Point Of Sales (POS) Systems For Small Businesses
What is a point of sales system?
A Point of Sale system (POS) is a computerized system used in retail and hospitality industries to manage and process transactions at the point of purchase. The system typically includes hardware such as a computer terminal or mobile device, a cash drawer, and a receipt printer, as well as software that can process payments, manage inventory, and generate sales reports.
POS systems can be used to process a variety of payment types, including cash, credit and debit cards, and mobile payments. They can also help businesses track inventory levels in real-time, set up automated reordering, and generate reports on sales, inventory, and employee performance.
POS systems can be customized to meet the specific needs of different types of businesses, from small shops to large retail chains. They can help businesses increase efficiency, reduce errors, and provide a better overall customer experience.
POS Software Solutions
There are many point of sale (POS) systems available for small businesses, but some of the most common options include:
- Square: Square is a popular POS system that offers a range of hardware and software options. It can be used on a variety of devices, including smartphones and tablets, and is known for its ease of use and affordability.
- Clover: Clover is another popular POS system that offers a range of hardware and software options. It can be used for a variety of businesses, including restaurants, retail stores, and service providers.
- Lightspeed: Lightspeed is a cloud-based POS system that is designed for retail and restaurant businesses. It offers a range of features, including inventory management, employee management, and reporting.
- Toast: Toast is a popular POS system that is designed for restaurants. It offers a range of features, including online ordering, delivery management, and kitchen management.
- Vend: Vend is a cloud-based POS system that is designed for retail businesses. It offers a range of features, including inventory management, customer management, and reporting.
These are just a few examples of the most common POS systems for small businesses. It's important to research and compare different options to find the one that best meets the specific needs of your business.
Point Of Sale Uses
Several use cases have already been outlined, but let's get into a little bit more of the use cases of a good point of sales system.
Let's say you are a restaurant owner. Your point of sale system can allow you to update your menu on the fly, including items that are out of stock or feature a special you are running. Because of the inventory management features of your POS, you know that you have a large amount of salmon that will expire next week, so you decide to offer a special on that dish. Additionally, many point of sale systems also offer email marketing, so you are able to send your customers a message letting them know about the special you are running on the salmon dish. Let's say you are also wanting to improve employee morale, so you decide to make it a competition and offer a prize to the server who can sell the most salmon dishes.
Once this promotion has ended, you are able to look at the sales and inventory reports and find out how effective the promotion was by seeing exactly how many salmon dishes sold this week compared to the last few weeks, which employee sold the most salmon dishes, and how many times the coupon you sent via email was used.
Another Use Case
You are the owner of a small retail clothing boutique. You just got in a new line of women's dresses that you would like to promote, so you utilize the email marketing system in your POS to send an email only to the women in your database. Because your point of sales system tracks the sizes that your customers buy, you are careful to send out these marketing emails only to those women who commonly purchase the size of dress that you have in stock. You invite them into the store to come try on the dress, but if they would prefer, they can purchase it directly from your beautifully designed website. When they purchase from your website using online checkout available through your POS, you receive an automated notification. Your point of sales system can then print out a shipping label with all of the customer's information for easy shipping.
A point of sales system can benefit just about every small business out there. Better yet, it can positively affect many other aspects of your business other than just acting like a glorified cash register.
If you're considering implementing a point of sale system into your business or simply need help taking full advantage of the POS system you are already running, [thrive_2step id='208']we'd love to talk to you[/thrive_2step] about how to make that happen.