The Benefits Of A POS System

If your business only takes cash and runs on a small scale, you can probably get away with a traditional cash register or cash box. But with the prevalence of card/contactless payments, we would still recommend a basic card reader and POS system.

Advantages Of A POS System

We’ll go over industry-specific advantages further in this post, but here are some general POS benefits your small business can expect to see:

There are many other smaller benefits you’ll find in most standard POS systems. The bottom line is that cloud-based POS software will save you time and money across the board, leaving you with the resources you need to grow your business.

Do you already have a POS system that seems to have more disadvantages than benefits? It could be the POS system itself, but it could also be the way you’re using it. Our post on common point of sale problems and solutions can help!

POS Benefits For Different Industries

Now that you know some of the basic advantages of a POS system, let’s dive into the details of how POS systems can help specific industries.

Foodservice & Restaurant POS Features

If you’re tired of running out of ingredients, orders coming out wrong, and a clunky check-out process, a POS system has several awesome benefits for your quick-serve, mobile, or full-service restaurant.

Here are the main features you’ll find in restaurant-specific POS systems:

• Online ordering
• In-house and/or third-party delivery management
• Tableside ordering and payment
• Kitchen display systems (KDS)
• Dining room layout tools
• Customer loyalty programs
• Advanced inventory management (such as individual ingredient tracking)

Check out our top picks for the best restaurant POS systems to learn more.

Retail POS Features

While “retail” is a pretty general category, most businesses that sell something that isn’t food or a service are going to benefit from the following features:

• eCommerce and online marketplace (Amazon, eBay, etc.) integration
• Advanced inventory management
• Customer loyalty programs (in-person and online)
• Gift/eGift cards
• Customizable SKUs
• Integration with popular shipping providers
• Email and/or social media marketing

Regardless of what products your business sells, you can find a system that fits all of your needs in our list of the best retail POS systems.

Service-Based POS Features

If your business doesn’t sell physical products (or only sells them as a complement to your services) but instead offers salon, spa, housekeeping, or other services, you’re going to need unique and specific features in your POS system.

The main pain points for service-based businesses include missed appointments, glitchy transactions, and an inability to sell physical products when clients are in the store. Most POS systems that cater to the service industry offer features such as:

• Advanced scheduling management
• Dedicated client portals for booking
• Calendars that show different employees, rooms, and equipment in use
• Comprehensive point or visit-based loyalty programs
• Automatic SMS/email appointment reminders
• eCommerce integration

While general POS systems can sometimes get the job done for service-based businesses, you’ll probably save more money in the long run if you look at specific salon POS software, even if you don’t operate a salon.

How To Choose A POS System

A great place to start your research is with our list of the best POS systems for small businesses.

These systems may not have specific niche features your business needs, but a lot of them offer integrations or add-ons that could be a good solution.

When searching for the right POS for your business, you should consider:

• POS system cost
• Features
• Payment processing model
• Transaction fees
• Free trials or demos
• Contract terms

Check out our post on how to choose a POS system, which breaks down each of these factors and can help you make the smartest purchasing decision.