There are no shortage of options when it comes to Point-of-Sale systems, which is good because every business has its own needs. While there are many differences, there are some commonalities that any user should expect in today’s market. We’ll outline the features you should demand as well as share some top picks based on category of use.
What makes a best-in-class POS System
The POS systems of today are so much more than just payment vessels. They should be affordable. They should be user-friendly. They should help you save time by providing sales analytics, inventory data, and metrics on customers as well as staff. They should also integrate your marketing objectives, like loyalty programs and emails. We also believe that the best ones operate on the cloud. This allows you to access data from the floor in the back office or on-the-go, from any device you prefer, as well as providing automatic data backup.
Business News Daily published an article outlining the systems the liked best.
Here are factors they considered while evaluating the systems:
- Cost, such as monthly fees (or swipe rates, where applicable)
- Contracts and service terms
- Merchant services options
- Ease of setup and use
- Back-end features, such as reporting and inventory management
- Built-in solutions, such as customer relationship management (CRM) software
- Industry-specific tools, such as online ordering for restaurants
- Customization options
- Third-party integrations
- Customer service
Here are their picks for 2017 best POS System
Best All-in-One POS System for Small Business: Vend
Vend has everything you need to run and grow a brick-and-mortar store. Beyond processing transactions, Vend has reporting and inventory management features and provides access to a variety of integrations that can help you run your business, save time and boost sales. This vendor is suitable for many different types of stores across a wide variety of industries. Whether you run a clothing store, a sporting goods store, or a specialty service-based business such as a car wash or computer shop, Vend has the features you need.
Best Mobile POS System for iPad: Bindo
Bindo is a cloud-based POS system built especially for the iPad. It offers an intuitive user interface, is packed with business management tools, and comes with advanced capabilities like its product database that simplifies inventory input and its time-clock technology that photographs your employees when they clock in and out, ensuring accurate timekeeping. It also integrates with QuickBooks and has an API that you can use to create custom integrations. Bindo provides 24/7 customer support via email and in-app chat and is competitively priced.
Best POS System for Retail: ShopKeep
ShopKeep is a budget-friendly, cloud-based iPad POS system packed with all the time-saving features retailers need to run and grow their businesses. It comes with a wide range of advanced yet easy-to-use tools to help you save time and boost sales, without any long-term contracts required, though signing a contract may qualify you for discounted rates. The company provides free 24/7 phone and email support and also has live chat, a searchable knowledgebase, small business resources and more.
Best POS System for Restaurants: TouchBistro
TouchBistro is a simple and affordable POS system that focuses on the unique needs of restaurant owners, such as table, reservation and delivery management features. It’s suitable for all types of food establishments – fine dining, casual eateries, cafes, pubs, food trucks and more. It works with the iPad, iPad Pro and iPad Mini, giving you flexibility and mobility, no matter which type of restaurant you own. TouchBistro offers 24/7 phone and email support, video tutorials, and setup guides.
If you’d like to read more about their methodology and testing results, go over to their article here.
No Matter What POS System You Use, We Can Maintain or Repair It.
If your POS system goes down, your business comes to a screeching halt. Great Lakes Computer offers POS System repair and maintenance. We can conduct preventative maintenance to prevent downtime. We can also get you back online quickly in the event of an issue. Our service is unmatched.
