5 Best Boutique POS Systems For Retail Clothing Stores In 2023

Since our last update, Lightspeed has updated its retail software pricing to include more information on pricing by register and number of locations.

You get one POS register software license per location. You’ll pay an extra $59/month for each additional register.

As you add locations, you’re essentially paying for another plan package. For example, if you sign up for the Lean plan (on an annual plan) and have two locations, you’ll pay $69/month/location, making your total fees $128/month for one register in each location, and can then add on registers for $59/register/month.

You’ll also pay extra for Lightspeed add-ons such as advanced inventory management and third-party software apps such as Booxi ($20/month – $80/month).

Note: While Lightspeed Loyalty software is only included in the Advanced plan, you can purchase Lightspeed Loyalty as a standalone subscription if you’re on a lower plan level.

Lightspeed Retail allows you to offer several ways for customers to shop, including purchasing online for in-store pickup at any physical location, layaway purchases, and shopping item bundles for a discount. Shoppers can create wish lists, start returns/exchanges online, and get store credit in exchange for returned items.

Lightspeed’s inventory matrix system makes it simple for retailers to sell by item or brand, create catalogs that customers may request, add inventory tags to items, and create purchase orders with saved vendor information. When you’re running low on something, you get a low-stock alert, and then you can look up a vendor and order several things at once.

The Lightspeed loyalty program is highly customizable with different customer groups, reward types, and the ability to set recurring or one-time rewards. It’s an excellent way to re-engage customers, get information on your most important customers, and determine what reward types are the most lucrative for your business.

The Booxi appointment booking integration offers the following unique features for boutiques that want to elevate the individual shopping experience, especially for high-end clients:

• Allow customers to request or self-book appointments online
• Offer in-store try-ons and fittings for customers, including trying on items that they have in their online cart
• Provide multiple services in addition to shopping (e.g. makeup services in addition to styling)
• Create events such as group private shopping experiences (e.g. private shopping for wedding parties)
• Offer 1:1 in-person or video consultations to help clients style themselves or prepare for in-store appointments

Lightspeed Retail Booxi personal shopping and appointment booking integration.

Note: If you like Lightspeed’s online shopping capabilities but want a more customizable look for your online store, Shopify is an excellent alternative to Lightspeed for your clothing POS system.

Lightspeed Retail card reader, iPad POS device in case, eCommerce site on PC and smartphone device.

You can purchase a Lightspeed Payments-compatible WisePOS E card reader for $299 and an iPad for $329.

Lightspeed offers accessories such as an iPad stand for $199, a cash drawer for $129, a barcode scanner for $199, a label printer for $124, and a receipt printer for $399.

Contact a Lightspeed representative and ask about discounts on retail POS hardware bundles.

Lightspeed offers in-house processing with Lightspeed Payments at a flat rate of 2.6% + $0.10 on all in-person transactions and 2.9% + $0.30 on online transactions.

Lightspeed requires you to fill out an order form, which shows your custom pricing. You will pay one-time fees upfront and you may (depending on your billing cycle) pay for your software subscription on a monthly basis or upfront (in the case of annual or long-term plans).

In general, the longer your POS subscription is, the less you’ll pay per month. However, Lightspeed charges an early termination fee if you decide to cancel your subscription early, and hardware return windows are short, so consider starting out on a monthly plan until you’re sure Lightspeed is the right POS for your clothing store.

You can have an unlimited number of POS devices on the free plan, while paid plans only come with one POS register software license. Every additional register on the paid plan costs $40/device/month.

Note: All free plans apply to single-location businesses only. If you open up multiple locations, you must upgrade to a Plus plan.

Popular add-ons include Square Loyalty (starting at $45/month), Square Payroll (starting at $35/month), and Square Email Marketing (starting at $15/month).

Square offers an extensive amount of free POS system features for boutique store owners, including:

• Free Square online store builder with store branding capabilities
• Free employee time clock, scheduling, and reporting
• Unlimited number of POS registers on the free plan
• TikTok social media selling and Instagram shoppable posts, which are very easy to set up
• Free invoicing and online appointment setting

Square retail POS for clothing store website.

Paid plans offer more inventory features, such as the ability to link vendors to products in your item catalog, which makes reordering items easier. You can also manage inventory and employees in multiple locations on the Square Plus plan. Square’s email/SMS marketing and loyalty programs come as separate paid add-ons.

We have found that Square is flexible enough to work for most smaller single-location businesses that don’t need intensive inventory management functions.

Square POS on iPad, Square Register, and Square contactless card reader.

To use Square in-store or on the go for your clothing business, you need at least a smartphone or tablet and a Square contactless card reader ($49).

For a more professional countertop display, consider either the $149 Square Stand with a built-in card reader (iPad not included). The $579 Square Stand kit includes the Square Stand plus a cash drawer and receipt printer.

The proprietary $799 Square Register comes with a customer-facing screen and a built-in card reader and receipt printer, so no iPad is required. The $1,189 Square Register kit includes the register plus a cash drawer and receipt printer.

Optionally, you can add the handheld Square Terminal ($299) mobile POS to make sales on the floor or at pop-up shops. Also, consider various peripheral equipment, such as barcode scanners and cash registers.

All Square POS systems come with Square’s flat-fee payment processing at the following per-transaction prices:

• In-Person Transactions: 2.5%-2.6% + $0.10 (lower fee on the free plan)
• Online Transactions: 2.6%-2.9% + $0.30 (lower fee on the Plus plan)

Note: If you like the idea of free POS software but find that Square’s flat-rate processing is no longer a good option for your business, Helcim is an excellent alternative option.

Square is completely free, with month-to-month contracts and no early termination fee if you end up needing more than what Square can provide. However, Square is a payment service provider (PSP), which means the company has an aggregated merchant account model, and you don’t get a dedicated merchant account.

Aggregated merchant accounts have a lower tolerance for risk, which can lead to your account being flagged, suspended, or even terminated unfairly. The larger your business is, the better you will be served by having a dedicated merchant account from a provider like Helcim.

While Clover has several software subscription plans, boutique shop owners will benefit most from the Clover Register plan, which costs $44.95/month-$64.90/month if you purchase your Clover hardware upfront.

If you decide to pay for your hardware over time through Clover, you’ll be charged one monthly fee for your hardware/software bundle, which ranges from $135/month to $185/month.

Clover retail software is a pretty straightforward offering, with an online ordering page for pickup or delivery, in-store discounts and promotions, physical and eGift cards, and an offline payments mode so you can still check out customers even if your store’s Wi-Fi stops working.

Whatever advanced or specialized features you want will come in the form of a Clover app. There are 450+ apps available in Clover’s app store for things like advanced inventory management, dropshipping functions, email newsletter management, and a loyalty program builder.

Boutique store loyalty program app integration from Clover App Market.

Clover is also special because you can get a merchant account with one of several Clover hardware/software resellers, meaning that you can find great payment processing fees and contract terms (so long as you get your Clover setup from one of these best Clover merchant account providers).

Clover countertop POS system, handheld POS system, barcode scanner, cash drawer, and card reader.

Clover hardware starts at $49 for the Clover Go, a simple mobile card reader that connects to your phone via Bluetooth. The company also offers the $599 Clover Flex handheld POS terminal, the $799 Clover Mini countertop POS terminal, and the $1,699 Clover Station POS.

The Clover Station includes the proprietary Clover register interface, a cash drawer, and a receipt printer. These prices are from Clover.com. Your pricing may vary depending on your hardware and merchant services provider.

You cannot reuse your Clover hardware with a different POS system if you want to change POS software providers.

Note: If you want your own merchant account but want more affordable POS hardware, we think you should consider Helcim. Helcim offers merchant accounts and custom payment processing fees for all business owners, and you can install the free Helcim POS app on just about any device.

Clover.com offers the following flat-rate payment processing rates:

• Card-Present Transactions: 2.3% + $0.10 per transaction (Clover Register plan); 2.6% + $0.10 (Clover Essentials plan)
• Card-Not-Present Transactions: 3.5% + $0.10 per transaction (all Clover plans)

Card-not-present transactions include online and phone orders, invoice payments, third-party ordering platform payments, manually keyed-in card payments, and any other payment type besides swipe/chip/tap card payments, cash, or check.

If you purchase your Clover POS from another provider, your account may have a different processing model.

Clover offers 36-month and 48-month contracts with early termination fees. Also, you can’t repurpose your Clover hardware if you stop using Clover POS software.

You can get a better merchant contract with one of the best Clover resellers, but make sure Clover is the right POS system for your boutique before you sign any agreements. Also, watch out for potential Clover scams from resellers.

Shopify’s eCommerce pricing plans range from $39/month to $399/month ($29/month to $299/month with annual pricing.) Each eCommerce plan (that comes with a full store) offers the “Shopify POS Lite” app for free.

For more retail features, such as in-store pickup and unlimited staff accounts, you’ll need the $89/month/location Shopify Pro subscription, which is added to your monthly eCommerce plan. Additionally, while there are many free Shopify apps on the company’s app market, some require you to sign up for a paid subscription.

Your payment processing rates decrease on higher-level plans, which is why we believe that boutiques with larger transaction volumes should strongly consider upgrading to save money in the long run.

Shopify’s free POS Lite app provides basic in-store order and inventory management, but unlike providers such as Square and Lightspeed, you get to manage multiple stores/locations on any Shopify plan for no extra charge. The Pro app does charge by location.

In general, Shopify’s best features are related to eCommerce sales, including a comprehensive shipping suite that helps you manage all inventory sales from all locations, including in-store, web store, and social media sales. Like Square, you can use Shopify to sell on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Shopify’s unique international online sales features include the ability to:

• Create and manage unique geographical regions with custom shipping and tax rules within one Shopify admin account
• Direct customers to region-specific domains with recommended languages and currencies based on their geographical location
• Create custom pricing, item availability, and website content for each geographical market segment
• Offer duty and import tax estimations at checkout
• Purchase discounted international sales labels

Shopify Shipping set up international shipping zones and rules.

All Shopify store owners who use Shopify’s in-house payment processor to take payments also have access to the Shop Pay app. This popular app allows users to pay quickly, track their items from anywhere on the globe, and store their personal information (such as contact info and shipping) so they don’t have to enter it again during future purchases.

Shop Pay at checkout example.

A lot of Shopify’s best features will come in the form of an app from Shopify’s app market. The market has over 8,000 apps, with more being added every day. Using a Shopify add-on app, you can create your product catalogs, start email marketing campaigns, and allow customers to create online accounts. You can also install a buy-now-pay-later app such as Klarna or PayPal Pay In 4 so customers can take their purchases home today and pay their full balance over time.

Shopify POS register to stand with a card reader.

The Shopify app itself runs on most phones and tablets.

Like Square, Shopify offers a range of affordable POS hardware for sellers to take payments in-store and on the go.

The Shopify Chip & Swipe Reader, which is the bare minimum requirement for taking card and mobile phone payments, costs $29. The Shopify Retail Kit costs $219. It includes an iPad or Android tablet stand and a Shopify card reader.

Cash drawers start at $129, barcode scanners start at $229, and receipt printers start at $289.

Not sure what equipment you need for your retail POS system? Read our post on Shopify hardware choices, which includes pricing and where to source your hardware.

Shopify integrates with its in-house payment processor, Shopify Payments. Retailers that use Shopify Payments do not need to pay transaction fees. Shopify charges the following payment processing fees:

• In-Person Payments: 2.4%-2.7%
• Online Payments: 2.4%-2.9% + $0.30

Your percentage fees will vary depending on your pricing plan.

If you prefer to use a different processor or do not qualify for Shopify’s in-house payment processor, you have several options, but you will have to pay Shopify transaction fees ranging from 0.5% to 2%, depending on your Shopify plan.

Most Shopify requirements are about payment processing. To use Shopify Payments, you must purchase a card reader directly from Shopify. To use a Shopify-approved third-party payment processor, you must use a card reader sold by that payment processor and pay an extra transaction fee to Shopify on top of the payment processing fees you’d pay to a third-party processor.

Helcim’s POS software is completely free to use. You only pay Helcim’s payment processing fees, which are transparent and fair.

Helcim’s free features and transparent interchange-plus payment processing are what make this POS provider one of our choices for the best credit card processing companies.

Helcim’s free POS register features include the ability to search inventory on the register, accept all payment types, issue store credit, and complete returns/exchanges. You can also take payments on existing invoices at the POS.

The software’s best software features for a boutique clothing store include its invoicing features, catalog builder, customer account creator, and custom order builder.

With Helcim’s invoice builder, you can:

• Generate and send quotes and invoices that customers can pay for at home using the Helcim virtual terminal
• Create custom branded invoice templates so all you have to do in the future is enter customer information
• Accept deposits and payments towards invoices online and at the register
• Add line items such as services (e.g. dress alterations, dress preservation), accessories, or fees for things like at-home try-ons
• Send B2B invoices to new and established customers

Boutique bridal dress and alteration invoice using Helcim POS invoice manager.

You can generate a catalog of your brands and collections for B2B clients as well as end consumers who may be trying to put together looks. B2B and B2C customers may create their own accounts which will generate their account portal.

Helcim does not offer a visual eCommerce store builder like Square and Shopify. Instead, the online store builder has you choose the wording on your website, brand colors, images, and functionalities you want. Then, the website is generated for you. The result is a sleek online boutique that is easy to maintain and looks professional.

Boutique website created using Helcim online store builder.

Helcim POS on smartphone, tablet, and desktop, plus Helcim card reader.

The Helcim app is compatible with just about all smartphone, tablet, and desktop devices. To take chip-and-tap card payments, as well as digital wallet payments, you’ll need at least the $109 Helcim card reader.

Since our last update, Helcim has released a new mobile POS device. The all-in-one handheld POS system, which includes the built-in POS app, integrated card reader, and terminal receipt printer, costs $349. It allows you to create orders and invoices, and add retail items to an order on the spot. It’s similar to the Square Terminal and Clover Flex in terms of shape and functionality.

There are also a few compatible receipt printers available.

Helcim offers interchange-plus payment processing for all businesses, small or large. There are no minimum sales volumes or transaction numbers. This is highly uncommon among POS providers.

The company offers a sample “find your custom rate” tool on its website. As an example, if a clothing store makes less than $50,000 per month and has an average transaction size of $250, with an even split between in-person and online payments, the business can expect to pay a processing fee of 2.24% plus $0.08 for in-person payments and 2.73% plus $0.25 for online transactions.

Note: B2B business owners may choose to enter Level 3 card data into orders for added security and to decrease payment processing fees. Read more about PCI compliance and how it relates to payment processing fees.

Helcim offers very flexible month-to-month contracts with no early termination fees, much like Square does.

Helcim POS hardware has a one-year limited warranty.