7 Best POS Systems For Liquor Stores In 2023 & How To Choose The POS System That Works For Your Business

We appreciate how customizable Lightspeed’s inventory and vendor management system is, as well as the numerous add-ons to give liquor stores the extra revenue sources that high-end liquor stores can offer.

With Lightspeed Retail, it’s easy to automatically track large amounts of inventory, set automated purchase ordering rules such as reordering points and desired inventory levels, and generate inventory matrices to manage multiple bottles that come from a single brand. It’s also easy to offer quotes for special catering orders, create liquor bottle catalogs and customer accounts for B2B clients, and offer bottle shipping and local delivery.

Lightspeed works especially well for high-end liquor stores that want to hold in-store events, start a wine subscription club, host private parties and tastings, start a custom loyalty program, offer custom ordering and drink pairings, and more. This system is elegantly designed for liquor stores at a relatively affordable price.

Note: Lightspeed Retail offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.

Lightspeed Retail offers three plans (pricing is for liquor store business owners who use Lightspeed Payments, Lightspeed’s in-house payment processor):

• Lean: $89/month ($69/month with annual billing); for businesses that want great inventory management and in-store selling
• Standard: $149/month ($119/month with annual billing); for businesses that want to sell online and get accounting features
• Advanced: $269/month ($199/month with annual billing); for businesses that want a great loyalty program plus advanced inventory, customer, and staff performance reporting

The above plans only include one POS register. Extra POS register software costs $59/register/month.

If you choose to use a third-party payment processor, you’ll pay an extra $50/month.

Many of Lightspeed’s best features, such as Lightspeed Subscriptions and appointment booking, cost an extra monthly fee.

Lightspeed Retail’s excellent bottle inventory management features include the ability to:

• Quickly add and edit item catalogs from vendors
• Create master purchase orders to mass order from different brands all at once
• Set automated reordering points, using inventory reports to create a par level and designate ideal reordering quantities
• Allow customers to backorder items and get alerts when favorited items are back in stock
• Integrate your Lightspeed Retail bottle inventory with a bottle deposit integration to get refunds on empty bottles

High-end liquor stores that sell limited edition bottles, want to sell to B2B customers such as restaurants or event venues, or want to get into catering themselves will appreciate Lightspeed’s special ordering and appointment booking features.

You can create B2B catalogs, allow customers to log into accounts to get special bulk pricing, generate quotes that convert to order invoices, and allow customers to book appointments.

Lightspeed Retail wine order quote for B2B restaurant customer captured on 3/13/2023.

Appointments can be used to schedule private tastings, discuss catering plans, and even rent out your location as a tasting or party venue. In fact, Lightspeed’s appointment and event management capabilities is what makes Lightspeed one of the best wine POS systems on the market.

Last, we must mention Lightspeed’s online ordering capabilities. You can build custom bottle club subscriptions using Lightspeed Subscriptions, and sell online using Lightspeed eCommerce. Allow people to order for in-store pickup, ship items with custom shipping methods, and integrate your POS system with Drizly, one of the best third-party delivery services, to get more online exposure in your local area.

Lightspeed Retail POS register, Bluetooth barcode scanner, and online storefront.

You can use Lightspeed Retail software on an iPad that runs iOS 14.5 or higher and with a Windows computer. If you use Lightspeed Payments, Lightspeed will provide you with a card reader. Otherwise, you can source one on your own from a Lightspeed-compatible payment processor.

To get pricing for a Lightspeed hardware kit, you need to reach out to Lightspeed for a custom quote.

You may choose to use Lightspeed’s built-in payment processor, Lightspeed Payments, which charges a flat rate of 2.6% + $0.10 for in-person transactions and 2.9% + $0.30 for online transactions.

You may also use a Lightspeed-compatible third-party payment processor, such as TSYS, Worldpay (formerly Vantiv), or 2Accept, for an extra $50/month.

That extra fee may be worth it, though, if you get a much better payment processing fee than what Lightspeed offers. Always shop around for the best payment processing rates for your business size and risk level.

Lightspeed offers month-to-month contracts and annual contracts.

We always recommend starting with monthly plans until you decide you’re completely satisfied with your purchase since many POS providers (including Lightspeed) charge an early termination fee if you cancel your plan early. Lightspeed’s early termination fees can get pretty substantial depending on the length of your subscription.

Like many other software providers, Lightspeed will automatically charge you for another subscription term unless you inform a Lightspeed representative within 90 days (for those with a longer contract) or 30 days (for those who signed up for a monthly plan) of your renewal date.

To qualify for Lightspeed’s 30-day hardware warranty (14 days for Apple products), you must verify that you have received your Lightspeed hardware purchase within five business days of receiving it.

You will pay an extra $50/month to integrate a third-party payment processor.

We love how accessible the Square for Retail app is in terms of price and user experience. Small liquor store owners can start selling their products online and in person with almost no upfront investment. Customers can pick up their online orders in-store at a designated time, or you can offer delivery (even if you don’t have the staff for in-house delivery.)

All kinds of revenue-generating ideas, from hosting paint and sip painting classes to starting a wine club to offering catering options, can become a reality with Square. You can do it all without spending a penny.

You also have customer engagement options on the free plan, including sales, discounts, gift card offers, and social media advertising through Square’s numerous social media integrations.

Square’s free plan may not work for the level of inventory or the number of vendors you work with. At some point, you may need to upgrade to Square For Retail Plus, which is also very affordable.

Note: Square for Retail is free to sign up for. There is a free 30-day trial available on Square for Retail Plus plans.

Square for Retail offers two plans:

• Free: $0/month; for small retailers with a modest amount of inventory
• Plus: $60/month/location; for retailers with more inventory and employee management needs

Square’s free plan is only available (and only advisable) for retailers with one location. You may use an unlimited number of POS devices in any one location.

Most of the features that liquor stores with a substantial amount of stock need, such as bulk importing items and vendor management, are only available on the $60/month Square for Retail Plus plan.

Square also offers add-ons such as:

• Square Loyalty: $45+/month; offer a points-based reward program to your repeat customers
• Square Marketing: $15+/month; send automated email and text campaigns about upcoming specials, member opportunities, new releases, and more

Square For Retail’s most unique feature is it’s completely free online ordering site builder, which allows you to:

• Create your own branded website using an intuitive website builder
• Set up an age verification popup on your website
• Offer online ordering for pickup, local delivery, and shipping
• Place request forms to take catering orders, get details about a special event customers want alcohol for, or just request a special bottle to your store
• Offer wine club memberships with varying tiers and payment terms
• Create events and sell tickets online

Square POS catering request form on liquor store online ordering website captured on 3/13/2023.

If you don’t have the staffing to deliver alcohol, Square integrates with DoorDash, so you can always offer delivery on demand.

Prospective customers will be able to find your product listings when they search for local liquor store listings with the Google Local Product Listings integration, which will drive more traffic to your store without you having to spend any money on advertising.

Square POS register and customer-facing display.

The only hardware you absolutely need to use Square for Retail is an iPad or iPhone and a $49 Square contactless card reader. However, most liquor store businesses will want a countertop setup that includes a Square Register or Square Stand and peripheral equipment, such as a barcode scanner and cash register.

Square hardware kits start at $659 for Square Stand kits, which include a Square iPad stand with an integrated card reader, a cash drawer, a receipt printer, and printer paper.

You may also purchase a Square Register kit, which includes Square’s proprietary register device with a second screen that acts as a customer-facing display, cash drawer, receipt printer, and printer paper, for $1,479.

You cannot use an outside payment processor with Square for Retail.

On the free version of Square for Retail, Square Payments charges a flat rate of 2.6% + $0.10 for in-person transactions. On the paid version, Square charges 2.5% + $0.10.

Square charges a payment processing fee of 2.9% + $0.30 for online orders, no matter which subscription plan you enroll in.

Square for Retail contracts are month-to-month, and you can cancel at any time without consequences.

The only caveat is that since Square is a payment service provider (PSP) rather than a dedicated merchant account provider, the security algorithm is more sensitive; large or suspicious purchases can sometimes trigger a flag on your account (warranted or not). However, most merchants do not experience this problem with Square.

We love how liquor store owners can do almost anything with Revel Systems software. Whether you want to operate multiple locations, franchise your existing liquor store, become an alcohol caterer or consultant, become a featured vendor at a special event in your city, start your own subscription program, or even turn part of your retail store into a restaurant, you can do it with Revel.

Revel has limitless potential but doesn’t make the day-to-day operations too complicated. The POS register interface is easy for employees to use, and the online ordering page is easy to navigate. You can restrict inventory changes so that only certain employees can update stock levels and vendor information.

This system is not a light investment, but it may just be the right investment for many liquor store owners to take their business to the next level.

Note: Revel does not offer a free trial, but you can sign up for a free guided demo. Ask lots of questions during the demo to get a sense of the system.

Revel Systems advertises one pricing plan, which costs $99/terminal/month with a two-terminal minimum, meaning that the lowest you can pay for this system is $198/month. This price is also only available for business owners who agree to Revel’s standard three-year contract and use of Revel’s in-house payment processor.

However, many of Revel’s best features, including its online ordering features and delivery management, require an extra monthly subscription.

There’s also a mandatory one-time $674 implementation fee, which covers your Revel software setup and personalized training.

Revel has a retail and a restaurant POS system rolled into one software package, so you can sell anything from fresh snacks to entire made-to-order meals along with alcohol. Revel also has a built-in online ordering and delivery system, a catering management system, and a strong offline mode, so you can cater events or sell on-location at vendor events.

Revel has made handling inventory at multiple locations as smooth as possible by including stock transfers between locations, price adjustments based on locations, different low-stock alerts for items in different locations, and preferred vendors depending on each store’s location. You can also change the percentage markup for an individual item or a group of items if you want as a simple way to update your profit margins.

Plus, Revel has created a unique establishment hierarchy tree for franchise owners to manage different locations, accept royalty payments from franchisees, and restrict franchise manager settings so that they can manipulate the POS at their individual location but not on a company-wide level.

Revel Systems multilocation management settings captured on 3/13/2023.

There are great security features available within the Revel ecosystem, including blind stock takes and till counts so that you can see discrepancies, extensive employee permission settings, and even security camera integrations, so you can have an eye on all locations from one centralized area.

Revel Systems POS register, customer-facing display, receipt printer, and card reader.

All prospective Revel users must get a hardware quote from a Revel representative. You may then purchase hardware directly from Revel or get permission from Revel in writing to purchase specific hardware on your own.

All Revel software, including POS systems, self-serve kiosks, and kitchen display systems, run on iPads or proprietary hardware from providers like Epson.

Revel offers its own in-house payment processor, Revel Advantage. Revel will ask for information related to your time in business, average transaction size, and sales volumes and then give you a custom quote.

You may also work with a third-party payment processor, such as Tyro, Moneris, or Adyen, although Revel may charge an added monthly fee if you do.

Again, an added recurring fee may be worth it if a third-party payment processor can offer a much lower rate than Revel (and Revel doesn’t agree to match a better offer).

Revel’s standard contract length is three years, but we always recommend negotiating a month-to-month contract to start with whenever possible.

This is especially true when it comes to Revel Systems, which has an early termination fee of twice the monthly amount you would have paid over the rest of your contract term, or $15,000, whichever is greater.

Contracts are automatically renewed yearly after your initial contract, but you can cancel it by giving a Revel representative at least a 30-day notice.

Revel is a great POS system, but you should be really sure about this software before committing to it long-term.

We like that KORONA offers several liquor store-specific inventory functions and third-party integrations, but its real selling point is the loss prevention features available.

Liquor store owners won’t have to worry about theft because they’ll be able to quickly weed out any employees that are stealing at the register or from the shelves. They also won’t have to worry about loss in terms of overstock or spoilage since KORONA provides inventory alerts and inventory level optimization recommendations. You can also automatically generate reports on inventory performance so that you know what to order (and what to cut from your automated reordering cycle).

KORONA also offers a lot of freedom in terms of payment processors and hardware compatibility, which is rare among the liquor store and convenience store-specific POS options on this list.

Note: KORONA offers an unlimited free trial for you to explore all KORONA has to offer at your own pace before committing to a paid subscription.

KORONA offers plans ranging from $59/month to $89/month and a quote-based enterprise plan for large businesses. This pricing is month-to-month, but you’ll get one free month if you choose annual billing.

Liquor store owners will need to sign up for at least the $69/month Advanced plan to get necessary inventory management features and the $89/month Plus plan for franchising capabilities.

Note: You get one month free if you pay for a year in advance.

KORONA is a versatile POS system with excellent retail features. It’s best for businesses that may experience an excess of theft and businesses that are interested in franchising since KORONA has franchising capabilities on its higher-tier plans.

Register features include ID scanner prompts, an integrated ID scanner, the ability to pause transactions, transaction monitoring, and detailed cashier reports. You can integrate KORONA with a liquor store-specific loyalty program, and customers can redeem them at checkout.

You can reduce theft at the register with loss prevention measures, such as forced drawer closing, price change restrictions, blind till counts, manager override requirements, and easy inventory audits.

KORONA POS liquor store register manager functions captured on 3/13/2023.

KORONA offers a smartphone-based inventory scanner app to perform physical inventory counts without purchasing additional hardware. You’ll get overstock, low-stock, and slow-moving stock alerts so that you can optimize your ordering practices. Set ideal stock levels for automated reordering and even monitor where shipments are in the delivery process. Employees can receive orders in the back office dashboard, at the register, or on the smartphone-based app.

An eCommerce store builder is available on all KORONA plans. Your website includes an online age verification function, preordering capabilities, custom shipping settings, and multistore support.

KORONA POS register, barcode scanner, and receipt printer.

KORONA doesn’t list hardware pricing on its website but mentions that its software works on most desktops and tablets.

You can integrate your POS with card readers from Verifone, PAX, Genius, and Econduit. Epson and ESC/POS are common receipt printers that integrate with KORONA. You can add just about any cash drawer or barcode scanner to your setup.

KORONA states that it offers hardware leases and financing, but you can make your own setup if it costs less.

KORONA doesn’t include in-house processing, but it integrates with several processors, including Merchant Warehouse and Merchant Payment Systems, as well as various others using Genius and PAX payment terminals.

KORONA contracts are month-to-month, with the option to pay for a year in advance to get a month for free. However, if you agree to a hardware lease through KORONA, make sure you read the fine print since leases can cost you a lot of money over the years (and we generally don’t recommend them).

We’re big fans of the fact that Shopify seamlessly connects your online and offline sales and how advanced Shopify’s shipping features are. With easy inventory management, shipping functionalities, multichannel sales options, and the ability to buy online for local pickup or delivery, Shopify is a strong choice for liquor stores that have created specialty products and want to sell nationwide (where legal, that is).

Plus, Shopify’s POS works on mobile devices, which means you can sell bottles at local events, and your inventory will automatically sync across sales channels.

Features not built into the Shopify platform, such as ID verification (online and in-person) or third-party delivery services, can be found via an app on the Shopify app store. You can even integrate your Shopify eCommerce store with another POS software if you decide on a different in-person sales solution.

Note: Shopify offers a free 14-day trial; no credit card is required.

All Shopify plans (except the $5/month Shopify Starter plan) come with Shopify’s POS Lite app. The following plans are available:

• Basic: $39/month ($29/month with annual billing); for creating an online store and using basic shipping features
• Shopify: $105/month ($79/month with annual billing); for carrier-specific shipping calculations, higher shipping discounts, and lower payment processing fees
• Advanced: $399/month ($299/month with annual billing); for more staff accounts, even lower payment processing fees, and showing carrier shipping rates on your online checkout page

You can choose to upgrade to the Shopify Pro POS plan, priced at $89/month/location. Shopify Pro offers more thorough inventory management, more employee permissions at the register, and an unlimited number of staff.

Shopify is a company primarily known for its stellar eCommerce sales software but has built an in-person sales app into its core product offering. Businesses that are interested in starting a nationwide wine and spirits club, selling specialty items around the country, distributing alcohol online to restaurants and bars, or performing any other online sales (where legal) can benefit from Shopify’s multichannel selling features.

Shopify’s online selling features start with a great website builder that has lots of themes for small catalogs, large catalogs, and wholesale, plus an age verification popup, customer accounts, and promotions. Shopify’s admin dashboard includes a shipping suite full of tools to make shipping locally and nationwide (where legal) simple, automatically synced inventory, so you never sell what you don’t have, the ability to print shipping labels, and shipping discounts with major postal carriers.

Shopify online liquor store template updated on 3/13/2023.

Offline sales features include several ID verification scanner apps available, employee permissions, a mobile smartphone-enabled POS app, and the ability to build custom inventory management flows. Local shoppers can buy online and pick up in-store or buy in-store for local delivery.

Many important inventory management features for liquor store owners are not built into the Shopify platform. However, you can get almost any specific feature you need in the form of an app from the Shopify app store. There are apps for purchase ordering, B2B sales, managing alcohol taxes, and building retail catalogs (including a wine-specific catalog-building app), among the thousands of apps available for all sorts of functions.

Shopify POS register stand with card reader.

Shopify can run on iOS or Android POS hardware, but iPad is recommended for the best experience (some features are missing from the Android version of the app). Shopify sells card readers, POS components, and all-in-one hardware kits on its website, with pricing starting at $49 for a Shopify contactless card reader.

Read our Shopify POS hardware guide for specifics on different hardware features and pricing (there are too many options to fit them all here!).

Shopify payment processing ranges from 2.4% to 2.7% for in-person transactions, depending on which monthly plan you subscribe to. Online payments range from 2.4% to 2.9% (plus a $0.30 flat fee) per transaction.

You can also integrate an outside payment processor, though Shopify will charge a transaction fee ranging from 0.5% to 2%. That extra transaction fee may be worth it if you can get a good payment processing rate with a merchant services provider.

Shopify plans are month-to-month, with no hidden fees or obligations. However, Shopify does offer a 25% discount on annual plans.

One thing to be aware of is that, like Square, Shopify Payments (powered by Stripe) is a payment service provider, not a merchant services provider, so you won’t get a dedicated merchant account. This type of payment processing model can lead to account stability problems for some merchants.

Many grocery stores and markets start with their retail offering and possibly a small café and may not have considered adding a liquor store component. Other prospective liquor store owners see themselves selling an entire line of retail items or selling food in addition to liquor.

We love IT Retail’s focus on providing all the software features and sturdy hardware that a hybrid business needs to organize inventory, create a fast checkout experience, monitor employee activity, and even start a little prepared foods area all under one roof. It’s also a scalable option, so if you open more locations or checkout lanes, you won’t need to switch to a new system or make any major back-end modifications.

IT Retail also allows you to build a custom loyalty points program and associate customers to their loyalty accounts with a loyalty card and phone number. Before customers complete their payment, cashiers are prompted to ask customers if they want to use their points, so customers won’t forget their points exist.

Note: IT Retail does not offer a free trial. You may sign up for a free demo.

IT Retail has a “build and price” page that allows you to get a free quote on a hardware/software plan (for one market) based on the number of lanes you want to put in your store and the kind of hardware you want to add onto your basic IT Retail proprietary hardware setup. You don’t have to contact anyone for a quote — quotes are automatically generated and emailed to you.

The company also offers the following prebuilt packages (only available for businesses with one location):

• Flex Monthly: $149/month/terminal (pay monthly for your POS software and hardware)
• Freedom Standard: $1,499/terminal (one-time hardware fee) plus $99/month (software fees)
• Freedom Premium: $1,999/terminal (one-time hardware fee) plus monthly software fee

The above packages require you to use IT Retail’s in-house payment processor.

IT Retail is one of the best grocery store POS systems that has also been adapted for general retail and foodservice establishments. This is why, in addition to liquor sales, you can sell EBT/WIC-eligible items, weighted items such as produce or fresh salad from a salad bar, and made-to-order meals.

IT Retail grocery and liquor store cash register user interface captured on 3/13/2023.

IT Retail will require ID verification when they scan an age-restricted item such as a bottle of wine or six-pack of beer, which allows them to scan a mix of products in one order while maintaining ID verification laws. If a customer doesn’t have their ID on them, cashiers can suspend orders and take other patrons while waiting on the ID.

There are thorough inventory management features, including case breakdowns, automated purchase ordering, expected versus actually received stock, and blind stock counts. It’s easy to create preplanned price changes, use one-click percentage markup adjustments, make pricing adjustments by vendors (handy for when vendors change prices on multiple items), and use shrinkage management features. Stores that offer multiple types of items can specify which items require an ID when creating or updating an item.

This system also has great security features. The POS itself scans through every transaction and flags any suspicious activity. There’s also an electronic diary of all customer transactions, so it’s easy to monitor employee and customer activity. Plus, IT Retail integrates with Remote Eyes, a security system that can monitor the register, receiving areas, and more.

IT Retail POS register with integrated weight scale, receipt printer, and card reader.

You may pay for your hardware on a monthly basis or all at once. You can use IT Retail’s build and price tool to get a fast, no-contact quote on how much you can expect to pay for your exact system setup.

IT Retail’s base hardware offering includes a touch PC, barcode scanner, receipt printer, cash drawer, pin pad, and customer display. You may add things such as additional barcode scanners or register scales to your hardware package.

IT Retail offers its own in-house payment processor with flat-rate and interchange-plus pricing. You must get a quote from IT Retail for your specific payment processing rate.

IT Retail is a highly customizable system, so you must read your contract thoroughly to make sure you’re getting the best terms.

There are no returns on hardware, so make sure IT Retail is the right POS for you before buying your hardware upfront.

IT Retail also advertises that it provides the lowest payment processing rates, so shop around with other payment processors for a lower rate, then approach IT Retail and ask them to match the lowest rate.

POS Nation tops our list of the best POS systems for convenience stores because of the software’s intense focus on everything a convenience store would need to sell and report on. We appreciate that it was built to easily handle convenience food, cigarette, vape, liquor, and lottery ticket sales.

Inventory management is designed for breaking down cases of alcohol and tobacco, easy reordering of items that are low in stock, and mix-and-match sales. You can get reports on inventory performance, employee activity, lottery sales, and more to assess the overall health of your convenience store business. Lots of security features help reduce shrinkage, which is unfortunately common in this industry.

Plus, POS Nation has a solid loyalty program for attracting the neighborhood locals to your shop over and over.

Note: POS Nation does not offer a free trial. You may sign up for a free demo.

POS Nation has a “build and price” page that you can use to get an idea of how much you may pay per month for POS hardware and software.

The company also advertises the following prebuilt packages:

• Flex Monthly: $99/terminal/month (pay monthly for your hardware and software)
• Freedom: $999/terminal (one-time hardware fee) plus monthly software fee

Like IT Retail, POS Nation is a POS system meant for businesses selling various everyday items. However, POS Nation puts a strong focus on lottery, cigarette/cigar, and vape sales in addition to retail food and drink sales.

POS Nation has an age verification prompt at the register, an integrated ID scanner, case breaking for liquor and tobacco products, and state-specific sales reporting to comply with your state’s liquor/tobacco laws. You can also start a cash discount program at the register to avoid payment processing fees.

The system also includes automated purchase ordering, label printing, and the ability to group related items in an inventory matrix for easy reordering and price adjustments. You can easily set up mix-and-match bottle sales, food and drink specials, and scheduled discounts.

POS Nation liquor inventory updated on 3/13/2023.

POS Nation combines POS transaction and order-receiving monitoring, employee permissions, blind and forced till counts, and integrated in-store security footage to help minimize shrinkage, which is a huge problem in the convenience store industry.

There’s also a limited eCommerce sales functionality built into POS Nation, with local pickup and delivery options available.

POS Nation register, card reader, receipt printer, barcode scanner, and customer-facing order display pole.

Your entire hardware package, including an ID scanner, will come with custom pricing. You’ll have to contact POS Nation to get detailed hardware pricing.

POS Nation has partnered with merchant service providers, such as Worldpay, Heartland, and North American Bancard, to offer payment processing services. POS Nation advertises that it will provide a payment processing rate comparison among its processor partners and help you fill out your own merchant account application.

However, do your own independent research (i.e., get quotes from merchant services providers) to ensure you get the best payment processing rates possible for your business.

You can’t return your upfront hardware purchases, so make sure POS Nation is right for you before sinking money into proprietary hardware investments.

You can cancel a monthly plan with no early termination fees, so consider signing up for a plan that allows you to pay for the hardware and software on a monthly basis before committing to a long-term subscription.