Choose The Right POS System For Your Business

Choosing the right Point-Of-Sale (POS) system is an important part of setting up or upgrading your business. The right POS system can make your billing process and inventory management a lot easier. But before you set out to buy yours, you need to consider all the available options.

Let’s take a look at the different types of POS systems, and the types of businesses that they benefit most.

Mobile POS

A mobile Point-Of-Sale, or mPOS, is typically an external credit card reader that connects to an app in your smartphone or tablet, instead of a countertop device. This system can process payments, and store some customer information (encrypted) on a cloud-based server.

Usually, the POS vendor provides the card reader when you sign up with them. It is a cost-effective billing option for businesses that need to stay mobile.

Some of the businesses that can benefit immensely from this type of POS system are:

• Businesses that offer home delivery
• Freelance/contract workers
• Street vendors
• Food trucks
• Mobile services such as cleaners, home care services, lawn mowers, etc.

Here’s a list of some of the best mPOS vendors, and their details.

Tablet POS

Tablet POS systems are typically iPad and Android-based payment solutions that work via an app on your tablet. This POS system is widely popular among restaurants, coffee shops, and fast food chains, since they require minimal investment and offer a high level of mobility and ease of access.

There are vendors that offer both free and paid tablet POS systems. However, with the free service providers, there’s usually a payment processing fee.

You can find a list of the top tablet POS vendors here.

Terminal POS

Terminal POS systems are the more typical countertop ones that you’d probably find in bigger stores. These systems often come as a set that includes all the hardware, such as credit card readers, barcode scanners, and cash drawers.

Modern terminal POS systems come with a cloud-based backup, and can be integrated with external devices such as Wi-Fi enabled tableside ordering devices, printers, and certain mobile/tablet POS apps. The higher end systems even have the software to manage your entire inventory, print labels, customer database, and so on.

This type of POS system is good for businesses or stores that have a large inventory and a dedicated billing desk or counter.

Here are some of the best terminal POS vendors around.

Self-Service POS

These are basically POS kiosks that are usually intended for a specific purpose. As the name suggests, they are self-serviceable, and do not require an operator.

Self-service POS kiosks are usually used at movie theatres, parking garages, airports, and other such places, mainly for ticketing. However, POS kiosks are beginning to extend their reach to even restaurants, enabling customers to order food without having to wait.

You can check out the pricing and details of the top 3 kiosk POS vendors here.

Now that you’ve got a good idea of the different types of POS systems out there and their functionalities, you can better decide which one to go with for your own business!