UPDATED: As a retailer, you want some extent of sale (POS) system that may not solely deal with a excessive variety of gross sales (and at an inexpensive price to you), however that makes your day-to-day simpler, so you’ll be able to give attention to a very powerful points of operating your online business.
Whereas many retail POS methods have very comparable choices, it’s the variations in prices and options that may make one greatest for a retail clothes retailer and one greatest for a retail grocery retailer.
From tablets to the touch screens and stock, we’ve dug down into the specifics of quite a lot of card machines to carry you the six greatest retail POS methods so that you can examine.
Or, in case you really feel such as you’re able to determine, why not get quotes in your good POS system in the present day. All it’s essential to do is present us with some primary data about your online business within the type on the prime of the web page and we’ll match you with the very best suppliers in your wants.
You possibly can leap straight to one of many suppliers under to be taught extra or preserve studying to match all of them.
The 6 greatest retail POS methods: A deep dive
>See additionally: Greatest cost processors for UK small companies – 11 of the very best
Lightspeed Retail
Pricing
Lean: £59 per thirty days
Normal: £79 per thirty days
Superior: £119 per thirty days
Enterprise: Customized pricing
Options
- Fast keys and simple search to maintain gross sales shifting
- Customized fields and customisable buttons and receipts
- Constructed-in stock counting and low inventory alert
- Retail analytics throughout a number of areas
- Integrations with accounting, ecommerce, and advertising and marketing apps
Lightspeed Retail is an all-in-one POS system and commerce platform for busy retailers, providing every thing from customisable level of gross sales options to combine and match {hardware} bundles.
Lightspeed doesn’t promote its personal {hardware} however permits you to mix parts from totally different manufacturers inside your setup. This implies you’ll be able to combine an industry-leading printer with an industry-leading scanner and money register.
The stock administration operate is fairly complete, with reorder factors and low inventory alerts to considerably cut back the possibilities of bestsellers being out-of-stock, and the power to trace unit prices, margins, and stock ranges throughout a number of areas. And with built-in stock counting options, you can too minimise errors related to handbook entry.
There’s loads of analytics and stories to get your tooth into as effectively, together with workers efficiency and buyer spend, all of which could be customised to align with your online business metrics.
Lastly, Lightspeed Retail affords integrations with a great deal of main accounting, ecommerce, advertising and marketing apps, and extra, permitting you to sync knowledge throughout a number of platforms and even develop customized options with its open API.
Sq. POS
Pricing
{Hardware}: From £19 + VAT
Processing price: 1.75% per chip and pin or contactless / 2.5% for digital terminal and invoices
Premium: Customized pricing
Options
- Multi-location stock administration and inventory forecasting
- Multi-channel promoting each on-line and in-store
- In-depth gross sales stories
- Handle your staff with limitless worker passcodes and timecard reporting
- Subsequent working day and prompt transfers
Based in 2009 by Jack Dorsey, the person who began Twitter (now X), Sq. has grown to develop into one of the well-liked level of sale methods on the earth for retailers.
And it’s not exhausting to see why: Sq. POS is absolutely stocked with every thing a busy retail enterprise must deal with gross sales, prospects, stock, and extra.
Let’s begin with funds. Sq. integrates all funds, whether or not they’re via card, Apple Pay, or present card into your POS, and may ship funds into your account immediately or the following working day. In the meantime, in-depth, by-the-minute gross sales and revenue margin stories offer you granular insights into efficiency which you can act on.
Sq. additionally helps preserve your queue shifting with barcode scanning, merchandise search, and buyer profiles, and may rapidly course of itemised returns and exchanges. Its stock counting device makes it simple to replace, evaluation, and inventory take, and inventory forecasting alerts you when it’s essential to reorder.
Lastly, Sq. sells quite a lot of smooth, compact, and inexpensive {hardware}, together with terminals, card readers, iPod stands, and equipment, so you will discover your good retail POS setup.
Shopify
Pricing
Shopify POS pricing is on prime of the price of your Shopify retailer plan.
Fundamental: £25 per thirty days
Shopify: £65 per thirty days
Superior: £344 per thirty days
+
Shopify POS Professional: £69 per thirty days per location
Options
- Supply prospects a completely omnichannel expertise by integrating on-line and in retailer procuring
- Good inventory monitoring affords gross sales and stock suggestions
- Management workers permissions and monitor the efficiency of every staff member
- Complete checkout operate with customisable receipts, reductions, and gross sales
- Full vary of Shopify POS {hardware} obtainable
Befitting an organization whose main enterprise is on-line commerce, Shopify has cornered the market in omnichannel promoting. For instance, a buyer can purchase in retailer and have the product shipped to them from the closest location with it in inventory. They’ll additionally buy on-line and return in retailer, and you may ship them emails selling an merchandise they have been desirous about however didn’t purchase in retailer.
In the case of inventory administration, Shopify’s Stocky app is a reduce above. It makes use of sensible expertise to recommend buy orders primarily based on product efficiency and may make suggestions for releasing money and stock primarily based on what isn’t promoting. It additionally affords detailed stock stories and monitoring, so you’ll be able to carry on prime of inventory and plan forward.
The customisable checkout can be price highlighting. You possibly can create customised printed, e-mail, and SMS receipts, and there’s a tailor-made sensible grid that adapts primarily based on cart actions, which makes it simple to supply a seamless expertise to each workers and prospects.
Lastly, it may need began on-line, however Shopify now affords its personal full ‘plug-and-play’ POS {hardware} package deal via the Shopify Ironmongery store, all obtainable with a one-year guarantee.
EPOS Now
Pricing
Full POS system: £899
Options
- Full EPOS Now POS {hardware} obtainable
- Multi-site and omnichannel retailer administration
- Import, replace, and handle hundreds of merchandise
- Buyer profiles that mechanically replace with each buy
- Entry stories on every thing from greatest sellers to prime performing workers via the cloud
EPOS Now is the true deal in the case of retail. In addition to promoting its personal retail POS {hardware}, it supplies all of the options and capabilities you could possibly ever want, whether or not you’re a florist or a farm store.
EPOS Now’s award-winning {hardware} starter equipment features a contact display screen, printer, money drawer and software program, which could be expanded via the addition of different units and equipment as your online business grows. That’s to not point out the tons of of software program integrations, together with Mailchimp, Sage, and quite a lot of ecommerce platforms, so you’ll be able to construct a completely complete setup.
The analytics are additionally price shouting about. You possibly can entry insights and stories at any time and on any system via the cloud, together with particular person product efficiency and worker efficiency. You too can use the search operate to determine trending gadgets or non-selling inventory and use stories to determine peak gross sales instances.
What’s extra, you’ll be able to handle buyer relationships and construct loyalty with buyer profiles, which mechanically replace each time they make a purchase order, permitting you to create focused campaigns and award factors.
Zettle by PayPal
Pricing
Zettle card reader: From £29
Terminal: From £149 + VAT
Customised retailer equipment: From £189 + VAT
Options
- Full vary of smooth and compact {hardware}
- Bulk import hundreds of merchandise and handle them inside the app
- Financial institution deposits made inside 1-2 enterprise days
- Accepts all main playing cards, in addition to Apple, Android, and Google Pay
- Each day stories on gross sales and workers efficiency
Zettle’s vary of {hardware} is each aesthetically pleasing and compact, making it a fantastic possibility for small retailers with restricted area. You possibly can join the Reader 2 and barcode scanner to your smartphone or pill or use the in-built barcode scanner on the Zettle app.
Zettle additionally makes it simple to construct and handle your product library. You possibly can bulk import hundreds of merchandise from Excel, add images and descriptions and group merchandise by class and assortment for straightforward search. All merchandise are then synced on-line, and in-store and gross sales are tracked so you’ll be able to control stock, with automated alerts for low inventory ranges. You additionally get automated each day stories on gross sales and workers efficiency.
The funds and costs actually set Zettle aside. Card transaction charges are set at a flat price of 1.75%, so that you all the time know the way a lot of your income will probably be charged, and financial institution deposits are made in a speedy 1-2 enterprise days, which is way faster than the common. Zettle accepts all main debit and bank cards, in addition to Apple, Android, and Google Pay, so that you shouldn’t ever be in a scenario the place a buyer isn’t capable of make a purchase order as a result of their cost sort isn’t supported.
Saledock
Pricing
Important: £59 per thirty days
Professional: £79 per thirty days
Unified: £129 per thirty days
Scale: £499 per thirty days
All of the above are primarily based on month-to-month funds reasonably than a one-off annual cost.
Options
- Faucet, scan, or search barcodes so as to add gadgets or use your smartphones digital camera
- Product sync throughout a number of shops
- Intuitive, easy-to-learn system
- Settle for a number of funds on one order and take deposits or partial funds
- 14-day free trial
Saledock is a Yorkshire-based, family-run POS that’s been designed particularly for the UK market.
Saledock is an all-in-one, cloud-based POS, ecommerce, and stock resolution that goals to present retailers solely the options they should make their lives simpler. In follow, this implies an intuitive, responsive system that workers can rapidly become familiar with, and which reduces errors at checkout. You possibly can add a number of shops and handle inventory throughout each with reorder alerts, product sync throughout units and on-line, and prime product knowledge.
In addition to having the ability to faucet, scan or search barcodes so as to add gadgets to an order, you should utilize the digital camera in your smartphone as a scanner. You too can settle for a number of funds for only one order and even take deposits and partial funds if the shopper desires to safe an merchandise and settle the complete cost later.
With pricing starting from £59 to £129 per thirty days, it’s fairly costly in comparison with our different prime POS methods. And on prime of the subscription price, in case you don’t already personal {hardware}, you’ll have to purchase third-party tools via Saledock.
That mentioned, you do get a 14-day free trial, so you’ll be able to all the time give it a go and see if it’s proper for your online business earlier than committing to a subscription.
Subsequent steps
Nonetheless unsure which of our six prime POS retail methods is greatest for your online business? Why not use our free comparability device to be matched with probably the most appropriate supplier in your wants.
Merely fill in our free quote-finding type, and reply a couple of easy questions on your online business (it takes lower than a minute). We’ll match you with probably the most applicable retail POS methods.
All pricing info is correct as of 4th April 2024.