February 22, 2023
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It's beginning to seem like there are more Point of Sale (POS) solutions than there are shops using them (of which there are many)! We've whittled them all down to what we think are the best 5. The cream of the crop...
POS systems using mobile and tablet devices are more popular than ever. They have only been around for a few years now, but more and more shops are popping up that are using these innovative solutions.
In case you're stuck choosing which one is best for your business, we've written about the five best POS systems here...
It’s becoming increasingly popular with customers to offer a cashless method of paying for a transaction, so if you’re not currently set up to accept credit or debit cards you could potentially be missing out. Unsurprisingly, clunky cash registers have never appealed to e-commerce merchants that have moved into a brick-and-mortar. This is unsurprising because they're expensive, slow, and doesn’t integrate seamlessly into the shopping process. E-tailers are used to having everything sleek, efficient and easy to use. This is where iZettle comes in.
iZettle is one of the fastest-growing POS solutions at the moment. With offices in Stockholm, it is constantly expanding to offer their fantastic service in more places across the globe.
They offer two different card readers: Card Reader Lite and Card Reader Pro. The first is, as you can probably guess, free, while the Pro is charged at £49 (excluding VAT). They look quite different: Card Reader Lite having a minimalistic Visa-blue design, with no built-in display, and Card Reader Pro opting for a sleeker black style with a small screen to provide customer prompts.
If you go to iZettle's pricing page, you will be presented with a slider that shows exactly how much you will pay, based on your monthly revenue. The more you sell, the lower your rate is. The site also calculates the percentage of your monthly revenue to tell you the exact monthly cost of using iZettle, which can be anything from £0/month to £225/month.
Shopify's POS iPad solution is a great option for any existing Shopify e-tailer wishing to move their business into a brick and mortar location. It's incredibly easy to use, while not at all skimping on features, and we have written an extensive blog post on it, which you can read here.
In order to get up and running in your market stall or brick and mortar shop, here's what you're going to need:
In the UK and elsewhere the autojack card reader is not yet available, so it's not possible to take card payments. See below for more information.
While the Shopify POS app used to only be free for 14 days, it's now completely free for all Shopify merchants! Read on for an in-depth exaplanation on how to use the app...
In the US and Canada, you can use the 'autojack' card reader above to take card payments directly via the app.
Sadly, outside of those countries you'll still need a seperate PDQ machine to take card payments. You can then mark the order as paid from within the app, as explained below.
If you already have a Shopify online store, there is no cost for you to use Shopify POS. If not, you can choose a price plan from either Basic ($9/month), Professional ($59/month) or Unlimited ($159/month). Also, if you want extra features such as hardware support for barcode scanners, iPad stands and cash drawers, etc. then you will have to pay an additional $40/month for the 'retail package'.
The complete kit of hardware to use Shopify POS is $649. This includes a retail card reader, WindFall iPad stand, wireless receipt printer and cash drawer.
Remember that you cannot take card payments outside of the US and Canada!
Payleven was the first company in the UK to offer a mobile POS solution to retailers, but does that necessarily make it the best? Like all good POS systems, their app is free, and they deliver the hardware necessary to you almost immediately after you sign up. However, unlike its main competitor iZettle, it offers no option for a free card reader. There’s only one card reader offered, pictured below, and while it is undeniably sleek and stylish, it is charged at £49 (excluding VAT). The eagle-eyed among you will notice that this is the exact same price as iZettle’s Card Reader Pro. Coincidence? We think not!
At the time of writing (March 2015), Payleven currently accepts Visa, V Pay, MasterCard, Maestro and American Express cards. This sounds identical to iZettle’s offering, however iZettle offers one more card – JCB. They cited their reasoning as because ‘millions of Asian tourists visit Europe every year especially in the summer’. Payleven has promised to increase support for more cards in the future, but has provided no clarification on which cards they are planning to support.
As that graphic from Payleven’s site demonstrates, the more you sell a month, the lower your transaction fees are. This is the best way to ensure that everyone’s getting a fair deal, regardless of how much they sell. It’s on a strict pay as you go system, so you only pay for the transactions that you make. It’s worth noting that any transactions using an American Express card will be fixed at a rate of 2.75%.
Square is one of the most popular POS solutions around, so it’s unsurprising if you’ve heard of it. They focus a lot of their energy on adding new features to their system, which is of course great for any retailer.
As you’d expect from any POS company that is trying to remain competitive, Square’s app is free, and is compatible on any device running either iOS or Android. Using Square, you can get set up processing cards in just a matter of minutes after initially downloading the app. All you have to do is create a new account and make sure you have their Card Reader to hand, and you’re all set!
In fact, while we’re on the topic of Square’s Credit Card Reader, it’s worth mentioning that Square will kindly send you one card reader free of charge, if you need it. You can also pick one up pretty cheaply in American high street stores. A big selling point of Square is how quick everything is to set up, and the Card Reader is absolutely no exception; it works as soon as you plug it in. It can be a bit flimsy because it’s so small, but don’t worry, Square’s site clearly states that ‘if you think your reader is broken, you can request a new reader directly from the Square Dashboard’. They will replace it for free.
Another great benefit from an integration point of view is that Square’s software is compatible with the many different cash registers, printers, & barcode scanners.
There is a downside, though. There are some features considered essential that Square doesn’t currently offer to its users. For example, any restaurateurs probably wouldn’t be able to use Square due to its lack of ability to split bills between more than one payment type, or hold tabs open for billing at a later junction. Another big feature that’s missing is inventory tracking. For the sake of comparison, Shopify POS offers both inventory tracking and split transactions.
As already stated, the Card Reader is totally free, if you can wait up to 10 days for Square to send you one. As for the transaction fees, it’s a fixed rate of 2.75%. That’s irrespective of how much you sell every month, everyone pays the same. If you manually enter the credit card number, however, the fee is 3.5% + 15¢. This is to cover the higher risk of fraud that comes with such transactions.
SumUp’s POS app is, yes, you guessed it, free! To accept card payments you can use either a smartphone or tablet – as long as it has a Bluetooth connection, you can use it! You’ll also need the app of course, which is available on both iOS and Android platforms, and a connection to the internet.
The reason you need a Bluetooth connection as this is the medium that the wireless card reader uses to connect with the device you’re using to process the payment. You’ll find that the process is very quick and simple when you register for an account online. Once you sign up successfully, the card reader will then be delivered to you within five working days.
SumUp has launched in 14 countries since it was established in 2012, and is constantly expanding. It has gained a significant backing from investors, and has put a lot of money into ensuring that its security measures were top notch. SumUp proudly states on its website that its terminals are ‘PIN+ and IT services certified with highest standards of the payment industry’.
A pretty unique benefit of using SumUp as your POS solution is that it allows you to use the terminal internationally, once you let their customer service team know. So if you fancy a stint of selling abroad – like a popup in Pakistan or a market stall in Marrakech – then SumUp could be your best friend!
SumUp’s card reader clocks in at a comparatively expensive £79, though unlike its competitors this fee does include VAT. The transaction fee, like Square, is a flat rate regardless of your revenue. Unlike Square, however, SumUp’s is below 2%, clocking in at a highly appealing 1.95%.
Hopefully this post has been somewhat enlightening and you've been able to choose a POS system you think is most suitable for your business. If so, tweet at us to let us know!
