The type of point of sale system that is right for you will largely be dependent on your business. There are solutions specifically designed for retail, restaurant, service industries and a host of other businesses. As we mentioned in our post introducing this series, point of sale solutions have become so affordable that even your local neighborhood kid could afford to invest in one so that they could accept credit card payments at their corner lemonade stand. Can you really afford to let the kid down the block have a more tech savvy way of processing payments than your small business? Absolutely not! As a matter of fact, our users often as point of sale questions as they relate to our free inventory management software. It's a common theme. Automation, technology, and competitive edge.
We know that the myriad of choices can be confusing and switching to a new (or your first) point of sale system is a big decision. Today, we’re going to offer some helpful hints to make your decision process a bit easier.
Point of sale systems don’t just process payments. They can also track sales, manage inventory, assist with marketing functions and provide reporting capabilities. Ideally, the point of sale system you choose should work seamlessly with your CRM solution. If you missed our post on choosing a CRM solution for your small business, you can read it here. The right Point of Sale system won’t just make your business look up to date, it will actually keep you up to date by streamlining the entire checkout process.
When choosing a Point of Sale system, the first thing you need to decide is what you’d like the system to do for you. This is the time to create a wish list of functionality. Yes, you may have to scale back some once you begin evaluating the offerings out there, but you may be surprised by just how powerful and feature-laden of a system you can afford. If you have a list of “like to haves” in mind, you may avoid being dazzled by costly features that you don’t really need as well. This is the same process we go through when prioritizing development requests for our free inventory management software. It's just a necessary activity.
One of the simplest ways to ditch the clunky cash register and join the point of sale revolution is with a Square card reader. Requesting a reader for your iPhone, iPad or Android device from squareup.com is free, the required Square Register software is downloadable for free as well. In fact the only fees are a flat 2.75% per transaction. Quick and low cost but very basic.
If you’re looking for something that can do more, Shopify, QuickBooks POS, Harbortouch, Cash Register Express, Restaurant Express, and Aldelo are all good options. Keep reading for a brief overview of each solution.
Shopify allows you to accept payments online and in-store. You can accept a variety of payment types and complete custom payments, split tenders and partial payments. You have a number of options for checkout, store management and customer management. If you need hardware, Shopify sells a variety of products on their website. Shopify offers a 14-day free trial on their software and free shipping and a 30-day full money back guarantee on all hardware purchases. Visit Shopify to learn more.
Intuit QuickBooks allows you to accept credit card payments, manage inventory and auto-update your books. There isn’t a per transaction payment fee schedule for the QuickBooks solution so the start-up costs are higher if you go this route. As you add features and functionality the price goes up as well, so if you choose QuickBooks be sure that you only pay for what you need and will use. Intuit does offer a free trial to allow you to fully evaluate the system before you commit. There are also some hardware and accessory requirements to get started with the system. For more information, check out Quickbooks.
Offering a full range of merchant services, Harbortouch is another point of sale solution worth evaluating. Harbortouch offers hardware free of charge with a service agreement. They offer solutions customized to a variety of industries such as retail, hospitality, delivery, spirits and more. With Harbortouch, you’ll have the ability to accept payments, run reports, and a host of other features. To see if Harbortouch is right for you, click here.
pcAmerica offers both Cash Register Express and Restaurant Express. Both provide credit card security and streamlined order entry functionality. Restaurant Express allows restaurants to access detail reports, custom menus, kitchen printing and online ordering capabilities. Designed for retailers, Cash Register Express provides inventory tracking functionality as well as social media capabilities, customer loyalty program management and the ability to optimize service and scheduling tasks. For pricing information, go to pcAmerica.
Another Point of Sale solution for restaurateurs is Aldelo. Aldelo is available in three iterations; Aldelo POS, Aldelo Touch and XERA POS. Aldelo POS is a well rounded, full featured solution for table or quick service restaurants. Aldelo Touch is a more mobile solution, while XERA POS is designed for fine dining, table service and quick service establishments. These solutions are able for a subscription fee. Pricing and features vary by solution. To learn more, visit Aldelo.
As you consider your options, remember to stay focused on your wishlist. While you want a solution that can meet the growing needs of your business, you don’t want to pay for more functionality than you need or will use. Include all associated costs such as hardware and additional fees when evaluating solutions. Make sure that any solution you choose, comes with adequate customer support. Even the best solution won’t do you any good if you can’t get help when you need it.
Need help with inventory management issues? Try Stockpile. Our free inventory management software will revolutionize the way that you think about inventory.
