POS software has evolved into a retail powerhouse in recent years, with tools and extras for boosting sales, tracking customer habits, and even managing inventory. With so many extras, effective tools, and aesthetically pleasing and intuitive software out there, which is the best for retailers? Here you’ll find exactly what features good POS software should have, as well as the answer to the question: what is the best POS software?
Why a POS System?
A POS terminal is just a place for monetary exchanges, right? This is one of the many misunderstood facts about POS software. Yes, a POS terminal is a place where you exchange goods and services for payment, but that is not its only purpose. Modern POS terminals come with dozens of other tools your business can utilize.
Inventory Management
Good inventory management goes a long way in retail stores. Incorrect counts and missing inventory can create financial issues, frustrate customers and employees, and reduce your business’s reliability. Managing your inventory is simple with a POS system.
Many POS systems automatically track and manage inventory. Of course, you’ll have to enter an initial count when you first set up the software, but from there, the inventory is managed from there by the POS software.
Your POS system will provide you with accurate inventory counts and track sales and returns to ensure maximum accuracy when inventory is returned to the shelves. Manual counts can cost man-hours and are often prone to error, so utilizing a POS system for this process makes a lot of sense in terms of efficiency.
Multiple Payment Methods
In our ever-changing world, even the way we exchange money has changed. Touchless payment methods such as Apple Pay are on the rise, and those retailers that do not support such methods may find themselves losing out on valuable customers.
Most modern POS systems can accept just about any form of payment method, from traditional cash and credit/debit cards to touchless payment methods and even PayPal. Accepting various payment methods puts your business ahead of the game and a step up from the competition.
Other Features
Some other features to look for in your POS software include:
- Employee management and scheduling
- Advanced reporting and analytics
- Compatibility with in-store hardware
- Secure information storage
- Customer databases and profiles
- Marketing tools
- Customizable receipts
Not every POS system comes with these powerful tools and extras, but there is one tool that has all of these and more: Vend HQ.
Vend for Retailers
Vend is one of the top-rated retail POS systems on the market, with an incredibly loyal and supportive customer base that trust the software to run their stores. With cloud-based software, Vend is compatible with most in-store hardware and provides a safe and secure location to store customer data and sales information.
Vend supports over 20,000 retailers worldwide. That’s a lot of transactions, and every one of them is completed securely within the software. Utilized by some big names such as Disney and Jurlique, Vend has created an incredible reputation for quality and security.
The best part about cloud-based software is the ability to access your information from any device, anywhere in the world. If you’re planning on putting in some hours after the shop closes, you can log into your Vend portal from home and view your store’s information.
The software’s tools are incredibly advanced, and yet easy to use. The intuitive interface is easy to learn, making training quick and efficient so anyone in your store can access and use the software.
Another great feature of Vend is its easy integration with third-party software and hardware. It will integrate with your store POS terminals, Quickbooks or other accounting software, and much more. Overall, Vend is incredibly versatile and easy to use and comes with many powerful tools to take your business to the next level.
Vend does not provide any hardware of its own, so you’ll have to purchase your own terminals or registers. With easy integration, your software will still work with these third-party items.
What’s The Cost?
Vend has three packages based on your needs: Lite, Pro, and Enterprise. The basic package, Lite, is $99/month billed annually and provides the most basic of tools and 24/7 support for the software. The next step up, Pro, includes everything that Lite has to offer, plus some extras like reporting and analytics and gift card/promotional services. This package costs around $129/month billed annually.
The Enterprise package is usually reserved for established chains or multi-outlet retailers, and the price is customized to better meet the specific needs of your business. Not only does the Enterprise package include everything the Pro package includes, but you also get access to a dedicated account manager as well as customized onboarding for your business.
Reasonably Priced, Loaded With Features
Vend seems to be the best overall POS system based on the extent of its amazing features, its incredible compatibility with third-party software and hardware, as well as a reasonably priced, three-tier system to provide a custom fit for your business.
With all of these amazing features, you’ll be sure to better manage inventory and customer profiles, as well as learn from advanced analytics and reporting. Growing your business starts with understanding how it runs and increasing its efficiency. Vend is the best tool for increasing this efficiency and becoming familiar with customers and your business practices.
