5 eCommerce-Friendly POS Systems For Online Sellers

Lightspeed Retail with Lightspeed eCommerce provides a powerful cloud-based POS and integrated online store. The system can be run on an iPad or desktop computer, depending on your store setup and preference. Best of all, Lightspeed’s advanced eCommerce system is entirely in-house, which means you won’t have to integrate outside eCommerce software. Read our full review of Lightspeed Retail for more information about this multichannel retail POS system. Or, if you’d like to see it for yourself, sign up for a free 14-day trial. Lightspeed Retail is best suited for small to medium businesses, including multilocation businesses.

Lightspeed Retail has plans starting at $69/month when billed annually or $89/month when billed month-to-month and has higher-tiered plans as well, including enterprise packages for large businesses.

Some great things about Lightspeed’s eCommerce platform include:

• Mobile-optimization: Lightspeed is well-designed to be used on mobile devices and to give customers an easy and convenient shopping experience.
• Integrated shipping: You don’t have to outsource your shipping needs to a third party. Lightspeed has shipping tools built into its system to help you.
• Built-in SEO tools: Even if you’re a newbie when it comes to optimizing your website for search pages, Lightspeed can help you out with tools to make sure your customers can find you.
• Web store analytics: Lightspeed comes with reporting tools that can help you analyze what items are selling well on your website and which ones are the most cost-effective.
• Easy customer returns: If, for any reason, your customer needs to return an item, Lightspeed makes it easy, allowing them to browse your site to reach the appropriate link or contact person.
• Use customizable templates or HTML and CSS template editor: Lightspeed is highly customizable and comes with tools to help you brand your business through your website.

Lightspeed has iPad kits for purchase on its website and also sells items a la carte, giving you access to things like, printers, scanners, and scales.

Lightspeed Retail comes with free updates, basic reporting, and 24/7 support, plus loads of integrations and flexible card processing options — as well as an in-house payments option with flat-rate processing at 2.6% + $0.10 for in-store sales (or another 2.6% + $0.30 for online sales).

Lightspeed allows you to use its services month-to-month, although it does charge a higher monthly fee than if you’re billed annually, and it also doesn’t lock you into a single payment processor.

Square is one of the most popular POS systems on the market for small businesses. Square POS is typically used with an iPad setup, though you can also use it with another device of your choice, including a smartphone for on-the-go sales.

Square even sets up its POS system users with a free eCommerce website integration powered by Weebly. For many small, low-volume businesses, a free Square Online Store will be sufficient. For businesses with more advanced eCommerce needs, Square also offers paid online store plans and integrations with numerous other eCommerce solutions.

Square has a free online store with basic features, and it also has paid plans that are $29/month and $79/month, with the highest tier offering lower processing rates.

Here are some of the features included in Square’s free online store:

• Automatic inventory, orders, and items sync with Square POS: If you are already using Square software, using its online store is practically a no-brainer as it has a free entry point and syncs your inventory automatically.
• Connect your website with Instagram and Pinterest to create shoppable posts: Square integrates with popular social media platforms to make selling through those popular sites simple and opening up your store to a broader audience.
• Showcases featured products and upcoming events: Square has some unique features like the ability to bump products to the front of searches and inform customers of events or sales that you want to highlight.
• Accept appointments and charitable donations: Square is a particularly good POS for non-profit organizations as it has tools specifically for these types of establishments that can help with taxes and other niche services.
• Responsively designed website templates look great on any device: Square’s simple and sleek design is very easy to navigate, and its templates are not overly complicated and simple to set up.
• Accept Square gift cards: It’s easy to accept Square gift cards and set up Square loyalty through its online store to give customers an incentive to come back.

If you’re looking to integrate your existing eCommerce website with Square instead of using its in-house website builder, there’s a good chance Square already integrates with your eCommerce platform.

Square has its own proprietary hardware, including Square Reader for contactless and chip payments, which costs $49. It also has its mobile payment device, Square Terminal, for $299 and its all-in-one POS system, Square Register, for $799. You can purchase individual items on its website as well.

Square’s basic processing fees for online payments is 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction, but with its Premium Plan, the fees drop to $2.6% + $0.30 per transaction.

With Square, there are no long-term contracts, and you can always purchase or use your free software month-to-month.

Revel is a powerhouse of a POS system with one of the deepest feature sets on the market. It’s a great option for mid-sized to larger retailers or restaurants as its features and back end can be a little overwhelming, but if you’re looking for a system with everything and the cost isn’t a major factor, Revel should definitely be under consideration.

Revel’s pricing is simple and upfront, starting at $99/month. However, to get that pricing, you need to sign up for a three-year contract with its payment processing system Revel Advantage.

For eCommerce, Revel has its Revel Online Ordering system, which makes things easier both for the business and for customers and includes:

• Customizable interface: Revel gives you the ability to change what your customer sees and increase branding opportunities. It also allows you to showcase products you’re wanting to push.
• Customer relationship management: Revel is excellent at syncing your customer’s experience, allowing you to tailor marketing campaigns and store buying history information.
• Loyalty and gift cards: Along with customer management, Revel has a strong loyalty system, allowing buyers to rack up points and earn incentives to shop at your business again.
• Built-in search capabilities: Revel makes it easy for your customers to find what they’re looking for with its intuitive search tools offered through its eCommerce platform.
• Deep reporting features: Revel is known for its reporting and analytics, offering dozens of reports to help you dive deep into the ins and out of how your online store is functioning.

Revel also integrates with Kosmos eSync, which helps transfer inventory, loyalty, and customer information from your POS to your online store. Revel has one of the best POS and eCommerce lists of integrations, as it also partners with big names, such as Shopify, BigCommerce, and WooCommerce, giving you plenty of options. If you’re in the winery business, Revel partners with Vines OS, which caters specifically to that industry.

Revel does not offer its own proprietary hardware, but you can purchase everything from iPads to printers to cash drawers through its website.

While it can be a little tricky to find on its website, Revel has its own processing service that you must sign up for with a three-year contract in order to receive its lowest pricing. Its standard processing rate is 2.49% + $0.15 per transaction.

Like a few other POS systems, Revel will have you sign up for its own payment processor, Revel Advantage for a three-year contract in order to lock in its lowest monthly service rate, which isn’t ideal. You’ll want to make sure you’re happy with both the software and the rates before signing up.

Since the release of Shopify POS in 2013, Shopify has evolved from mere shopping cart software to a full-fledged retail POS. Today’s Shopify includes both eCommerce and brick-and-mortar sale functionality, allowing even the smallest retailers to sell with ease, both online and off. Shopify has affordable monthly packages to suit merchants who sell strictly over the internet or exclusively in-store, but it is the best fit for retailers who do both.

Shopify has multiple pricing tiers, starting at $29/month if billed annually. There are higher and more advanced tiers at $79/month, $299/month, and $2000/month, depending on the size of your business.

Now that you know the basics, here are a few more important things to know about Shopify’s in-house eCommerce solution:

• Social Media “Buy” buttons: Shopify integrates with major social media platforms, allowing you to get your business seen and for your customers to purchase directly through the sites they visit most.
• Choose from online store themes and/or edit HTML and CSS: Shopify’s eCommerce platform is highly customizable and also allows you to tinker and create your own designs.
• Abandoned cart recovery: If a customer leaves items in their online cart, that information is saved so that they can easily find what they were looking for on another visit.
• Print shipping labels: Shopify has all of your shipping needs taken care of as well, allowing you to print your own labels to send out products.
• Mobile reporting app: You can check on how your business is doing from anywhere with an internet connection.
• Multichannel gift cards: Shopify has a very strong loyalty and gift card program to help keep your customers coming back.

If you need an online retail POS for your large business or franchise, try Shopify Plus for an enterprise-level multichannel POS.

Shopify has some unique hardware options to help make selling easier. It offers its own retail kit for $219 and its mobile POS device for $399. It also has its tap and chip card reader for $49. You can also purchase a la carte options on its website.

Shopify, which operates via an iPad, iPhone, or Android app, includes integrated payment processing with Shopify Payments; in-person rates range from 2.4% to 2.7% depending on which monthly plan you purchase; online transaction rates range from 2.4% + $0.30 to 2.9% + $0.30.

You can sign up for Shopify’s services on a month-to-month basis, but you do receive a discount if you sign up annually.

Shift4 is a payment processing, eCommerce, and POS company, integrating all three of those platforms seamlessly to create an affordable and scalable service. Shift4’s eCommerce service is called Shift4Shop and has an excellent free plan plus built-in processing. If you need to expand your business’s online offerings, Shift4Shop makes that easy as well with additional paid tiers.

Shift4 does not offer up its pricing online which we don’t usually like to see but, in this instance, it’s somewhat understandable as it can be variable depending on what services you’re actually signing up for. You will need to use Shift4’s payment processing platform in order to tap into its free eCommerce plan.

Shift4 has some excellent POS and eCommerce features at a very low-cost entry point. Here’s what you can expect:

• Gift cards: Shift4 offers strong loyalty and a highly customizable gift card program to help your customers and increase branding.
• Multiple templates: Shift4 has more than 100 unique designs and free templates that are easy to use and give your customer a unique online experience.
• Multi-channel selling: Shift4 is integrated with social media platforms, allowing your customers to buy on popular sites like Facebook and Instagram along with eBay.
• International selling: With Shift4 you can easily sell outside of the United States with its Global Shopex add-on.
• Saved carts: Customers’ products that are placed in their shopping carts are automatically saved even after the customer leaves the website.
• Email marketing: Shift4 has excellent marketing tools to reach your customers and can help tailor email blasts for promotions.

Shift4 has hardware options available for purchase on its website that can all be purchased individually or in packages.

While you can technically choose from multiple payment processors, you are heavily incentivized to go with Shift4’s own provider. Its rates are also difficult to lock down, and you may be talked into signing up for a long-term contract.

Shift4 will lock you into its payment processor if you want to receive its free Shift4Shop eCommerce plan. It has also received multiple complaints about its long-term contracts and how difficult it is to break them.