How do I choose the best POS system for my shop?

The POS software you choose for your shop is an important decision. Get it right and the business could prosper and become more valuable. Get it wrong and it could cost you plenty, even your entire business.

Yes, the decision is that important. This is why we headlined this with a question: How do I choose the best POS system for my shop?

Remember: this is your decision, for your business. Take your time. get it right. Be your own best counsel.

Think about your business. Follow this advice and your answer to the question: How do I choose the best POS system for my shop?

1. If you see your business as specialist in nature, the software you choose should be specialist.
2. If you see retail as personal, you will want software from a company that understands and provides personal service.
3. If you are short on time, you need software that genuinely helps you save time.
4. If you are not present yourself in your business, you will want software that facilitates how you work.
5. If you want people to shop local, choosing locally made and supported software supports your pitch. Local software is software made and supported in Australia.
6. If you want to be known as the local specialist, you need software that helps you do this consistently and effectively.
7. If you do repairs or maintenance of any sort, you need software that can handle this.
8. If you sell items bundled such as a rod, reel and line pack, you need software that can handle this.
9. If you sell by length or weight, you will need software that handles fractions.
10. If you are in a tourist area and sell to people once, or once a year, you need software with loyalty facilities to maximise their rare visits to your shop.
11. If you sell online, you need software that can do this easily.

Think about these things and think about what you want in software in your business to help you stand out.

Most important though: make sure every claim for what software can do is shown to you, to your full satisfaction. If a sales person says sure it does this or that, ask them to show you. Anyone can say words, a professional will back the words with action: evidence.

There are plenty of generic and cheap POS systems. Price does matter. You would know that in your business. Think about the shopper who wants a full kit but says they want the cheapest. Think about your advice to them. If you say price does matter and that you get what you pay for, the same is true with POS software.

Paying more for software that is a better fit could save you money.

Work out what you want. This the first step, ahead of dollars.

Given that rent software nowadays, the capital cost is best assessed as a weekly cost on the business. This makes comparing systems easier. Once you work out the weekly cost and tote up what you get for this in terms of support serves and software functionality you can reasonable compare the different systems.

If you are not sure whether a software package will serve your needs, don’t choose it. You are better off saying no than fighting with the software and the supplier to get it working exactly as you want. However, it is likely that you will need to change some business processes to suit the software you do ultimately choose.

Be flexible. Once you have chosen software, follow the advice provided by the software company and the expert they send to your business to train you. If they suggest changes to your business processes, embrace them.

Be disciplined. Software is like a machine. It needs the right fuel. For software, that fuel is data. Ensure everyone in your business is disciplined in how the software is used.

Be engaged. Your software company will want a two-way relationship If you have suggestions, share them Play a role in the continued evolution of the software. This helps you and other businesses in your channel.

Save time. The right software will help you eliminate manual processes. Embrace these opportunities as much as possible. Time saved is time you can invest in yourself or in the business.

Be realistic. Any new software will be a challenge. Know that you will have some rough days learning the new things. Accept these by focussing on the main goal of enjoyment and efficiency once you know the software well.

The software you choose reflects your business. Take your time. Be certain about what you want.

How do I choose the best POS system for my shop? It starts and ends with you. Put in the time, be sure of what you need and ignore the BS you are fed along the way.

Tower Systems makes POS software for small business retailers, local specialty retailers. Check them out: https://www.towersystems.com.au/