Best Retail POS Systems
Retail point of sale (POS) software provides an easy-to-use tool for employees and customers, helping to complete retail transactions in physical locations (stores, showrooms, etc.).
By using POS software, retail employees can find information about products, create sales orders, accept payments, and deliver receipts in an expeditious manner. This helps employees perform more transactions in less time while customers benefit from shorter waiting times at checkout. POS software can also be used to provide information to customers on product availability, pricing, etc. Furthermore, retail managers can use this type of software to monitor retail transactions and analyze sales or inventory data such as volume, amount, or frequency. Some advanced POS solutions may also provide functionality to manage inventory or customer profiles.
POS software is usually installed on dedicated hardware designed and built for it. The main benefit of this type of hardware is that it provides users a tactile screen which simplifies navigation. An increasing number of POS solutions are now available on mobile devices such as tablets or smartphones. To deliver maximum efficiency, POS software integrates with ERP or inventory management solutions to exchange data on products, with CRM for customer information, or with other retail solutions such as supply chain and logistics. POS should not be confused with e-commerce software, either, which is exclusively used for online sales.
To qualify for inclusion in the POS software category, a product must:
Best Retail POS Systems At A Glance
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- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Square Point of Sale gives you everything you need to run and grow your business. Sell in-person, online, over the phone, or out in the field. Track customer preferences and feedback with every sale.
- Owner
- Manager
- Retail
- Food & Beverages
- 91% Small-Business
- 6% Mid-Market
307,688 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Shopify POS is the best point-of-sale solution for retailers who sell in-store and online. Shopify POS brings in-store and online sales together, so you can create the seamless shopping experiences
- Owner
- Manager
- Retail
- Apparel & Fashion
- 79% Small-Business
- 15% Mid-Market
432,367 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
The complete Point-of-Sale solution for small businesses, compacted in their payment terminal and card machines (no extra hardware, no extra shop space). Sell in-store from a compact device, launch
- Retail
- 100% Small-Business
15 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
SpotOn is one of the fastest-growing software and payment companies providing the technology and support that helps local businesses—and the people that run them—to succeed on their own terms. Known f
- Owner
- General Manager
- Restaurants
- Food & Beverages
- 58% Small-Business
- 42% Mid-Market
3,279 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
QuikcBooksPOS is a online solution that works with QuickBooks and is tailored to your business needs with managed inventory, anytime acces online, and automatically deposited payments into QuickBooks
- Retail
- Accounting
- 88% Small-Business
- 11% Mid-Market
81,069 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
More than just a point of sale, Aloha Cloud by NCR Voyix combines the powerful business tools you need with the simplicity that helps you focus on your food, not your tech. Aloha Cloud's core c
- Server
- Bartender
- Restaurants
- Food & Beverages
- 41% Mid-Market
- 36% Small-Business
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
iZettle provides a mobile point of sale (POS) solution to allow users to accept card payments via their smartphone or tablet. The usage-based pricing model has a sliding scale of transaction fees, whi
- 77% Small-Business
- 15% Enterprise
1,085,248 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Clover replaces your cash register, payment terminal, receipt printer, and barcode scanner with an integrated suite of products. Accept credit cards, EMV and Apple Pay.
- Food & Beverages
- Retail
- 78% Small-Business
- 17% Mid-Market
25,032 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
The Square for Retail POS system is a full point-of-sale solution for retail stores that offers a new suite of intelligent tools, from tracking sales and inventory to rich analytics. Square for Retail
- Owner
- Retail
- 80% Small-Business
- 12% Mid-Market
307,688 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
ConnectPOS is an award-winning POS system behind the success of ASUS, Trinny London, Eyewa and Lapaire. With the ability to work seamlessly all eCommerce platforms, ConnectPOS shows its strength in co
- Retail
- 89% Small-Business
- 11% Mid-Market
100 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Designed for small or medium-sized retail stores with one or more locations, Heartland Retail Point of Sale is an all-in-one retail business management solution that helps you optimize operations and
- Store Manager
- Owner
- Retail
- Apparel & Fashion
- 68% Small-Business
- 29% Mid-Market
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
HitPay is a one-stop payment platform that helps SMEs receive in-person and online payments in just a few clicks, no coding required. Based in Singapore and active across the globe, HitPay has helped
- Retail
- Arts and Crafts
- 99% Small-Business
- 1% Mid-Market
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
iQmetrix is North America’s leading provider of telecom retail management software. Its primary software solution, RQ, is a cloud-based retail management system (RMS) designed to power multi-location
- Retail
- Telecommunications
- 48% Enterprise
- 30% Mid-Market
5,115 Twitter followers
- Overview
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
Stripe Terminal allows businesses to build custom in-person payments experiences through a set of developer tools, pre-certified readers, Tap to Pay, and cloud-based fleet management. Built with platf
- 93% Small-Business
- 13% Enterprise
249,054 Twitter followers
- Overview
- Pros and Cons
- User Satisfaction
- Seller Details
LOU is cloud business software spanning Retail, Service, Inventory, Reporting and Financials. It's an ERP system that also modular - meaning that you can start with just the Retail Bundle or Service B
- Retail
- 100% Small-Business
267 Twitter followers
Learn More About Retail POS Systems
What is Retail POS Software?
Every business requires a way to exchange money for goods and services. Typically, that process happens at a cash register, but these transactions are increasingly handled by POS software installed on a PC or mobile device.
Granted, these devices will need to be connected to a variety of hardware such as a receipt printer, cash drawer, credit card reader, or barcode scanner to be fully functional. However, more and more POS software providers are offering POS terminals that house a tablet to run the POS solution as well as hardware to read credit cards and hold cash.
For a small business, a POS solution may provide a variety of features to help run a retail store. The software may provide real-time inventory management, basic accounting, and other back-office functions. Some may include loyalty programs and the ability to create and redeem gift cards. Integration with an e-commerce platform is also common, to maintain accurate inventory information.
While much of the functionality is similar, retail POS software lacks many of the restaurant-specific features included in restaurant POS software, as it is built specifically with retailers in mind.
Why Use Retail POS Software?
Retail POS software provides retail business owners with tools to manage transactions and organize their business on the back end. Retail POS systems help business owners with inventory control, customer loyalty, credit card processing, accounting, customer service, and even employee management.
While eliminating the use of cash registers removes much of the manual accounting and inventory management, retail POS software has the added benefits of creating reports and providing analytics based on sales data. For a small business looking to grow, this kind of information can be invaluable.
Mobile POS solutions can also be a huge help for small-business owners who don’t necessarily own a storefront but do want to be able to process credit card payments in person. POS hardware that can plug into a mobile phone or tablet can allow small-business owners to create mobile shops for farmers’ markets, trade shows, conventions, craft fairs, and more, all while capturing the same data.
Who Uses Retail POS Software?
Retail POS software is primarily used by retailers and their employees. Online retailers can also benefit from retail POS software, particularly if they also own a storefront. Store owners and managers will be most likely to utilize the back-office features such as accounting, employee management, and inventory management. While many of these functions can be performed using dedicated software solutions, the advantage of retail POS software is that many of these various features are bundled within a single platform.
Retail employees will primarily use POS functions to ring up customers, restock shelves and displays, and manage customer loyalty programs. Depending on the size of the store and the number of employees, businesses may want multiple terminals running the same POS software.
Single-person businesses may run a retail POS system on a mobile phone or tablet to create a mobile business that doesn’t require a dedicated storefront. They may also want to use retail POS software to manage an online store if their focus is not mainly in-person transactions.
Kinds of Retail POS Software
Generally, POS systems are divided by the industry they service. Given that there are hundreds of different kinds of retailers, it stands to reason that there are hundreds of kinds of POS systems. Oftentimes, POS systems are rolled into industry-specific platforms. Hotels, for instance, will have POS functionality built into their hotel management software. These platforms will be able to do much more than simply process guests’ payments, but a crucial part of running that hotel will require POS functionality.
Many standalone retail POS systems can be used by any industry. While the needs of certain industries (such as the restaurant industry) may be specific, most retail POS systems are flexible enough to be used by any retailer.
Retail POS Software Features
Inventory Management — Any business that sells physical goods needs some kind of inventory control system. With a retail POS system, users can track inventory in real time as transactions are made. Each transaction deducts the purchased goods from the available inventory, so at the end of each day or week, managers can see what needs to be restocked and what is not selling as quickly. If a business runs a storefront in addition to an online store, the software can keep track of the total inventory and ensure that orders are not processed without the necessary items.
Accounting – Accounting software is the backbone of many small businesses, but retail POS software often contains accounting features to help smaller businesses stay organized. With financial information and inventory data in one place, users can create accurate budgets and forecast growth based on real data. Keeping accurate records is incredibly important, and having all that information available digitally saves a lot of time sorting through receipts and invoices come tax season.
Employee Management – Scheduling employee shifts and organizing the training of new hires can take up a lot of a store manager’s time. With features that help create balanced employee schedules and standardized training timelines, users can spend more time on important tasks. While not all retail POS systems will contain this feature, the option may be important to small business owners or businesses with a lot of employee turnover.
E-Commerce – Purchasing items online has become the norm, if not the default, so creating an online store should at least be on every retailer’s radar. Many retail POS systems now integrate with e-commerce platforms, if they do not provide the tools to create an online store within their own platform. With in-store and online inventory data stored in one place, there’s no fear of overselling within either platform.
Loyalty Management – Building and retaining a customer base is crucial for any retailer. A loyalty program encourages customers to return and entices lapsed customers to become re-engaged. Loyalty management software features make it easy to create and enact a program that works for each specific business. For instance, by linking a customer’s profile with their credit card, the system can automatically apply a discount when a frequent customer makes a purchase without requiring the customer to provide a punch card or coupon.
Credit Card Processing – In an increasingly paperless world, credit card transactions are becoming the norm, for better or for worse. Retail POS software makes it easy to process these transactions by either using their own credit card processors or partnering with a third-party credit card processor. While there are nearly always fees involved, they are typically small (two to five percent of each transaction) and an understood price of doing business.
Reporting and Analytics – Insight into one’s business is a crucial piece of the puzzle when planning for success. Many retail POS systems provide reporting and analytics features so business owners can get an end-to-end view of their business and know exactly where they are succeeding and where they need work. Based on customer and purchase information, these reports and analytics can help businesses save money on inventory and help plan and create growth.
Email Marketing – Marketing is often a deciding factor behind the success of a business, so the fact that some retail POS systems have email marketing software features can make a huge difference. With the ability to collect email addresses at checkout, business owners can then create newsletters or email promotions for customers all within the POS platform.
