Do you know that using an eCommerce POS system can make your online multi-channel order processing much easier? Not only just order processing, you can run your online and offline business simultaneously by using an eCommerce POS system. Many businesses that use an eCommerce POS system find that their order processing and transactions run smoothly without errors. If you want to save time, reduce manual work, and make your customers happier, then you definitely need an eCommerce POS system.
In this blog, I’ll describe the key advantages of using an eCommerce POS system and explain its powerful features.
Whether you’re running a small business or managing multiple stores, I’ll also provide guidance on choosing the best POS system that suits your needs.
Let’s get started!
What is an eCommerce POS System?
An eCommerce Point of Sale (POS) system is a software that manages sales, payments, and products in online business.
Unlike regular POS systems, which are mainly used in physical stores, an eCommerce POS system is designed to work across different sales channels, like online stores, mobile apps, and even physical stores if the business has one.
The main purpose of an eCommerce POS system is to make the sales process easier and faster. It automatically handles customer orders, manages customer details, and processes payments from customers. It also tracks how much stock or inventory is available.
Key Features of eCommerce POS System
To get fully benefitted from an eCommerce POS system, it’s important to understand the features it offers. An eCommerce POS offers many features such as inventory management, customer management, employee management, online payments, integrations, smart analytics, and many more. Let’s look at these key features for a better understanding:
Inventory Management
Managing inventory is an important factor for proper business operation. You can find out how many items you have in your stock with the inventory management feature. You can see in real-time if you have enough products and know when you need to order more. As a result, you will not run out of popular items or accidentally sell something that’s not available.
- Benefit 1: You will be able to avoid overstocking by knowing exactly how much inventory you need.
- Benefit 2: The system automatically generates purchase orders when the stock level goes below a certain level.
Customer Management
Your customers always need better service from you. And for this, you need to manage customer data and analyze their preference. With the customer management feature, you can collect and organize important information about your customers, like what they’ve bought before and their favorite products. So that you can provide them better service and send them special deals based on their shopping history.
- Benefit 1: You will gain insights into customer preferences with collected data.
- Benefit 2: You will be able to plan personalized offers for your customers with these data.
Employee Management
Your employees are a vital part of your business’s success. If you want to have a successful online business, then you need to manage your employees in the right way. Employee management will help you to track your staff, schedule their shifts, and assign them different tasks.
- Benefit 1: Productivity will increase as assigning tasks and performance tracking will be in real-time.
- Benefit 2: Shifts will be properly covered and scheduling conflicts will be reduced.
Online Payments
Online payments need to be simple for customers. An eCommerce POS system makes online payments easy. POS systems support different payment methods like credit cards and PayPal. These POS systems also provide safety to customer data as I have described in the benefits section.
- Benefit 1: Offering convenient and varied payment options will reduce abandoned carts.
- Benefit 2: Providing secure payment gateways will help you to gain customer trust.
Integration with Other Necessary Tools
An eCommerce POS system can also connect with other tools a business might use, like accounting software, marketing platforms, or systems for customer management. These integrations are important to make your system rich. Additionally, you can have the benefits of all these tools instead of using different systems.
- Benefit 1: You will reduce the time spent on manual data entry by syncing information automatically across platforms.
Promotion Management
Promotional approaches are a great way to attract customers. With this feature, you can set up and manage special sales and discounts for your customers. Many types of promotional approaches you can take such as offering discounts, coupons, buy one get one free offers, etc.
- Benefit 1: Offering attractive promotions during peak seasons will increase customer engagement.
- Benefit 2: You will be able to track the performance of each promotion.
Loyalty Programs
You can reward your repeat customers to come back again after they purchase. This feature will help you to provide rewards to your customers for shopping with you again and again. You can give them points or special discounts. When customers reach a certain amount, they can purchase goods with it.
- Benefit 1: You will boost customer retention by rewarding repeat shoppers.
Cross-Channel Data Integration
Many businesses sell both online and in physical stores. Managing sales data and inventory across both places can be tricky without a good system. An eCommerce POS system brings all the data into one dashboard.
- Benefit 1: You will have a unified view of your sales and inventories across all channels together.
Scalability to Grow with Your Business
When a business grows, its needs grow as well. A great thing about an eCommerce POS system is that it can grow with a business. An eCommerce POS is designed in a way it can adjust to new changes and additional loads. If you add more locations, increase products, new stores, or branches, the system will adapt to your expanding needs without any major issues.
- Benefit 1: You will avoid the hassle of switching systems as your business expands.
Built-in Security Features
Security is super important in online business, especially when it comes to online payments. Most eCommerce POS systems have built-in security features to keep payment information safe. They use encryption to protect sensitive data and prevents it from being stolen. So that your business and your customers feel safe and everything stays secure.
- Benefit 1: Risk of fraud and data breach will reduce.
9 Best eCommerce POS Systems for Your Business
We have explored the key features and benefits of an eCommerce POS system. Now we will explore the top eCommerce POS system. Let’s look at what they are, what are their features, and pricing.
Shopify POS
For both online and physical stores, Shopify POS is a great option to choose. Whether you’re selling online, in a retail store, or through a pop-up event, everything is tracked and managed from its single dashboard. Shopify POS offers real-time inventory tracking. If a product is sold in the physical store, it’s immediately updated across all platforms, including the online store.
Features of Shopify POS:
- Omnichannel selling
- Payment processing
- Staff management
- POS inventory system
- Customization
Pricing: Starts at $19/month.
Lightspeed POS
A popular choice for retail, hospitality, and restaurant industries, Lightspeed is a popular point-of-sale system. Lightspeed supports complex product catalogs. You can track products by size, color, and material. It also supports bulk uploads. The system generates various types of reports, such as sales reports by product, employee performance reports, and profit margins. Business owners can transfer stock between locations, view sales data by location, and centralize reporting using Lightspeed.
Features of Lightspeed POS:
- Sell across channels
- Sell in multiple locations
- Manage inventory
- Reporting and analytics
- Marketing & loyalty
- Integrate with tools and systems
Pricing: Starts at $89/month.
Clover
For restaurant, retail, and service businesses, Cover is a flexible point-of-sale system. Clover allows you to track inventory levels in real-time. You can manage different product variations, such as sizes or colors. Clover supports third-party apps and integrations, including accounting software, CRM systems, and marketing tools. It provides reports on inventory levels, stock movements, and product performance.
Features of Clover:
- Tracking and reporting
- Inventory management
- Customer engagement
- Employee management
- Payment processing
- Online ordering
Pricing: Starts with 165/month.
Square POS
You can accept payments in multiple ways using Square POS. With Square POS, you can quickly accept payments using credit cards, debit cards, or even mobile payments like Apple Pay and Google Pay. Square POS also creates detailed sales reports and keeps track of what’s in stock. With its support for online and in-store sales, and integration with mobile devices, you can manage your business smoothly whether you’re at your store or at a remote place.
Feature of Square POS:
- Online ordering
- Loyalty program
- Marketing tools
- Payment processing
Pricing: No monthly fee for the free version, only a small payment for sales. For advanced features – pricing starts with $29/month
Toast POS
With Toast POS, you can easily update and customize your menu and track inventory in real time. Toast can help you to manage your restaurant, take orders, and process payments with your customers. Toast specifically focuses on restaurants, but there are alternatives you might consider. You can do various types of other businesses in the food genre including cafes, bakeries, casual dining, pizzerias, fine dining, bars, lounges, breweries, food trucks, and hotels. Toast provides customized views and layouts built for different types of businesses, which is one of Toast’s perks.
Features of Toast:
- Payment processing
- Email marketing
- Multi-location management
- Kitchen display system
- Integration capabilities
- Inventory management
Pricing: Starts at $69/month
Korona POS
A comprehensive inventory management feature is provided in Korona POS. You can upload existing product databases, create promotions, and order your inventory using this system. Korona POS provides a wide range of customizability for its users. You get cloud reporting, multi-location sync, and third-party integrations in the system. Korona POS also has a built-in point-based loyalty system.
Features of Korona POS:
- Customer relationship management
- Franchise and multi-location
- Inventory management
- Reports and analytics
- Built-in loyalty programs
Pricing: Starts at $59/month
ePOS Now
A cloud-based point-of-sale system ePOS now provides an easy-to-use interface and provides real-time data access from any device with internet connectivity. You can track your business performance, sales trends, and inventory stock with this system. ePOS Now offers customization options to fit your specific business needs.
Features of ePOS Now:
- Retail point of sale
- Real-time Inventory management
- Powerful reporting
- Flexible payment options
- eCommerce integrations
- Multiple store capability
Pricing: $299
Stax Pay
You can automatically create and send invoices (bills) to your customers using Stax Pay. You get detailed reports and insights into your sales from this POS system. Stax Pay is highly customizable and it can adjust to new features and settings that you need with the growth of your business.
Features of Stax Pay:
- Dashboard and analytics
- Customer Support
- Invoicing
- Mobile payments
- Integration capabilities
Pricing: Starts at $99/month.
Helcim
Accepting payments by supporting various payment methods is easier with Helcim POS. With Helcim POS, you can manage your inventory, track sales, and handle customer information all in one system. It also provides tools for generating reports, which help you to analyze your business performance and make informed decisions.
Features of Helcim POS:
- Online checkout
- Subscription manager
- Inventory management
- Mobile payment
- Customer relationship management
- Reporting
Pricing: Starts at $30/month.
eCommerce POS with Website and Store?
We already have explored the top 9 eCommerce POS systems in the previous section. But is there any eCommerce script that already has a built-in POS system and supports both online and physical store orders?
Yes, there are some smart solutions available. Let’s see what they offer.
- 6amMart is a complete solution for multi vendor and multi module eCommerce marketplace that has a built-in POS system in it.
- If you want a solution that offers multiple vendors and single vendors together with a POS system, then 6Valley is a good option for you.
- On demand eCommerce service platform Demandium offers a built-in POS system with multi vendor support.
- If you want a solution that offers built-in POS system with multi restaurant online food ordering and delivery support, then StackFood is a better solution.
- eFood is a complete solution that offers a built in POS system that supports multi branch restaurant business.
- Hexacom is another multi-branch supported eCommerce system that offers brand specific business with a built-in POS system.
- Online Grocery business can be done with a complete solution Grofresh that offers a built in POS, all in one grocery solution, grocery delivery, and order management.
All these solutions offer complete market ready scripts and built-in POS systems and support both online ordering and physical store order management processes together.
How to Choose an eCommerce POS System?
Choosing the right eCommerce POS system is very important for effectively managing your orders, sales, and transactions. It’s not just about selecting a system with the most features, it’s about selecting a system that meets your needs. Here’s how to make a smart choice.
Identify Your Needs: Start by determining what you need from an eCommerce POS system. Analyze if the system meets these criteria:
- Does it handle online sales smoothly?
- Can it track your inventory accurately?
- Is the checkout process user-friendly?
You can choose a system if it meets these criteria.
Integrations: Make sure the POS system has integration capability with other systems. It should easily integrate with, accounting software, payment gateways, SMS gateways, and customer management systems.
Costing: Look at how much the POS system will cost, including setup fees, monthly charges, and any additional costs for extra features. It should fit your budget and offer good value for the money you are going to spend on it.
Success metrics: You have to determine what success looks like for your business. Are you focused on more sales, fewer errors, and more customer satisfaction? You should find out what features will help you to achieve these targets. The system matches these features is a better match for your business.
Conclusion
In this blog, we’ve covered all the essential aspects of an eCommerce POS system, including its features and benefits and how it can improve your business. You have also learned which factors you need to focus on while choosing a better system. As you have learned all the ins and outs of an eCommerce POS system, it’s time to choose one for your business.
Best wishes.
FAQs
Can I manage both online and offline sales with the same POS system?
Yes, you can manage both online and offline sales with the same POS system. Many modern POS systems are designed to handle transactions from various sales channels.
What’s the biggest advantage of using an eCommerce POS system?
The ability to centralize your business operations is the biggest advantage of using an eCommerce POS system. It allows you to handle everything from real-time inventory updates to multi-channel sales integration.
Can I use an eCommerce POS system if I have multiple stores?
Yes, you can use an eCommerce POS system if you have multiple stores. Many POS systems are designed to support multi-location businesses.
Can I use an eCommerce POS if I only sell offline?
Yes, you can use an eCommerce POS system even if you only sell offline. Many eCommerce POS systems offer features that are useful for physical stores, such as managing sales, inventory, and customer data. Even if you don’t have an online store, these systems can still help your business.
