Check-out the top highlights of leading POS systems by business type
The good news is that almost every one of these costly problems, from inventory to store management and customer service, can be solved by having the right POS system tailored to your needs. But this means that a POS system for a restaurant will need to solve different issues than a POS system for retail.
This is why finding the right POS system for you depends on what kind of business you have. So, we’ve made it easy for you and put together the best POS systems by business type.
1. Lightspeed - A Comprehensive Retail POS Solution
Lightspeed offers powerful POS systems for the retail and restaurant sectors, putting greater focus on retail in the U.S. The restaurant POS allows you to create floor plans that match your restaurant seating plan, control system access between your staff members and the ability to create and edit your menu online.
Highlights:
- Inventory control: From extensive customization right down to individual item/piece inventory tracking. You can also bundle items for group item sales and promotions.
- CRM functionality: Improve current customer engagement, prevent customer loss, manage customer data, etc.
- Affordable: Competitive pricing starting at $59/month
- Free trial: Start with a free trial to see if the system is right for you
Whether you’re working tableside with guests or ringing out a long line of customers during a big promotion, you want your POS to function effortlessly. Lightspeed offers an extremely intuitive design that’s easy to operate both in the front and back end. And the best is that you can test the system for 14 days for free to make sure that it offers the right features for your needs.
2. TouchBistro - By Restaurant People, For Restaurant People
TouchBistro an iPad-based point of sale (POS) solution for restaurants, cafes, and bars of all types. Specifically designed to meet the unique needs of the restaurant industry. In other words, if you’re not in the food industry, scroll back up. But if you are, TouchBistro should be on the top of your list of POS systems.
Highlights:
- Staff management: Staff can clock in and out, managers can easily track their hours and they can easily contact each other to trade shifts
- Reporting & Analytics: Auto-delivered daily reports with data collected from every feature in order to determine most popular tables, menu items, servers, etc.
- Menu creation: Create, edit and upload customized menus to the POS app
- 24/7 support: Around the clock phone & email support
All of these make it obvious that TouchBistro was created by restaurant people, for restaurant people - just like you. Another plus is that while many POS systems out there are priced at set per month rate, TouchBistro’s service plan tiers offer different plans based on the number registers your business has. Check out what this means for you by getting a free quote today.
3. Square - The Best of Both Worlds
Square is unique in that they offer two different systems: one for food service and another for retail. This makes Square the both of best worlds. Interestingly, Square has managed to do this while keeping it clean, clear and simple. So while other POS systems (especially ones for restaurants) may have more alluring features and better analytics, Square offers you the basics at a much lower price.
Highlights:
- Employee filters: Reduce common errors and accidentals by enabling employees to view only tickets and settle tips
- Real-time sales data: Keep track of retail or food sales live
- Supports iOS & Android
- Split tickets: Customers can split items from a single bill into multiple tickets making payment more convenient
If these highlights didn’t catch your attention, we’ve save the best for last: The Square software is free to use. There are no setup fees or monthly fees, and you only pay when you take a payment (transaction rate). This pricing enables your business to save on unnecessary costs, especially when business is slow or when you’re just getting started.
Want to learn more about your options? Check out our break-down of the most common problems restaurants and other food service businesses face and how POS systems solve them.
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