Blog - Business Finance

The 5 Best Kiosk POS Systems Various businesses face challenges daily, and kiosk operations are no strangers to such hardships. To remain profitable, kiosks have to remain efficient and perfect their sales process. A kiosk POS system should include simple solutions for your specific needs in a neat and easy to use package Whether it’s inventory or employee productivity, the system should give you the tools needed to run your business effectively. We’ve picked five solid POS systems for kiosks, each having strength in different aspects. Some are considered a powerful sales tool, while others offer exceptional customer loyalty features. 1. Best Overall Choice for Kiosk POS: Nova POS Nova POS is our best overall choice for a multitude of reasons. The features included should help boost productivity for kiosks of any type. The interface is simple, yet efficient, giving you all the information you’ll need while staying accessible. It also offers features such as inventory and sales management, as well as a customer loyalty program. Features Sales Management Tools This feature makes it easy to track productivity between staff members. The staff & sales management suite lets you track the individual productivity of each staff member on board. You’ll also have access to a variety of productivity-boosting tools, such as the “spare” system, which helps encourage your staff to upsell more items. Or the competition feature, which lets you host friendly sales contests between staff on a weekly or monthly basis. Inventory Management Managing your inventory efficiently is an extremely important task with a kiosk, as you’re working with fairly limited space. This is why Nova POS comes with a robust, yet simple to use inventory management section. This makes it easy to set up low-stock alerts and even lets you set up wholesale orders right from the app. Mobile App Nova POS also comes with its own integrated mobile app. Compatible with both iOS and Android, the app is a great convenience, allowing you to view real-time reports of your business from your mobile device. It also allows you to set up employee scheduling, review salaries, or communicate directly with staff. Built-In Accounting Having the ability to see your business’ numbers right from the POS software is a welcome feature. You’ll be able to view profit & loss reports, expense management, and your own customizable reports right from the app. Downsides of Nova POS One of the biggest downsides with the system is a lack of pay-as-you-go pricing plans. You’re going to have to commit to a full year of Nova POS if you want to go with them. All of their plans are yearly, and there isn’t a free trial. Though they do have a ‘demo’ where a consultant will run you through a tour of the system. 2. Most Accessible Kiosk POS: Shopkeep Shopkeep is our pick for the easiest POS system to use. It’s a great choice for those interested more in a simple, accessible system. The software doesn’t sacrifice useful features, however. Though it’s streamlined many of the processes, Shopkeep still comes with a decent roster of tools for you make use of. Features Easy to use Learning your way around the app shouldn’t be a problem, as the interface is extremely sleek and to the point. You’ll be able to save yourself the headache of learning your way around a complex POS software and training staff to use it as well. Great Customer Service Having issues arise during your hours of operation can be detrimental to profits and customer satisfaction. In order to ensure that any issues that may come up are fixed quickly, Shopkeep has a 24/7/365 customer service section. This means that you should be able to have your issues fixed in as short a time as possible. Cloud-Based Shopkeep will sync itself to the cloud whenever connected to the internet, so if your physical hardware goes bad, you won’t lose your valuable data. In case of an internet outage it’ll fall back to a local cache, so you can continue running your business as usual even without a stable connection. User Permissions The system also allows you to set custom permissions for each of your staff members. This allows you to choose which of your employees have access to manager features such as returns, payouts, and discounts. Downsides of Shopkeep Some have reported a number of bugs and issues with the inventory system. The app will also update automatically, which can happen during quite inconvenient times. 3. Best Priced Kiosk POS – Shopify Shopify is a great choice for those interested in a more affordable POS system. The lite plan comes in at only $9 per month, which is perfect for those looking to minimize upfront investment in a system. With some of the robust plans, you’ll gain access to some unique features as well. One of them being access to your own customizable online store. Features Easy to Navigate Interface The POS system features an easy to use interface with a central dashboard that makes it easy to quickly gain access to any analytics or data you’ll need. Customizable Promotions The Shopify app lets you completely customize store promotions and sales with ease. You’ll be able to create and store multiple promotions in advance and turn them on and off as needed. Reports The reporting suite offers insight into multiple aspects of your business with the click of a button. From sales data to your customer database, gathering the information you need is made quick and easy. Automatic Tax Calculations Shopify POS automatically calculates sales tax based on your location. It also supports customization of tax rates if you need to change it on specific products for any reason. Online Store With most of Shopify’s pricing plans, you gain access to your own customizable online store. While this may not be necessary to everyone, it’s just an added benefit that you can take advantage of if you’re interested in the prospect of expanding to the e-commerce world. Downsides to Shopify The inventory system that comes stock with Shopify is somewhat lacking, one feature that’s sorely needed is a low-stock alert. You’ll also be unable to process credit cards while offline, which may be more of a problem if your location doesn’t have reliable access to the internet. 4. Best Cloud-Based Kiosk POS – CashierLive A cloud-based, easy to use POS system, Cashier Live is a system designed with kiosks in mind. It comes with a set of features intended to make day-to-day operation of your business much more efficient. The software has an easy to use interface and is a breeze to train new staff to use. It can run on most browsers and doesn’t store a local cache on your device. Features Compatible with Most Devices Since the system is run off of a browser and has its own app, Cashier Live can be run on most devices. It’s available to use on a PC, or you can download it from the App Store on your iPhone/iPad. Transaction Holds Should your line be held up for any reason, Cashier Live lets you put any transaction on hold. This means you can ring up more transactions in the meantime without holding up the line. Cloud-Based Being a cloud-based system comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages: The first benefit is that hardware changes shouldn’t be a large problem, and if any of your hardware goes bad your data won’t be lost. Having no local cache also means that the system can’t operate during an outage, though. In areas without a reliable Internet connection, this system may not be the best choice for your business. Downsides to Cashier Live There is more to be desired in the reporting suite that comes stock with Cashier Live. It isn’t necessarily bad, but it’s rather barebones when compared to other POS systems. Also, the customer support team, while very helpful, isn’t a 24/7 service. This means if you have any issues while the support section isn’t open, you’re more or less out of luck. 5. Best Kiosk POS for Customer Loyalty – Vend Another cloud-based POS system, Vend comes in a very accessible package. Its main differentiator is its stellar customer loyalty program, which offers a slew of features to help build a strong returning customer base. Features Hybrid Cloud-Based System Vend uses a cloud-based system, however, a local cache is stored on your device for offline use. This means your data is safe from being lost due to faulty hardware, and your POS system can continue to be used during internet outages. Customer Profiles Individual customer profiles give you many opportunities to improve customer loyalty. Each customer account has its own balance of in-store credit, as well as support for layaways and more. Import Your Customer Base Vend allows you to import customer bases, which is extremely useful for those who have customer bases already built from previous endeavors. Reports With Vend you can make use of customizable reports. This allows you to pick and choose which information is readily available right from the insight manager while letting you avoid information that may not be relevant. Downsides to Vend The largest downside is that technical support doesn’t come standard with every package. If you want to have access to the support team, you’ll have to pay an extra cost. POS systems for kiosks should have features relevant to the unique set of challenges that they face. Things like streamlined and fast transactions, inventory management, and reporting suites are staples for most of these systems. Other users may expect features like table-mapping, but it is not likely to be a necessity. Here are a few factors and features to consider for your Kiosk business: Fast and Easy Checkouts Software that supports quick, easy, and efficient checkouts means that a large number of transactions you’ll face throughout the day won’t be a problem. Offline Functionality Many kiosks won’t be in full control of their internet connection. Sometimes this means dealing with less than ideal access to WiFi. If you’re in an area where reliable internet isn’t a guarantee, consider choosing a system that can continue operating while offline. Customer Service Having a software issue occur during open hours can seriously hamper your business’ productivity. You’re going to want any problems to be fixed as soon as possible. This is why having access to a helpful customer support section included with your POS system is extremely valuable. Simple to Use and Train Staff in Picking an accessible system is also an important thing to consider. It means you won’t have to spend a huge amount of your important time and energy to train yourself and new staff to use it. For those who want an easy to use app that will make training new staff a breeze, Nova, Shopkeep, Cashier Live, and Shopify are all great choices. If your business model relies on upselling and individual staff making sales, then Nova POS is tailored for you. It comes with plenty of features that will help boost your staff’s productivity and overall sales numbers. For those interested in building a strong customer base, you might want to consider choosing Vend for their stellar customer loyalty program. Most of the systems mentioned here offer a free trial, so you can get a good feel for the features and ease of use, before you make your final decision.