10 Best Retail POS Systems of 2019 – Point Of Sale Software

If you’re tired of keeping track of all of your business operations yourself, want to branch out and create an online presence or create better relationships with your customers, a POS system is the way to go. POS systems can make any business run more efficiently, and generally make any manager’s life a lot easier.

But, there are a ton of different systems, all of which come with different hardware and software, different features and price ranges. So, if you’re just now learning about POS systems, it can be a little overwhelming to try to find the one that best suits your needs, your customers’ needs, and your employees’ needs.

But, by the end of this article, you’ll have a better understanding of what they are, what they do and what you want. Here are the 10 best retail POS systems of 2019.

What is a POS System?

POS stands for “Point of Sale”, which can refer to the physical location where the business transactions take place and money and goods change hands, like a cash register. A POS system refers to both the software and the hardware used to make and keep track of sales.

A POS system can centralize all of your business operations and make running a business easier by storing all of the information you need in one place. A good system can keep track of and manage sales, perform employee functions, track inventory, marketing and a litany of other tasks. A good POS system will pay for itself because of the number of tasks it can streamline.

Intuit QuickBooks GoPayment

This is a POS system that works on any smart device, and it’s free. You can sync things such as sales and inventory records to QuickBooks and other programs. And, when you sign up, you get a free card reader that can read cards with either magnetic strips or chips.

But, even without the reader, you can key in information, giving you lots of card processing options. The reader doesn’t even require a headphone jack. It’s Bluetooth and wireless.

Shopify

Shopify is a great POS option for any business that has a physical location, but is considering an online storefront and social media presence. Users will get their own online store with tons of features, including: giving customers the option to buy online and pick up their orders in store, creating and generating discount codes for online exclusive sales, and a mobile app for your business. It also keeps track of sales and inventory, has employee management functions and analytics.

Square

Square is pretty well-known because they offer free POS software for the iPad. The free version keeps track of inventory, makes and tracks sales and emails receipts to customers, among other things. They also have a paid version that’s more retail-oriented. With that, you get a card reader, a Square Stand and tech support.

Lightspeed Retail

This POS system is designed with medium-sized businesses in mind but has features that any business could appreciate. It has customer loyalty tools that allow you to recognize and keep track of loyal customers and provide them with special discounts. The system integrates with programs like MailChimp for marketing, too.

Most businesses will appreciate its advanced inventory features. You can do things with it like buy items in bulk, but sell them individually, make purchase orders across multiple vendors and create customized tags. You can also issue store credit and manage multiple stores from one place, which are some great features.

ShopKeep

This POS is probably the best in terms of inventory management. It lets you keep track of the quantities of each item on your merchandise list. It goes one step further, letting you set presets that reorder when your stock reaches a certain point, decide how much to reorder and from whom.

You can also utilize all of these nifty features for multiple stores, from a computer or from the mobile app. And, it features integration from other companies and software, like MailChimp and QuickBooks.

Vend

On its own, Vend is a pretty basic POS system that most business owners wouldn’t find especially useful. But, its developers seem to know this and have incorporated third-party integration into their system. So, if there’s something that Vend’s software won’t do, someone else can add to the software to get it done, and users can use these third-party apps.

The result is a POS system that can make and keep track of sales and inventory, do contactless payment and split payments, make customer profiles, gift cards, and e-commerce. Not only that, but you can use it on Macs, PCs, and iPads, and access the POS system on physical, mobile and digital platforms.

Toast

Toast is a great POS for restaurant management. Not only does it have all the usual features that come included in most POS systems, it includes some food-industry specific ones, as well. It has tools to track time, manage your menu and keep track of tips.

For additional fees, you get features that allow customers to order online, let you keep track of loyal customers and create gift cards. It can also operate offline, which can come in handy. It’s a great restaurant POS overall, and the only reasons that Toast is so far down this list are: you have to use their payment processing system and it only works with Android devices.

Revel

Revel is a great choice for any business striving to improve customer relationships. With its customer relationship management tools, managers can identify returning and loyal customers, along with things like their favorite items.

It’s got a mobile app, as well, for insights and data on the go. Of course, it also does everything you would expect a POS system to do, with employee management, sales and inventory tools. It’s a little expensive, which might make some businesses think twice about it. But, for customer relations, it’s the system to beat.

Epos Now

This is a great option if you’re keeping your employees and your equipment costs in mind. The POS system is easy to learn and to use. As a matter of fact, their website claims that you can set it up and operate it in around 15 minutes.

This is likely due to the fact that it can be used with your existing equipment. For instance, it will work with nearly any receipt printer and barcode scanner. It’s easy to set up promotions with this system, too, with options to set them for certain hours, specific days, or specific locations.

Clover

Clover is a good choice for businesses that require both online and in-store purchase options for their customers. With it you get hardware such as: a POS station for the countertop, a mini version of the countertop station, and a contactless payment hub.

It features customizable customer profiles, the ability to create sales online, and security features to make your customers’ online shopping experience a safe one. While Clover is a good way to increase and improve your online presence, it won’t create one. You’ll need to have a website created and established before being able to properly utilize it. Check Our Guide Page here.

These reviews should give you a better understanding of the types of features that one usually encounters on POS systems, and should give you an idea which ones you like best.

Before making a decision, it’s important to do research and to think about which features you need. The POS systems on this list will provide you with a starting point, and everything you need to make an informed buying decision.

Related Read

GlitchPOS – Hackers Selling a New POS Malware On Dark Web Forums

Box Data Leak – Terabytes of Data Exposed from Companies Using cloud-based Box Accounts