Month: July 2021

Here’s everything you need to know about The Flash, the DCEU movie that arrives in theaters in June.

The Flash‘s release date is speeding into view – and it can’t get here soon enough, in our view. Not only because it’s supposed to be the best DC Extended Universe (DCEU) movie in years, but because it’ll also reset DC’s cinematic universe as we know it.

Before the DCEU film arrives in theaters (and it transforms the DCEU into the DC Cinematic Universe (DCU)) – it’s not as confusing as it sounds, don’t worry – what do we know about it? In this guide, we’ve compiled everything worth knowing about The Flash, including its release date, cast, plot synopsis, trailers, and more.

A word of warning before you sprint off into the below information, though: full spoilers follow for Man of Steel and Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Potential spoilers for The Flash are also discussed.

The Flash release date

The Flash movie arrives in cinemas this June. (Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)

The Flash will speed into theaters on June 16, thus ending its protracted development and in-flux launch plans.

Initially, it was slated to arrive in March 2018. However, owing to its lengthy development cycle, the forthcoming DCEU flick has seen its release date changed on numerous occasions. It was later pushed to July 2022, then moved up to June 2022, shunted again to November 2022, before finally landing on its current June 2023 release.

With the final cut locked in and the film’s PG-13 rating set, The Flash is nailed on (thankfully) to arrive shortly.

The Flash trailer

The Flash‘s first trailer debuted on February 12 – and we think it looks and sounds incredible.

Chiefly inspired by DC Comics’ Flashpoint series, it’ll see Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) travel back in time – despite the warnings of Ben Affleck’s Batman – to stop his mom from dying. As the Butterfly Effect theory suggests, though, small (albeit important, in Barry’s mind) changes can have big impacts, which Barry soon finds out about.

In short: Barry’s traveling into the past completely alters the DCEU timeline. There are no metahumans (i.e. superheroes) to protect Earth – and General Zod (the villain of 2013’s Man of Steel) is back from the dead and ready to take over our world.

All hope isn’t lost, though. As the teaser shows, Barry enlists the help of another Barry Allen – the superpower-less one who exists in this newly formed timeline – as well as Supergirl (Sasha Calle) and Michael Keaton’s fan-favorite Batman to try and stop Zod. Yeah, we did say The Flash looks and sounds absolutely brilliant.

Not content with showing us a near three-minute long trailer, Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) also released a 50-second TV spot during Super Bowl LVII, which includes additional footage:

The Flash cast

Michael Keaton dons his iconic Batsuit once more in The Flash. (Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)

Spoilers follow for Man of Steel and Justice League.

Here’s the cast list for The Flash so far:

Ezra Miller as Barry Allen/The Flash
Sasha Calle as Kara Zor-El/Supergirl
Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman
Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman
Michael Shannon as General Zod
Kiersey Clemons as Iris West
Ron Livingston as Henry Allen
Maribel Verdu as Nora Allen
Antje Traue as Faora-Ul
Ian Loh as young Barry Allen

Miller reprises their role as the world’s fastest man alive in this film; Miller having debuted as Barry Allen/The Flash in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. He’ll portray two versions of Barry in this film, too – the one from the SnyderVerse, and another unpowered one who’s created in this new timeline. Ian Loh will play the child version of Barry Allen. He could also portray another character in the film, but we won’t spoil the surprise here as it’ll ruin a major part of the plot.

Ben Affleck and Kiersey Clemons also return from the SnyderVerse, albeit in cameo roles. Ron Livingston replaces Billy Crudup as Barry’s dad Henry, who was wrongly convicted of murdering Nora Allen, aka Barry’s mom.

Michael Shannon and Antje Traue are back as General Zod and Faora-Ul (Zod’s lieutenant) from Man of Steel. Zod died in that Superman flick, meaning Shannon didn’t understand why he was asked to be in this DCEU movie. Once it was explained to him, though, he was on board. Meanwhile, his second-on-command was sent to the Phantom Zone in Man of Steel. Thanks to Barry’s time traveling escapades, however, they’re both alive in the newly formed timeline that Barry inadvertently creates.

Sasha Calle has been cast as Kara Zor-El, a Kryptonian who arrives on Earth instead of Kal-El (i.e. Superman) in this alternate timeline. Judging by the trailer, it seems she’s been imprisoned by Zod or the US military – likely the latter, given the Earth-style prison cell she’s in – which prevents her from halting Zod’s invasion. However, it’s clear she’ll be broken out by the two Barrys with the aid of a certain Dark Knight (more on him in a bit).

Maribel Verdu has also been cast as Nora. It’s unclear how big of a role she’ll play in the story but, considering the original Barry has traveled back in time to save her, she should have a fairly prominent role.

Michael Keaton dons Batman’s infamous cape and cowl for the first time since 1992’s Batman Returns, which is one of the best superhero movies of all-time (in our view). We’re not sure if Keaton’s billionaire vigilante already exists as Batman in this alternate universe, or if he’s invariably pulled into it by Barry’s botched time travel plan. Either way, he’ll be the main Caped Crusader in this movie, with Affleck’s Bruce Wayne/Batman featuring in a smaller role early on in the flick.

Lastly, Saorise-Monica Jackson, Rude Mancuso, and Luke Brandon Field have reportedly been cast in undisclosed roles (per Variety and Screen Rant). It’s possible that their roles have been cut in The Flash, though – and the next paragraph might hold clues as to why.

Potential spoilers follow for The Flash’s cast.

Michael Shannon is back as General Zod in The Flash. (Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)

According to Hollywood Critics Association founder Scott Menzel, the movie’s original theatrical cut contained cameos from a host of major DCEU players. That included Jason Momoa’s Aquaman (who’ll reprise his role as the water-dwelling hero in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom in late 2023), Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman (who made a big cameo in Shazam! Fury of the Gods), and Henry Cavill’s Superman. It’s unlikely this trio will feature now, but it would’ve made for a fun, multiverse-spanning finale if they had (or do).

Elsewhere, industry insider Grace Randolph has suggested another former Batman actor could make a surprise cameo at the end of the movie. Not only that, but this individual would be installed as the DCU’s new Batman, with the Dark Knight set to co-star in a future DCU movie called The Brave and the Bold. Take this with a huge pinch of salt for now, though.

The Flash story

The Flash is DC’s answer to Marvel’s multiverse-spanning story. (Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)

Here’s The Flash‘s official plot synopsis: “Worlds collide in The Flash when Barry Allen uses his superpowers to travel back in time in order to change the events of the past. But when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned, threatening annihilation, and there are no superheroes to turn to. 

“That is, unless Barry can coax a very different Batman out of retirement and rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian… albeit not the one he’s looking for. Ultimately, to save the world that he is in and return to the future that he knows, Barry’s only hope is to race for his life. But will making the ultimate sacrifice be enough to reset the universe?”

As we mentioned in our trailer section, The Flash is partially inspired by Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert’s iconic 2011 comic-book story arc, aka Flashpoint.

In the comics version of the story, Barry Allen finds himself in an unfamiliar alternative universe where his late mother is still alive, Aquaman’s kingdom of Atlantis is at war with Wonder Woman’s home of Themyscira, and Thomas Wayne became Batman instead of his murdered son Bruce.

In the DCEU film, Barry will use his time-traveling abilities in an effort to save his mom, Nora – and in so doing, inadvertently make major changes to the space-time continuum.

As director Andy Muschietti explained at August 2020’s DC Fandome event: “His mother was murdered, his father was framed and incarcerated, and all his journey from then was of a man trying to make things right.”

“Batman lost his parents, Superman lost his planet, Harley Quinn lost her egg sandwich…” added screenwriter Christina Hodson. “But Barry, because he’s got this ability to go back and manipulate time, he’s the only one who can actually go and change his own personal story. [But] time travel isn’t simple. It’s not always a straightforward case of ‘Go back and change one thing, and another thing changes in the future.'”

Crucially, just as multiple Marvel movies and TV shows, including Loki season 1 and Spider-Man: No Way Home, opened the door for the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse to arrive, The Flash will break down the barriers between alternate dimensions in the DCEU.

“The cinematic multiverse is going to be born out of this movie,” Hodson revealed. “It’s born out of Barry’s story.”

“This film is immensely important,” added star Ezra Miller. “If you look around the DC Universe, obviously you have all of these characters that exist within their own bubbles. We even have now multiple iterations of the same story. This movie, by opening that door that Flashpoint did in the comics, all of these stories and characters can start to collide.”

“This movie is a bit of a hinge in the sense that it presents a story that implies a unified universe where all the cinematic iterations that we’ve seen before are valid,” Muschietti also told Vanity Fair. “It’s inclusive in the sense that it is saying all that you’ve seen exists, and everything that you will see exists, in the same unified multiverse.”

All of that still appears to be the case, despite some of the changes to The Flash‘s story and the forthcoming reset of DC’s cinematic universe. It’s unclear how much has been altered due to Gunn and Safran’s new DCU plan, but we know The Flash will have a major impact on rebooting the DCU and helping to usher in its new batch of movies and TV shows. Speaking of which…

How will The Flash reset the DCU?

The DCEU is evolving into the DCU very soon. (Image credit: DC Studios)

There are two big questions on everyone’s minds heading into The Flash: Ezra Miller’s future and how the film reboots the DCU.

Let’s start with the latter. James Gunn and Peter Safran were installed as the new co-heads of DC Studios in October 2022, and the pair quickly set about making plans to streamline DC’s flagging cinematic franchise.

Long story short, Gunn and Safran revealed the first phase of their new-look DCU – titled Chapter One: Gods and Monsters – in January 2023. Speaking as part of that grand reveal, Gunn confirmed that The Flash will “reset the entire DC universe”, thus giving Gunn and Safran a clean slate to work from.

There are caveats to this rebooted universe, though. Gunn and Safran are retaining some actors from the DCEU for their newly-formed DCU, meaning there’s some confusion over how much will actually be reset. It’s possible that the likes of Viola Davis, who is being kept on as Amanda Waller, will simply be playing a multiversal variant of their character in the DCU. Hopefully, Gunn and Safran will shed more light on this ahead of Chapter One officially kicking off.

Crucially, there was no mention of a sequel to The Flash in Gods and Monsters’ current line-up, either – and with good reason.

Without diving too deep into the troubling waters surrounding Miller, the actor has been embroiled in numerous controversies and legal issues over the last 12 months. Multiple allegations of grooming minors, theft, and personal threats have been leveled against them, with outcomes for each charge yet to be determined. Miller has apologized for their actions, citing mental health issues as the cause behind their spate of problems and agreeing to attend therapy sessions to get better.

In August 2022, The Hollywood Reporter claimed WBD was considering axing Miller as Barry Allen in future Flash projects. Miller’s apology and undertaking of mental health treatment, though, has put a cap on WBD’s plans to remove them from the DCU at this time.

Speaking at a private press event in January, Safran declined to confirm (or deny) whether Miller’s services would be retained. “Ezra is completely committed to their recovery,” Safran said (per Variety). “And we are fully supportive of that journey that they’re on right now. When the time is right, when they feel like they’re ready to have the discussion, we’ll all figure out what the best path forward is. But right now, they are completely focused on their recovery. And in our conversations with them over the last couple of months, it feels like they’re making enormous progress.”

Gunn and Safran, then, aren’t ruling anything out. However, if the pair want to give Barry Allen a fresh start, Miller’s time in the DCEU/DCU might be over already. If it is, at least they’ll have helped give WBD “one of the best superhero movies ever”, according to Gunn. Tom Cruise, who’s surprisingly seen The Flash’s final cut, certainly thinks Gunn is right – the Hollywood superstar saying “he loved it” (per THR).

For more DCEU and DCU-based coverage, find out how to watch the DCEU movies in order. Additionally, read our ranking of the best Batman movies and which DCU movies and shows we’re most excited for.

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Get more customer insight from your POS data with nine creative ways to put point of sale insights to good use.

Learning how to use POS system customer data means you can exploit a wealth of information about your customers. This can give you an edge on building up relationships and brand loyalty. In that respect, the best point of sale (POS) systems offer businesses so much more than just a fantastic payment experience. 

Many, if not the majority of POS (point of sale) systems on the market today, have sophisticated customer shopping behavior analytics, which are often built in. So what’s the best way to use all that amazing POS data?

Monitoring these analytics is the first step in gleaning insights into the the people who walk through your doors or shop with you online. POS system customer data is an endless source of insight that can help you build out a promotional sales calendar, create content about popular products and offer data-backed marketing to your mailing list – but only if you act on it. 

Exploiting your POS data to make new shoppers loyal regulars is the second and most important step. How you use that POS system customer data can cause a spike in sales or deliver free word-of-mouth marketing for your business. 

In this article, we’ll shed light on nine inspired ways to use POS system customer data for insight in your retail business.

1. Serve up relevant product suggestions 

This is one of the low-hanging fruits when it comes to POS data. Knowing what shoppers have purchased before makes it simpler to suggest products they might be interested in. 

If a customer bought items from certain brands or categories in the past, you can use that data to market similar items in the future. Be sure to get their feedback on those suggestions too and involve them in the process. Over time, your product suggestions become increasingly accurate. 

The department store Nordstrom does this really well. The retailer takes note of specific purchases by its customers (e.g., cosmetics, designer products, etc.) and sends tailored product recommendations, based on the buying history of a shopper and their preferences.

(Image credit: Nordstrom)

When marketing to new customers, you can use the purchase histories of shoppers with a similar profile to make appropriate product recommendations. 

Amazon is a master at this, which is why all of its product pages contain the section “People who viewed this also viewed…” 

(Image credit: Amazon)

Consider doing something similar in your small business marketing initiatives. Pay attention to what people are buying and use that information to create relevant messages and suggestions. 

2. Make timely product recommendations 

Use your POS system to make timely product recommendations all year round, not just during national holidays.  (Image credit: Pexels)

You can also use POS data to inform the timing of your customer marketing campaigns or promotions. By knowing when a customer bought something, you can make an educated guess on what they’ll buy next or when they would need to replenish their supplies. 

We can see this in action in the supplements store Acupuncture Atlanta. When you purchase a product – e.g., a bottle of vitamins – the store takes note of when you made the purchase and sends an email around the time when the vitamins are about to run out. 

(Image credit: Acupuncture Atlanta)

If you sell items that need to be refilled, take a leaf out of Acupuncture Atlanta’s playbook and schedule reminders that encourage customers to repurchase your products.  

3. Know your top customer segments 

In addition to shedding light on what people are buying, your POS data also tells you who your best customers are. That data is incredibly valuable, especially if you want to home in on your target market. 

Knowing what types of shoppers are buying from you the most can help you tweak your brand messaging, figure out which retail marketing channels to invest in and decide what types of promotions to offer. 

Let’s say you’re an apparel retailer and you discover that your top customers are women aged between 28 and 35. Armed with that information, you can come up with campaigns and assets that incorporate images and ad copy that these women can relate to.

4. Improve your store’s layout and merchandising 

(Image credit: Future)

At a loss for ideas on how to merchandise your store? Turn to your POS data. Identify things like: 

Your best sellers
Top colors or sizes
Items frequently bought together 

Having the data above can inform decisions such as what items to display and how to merchandise your mannequins, windows and so on. 

For example, if you know that customers typically buy a purse with a specific pair of shoes, then you can create a display showcasing those items together. Or, if a particular color is flying off the shelves, then you can put it front and center at your store so customers can see it. 

Whatever the case may be, take the time to go through your sales and customer reports and identify trends that you can use in your in-store merchandising and design decisions. 

5. Come up with effective promotional ideas 

In the same way that POS data helps you merchandise your store, that same information can also give your promotional ideas. Insights into your top categories or products can aid you in determining which items to spotlight in your promo materials. 

In some cases, you can use sales data to drive a sense of urgency. If an item is selling quickly, you can indicate that in your advertising to entice people to purchase right away. 

Some retailers choose to highlight popular items in their marketing when products that were previously sold out become available. 

Have a look at this example from UNTUCKit, which spotlights the fact that the brand’s best selling polo shirt is back in stock.

(Image credit: Untuckit)

6. Determine what types of product packages or bundles to sell 

Selling item bundles or packages can be an effective strategy to move your inventory. Many retailers, for example, bundle popular products with slow-moving items to help get the latter out the door. In certain instances, a bundle containing high and low-margin items allows merchants to maximize their profits. 

That said, bundles work best when you know which items go well together. And that’s where your POS data comes in. 

Identify the merchandise that your customers typically buy at the same time, then calculate your pricing and margins to ensure that bundling up those products makes sense from a financial standpoint. 

7. Figure out what to stock up on (and what not to order) 

POS system sales reporting tools allow you to look into customer spending behaviour and use that insight when stocking up.  (Image credit: Matthew Henry via Burst)

Knowing which products are most popular among your shoppers enables you to make smarter inventory decisions. 

If you have a solid handle on what your bestsellers are (and why they’re so popular) you can stock more of those products. Then, put your least popular stock on sale to move it quickly and make space for best-selling items.

You can take things a step further by using POS system customer data to predict trends and determine which items to add to your catalog. On the flip side, it’s also important to know which products are no-sell duds, so you can avoid stocking them in your shop again. 

8. Make decisions on what to put on sale 

(Image credit: Markus Spiske via Unsplash)

Speaking of duds, you need to keep a close eye on the items that shoppers aren’t buying. The sooner you can figure out what products aren’t resonating, the more time you’ll have to correct course. 

For instance, if a certain dress style or brand isn’t selling, you’ll want to know sooner rather than later so you can put it on sale. That way you can also ensure that the person in charge of purchasing stock doesn’t re-order that particular item. 

9. Improve staff knowledge and customer service 

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Thanks to the internet and our smartphones, consumers today are more well-informed than ever. Research by Tulip Retail found that 80% of consumers believe that they’re more knowledgeable than retail associates.

To that end, you can stay competitive by instilling knowledge, skills and confidence in your staff. In doing so, you’ll show customers that your employees are product experts who can guide shoppers in their purchasing decisions. 

You can accomplish that by giving your team access to your POS system customer data. When your staff members know what items are trending and when they’re aware of each shopper’s purchase history, they’ll be in a much better position to assist and impress your customers. 

Bringing it all together 

Your POS system customer data can improve various components of your business. From retail marketing and sales to inventory management, having the right information at your fingertips can truly be a game-changer. 

So, aside from knowing how to use POS systems or how POS systems work, it’s important to know how to extract the right data from your platform. Doing so will enable you to make smarter decisions so you can grow and thrive.

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How does a POS system work? From completing transactions to updating inventory, we explain the basics.

Ringing up sales looks simple enough to the casual observer: customer hands over their item, cashier scans the barcode, the total amount due is presented and payment is taken promptly before the purchase is complete. 

It’s a straightforward enough process, but many don’t realize is that there’s more to accepting a payment and processing a transaction at the point of sale. If you’re curious to learn about how the best (POS) systems work, keep reading. 

This post covers the ins and outs of modern POS hardware, POS software and how the two work together to create a seamless customer payment experience. 

Let’s get started.

What is a POS system? 

A POS system — sometimes referred to as an ePOS system — enables customers to successfully buy their chosen products from your store at the point of purchase. When we say POS system we’re referring to the hardware and software that allow cashiers to ring up sales.

Popular POS brand, Square, encapsulate the complexity and simplicity of a POS system with this excellent definition: “A POS system allows your business to accept payments from customers and keep track of sales. It sounds simple enough, but the setup can work in different ways, depending on whether you sell online, have a physical storefront, or both.”

mPOS vs. POS vs. ePOS: what’s the difference?

While many consider POS and ePOS as the same thing, in some countries like the UK, the two terms have an important distinction: POS systems are traditional cash registers while ePOS systems are their electronic counterparts. 

An mPOS system is a mobile point of sale system that is easily portable to help you accept payments with total flexibility. mPOS systems are especially popular with mobile business such as food trucks. 

You may also hear POS systems referred to as soft POS. Soft POS systems allow merchants to process secure, contactless payments from NFC-enabled mobile and tablet devices using a POS software application only, no hardware needed. With soft POS systems, customers can use a digital wallet such as Google Pay or Apple Pay to purchase items. 

Soft POS systems are the next wave of transaction processing, steadily growing in demand. They eliminate hardware costs, saving your business money on card terminals and receipt printers. As by-product of this, they’re also much more environmentally friendly than traditional POS systems.

The standalone term POS seems to be more popular in countries like the US and Australia, while “ePOS” or an an electronic POS system, is more widely used in the UK. 

Which brings us to our next point…

POS systems vs. cash registers 

Modern POS systems are replacing older models of cash tills.  (Image credit: Enrico Hänel from Pexels)

Think of cash registers as the analog version of modern POS systems (or ePOS systems if you’re in the UK). The former is a device whose main purpose is to ring up sales, while the latter is an integrated system that not only facilitates the checkout process, but also helps you manage your inventory, market to your customers, and run your business as a whole. 

Cash registers focus on just sales. They don’t sync with your inventory system, provide you with any reports, or “talk” to your other business apps. 

Sometimes a POS system is referred to as a POS cash register, but the two are distinctly different. A POS system has more business and employee management capabilities, and can also connect with other platforms that you’re using in your business.

Key components of a POS system 

Multiple elements make up traditional point of sale systems.  (Image credit: Obsahovka Obsahovka from Pexels)

We can’t talk about how POS systems work without first discussing its components. Generally, POS systems are composed of two tightly connected parts: POS hardware and POS software.

The hardware covers the equipment or devices used to carry out the checkout process. They include:

POS display screen
Barcode scanner 
Receipt printer 
Payment terminal 
Cash drawer 

Not all POS systems will have every single device above. If you send out email receipts for example, then you don’t need a receipt printer. If you only accept credit card payments or do business on-the-go, then a cash drawer isn’t necessary. 

The two must-haves in any POS system are the display and payment terminal. 

The software is the program that’s running your POS. The look, feel, and functionality of your POS software will vary from one provider to another, but most modern systems will have the following features:

Sale screen
Inventory management
Customer relationship management 
Reporting and analytics 

On-premise vs. cloud-based

POS software can also be classified as either being cloud-based or on-premise (on-site). The former can be accessed over the internet, while the latter is hosted locally on your own server or computer. 

Cloud-based point of sale systems usually work through a SaaS (Software as a Service) model, and providers charge a subscription fee for the software. On-premise POS systems are installed on your computer, and you typically have to pay for the software upfront or pay a licensing fee. 

Many are opting for cloud-based software because they’re more accessible and scalable. With cloud-based solutions, you can access the software from any device as long as you have an internet connection, making it easy to check in on business.

Updates happen automatically, and you simply have to download the latest version of the software.

With on-premise software, the solution “lives” in your device or server, so you’re in charge of  maintaining and updating the software. Businesses that prefer to have their data on-site are usually the ones that choose on-premises software.

How POS systems work: different components coming into play

There’s more to POS systems than meets the eye (Image credit: Andrea Piacquadio via Pexels)

The best POS systems work when the components mentioned above function seamlessly together to enable the transaction. Think of it this way: the hardware and software of your POS solution “talk” to each other to make the sale happen. 

Here’s how:

Things kick off when a sale is initiated by the cashier. That is, when they scan a product or enter it into the sale screen. At this stage, the POS software populates the sale screen with each line item. It displays the product along with the price, and the total amount owed. 

On the backend, the software is syncing with its inventory management and adjusts the stock levels based on the quantities purchased by the customer. 

While all that is happening, the cashier tells the customer the amount due and the shopper selects a payment method. If the customer pays electronically via credit card or their mobile device, it triggers the payment terminal to come into play. The customer follows the prompts on the terminal and goes through with the sale. If they’re paying cash, they can just hand the amount to the cashier. 

The cashier confirms the amount on their end. Then, the receipt printer is triggered and prints the receipt. For cash transactions, the printer sends a signal to the cash drawer to open when necessary. 

Note: Other things can take place, depending on the store. For instance, some stores have a loyalty program, in which case the customer gives the cashier their member details. Other times, the merchant may ask the shopper to enter their contact information. These things can happen before or after the payment step, depending on the store’s setup.

Behind the scenes, the software is also working to keep everything in check. Stock levels are updated and data is fed into the system’s reporting and analytics. If customer details or loyalty data are captured, the system also stores that in its database.  

It doesn’t stop there: POS systems play an important role after the transaction 

(Image credit: Square)

The work of your POS or ePOS system doesn’t end when the transaction is over. As mentioned previously, newer point of sale systems can help you run multiple components of your business, including inventory and customer management, finances, analytics, and more. 

Consider the following:

Whenever you make a sale, your POS software logs the transaction and updates your stock level. Let’s say you’re a clothing boutique, and at the beginning of the day, you had 50 large maxi skirts in stock. Throughout the day, you sold 25 of those dresses. If everything is working correctly, your POS system would’ve recorded those 25 transactions and modified your stock levels accordingly. 

A POS system that tracks your inventory becomes particularly handy if it’s able to connect with your other sales channels. Going back to the maxi dresses example, if you sold an additional 10 dresses online, then your system should take those sales into account and update your overall inventory levels. 

Integrated POS systems provide the best POS solution

Your POS system and payment processor work hand in hand. For best results, opt for an integrated payment solution, wherein your restaurant POS system or retail POS software interfaces directly with your payment processor. That way, when a customer makes a payment via credit card, their payment data directly feeds into your POS and you can ring up sales faster. 

While it is possible to opt for non-integrated payments, this setup will require cashiers to manually key in payment data into the POS, which makes the experience more cumbersome. 

POS integrated payments also make end of day reconciliation easier. Instead of manually checking receipts against all your transactions, an integrated payment solution automates the process, thus saving time and minimizing errors. 

One of the great things about a modern POS or ePOS system is having easier access to data and insights. Unlike traditional cash registers, which only record transactions, POS systems can track and analyze sales, inventory, and customer data, which then leads to powerful reporting and analytics. 

The best POS systems in the market make it easy to track important metrics in your business and many allow you to filter data so you can easily find the information you need. 

For instance, if you’d like to generate sales reports for a given time period, product category, or even customer group, a solid POS system will help you do that. Want to figure out what your top sellers are or how fast stock is moving? There are plenty of POS solutions that can crunch the numbers at the drop of a hat. 

These things simply aren’t possible with a clunky cash register, and it’s one of the many reasons why more and more businesses are switching to new and trusty POS systems.

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Need to jumpstart your website? We’ve narrowed down your options to help you choose.

These days, a website is just as important as setting up a physical shop, especially if you want your business to extend its reach to other countries. If you don’t want to make the same mistake most business owners make, ensuring that your business’s extension, i.e., your website, has high quality needs to be prioritized. 

For one, your website needs to be available and accessible at all times, otherwise potential customers will show themselves out and shop elsewhere. To make this happen, you need a reliable web hosting provider for your site. In this article, we’ll provide a head to head comparison of two of the most notable web hosting providers today: InMotion Hosting and DreamHost, to help you go with the perfect choice for your website.

InMotion Hosting vs DreamHost: main similarities and differences

Both InMotion Hosting and DreamHost are based in Los Angeles, California and have been around for quite some time. Both also have a track record in excellent customer support and server uptime, and offer unlimited bandwidth and data storage. Both also hold the top spots in the most affordable web hosting plans in the market.

Whereas DreamHost’s shared hosting plans offer unlimited storage, InMotion Hosting only gives out 10GB. Support-wise, InMotion’s phone support is the key difference, as DreamHost does not offer this. Inmotion also uses cPanel, a widely-used intuitive interface, while DreamHost has a user-friendly built-in control panel that’s also beginner-friendly.

DreamHost hosting plans (Image credit: DreamHost)

Pricing

DreamHost’s entry level aptly named Shared Starter plan goes for as low as $2.59 per month paid annually. This plan hosts a website with a free domain, unlimited traffic, pre-installed WordPress, free migration, access to the WordPress builder, and a lot more. Their next plan, Shared Unlimited, has all of the previously mentioned features plus more, offered for only $3.95 per month billed annually. 

InMotion has four plans, Lite, Launch, Power and Pro. The lowest tier goes for $2.49 per month and their next plan, which is a little higher than DreamHost’s, is $4.99 per month. A little bit steeper, but this does include hosting for two websites, 50GB of SSD storage, 10 email addresses, unlimited bandwidth, and more. Oddly, their third highest tier, Power, goes for the same amount but offers just a bit more features including 50 instead of two websites, 100GB instead of 50GB storage, etc. Inmotion’s highest tier package is $12.99 per month.

(Image credit: Mayank8447/Pixabay/Inmotion)

Features

While users get a WordPress website builder across all of DreamHost and InMotion’s plans, there are notable differences in most features these platforms are offering. 

DreamHost takes security seriously with features that include a tool called Malware Remover, free and open SSL/TLS certificates that encrypt data, free domain privacy, http/2 support, and mod_security, an industry-standard web application firewall. 

InMotion, on the other hand, doesn’t fall behind in the level of security they offer. Users can download the Sucuri Security plugin for free and scan for malware and other security risks. Inmotion also offers IP Deny Manager, password-protected directories, and Hotlink protection to combat the common hacking attacks today.

As an added security feature, users will find automatic backups to be extremely helpful, and while DreamHost offers this for free, InMotion has an extra fee for this. 

(Image credit: DreamHost)

Hosting types

DreamHost offers various types of hosting plans, and all of these plans run on the operating system called Ubuntu. For users who aren’t expecting heavy traffic on their site, the basic shared hosting plan can easily provide users with their website needs. For larger traffic expectations, the VPS, dedicated or DreamPress (WordPress) plans are the options available. Dreamhost also offers cloud hosting where users are able to design their server without limits so that they can meet their needs. 

InMotion, on the other hand, has reseller hosting and bare metal hosting on top of VPS, dedicated, cloud and WordPress hosting. InMotion’s shared hosting is known to be cost-effective, reliable and fast, especially for small businesses and large resellers alike. The reseller hosting plan includes free domain reseller, free white label branding and messaging, and a free billing software. Inmotion going an extra mile makes it a better choice for small businesses.

(Image credit: Future)

Performance

At best, DreamHost competes well performance-wise, and users do get a bang for the buck with their cheap plans. DreamHost’s average page speed of 445ms is a remarkable speed for any site’s SEO performance. There is also a 100% uptime guarantee offer where users are compensated their current hosting cost for one day of service for each hour of interruption, or 10% of their next pre-paid hosting renewal fee.

Serving over 170,000 customers, InMotion has also made a name as a fast and reliable web hosting provider. InMotion offers an uptime reliability of 99.9%, which is just as good as DreamHost’s guarantee. Their server response time is also just as competitive as DreamHost, which has a record of 63ms. 

Both DreamHost and InMotion offer more flexibility and reliability in their services and plans, and there’s not much of a difference in their performance, although there are reports of DreamHost being just a little bit slower in terms of website loading speed. InMotion Hosting does, on the other hand, pass tests with flying colors every time. 

Security

Dreamhost and InMotion plans all include a free SSL certificate. The difference lies in the backups and domain privacy (as mentioned above). Where DreamHost is generous with free domain privacy, which ensures the protection of the users’ personal information, and daily backups, these features come with extra fees with InMotion. 

DreamHost’s additional free security features include Modsecurity that blocks malicious HTTP requests and SQL attacks and http/2 support. InMotion uses an anti-DDoS system called Corero to block attacks, and their servers use Smartwall Threat Defense System, an in-house system that makes sure users feel protected.

Support

Beginners in website building need to have help available anytime. Both InMotion and DreamHost are excellent in customer support, with a knowledge base that provides video tutorials, forums, and articles about hosting problems users might encounter. This is especially useful during times when phone or live chat reps are unavailable to address pressing matters.

InMotion’s customer support channels include live agents via chat, a ticketing system, and phone support. Users can get a hold of a rep 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to help solve hosting issues. Although available, there might be a 2-minute wait to get a hold of someone, but even if it takes longer, the high quality support received is well worth the wait.

DreamHost also has a ticketing system and live chat support, but lacks phone support. For users who prefer to have someone walk them through solving an issue via a phone call, this can prove challenging. Additionally, DreamHost’s live chat channel isn’t available 24/7 like InMotion’s is, and the wait time usually takes up to five minutes. 

Verdict

It is a close fight between these two web hosting providers. Although DreamHost outperforms InMotion uptime and speed-wise, InMotion offers a little more extra with their free site migration, free backups and domain privacy, and better customer support feedback. DreamHost’s comprehensive plan prices seem to make up for this, and for the fact that the basic tier only includes basic features. 

Though slightly more expensive than DreamHost, InMotion’s better services, additional features and outperforming DreamHost overall makes it a smart choice. For inexperienced users who prefer help every step of the way and are willing to pay a little extra for a few more options, InMotion is a great choice. On the other hand, users who know what they want and what they’re looking for on a website, DreamHost is not at all a bad choice.

Ready to build your site? Check out our top picks for the best free website builder

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Whether you’re considering picking up a POS system for the first time or are looking at upgrading an existing one, these are the five main features that your POS system should offer.

Before modern technology developed point of sale (or POS) systems into the fast, slick designs we often see today, POS systems used to be glorified cash registers. 

Think much simpler, and far less effective than the POS systems of today. Now, you rightfully expect any point of sale system purchased can perform a multitude of payment processing and management functions without question. That’s before you begin thinking about integrating your POS with other software services and hardware peripherals. 

Modern POS systems now have 5 main components that have evolved out of critical consumer need and demand for POS development. Do you know them all by name? 

If not, don’t worry! In this article, we explore the 5 features every POS system must have to call itself modern. So, if you’re considering picking up a POS system for your business for the first time, or are looking at upgrading an existing one, keep an eye out for these features. They should really be the minimal offering from your POS provider.

Also check out our roundup of the best accounting software for small business

1. Easy to navigate POS software 

Well designed and easy to navigate POS systems are vital to your commercial success, because they have a knock-on effect on your business’ customer service. Time is money, and the less time your employees spending trudging through poorly-designed POS digital menus, the sooner they can help customers checkout their purchases. 

Take a look at any POS system’s software to see whether it has a user-friendly interface designed for minimum clicks that’s capable of processing a transaction from start to finish. A good POS provider will have transparent information about their software on their website.  

There’s more to think about though. Your POS software needs to be maintained and updated to the latest version to implement bug fixes and ensure your business gets the benefit of any software developments. 

With a cloud-based POS system, this is usually automated. And that’s just your main countertop (or master terminal). If you’re also using mobile POS systems, you’ll want to ensure that your POS software also has easy-to-use mobile apps that are simple enough for staff to get to grips with quickly. 

Opting for a POS system that easily integrates with third-party solutions allows you to hook it up to integrations such as accounting software, payroll, and email marketing. 

You will experience greater efficiency by allowing various apps to share information automatically, eliminating the need to manually download and upload reports, customer lists, and other data. 

2. Accommodate multiple payment methods  

(Image credit: Stock.adobe.com © mrmohock)

It’s not news that a POS system should allow its users to take payments from customers. What is interesting though, is understanding which types of payments it can take versus how many different ways your customers like to pay. Cash? Store credit? Gift card? Foreign currency occasionally? Or perhaps Apple or Google Pay. 

When transactions are made, your POS system should add taxes and calculate the total amount of sale. While cash remains popular (albeit increasingly less so in the digital age), you will need to ensure that your POS can cater for a wide range of payment options, especially credit card processing. 

A smart POS system will also produce sales reports for you so you can look back over the transaction. Some POS providers even allow you to set previous sales orders as repeat orders against customer names, to save checkout time. 

Mobile POS vendors will issue their card readers for free in exchange for taking a transaction fee each time something is sold. Look out for ones that offer membership-based pricing, as this means that you’ll get fees that stay the same even if you process more transactions or higher-value orders as your company scales. 

Of course, in addition to accepting money from customers, you need the ability to issue returns and refunds. Don’t forget to think about whether or not you’ll need gift receipts as an option too.

Any business must have a return policy which should then be reflected in its POS system, which needs to be able to alter inventory and sales accordingly. That could be anything from a return sent back to the original payment method to a credit receipt or gift certificate.

3. POS inventory management 

Inventory management (ERP for larger businesses) is a core feature of POS systems as it is so closely tied to sales transactions. You need all the sales data you can get to run your business efficiently, and having an inventory management feature helps you keep items restocked while ensuring that ones that are not so popular are switched out for something else. 

With inventory management you can input your existing stock levels for each product when you set up your POS for the first time. And from that moment on it will update itself after every order is made. 

A cloud-based POS system lets you manage your stock in real-time while telling you the amount of goods your business (or store) owns over a given period of time. At the same time, you need an inventory management system to work in tandem with customer orders. 

A modern POS system can help you manage inventory of all sizes.  (Image credit: Tiger Lily via Pexels)

Customers will inevitably ask you to put products aside to buy them later, so you need to know an inventory management module to check if you have stock of it in that store or another one, which would allow it to be transported and sold to the customer.

This is useful for maintaining effective customer satisfaction because it helps stores meet customers’ needs while ensuring they are satisfied with their purchases. Importantly, it leads to additional revenue for the company at the end of the day.

4. Employee and other POS reporting tools 

In addition to seeing how your business’s products are selling, you’ll want to keep an eye on employee performance. Check to see whether a POS can break down employee reports into various useful ways – from total sales to sales by the hour; conversion rates; and commission owed. 

Detailed reports should be able to help you easily see what an employee has sold, including the average price per customer and transactions per hour. 

Modern POS systems allow business owners to access valuable report data on employee and general business performance from any device with an internet connection, so your POS system should come with mobile applications that make digesting reports easy on any regular-sized smartphone or tablet. 

5. Customer support and POS training 

(Image credit: Tumisu / Pixabay)

Any time a POS fails, it can cost your business money. Therefore, to minimize downtime, consider purchasing a system that comes with customer support and training included as standard. 

You’ll get the level of service that you pay for; more affordable POS systems allow you to leave a message and wait for a response from a vendor representative, but if you spend more then you will get immediate support 24/7 – which can be worth paying the extra. Think about the bigger picture and how time is money.

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Point of Sale systems originated as clunky mechanical devices, but now they can be software platforms wirelessly connected to the cloud with integrated staff management and analytics.

POS systems have been around for quite a while. The first one was invented in 1879 by an American shopkeeper James Ritty, when he noticed that his employees were pocketing money his business was making. 

He called the system “Ritty’s Incorruptible Cashier”, which is perhaps a more catchy name unlike today’s IT tool, which would commonly become known as a “cash register”.

The first computer-driven cash register, which resembles what we have today, was developed by IBM in 1973 – and it marked the first commercial use of a computer-based system used by the restaurant industry. 

Then, in the 1980s, the first credit cards were introduced into society. As a result, the evolution of POS terminals accelerated when they had to be updated accordingly to suit the business industry. 

POS systems in the 1980s 

(Image credit: Mike Mozart, Wikimedia Commons)

McDonalds started rolling out POS terminals in its restaurants in 1984. Invented by William Brobeck, the model they used was one of the first microprocessor-controlled cash registers. 

The POS terminal system increasingly helped to speed up the food ordering process by including a physical button for every item on the menu. It was also the first time a POS could be connected to a multitude of other devices, allowing the fast-food chain to easily manage reports and receipts with reasonable speed and efficiency. 

In more fine-dining establishments, the bulky POS systems would be hidden so that they were out of sight of customers.

POS systems changed drastically two years later, when touchscreen technology and colorgraphic monitors became more affordable. 

ViewTouch, the first POS system solution on the Atari ST, was launched in 1986 by Gene Mosher, a New York-based restaurateur, at Comdex in Las Vegas whilst the inventor was on his honeymoon with his wife. Nowadays, it is offered for free under the GNU license and can be run on the simplest of computer hardware such as Raspberry Pi. 

POS systems in the 1990s 

As computers became more sophisticated in the 1990s, so did POS systems, with the first e-POS (Electronic Point Of Sale) system, Nisyst, launched in 1992. 

That year saw Martin Goodwin and Bob Hendry together develop and release the IT Retail POS software system on Windows, leading to a variety of POS applications being developed for Microsoft’s increasingly popular OS, in addition to Unix-based operating systems. 

In 1993, Europay, MasterCard and Visa unveiled the EMV standard for the credit card industry in Europe, which is still used in integrated circuit cards, POS terminals and automated ATMs.

POS systems in the 2000s 

(Image credit: Future)

Powerful computers and more advanced networks led to an evolution of the POS, which began to develop capabilities beyond sales transaction processing in the early 2000s. 

As internet connections became faster, ePOS systems took to the cloud and found popularity among businesses due to increased convenience and lowered costs.

Cloud-based POS systems transformed the landscape as any device capable of connecting to the internet could suddenly be used as a potential POS terminal. 

That included smartphones equipped with barcode scanners and NFC tech, which effectively turned them into payment terminals and mobile credit card readers.

Shifting POS technology to the cloud also brought new security capabilities to the best POS systems. The introduction of the SaaS (or software-as-a-service) model removed the need for businesses to manually update software and licenses, with it instead being automatically taken care of by POS software vendors. 

POS systems in the 2010s and today

Since 2010, modern POS systems have become increasingly sophisticated. Nowadays, they allow business owners to manage both front-end and back-end operations with ease. Integrated systems enable everything from inventory management to marketing; staff time management; accounting process; and customer information to be accessed, analysed and controlled through a single (often touchscreen) interface.

Widespread adoption of cloud-based POS systems accelerated during the decade. Through the utilization of technologies to store sales and customer data using cloud storage, companies found it quicker and easier to access (and act upon) their sales and customer data than ever before. This made cloud-based POS systems particularly attractive for companies that ran a franchise model with multiple stores.

The rise of cloud-based POS has naturally coincided with new trends around mobile POS. Indeed, many business owners and workers alike began using POS systems on mobile devices from 2010 onwards, which became even easier thanks to tablets and smart mobile phones with increasingly larger displays and better processing power.

Many vendors offer their business applications for free and take a cut of each sale through payment processing fees. By using a mobile POS system, companies can let their employees easily look up product information, search for answers to customers questions, and take payments whilst walking around the shop floor. Consumers are also able to benefit from the mobile aspect, by buying goods and services on devices like their own smartphones with a tap, using technologies such as NFC and Bluetooth.

The POS System has come a long way, with great leaps made particularly in the past two decades. 

Thanks to ongoing advances we’re likely to continue seeing a convergence in technologies, with POS systems becoming smarter and better able to help businesses get even more value out of their data than they can today.

We’ve featured the best business laptops. 

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Here is a head-to-head comparison between Apple POS and Android POS systems, which are both frontrunners in the point of sale marketplace.

There is no scarcity of point of sale (POS) systems in the market. Lightspeed POS, Square POS, Clover POS, Shopify POS, QuickBooks POS, Revel and Epos Now POS are just a few of the many options. While some of these run on Apple’s iOS and some on Android, a few are Windows-based as well.

Apple and Android POS systems are clear frontrunners, given that these two hold more than 70% of the tablet market share and 99% of the smartphone market. But what differentiates these two leaders and how do you decide on the best POS system for your business? Let’s find out. 

Apple POS vs. Android POS: Features 

We’ll start with a head-to-head comparison of Apple POS and Android POS systems based on the top features relevant to businesses: security, flexibility, and user experience. 

Security

Protecting your customers’ personal and payment data is important for your business. All cloud-based POS systems are built with data protection and encryption, and therefore come with a certain minimum guarantee on security.

Android comes with plenty of tablet options with different features and form factors to choose from.  (Image credit: Samsung)

However, between Apple’s iOS (operating system) and Android OS, you’ll find that iOS is known for its strong security in both its firmware and software layers. iOS has an added advantage: since Apple is in complete control of its hardware and software, security fixes and updates happen consistently across all their devices.

For software to be secure, it must rest on hardware that has security built in.

Apple

On Android devices, it’s left to the discretion of individual device manufacturers, and if they aren’t diligent with releasing updates, you could be in trouble.

Hackers are also more likely to target the vulnerabilities in Android software than Apple POS software, due to its large number of smartphone users (73%). Moreover, since Android opens its APIs for integration, the opportunity for an intrusion is higher than in Apple, which keeps its source code closed.

Flexibility

As Linux-based, partially open source architecture, Android OS is definitively more customizable than Apple iOS. It figures, given the value of Apple’s brand. So, if you’re looking for a bespoke POS solution for your business, Android is an attractive choice.

Take note of the financial and mental cost you’ll endure in developing a custom point of sale system, though. You’ll need to a) figure out exactly what you want from the POS system for your business, b) Translate that into a wireframe and c) find and hire the right developer – or developers, for speed – to redesign the Android POS system for your needs.

Make sure you do your research on who you hire, because the resulting POS package can become one of two extremes: unnecessarily complex and involve undue maintenance effort. Or, it will simply not even meet your expectations if it is built by a low quality developer. That said, if you’re interested in flexibility and don’t want something off the shelf, the Android POS system is what you’re looking for.

If you decide to customise your Android POS software, take your time to plan out everything you need from that solution, before working with a developer.  (Image credit: Yan Krukov via Pexels)

When you opt for an Apple POS, you’re tied to the iPad. Android’s compatibility with different hardware means you’ve got many tablet options such as Samsung, Huawei and Lenovo to pick from. You can play around with different tablets and then decide which one gives you the kind of user experience and performance you’re looking for.

The variety in Android’s hardware also translates to variety in form factors. From small sizes to much larger ones, even 20-plus inch, you’ve got the flexibility to cater to different user preferences. 

It’s not that Android has a poor UX, but Apple has a loyal fan base when it comes to its sleek design and pretty user interface. There is certainly an X-factor to Apple’s screens, navigation and overall usability. As a POS system, this translates to being able to train your staff easily and give your customers a sophisticated experience when it comes to self-service kiosks.

But, it’s also worth considering that since Android has a considerably larger market share than iOS in the mobile OS space, it’s possible that more of your staff and customers are familiar with Android than Apple.

iPad stands out for its sleek design and unmatched user experience.  (Image credit: Apple)

Apple wins over Android in security and user experience, but rather than a dressed-up design, if you’re looking for sturdy hardware that can withstand wear-and-tear in a busy restaurant or marketplace, Android offers you a wider range of device options. 

Also, if you seek flexibility and customization, Android POS is the way to go.

Apple POS vs. Android POS: Performance

iOS and Android are such closely competitive choices that it’s not easy to pinpoint which one has better performance. You need to factor in the specific tablet model and the POS solution because, regardless of the OS, individual design and implementation matter.

The differences are subtle though. Since Apple has a tighter coupling between its hardware and software and Apple keeps them in sync all the time, there are fewer chances of glitches.

Android controls just the OS software, and so integration with hardware could turn out to be buggy. This means that you need to test your POS system on the specific device you’re running (and you could be running on different devices and versions in different locations or stores) and ensure there are no performance lags.

Tight integration between the OS and the device elevates Apple’s performance.  (Image credit: Apple)

Another aspect that comes into play is the frequency and consistency of software updates. 

In iOS, updates are always consistent across all devices, but they’re not necessarily frequent. The rigorous testing and approval process often ends up being time-consuming. On the other hand, Android’s inconsistent updates across different device manufacturers carries unforeseen performance risks.  

iOS has an edge over Android due to its reliable and synchronized performance. However, Android isn’t too far behind and, so, it’s better to dig deeper into the pros and cons of the specific POS solution to judge performance.

Apple POS vs. Android POS: Support

AppleCare support and warranty programs are affordable and comprehensive. The customer care reps are known for their attention to detail, depth of expertise and meticulous approach to resolving issues. But, perhaps the greatest feature of their customer care is its availability. After all, it’s not difficult to find an AppleCare centre, wherever you are based. 

(Image credit: Apple)

Android’s approach to support is more fragmented, in that it depends on the specific device manufacturer’s policies and programs. 

That doesn’t necessarily mean that support is bad; it just means that you need to do additional research into whether you’ve got a nearby customer care centre for, say, Samsung or Lenovo, and how much cost is likely to be involved.

Apple scores hands down over Android in support. But, again, don’t forget to check the individual POS system’s support availability in terms of channels, timings and costs.

Apple POS vs. Android POS: Pricing and plans

It’s no secret that Apple products cost more than Android. If you’re just setting up one store with a single counter, this difference may not matter much. However, if you’re setting up a multi-store model with multiple devices within each store, this could add up significantly. 

Crucially, when it comes to POS pricing, you cannot just look at device and operating system costs in isolation. You’ve to include other items, such as the cost of the POS system as well as the maintenance and support costs to go with it. 

(Image credit: Apple)

Most POS systems either support only iOS (e.g., Lightspeed POS) or both iOS and Android (e.g., Square). Toast POS is one of the few options which is only Android-compatible. In essence, you end up getting more flexibility with pricing plans when you pick iOS.

Apple is expensive, but you can offset this a bit by choosing a POS system that offers you a favourable pricing plan.

Apple POS vs. Android POS: Verdict

Apple POS and Android POS run a tight race. The good news is that you cannot go wrong with either. But, you can lean towards one side based on what you’re looking for. If you’re basing your decision purely on budget, Android products will be easier on your wallet.

If you’re looking for a reliable solution and don’t want to spend time tweaking it around, Apple’s iOS is a sure winner. It also scores high on performance, user experience, security and support. However, if your requirements are out-of-the-box and you’re keen on customization, Android POS is the right business choice.

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Looking for a modern POS or ePOS system? We’ll help you decide what’s the best option for your business.

Customer shopping journeys vary from one shopper to another, no matter what POS system you use. Some people walk through your doors because they saw a great product on display. Others may find you while doing online research. Maybe you have customers referred to you by their friends.

Regardless of how they find you, anyone who decides to buy from your store ends up in the same place: the point of sale (POS system). This is the point where the purchase is completed and you hand over the products to the customer.

Needless to say, the point of sale is a critical step to any shopping journey, which is why it’s important to give shoppers a great experience.

Doing that starts with having the right POS system.

And that is exactly what we’ll discuss in this post. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the factors you should consider when shopping for a solution and how you can select the best POS system for your biz.

Let’s dive in.

What is a POS system? 

A POS system refers to the components that facilitate the point of sale process. It consists of the hardware and software you use to ring up sales.

At its most basic level, a POS system functions as a cash register that lets you record sales, take payments and issue receipts. But point of sale systems have evolved over the years, and today many modern POS solutions come with inventory management, analytics, and CRM capabilities.

Key benefits of POS system 

Investing in the right point of sale system can benefit you, your team, and your customers in the following ways:

This is the system that holds the point of sale process together. Without a POS solution, there would be no checkout and you won’t be able to record transactions. Needless to say, it’s a system that’s absolutely essential to ringing up sales, and your business won’t function well without one. 

A POS system (a good one, anyway) may also have reporting capabilities that can surface useful insights about your products, sales, customers, and more. With the right solution, you can gain actionable insights and make smarter business decisions. 

This benefit applies to modern retail POS software and restaurant POS systems that have extended capab ilities like stock control, customer management, marketing, etc. Adopting a robust point of sale solution gives you access to powerful tools you can use to grow your business. For instance, if your POS software comes with a built-in loyalty program, that feature can be used to drive repeat business.

Find out more about how a POS system works.

Retail, restaurants, and hospitality are just some of the businesses that can benefit from a modern POS system (Image credit: Photo by Blake Wisz on Unsplash)

Types of businesses that use POS systems 

Any business with a physical checkout process needs a POS system. Such merchants include:

Retail stores. Shops that sell physical goods (e.g., boutiques, supermarkets, convenience stores, etc.) need retail POS software and hardware.

Read this article if you’re looking for specific advice on POS systems for retail stores.

Restaurants. Sit-down restaurants, as well as quick-service restaurants like fast food chains, use restaurant POS systems. 

Try this article if you’re looking for specific advice on POS systems for restaurants.

Entertainment and hospitality. Establishments where people pay for experiences use POS systems. Examples of businesses in this realm include hotels, cinemas, museums, theme parks, etc. 

Service providers. Salons, spas, and other service-based businesses also use POS systems.

On-the-go merchants. Retailers and service providers that operate on-the-go (e.g., merchants at events or service providers that do house calls) also need a POS solution to ring up sales.

Try this article if you’re looking for specific advice on POS systems for food trucks.

What to consider when looking for the best POS system for your business 

Now that we’ve covered the basics of point of sale systems and who they’re for, let’s look at some of the top considerations you should keep in mind when selecting a solution for your business. 

Iron out the needs of your business 

It’s tempting to immediately jump into research mode and find POS companies to check out, but before you do that, it’s best to do some internal research and figure out your requirements. Doing so will give you clarity on what you need (and what you don’t), which will make your search much easier. 

Here are some areas to look at when determining your requirements:

Existing system shortcomings

If you already have a POS system that you’re looking to replace, start by identifying its shortcomings. What features are missing from the solution? What are some tasks that you wish it would let you do? What are your pain points?

Take note of the answers to these questions and use them when you’re researching solutions in the market. For example, if one of your system’s shortcomings is the inability to take gift cards, then that’s something you could keep in mind when comparing solutions later on. 

It also helps to discuss your POS system with your team. Ask the above questions to your cashiers and associates and document their input.  

Hardware

Point of sale equipment can be a big investment, so if you have an existing setup, and you’re happy with your hardware, then set your sights on solutions that work with what you have.

Let’s say you’re using iPads for your POS. In this case, you’d want to look for solutions that function well on an iPad. 

Also, take note of devices like barcodes scanners, credit card terminals, drawers, and printers, and make sure that the POS system you choose works with those devices.

Software or apps that you’re using

The same goes for the software or apps that you’re using. If you’re happy with your accounting software, CRM, ecommerce platforms, etc., see to it that the point of sale solution integrates with the apps in your business. 

Your roadmap

Knowing your current needs is great, but you should also be cognizant of your future needs. What does your business roadmap look like? Are you planning to expand or do new things in the coming months or years? You’ll need a solution that can grow and evolve with you. 

Let’s say you intend to open new locations in the near future. If so, make sure your POS system has multi-store support and lets you manage several shops with ease. Or maybe you want to revamp your customer loyalty program and introduce new perks. If this is the case, see to it that your POS has loyalty features or integrations that can make that happen. 

Your budget

For obvious reasons, you need a system that fits your budget. The cost and billing structures of restaurant POS systems and retail POS software vary from one provider to another. 

Some solutions charge a subscription fee which can range from $29 per month to well over $500+ a month. Other providers take a percentage out of your sales, and there are POS solution vendors that do both. 

The best POS system depends on your needs and budget. But generally, the fees that you’ll pay will depend on factors like:

Features and functionalities
Number of locations
Number of users
Transaction volume
Catalog size
Customer database size

Contactless phone payments are becoming increasingly popular with customers (Image credit: Photo by Jonas Leupe on Unsplash)

Determine POS system’s features and offerings 

Based on the information you’ve gathered above, you should have a clear idea of what you need in a point of sale system. To make this step easier, here’s a rundown of the different features and functionalities that you should evaluate in your POS system: 

The checkout process

The checkout is the heart of the point of sale process, so make sure your POS system can enable the experience you want to provide. Here are some things to consider:

Product selection and lookup. How easy is it to enter products when you’re ringing up sales? Can you quickly scan items with a barcode? How’s the search functionality of the software?

The speed and intuitiveness of the sell screen. A fast and intuitive POS will allow you to ring up sales efficiently and keep the lines moving. If possible, have your cashiers test out the POS system and evaluate its user-friendliness.

Customer-facing experience. The POS system should also create a great customer-facing experience. Depending on your business, you may need to look at features like the ability to capture the shopper’s signature or capabilities to give tips.

Supported devices. Again, this depends on your existing setup. If you have a large cash wrap in your shop, then having a POS that works on a computer would work well. On the other hand, if you have limited space or need to ring up sales on the go, then a mobile POS system is a must.

Catalog management

Whether you’re selling physical goods or services, you likely have a menu or catalog that lists your offerings. When selecting a POS system, choose a solution that allows you to track and manage your catalog with ease. 

Here’s a list of things to look at:

Catalog input. Make sure it’s easy to actually build your catalog. Ideally, the system should enable you to upload products or services in bulk. Also, look into the different fields that you need to fill out and make sure the system allows you to input all the necessary information. For example, if having supplier data is important to you, make sure the POS system lets you enter and track that information.

Variants. If you sell products that come in multiple sizes or colors, does the system allow you to manage and track those components? Inventory management can get complicated, so choose a solution that makes it easy to stay on top of stock.

Bundles. If you sell product or service packages, see to it that the software allows you to group items in your catalog.

Multi-channel capabilities

If you sell through an ecommerce store, on online marketplaces, or on social media, choose a POS solution that can integrate with your other channels, so you can track and manage your sales from one place. 

Customer management

Ideally, your POS system should help you grow and manage your customers. Some features to look for include:

Ability to capture customer details. If customer management is important to you, choose a POS system that lets you capture shopper information at checkout.

Customer communications. Having a point of sale solution that lets you email your customers would also come in handy.

Reporting and analytics

Your POS system should give you the data and insights you need to make smarter business decisions. Choose a solution that provides:

Sales reports (i.e., amount of sales generated in a given time period or per store/channel)

Inventory / catalog reports (i.e., your best-sellers, slow-movers, etc.)

Customer reports (i.e., your top spenders, repeat customers, inactive shoppers, etc.) 

Integrations

Choose a solution that integrates with your current apps and software. You want your POS to “talk” to apps like your:

Accounting software
Payment processor
Ecommerce site
CRM 

Security and compliance

Your POS system should be able to keep your business and customer data safe. See to it that any solutions that they offer are updated and compliant with all laws and regulations. 

You may also want to ask about the types of data the POS company collects and what they do with it.

You’re one step closer to finding the best POS system for your business 

If you made it this far, then you now have a solid idea of what you need in a point of sale solution and you’re ready to start looking for one. To find the best POS system, do your research by: 

Asking other merchants
Looking up companies online
Reading merchant reviews 

Those steps will help you narrow down your search, and from there you can start calling vendors, taking demos, and or trialing different solutions. 

Good luck and we hope you find the right point of sale solution!

Further reading

If you’re looking for more information about POS systems, then we recommend reading the following articles: These are The best POS systems available today; This article explains how POS systems work; and this feature runs through how much a POS system costs, according to your use-case.

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The website traffic rankings are less straightforward than you might think.

We have updated this article to reflect the ever evolving state of play online as we approach the busiest time of the year: Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas and boxing day. The website traffic rankings are largely predictable, dominated by the world’s search, ecommerce and social media giants. However, there are a few notable (and even taboo) exceptions, new data suggests. The original article can be found further down the page.

October 2023

The growing popularity of platforms like Ozbargain.com.au, reflecting data from sources like Similarweb, underlines a significant trend – consumers are actively seeking value-driven shopping experiences. Deals, discounts, and cost-effective solutions are now at the forefront of consumers’ priorities, as both SEMrush and Similarweb data suggest, reflecting a discerning and budget-conscious approach to spending.

Moreover, we witness a noticeable surge in traffic to news and finance websites, a clear indication of consumers’ insatiable thirst for information. In today’s ever-changing world, where uncertainty often looms, the need for reliable news and financial updates has become more pronounced than ever before. Both SEMrush and Similarweb data point to consumers actively seeking to stay informed, driving the growth of these websites.

Most popular websites according to SEMrush

SEMrush data for October unveils a diverse array of websites experiencing rapid growth. Notably, e-commerce giants like Amazon.it and Amazon.in showcase growth rates of 30.1% and 15.2%, respectively, reflecting the surging demand for online shopping. The telecommunications sector is also on the rise, with Airtel.in witnessing a 22.3% growth rate, driven by increased digital connectivity needs. Additionally, the news industry shines through websites like Hurriyet.com.tr and TheSun.co.uk, indicating a heightened demand for credible information sources. This digital migration across various sectors underscores the shift in consumer behaviour, emphasizing convenience, connectivity, and access to reliable content as key drivers in today’s digital landscape.

The surge in these websites’ growth is a testament to the evolving online preferences of users, who now prioritize efficient e-commerce, secure communication, and immediate access to news and information.

Most popular websites according to Similarweb

Similarweb’s data unveils a different set of thriving websites, with recruit.co.jp leading the way with a staggering traffic MoM increase of 5220.3%. This Japanese job portal’s remarkable growth can be attributed to the dynamic job market and increasing online job-seeking trends.

Other websites like realestate.com.au, sharechat.com, ozbargain.com.au, and more are experiencing substantial growth according to Similarweb. These websites cater to real estate, social networking, and deal-hunting, respectively. Their growth is closely tied to the increasing demand for their services in the digital age.

The original article continues below

According to Similarweb analysis, adult websites Xvideos and Pornhub are among the most trafficked in the United States, receiving an average of 693.5 million and 639.6 million monthly visitors respectively.

The two pornography giants outrank a number of major services, including Netflix (541 million), Zoom (629.5 million) and Twitch (255.3 million).

Check out our list of the best VPN services aroundHere’s our list of the best browsers out thereWe’ve built a list of the best web hosting services

What’s more, these sites are expanding at a faster rate than almost all other high-traffic domains. While the Xvideos user base has grown by 2.63% month-on-month, sites like Wikipedia saw page views drop by a similar proportion and only Amazon achieved a greater rate of traffic growth, at 7.49%.

Of the top 20 websites, four are classified as pornographic: Xvideos (#11), Pornhub (#13), Xnxx (#16) and Jerkmate (#20).

Most popular websites

Google is by far the busiest website in the world, attracting 19.5 billion US visitors per month, which is more than three times the number of any other site. YouTube (also owned by Google) takes second spot on the list with 6.5 billion monthly visitors, followed by Facebook with 4.0 billion.

Predictably, Amazon is the largest online retailer in the US, attracting 2.0 billion monthly visitors, tailed by eBay and Walmart. Similarweb data suggests ecommerce websites like these have enjoyed some of the fastest rates of growth in recent months.

The publisher to receive the most US traffic is Yahoo, in 5th position overall with 1.8 billion monthly visitors, ahead of CNN, ESPN, MSN and, a little further down the list, the New York Times.

Although Google dominates the global search market, privacy-focused service DuckDuckGo has risen to an impressive 18th place. The comparatively niche search engine even outranks Microsoft Bing, attracting roughly 50 million more visitors per month, suggesting US web users are taking their data security increasingly seriously.

Here’s our list of the best proxy services out there

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Shopping for POS hardware can be overwhelming because of the sheer number of options available. Here’s how to find the best one for your business.

Transactions that take place at the point of sale are powered by two key components: software and hardware. 

The software is the program that facilitates the point of sale process. It allows cashiers to ring up sales, and it records transactions and stock levels in the system. POS software is undoubtedly essential in any point of sale transaction, but it won’t function without the hardware.

Think of it this way: software represents the brains of the POS process, while hardware serves as the body. You need both components to initiate retail transactions.

We’ve previously discussed the ins and outs of POS software, so in this article, we’ll shed light on how to select the right point of sale hardware solutions for your business. You’ll learn about the factors you should consider and get some tips on finding the right equipment for your situation.

(Image credit: Future)

POS hardware: what’s included? 

When it comes to point of sale hardware, it helps to know your options. Here are the types of equipment usually involved in a POS hardware setup:

POS display. The primary piece of equipment required to ring up sales is the point of sale display. This is the device on which cashiers will enter the information (e.g., product, pricing) to complete the transaction. 

POS displays can come in various forms, from a computer or laptop with a large screen to a handheld mobile device, like a smartphone.

Barcode scanner. A barcode scanner is a device that can scan products into the POS system, so cashiers don’t have to do it manually. Most barcode scanners these days are lightweight and can work with devices that have USB ports.

Receipt printer. If you need to print out paper receipts, then your hardware setup should include a receipt printer. Most standalone receipt printers require a power source to be plugged into. 

Essential tools to consider when buying POS hardware 

(Image credit: Future)

Cash drawer. This device stores cash and is connected to the receipt printer. The cash drawer is triggered by the receipt printer towards the end of the transaction.

Payment terminal. The payment terminal is the device you use to process debit and credit card payments. Customers tap, swipe, or insert their card into the device, then use the keypad and signature panel to move forward with the transaction.

All-in-one devices. POS equipment comes in all shapes and sizes. And, while each of the devices above can be obtained and set up on their own, there are also “all in one” POS equipment options that can combine these hardware pieces into one device. For instance, there are a number of POS tablets on the market that have built-in payment terminals, scanners and printers.

Discover more about the benefits of POS systems

Looking for more information on POS systems? Try these articles:

How to choose a POS system

How does a POS system work?

5 ways POS systems help you manage staff

As with shopping around for any business solution, you first need to figure out your specific needs. There are plenty of hardware options on the market, so evaluating your business requirements before shopping around for a solution will help you narrow down your search and make the process easier. 

Top things to consider when buying POS hardware

POS equipment takes up physical space, so you want to ensure that your store has enough room to house your hardware. Have a look around your location and consider the following:

Looking at the factors listed above will allow you to determine if you can have a full hardware setup, or go with something that’s more compact.

Let’s say you have a large fashion boutique with a dedicated checkout counter that’s roomy enough to have five people behind it. In this case, you can opt to have a full hardware setup with a large monitor, complete with standalone devices plus all the other bells whistles. 

On the other hand, if you’re selling in a small booth at a farmer’s market, then you likely don’t have enough room for bulky equipment. In this case, you may be better off with a mobile device. You could use your smartphone and a small card reader that connects to the device, rather than a tabletop payment terminal. 

Next up, consider the size of your catalog. If you’re selling a few handmade pieces and generally deal with small basket sizes, then you likely don’t need to equip your store with a large monitor and barcode scanner, because you can easily search for products using your device.

On the other hand, if you have a massive catalog and your products come in multiple sizes or colors, then you need hardware that makes it easy for you to add products to the sale. In this case, having a device that lets you scan barcodes is ideal, so you won’t have to manually search for items. 

Consider the sales environment for your POS

You should think carefully about the environment where your sales take place. Are you inside a store that has a stable internet connection and power source? If so, having a workstation and plugged in devices will do the trick. 

On the other hand, if you’re always ringing up sales on the go, then you can do without standalone devices like receipt printers and cash drawers, and stick to a handheld device (i.e., phone or tablet) that can connect to a cellular network.

Decide on a POS budget

Next up, consider your budget. POS hardware packages can range from $300 to $1,800, depending on the devices you select. 

When it comes to investing in hardware, the right amount largely depends on where your business is at. Industry data shows that small companies usually spend 6.9% of their revenue on IT (which includes software, hardware and other technology products and services), so take this into consideration when setting your hardware budget. 

The state of your business is also an important factor. If you’re a new business that’s just starting out, then it may be prudent to use basic POS hardware first. You can always add more bells and whistles as you grow. In doing so, you can free up money for more revenue-driving initiatives. 

Conversely, if you’re highly profitable and have money to spend, then you can look into more sophisticated hardware solutions. 

(Image credit: Future)

Consider the checkout experience

Factor in the checkout experience that you want to offer your customers. This typically depends on your brand image, as well as the type of customers you cater to.

Brands that serve older shoppers, for example, may want to offer a traditional point of sale experience, which usually involves a cashier standing behind the counter, taking cash and handing out receipts to customers.

In these cases, tabletop point of sale devices such as computers, cash drawers and receipt printers are all highly recommended.

Alternatively, if your customers appreciate modern experiences like mobile payments and wireless transactions, then you’ll naturally gravitate more towards sleek tablets or credit card machines that accept mobile payments.

Have a POS roadmap

Purchasing POS hardware for your existing needs is important, but don’t forget to consider the roadmap that you have for your business. Are you planning to expand your catalog? Do you want a bigger store going forward?

If so, set your sights on equipment that can meet your needs in the future and help you keep up with the times.

While there is a case for saving money and not buying unnecessary hardware, you should balance this out by being forward-thinking and considering what you’ll need further down the line.

For example, while you may be able to save money by buying an older model of a payment terminal, that decision may cost you even more if you need to update your equipment in the future.

(Image credit: Future)

Tips to implement when shopping for POS hardware 

Already know the types of devices you need in your business? Let’s move on to the action steps you can take to find the right hardware solutions – and potentially save money in the process.

Your POS software provider and payment processor can be reliable sources of information and referrals for point of sale hardware. Most of these companies have preferred partnerships with hardware vendors, so they can recommend solutions that not only fit your needs, but also work well with their solutions. 

It’s important to note that purchasing POS hardware ties in closely with choosing your point of sale software and payment processor. These entities work hand-in-hand and function better when they’re tightly integrated. 

Much like when shopping around for a new personal gadget, doing your research on other people’s experiences can help you determine which products are right for you. So, read up on ratings and reviews of other merchants who are using the devices that you’re considering. 

Dig a little deeper into your POS options

If you’re curious to see how a piece of technology works, find ways to see it in action. Go to a local technology store, so you can touch and feel the products yourself. If you know of merchants in your area who are using certain POS equipment, pay them a visit so you can see how the hardware works. You can also check out YouTube for video reviews and demos of the products. 

If you’re on a budget, you may be able to use devices that you already have. There are several POS solutions, card readers and barcode scanners that can work with tablets and smartphones. 

If you’re switching payment processors and don’t want to purchase a new payment terminal, see if you can reprogram your existing credit card machines to work with your new processor. Remember though that this isn’t always possible, but it never hurts to give it a shot.

(Image credit: POSaBit)

Ready for new POS hardware?

Point of sale hardware is an essential investment, so it’s important to determine your needs and do research on what’s out there in the marketplace. Hopefully, the pointers above will help you to decide on the right devices and hardware setup for your business. 

Good luck!

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