a history account module helping them to track the previous purchases of every customer. This feature works great together with Customer Management module for tracking customer info, offering birthday and annual reminders and keeping customer’s purchase history.
FloristWare runs both on Mac and PC, offering a web-based as well as on-premise system.
The POS tool supports integration with a huge variety of merchant services providers, so florists can choose the credit card provider they want to.
This retail solution suits great for multi-store and multi-channel retailers, offering an intuitive management for a diversity of retailers.
Springboard Retail can be accessed on any modern devices or browsers like traditional PCs or Macs as well as touchscreen iPads and other tablets. Springboard’s Customer dashboard helps users to make a better understanding of their customers by collecting info at the POS and generating detailed statistics about purchase history and customer preferences.
With the help of this info, sales associates can greatly customize the service and make more profit. The unlimited amount of custom fields make the flexibility of reporting and tracking vast like never before.
Springboard gives you realtime monitoring, inventory management, all kinds of reporting and offers a month trial to help you evaluate this complex but favorable solution.
This is a retail Point Of Sale Software tool and inventory management system offering physical as well as eCommerce operations for both single- or multistore situations.
Available for accessing from any computer, MultiFlex maintains and updates all the crucial info across all your stores.
It has this great feature of giving you the ability to execute physical inventory counting at the end of the year or frequent cycle. There is also a flexible reporting system allowing to analyze performance by item and category.
MultiFlex has an integration to eCommerce website allowing the corresponding sharing from stores. Financial reports include Month End, Customer and Supplier Taxes.
The POS tool has a strong security system and all the needed multistore features such as inventory transferring and automatic store refill.
This POS system has a great deal for bars and restaurants offering all the credit card services including software and hardware (with installation, training and supporting) for a small monthly fee per one station covering all the tech support and lifetime warranty.
This is a feature-packed Point Of Sale solution for all types of restaurants, a complete system with any amount of Gotmerchant.com stations requiring just a low monthly fee and an internet connection to work properly. The system includes computer with a touchscreen, a receipt printer (+ optional kitchen printer) and a cash drawer not mentioning the software from on-site installation.
And now we’d like to introduce you to the most market-shaking POS startups.
This mobile POS startup lets users operate everything through iPad. Accepting payments, ringing up transactions, reports creation – and all this is being stored in Moka’s cloud. Managing and working with multi-stores is of course included with monitoring sales at different locations and inventory checks.
Staff activity can also be tracked and managed via this tool.
Moka is available through a subscription model for $19/month.
Pawoon is a cloud-based Android POS solution and Moka’s direct competitor. This startup is suited well for small and medium retail businesses like cafe and restaurants. The system lets users maintain multi-store stock, track customer actions and view all the needed reports.
Pawoon is completely free if you offer your services in one location, use one POS machine and process no more than 300 transactions per month. And for $15/month you will have no limits for locations, POS machines and transactions.
Olsera is both iOS and Android cloud-based POS system that can be applied to owner’s physical stores and website where users can have the access to inventory data, sales history, analytics and reports.
Olsera offers three pricing options that depend on owner’s option of running the store (brick-and-mortar store, online or both). From $3.75 to $14 per month with optional discounts and all-day personalized support.
This POS software offers a good option of offline browsing with checkout functionality. With the help of DealPOS owners can assign serial numbers to items, build loyalty programs and track customer orders. Among other essential store features there are such as applying discounts, creating store promos and conducting transactions in several currencies (with converting to a base currency).
Starter package is available for $15/month allowing one register, one outlet and three users. Standard package is $25/month with unlimited amount of users allowed. Every additional outlet is +$25/month with every additional register for $10/month.
This is considered to be one of the most traditional startups here, requiring the POS system to be installed on the cash register’s computer at first. Nevertheless, cloud system is available and incorporated into the product and all the data of multiple stored can be linked altogether.
Omega POS Cloud runs on Windows and is greatly suitable for small and medium stores such as clothing store, minimarkets, furniture stores as well as cafes and restaurants etc.
The starter kit costs $46 including three months of cloud service. Another pricing option includes support of online sales only and is available for $10.
As you can see the variety of POS systems looks really impressive. Since all major market players introduce tons of useful features and services at affordable prices, it might be difficult to choose a proper solution, but we hope with our digest will easily find a POS system that absolutely satisfies your business requirements.