Best Retail POS System for Small Businesses: Reviews and Pricing Comparison
A retail POS system is a system that includes customer display, barcode scanner, receipt printer, cash drawer, monitor, computer, and debit/credit card reader.
POS systems offer the functionalities of CRM to interact with the customers or integration with an existing CRM system, sending of email & text messages, loyalty reward program, updating contact records, and functions for setting an appointment.
Research was performed by PointofSale.com to find out more about the POS systems for retail. This research says that 33% of retailers use POS systems to manage their business processes.
Around 24% of startup retailers don’t use any system. 39% of retailers trust that POS system improves efficiency.
The following graph will show you the reasons given by different retailers for using the POS system for small retail businesses.
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Two major advantages of POS systems are Accuracy and Analysis. POS systems can analyze the sales based on the time period, promotions, and Inventory Management by store. This system will ensure that you will remain updated about the inventory.
You will know at what exact time you need to order items or with some systems that you can automate this process. The research was performed by PointofSale on the preferred deployment method for Point of Sale software.
The below graph will show you the details of this research:
POS system has various components and the cost for the complete system including the software, scanners, installation, etc. could be in the range of $3000 to $6000 per station.
Table of Contents:
List of Top Retail POS Systems
Enlisted below are the most popular Retail POS Systems that are available in the market.
Comparison Table of Retail POS System
| POS | Best for | Free Trial | Platform | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Square | Small and medium-sized retailers. | 30 Days | iOS and Android devices. | It starts at $20 per month. |
Lightspeed | Small to large businesses. | Available | Web-based | It starts at $89 per month. |
Shopify | Small to large businesses. | 14 days | Web-based & iPad | Basic Shopify: $29/month Shopify: $79/month Advanced Shopify: $299/month |
ShopKeep | Small Businesses. | — | Windows. Mac, iPad, & Android | Get a quote. |
Vend | Small to large businesses. | Available | iPad, Mac, PC | Lite: $99/month Pro: $129/month Enterprise: Get a quote. |
Revel Systems | Small to large businesses. | Free demo available. | Web-based & iPad | Starts at $79 per month. |
Let’s explore!!
#1) Square
Best for small and medium-sized retailers.
Price: Square offers a free trial for 30 days. During this free trial period, payment processing fees will be applied. Square POS will cost you $60 per location per POS. 2.5% plus 10 cents per swipe. Additional POS will be at a cost of $20 per month per POS.
For retail businesses, Square provides a POS platform with software, hardware, and payments. It will help you with storefront or back-office tasks. It has features and functionalities for creating a customer profile and maintaining purchase history. It can receive a purchase order and perform scanning of new inventory.
Features:
- It has an easy to Search facility. Items can be searched through keyword or by scanning a barcode.
- For Inventory management, it has features like Creating and printing of barcode labels, Inventory management for all locations, and Creating purchase orders.
- It provides reports for goods sold, margin, profit margins, and projected profit estimates.
- Employee management with a passcode. It will help you with the decision like adding more staff.
Verdict: Square POS can be used for boosting your sales, tracking data, for cutting costs, etc. It has functionality for creating, sending, and tracking of invoices. It supports accepting payments in all the latest ways like Apple Pay, Google Pay, or chip cards.
#2) Lightspeed
Best for small to large companies.
Price: Lightspeed retail price starts at $89 per month. With this plan, there will be one register, and access for 5 employees, and OmniChannel capabilities.
With Lightspeed Retail POS, you will get features like Product transfers, customer data across locations, and centralized purchasing. Lightspeed retail can be used for jewelry, pets, sporting goods, bikes, etc. It supports Windows, Mac, and iPad. Lightspeed ePOS can be used on any device.
Features:
- Customer management with customer profiles, purchase history, and categories.
- You will get flexibility in accepting payment methods. It supports mobile payments, all types of cards, EMV compatibility, PCI compliance, and easy refunds.
- For multiple stores, it will provide a store comparison.
- It will provide reports for sales, profit year over year, recent sales, and sales per employee.
Verdict: Lightspeed will enable you to manage special orders, purchase orders, work order management, pre-loaded vendor catalogs, and Layaways. It also provides insights by tracking the stock.
#3) Shopify
Best for small to large businesses.
Price: Shopify has three pricing plans i.e. Basic Shopify ($29 per month), Shopify ($79 per month), and Advanced Shopify ($299 per month). It supports online store and unlimited products with all these plans. Staff accounts vary as per the plans. Shopify provides a free trial for 14 days.
Shopify is a web-based POS system and has features of refunds & store credit, customer payment options, custom sales, portable registers, inventory management, Product management, etc.
Features:
- It has features for staff management with PIN codes for staff members.
- Payment can be accepted in any form.
- You will be able to monitor cash register adjustments for the whole day.
Verdict: Shopify is the retail POS system which allows accepting payment in any form. It provides features like staff management with PINs and monitoring cash register adjustments.
Further Reading => List of the TOP Retail Inventory Software
#4) ShopKeep
Best for small businesses
Price: Get a quote for its pricing details.
ShopKeep retail POS has features and functions for transactions, refunds & returns, deposits, discounts, time clock, and user permissions. ShopKeep Pocket app will always keep you updated even when you are away from your retail location.
Features:
- According to your transaction value, ShopKeep provides customized rates. It will help you to boost your profit.
- It supports accepting all types of payments. It is scalable as per your requirements.
- It can perform refunds and returns even without receipts.
- It provides offline credit card payments.
Verdict: ShopKeep is a flexible solution which is tailored to your needs and gives you freedom and choice. ShopKeep will allow keeping deposits or partial payment.
Website: ShopKeep
#5) Vend
Best for small to large businesses.
Price: Vend has three pricing plans i.e. Lite ($99 per month), Pro ($129 per month), and Enterprise (Get a quote).
Vend is a web-based POS system and is suitable for multi-outlet retail. It can work offline. It has features for inventory management, Individual staff accounts, customization of permissions, and tracking of sales. It will allow you to customize receipts and website with your logos. It provides cash management with cash movements tracking.
Features:
- For payments, it provides features like accepting credit and debit cards, split payments, gift cards, mobile and contactless payments, etc.
- For Inventory management, it has features for barcodes and labels, central product catalog, inventory control, stock transfers, customizable taxes, etc.
- For customer management, it has features like customer profiles, importing customer list, purchase history, and customer groups, etc.
- It provides reports on products, sales, inventory, end of day reports, and employee performance.
Verdict: Vend will provide features like centralized operations, multi-channel inventory, product import, product management, and many more features for e-commerce. It has customizable reports and mobile retail dashboard. Vend will allow you to export the report in a spreadsheet tool of your choice.
Website: Vend
#6) Revel Systems
Best for small to large businesses.
Price: Revel Systems provides a free demo. Revel POS Software price starts at $99 per month per terminal. Installation fee starts at $649. For Processing, there will be a flat fee.
Revel System can be used as Brewery POS, Bakery POS, Event POS, and Winery POS. Revel Systems provides the management app, Insights. This app will provide you sales data, employee’s attendance, and the facility to update schedules.
Features:
- Revel Systems can be used for small inventory as well as multiple SKUs at different locations.
- It has the ability to process card transaction even when the internet is down.
- It has features for Employee management and built-in CRM.
Verdict: Revel Systems retail POS system comes with features like inventory management, customer management, and social media management functionalities. It also has functionalities like management of loyalty programs, and gift cards, and mobile ordering.
Website: Revel Systems
Conclusion
We have seen the top retail POS systems in this article. ShopKeep provides a POS solution which is tailored to your needs. It offers features like offline credit card payments. Shopify is a web-based POS system with features like refunds, storing credits, and portable register.
Using Vend POS, your operations will be centralized. It has features like multi-channel inventory and product import. Revel Systems has built-in CRM and can be used for small as well as multiple SKUs at different locations.
Square POS can accept payments in all the latest ways like Apple Pay etc. It will boost your sales and track the data. Lightspeed POS system supports Windows, Mac, and iPad and comes with rich features. It will help you to manage special orders and purchase orders etc.
Also read =>> Best Barcode Scanners for a faster checkout
If we compare the prices, then Shopify offers more affordable plans when compared to others. Its basic plan starts at $29 per month. Vend and Revel Systems price starts at $99 per month. Square’s POS pricing plan starts at $60 per location per POS and Lightspeed’s POS price starts at $89 per month.
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Hope you will find this article helpful in selecting the right retail POS system.