Custom PoS systems: features, software, and selection guide
Custom PoS services
We provide a full range of PoS services for businesses of any size or vertical, converting their unique requirements into bespoke and robust solutions.
Development
Itransition creates web and mobile PoS solutions from scratch, upgrades legacy PoS software, and helps safely migrate existing solutions to alternative platforms and more advanced hardware. We equip custom PoS software with powerful capabilities and a visually appealing and intuitive interface to ensure its efficiency and frictionless use.
We connect PoS software with CRM and ERP solutions and databases for seamless data exchange and convenient storage. We can also integrate PoS with analytical and reporting systems to let companies explore their PoS data and transform it into actionable operational and customer insights.
Key PoS features
Itransition fits PoS software with ample capabilities to cover all important business processes. We can advise you on the feature set that will fully meet your business requirements and objectives.
Payment processing
Our solutions enable quick and secure processing of cash, card, and digital payments made in-store or online and through contact and contactless methods, mobile devices, and web applications. Our PoS software also helps businesses centralize financial transactions and control cash flows across sales channels.
Inventory management
We equip our point-of-sale solutions with features for efficient inventory and stock management, enabling users to monitor product availability and state, avoid out-of-stock and overstock situations, plan pricing and promotions, and maintain efficient delivery schedules.
Staff management
We equip our PoS solutions with time tracking, employee performance, productivity, and access control features to let supervisors distribute workload optimally, assign rewards, promptly fill gaps, and manage payroll.
Our PoS solutions serve as a source of customer data that helps retailers understand consumers’ preferences and expectations, personalize communications, marketing, and customer service, and facilitate engaging loyalty programs.
Our developers can add analytical features to PoS systems to provide companies with accurate insights into their sales, allowing decision-makers to make data-driven decisions towards more effective sales strategies.
Reporting
Through reporting functionality, we help retail businesses identify trends, detect process bottlenecks, and identify growth opportunities. We can preconfigure standard reports or design advanced ones with multiple filters to give you real-time visibility of your sales, inventory, customers, and employees.
Entrust your custom PoS project to Itransition
Common PoS integrations
Connecting custom PoS software with critical business systems and hardware, we enable seamless data exchange and help retailers streamline critical business operations, provide faster checkout, and deliver more personalized customer experiences.
Common PoS integrations
CRM
ERP
Inventory management
Loyalty program apps
Ecommerce platforms
Hardware
for seamless customer data exchange and enhanced customer experiences
for total visibility into retail operations and higher data integrity and consistency
Inventory management
for monitoring stock levels across retail locations in real-time
Loyalty program apps
for tracking customer data and providing personalized rewards
for real-time sales data exchange and processing of online and offline transactions
Hardware
to ring up customers and complete transactions faster
Custom PoS development tech stack
Our software development teams select suitable technologies for each project to build well-performing, feature-rich PoS systems.
Back-end
Back-end
Front-end
Front-end
Mobile apps
Mobile apps
Databases
Databases
Hosting platforms
Hosting platforms
Need a robust PoS system?
Popular PoS solutions
Clover is a highly customizable and user-friendly cloud-based PoS system for processing payments, managing inventory, tracking sales, and running various retail operations.
Key features
- A selection of hardware and software components for unique setups
- Flat-rate payment processing model
- Online ordering and sales
- Cross-channel inventory synchronization
- A unified dashboard for sales channel management
- Loyalty programs, customer lists, and feedback support
- Employee schedule and payroll management
- Real-time reports with filtering
- App market and developer tools for customization
- 24/7 customer support by phone, chat, and email
Best for
- Retail stores
- Restaurants
- Professional services businesses
Limitations
- Requires Clover hardware
- Additional apps can be expensive
- No free plan
Pricing
- Flexible payment options for different business types with monthly subscription or one-lump-sum payments
- Pricing starts from $60/month for retail stores and $100/month for restaurants
- Transaction fees start from 2.3% + 10 cents
Square is a payment processing and point-of-sale platform with the essential features for managing sales in-store and online.
Key features
- Ample functionality even in the free version
- An array of mobile and stationary PoS hardware options
- Smart stock forecasts and restocking alerts
- Automatic barcode label printing
- Returns and exchanges management
- Labor vs. sales reports
- Social media sales channel
- Ecommerce website builder
- In-built CRM tool
- Promotions and loyalty program support
Best for
- Businesses of all sizes
Limitations
- Not compatible with Windows devices
- Lacks industry-specific features
Pricing
- Various pricing plans for different business types, including a free plan and paid plans starting from $29/month
- Several options for payment processing fees starting from 2.5% + 10 cents
GoDaddy POS is an easy-to-use PoS system for accepting payments and unifying in-person and online sales.
Key features
- Quick and easy setup
- Hands-free payment acceptance with portable Poynt Card Reader
- All-in-one Poynt Smart Terminal has a built-in payment processor, scanner, and printer
- Cross-channel selling options
- Sales, payments, and inventory tracking
- Print, email, or text receipts
- Easy connection with wired and wireless printers, cash drawers, ECRs, and barcode scanners
- Access to GoDaddy’s ecommerce website building tools
- PCI-compliance
- Mobile app
- Customer support via live chat, phone, and email
Best for
- Startups
- Small companies
- Mid-sized companies
Limitations
- Exclusively supports GoDaddy’s payment gateway
Pricing
- Poynt Card Reader costs $49.00
- Poynt Smart Terminal costs $399.00
- Pricing can increase with new subscriptions
- Transaction fees are $2.3% + 0 cent per transaction
Lightspeed Retail is a cloud-based PoS system with strong inventory management capabilities.
Key features
- Compatible with different hardware types
- Multiple suppliers, channels, and stores management
- Customizable reports and data dashboards
- Reorder points and low stock alerts
- Built-in ecommerce features and integrations
- Selling through social media and popular online marketplaces
- Staff performance reports
- Open API for custom solutions
- Integrations with accounting, ecommerce, and marketing apps
- Personalized onboarding and 24/7 support
Best for
- Retail businesses with multiple locations
Limitations
- Annual contracts are required for lower pricing
Pricing
- Several plans starting from $69/month
- Transaction fees are 2.6% + 10 cents for all plans
- Free trial
PoS selection criteria
Here’s how retailers should select a PoS solution to implement the one perfectly matching their business specificity, requirements, and growth plans.
- User-friendliness to ensure high customer retention
- Hardware options suitable for your business specifics
- Integration capacity to connect it to necessary business tools
- Automation capabilities for streamlining manual tasks
- PCI compliance for keeping data safe
- Support for timely solving technical issues
Step-by-step selection guide
1
Identify your needs
Observe your business processes to determine what aspects can be improved with PoS software.
2
Consider your future setup
Determine what PoS features, hardware, and integrations you need to streamline operations.
3
Research popular solutions
Study different systems available on the market, look up their demos, and compare their functionality, pricing, user reviews, and scalability potentials.
4
Create a shortlist
Narrow down your search to three to five platforms that best fit your requirements and have been successfully applied for use cases similar to yours.
5
Decide on your budget
Decide on the amount of money you’re planning to spend and check which of the shortlisted PoS solutions are priced within the suitable range.
6
Test the solutions
If the PoS vendors offer a free trial, test the selected solutions to check their performance, user interface, and applicability to your business.
Custom PoS system cost
The ballpark estimate for creating a custom retail PoS system starts at $40,000, while the price of platform PoS software solutions starts from $1,500.
Hardware
Software
Additional fees
The cost can reach $5,500 per workstation depending on the chosen hardware’s type and specifications. Some PoS software vendors can require retailers to exclusively use the devices from their brand.
- PoS terminal
- Cash drawer
- Barcode scanner
- Touchscreen
- Credit card reader
- Tablet stand
- Receipt printer
- Self-service kiosk
On-premise
On-premise PoS implementations require one-time upfront payment for a license that businesses own perpetually. Still, you need to take into account a recurring cost for monthly or annual software maintenance.
Cloud-based
A cloud PoS subscription costs range from free to $250 per month. As businesses grow, they can switch to higher-tier plans allowing for more users and advanced features.
Cloud PoS software providers can charge fees for:
- Payment processing
- Additional user accounts
- Locations
- Features
- Add-ons
Custom PoS software cost factors
Project's size, complexity, and timeframe
Product features
Interface design
Integrations
Technology stack
Development team composition
Developers’ pay rate
Maintenance and support
The benefits of PoS systems
With PoS solutions, retailers can increase their operational efficiency, improve customer experiences, and reach high servicing standards.
For retailers
All-in-one system
PoS software allows for managing sales, customers, and inventory from a single place.
Streamlined operations
PoS systems smoothly connect different aspects of retail operations, making transaction, stock, customer, and staff management easier.
Valuable insights
With PoS reports, retailers can track diverse business metrics, identify customer behavior trends, and evaluate staff’s performance.
Better customer service
By automating processes, PoS systems help in-store staff focus on communicating with consumers and doing their job more accurately instead of dealing with routine tasks.
Improved inventory management
Businesses can track their inventory in real-time and know when to replenish the stock.
For customers
Flexible payment options
Modern PoS software supports various payment methods, so customers can choose the option they prefer.
Faster checkout
With integrated barcode scanners, card swipers, and printers, a PoS system allows customers to process a transaction faster and easier.
Personalized experiences
By scanning their loyalty cards at the PoS system, customers can get personalized promotions and bonuses on special occasions like birthdays.
Easy item lookup
PoS systems enable customers to check an item's availability or location in real-time, making shopping easier.
Convenient self-service
Using self-service PoS kiosks, customers can make an order and check out without a cashier’s assistance, which saves time.
Streamline your sales with a custom PoS system
FAQ about PoS systems
What is the difference between a PoS system and a cash register?
Retailers use both cash registers and point-of-sale systems to process payments. Cash registers can only process payments, calculate taxes, and print receipts, while PoS systems streamline retail business transactions and operations using more advanced functionality like inventory management, employee management, and reporting.
How do I know if I need a PoS system?
Every retailer that sells goods or services in person needs a PoS system to accept and process payments, regardless the size of the company. However, the type of PoS solution and its final feature set will vary for different industries and businesses.
What problems can retailers have with PoS systems and how to solve them?
Security issues
To mitigate the risks associated with cyber attacks, retailers should ensure compliance of the PoS components with the PCI standards, protect data with encryption, and apply multi-factor authentication practices.
Improper PoS installation
During the installation, collaborate with the PoS implementation company to ensure that it meets your requirements. Check these critical aspects in your installed system:
- Wires and cables are properly installed and plugged in
- Software is compatible with your devices
- Inspect access to the system in different user roles
- Make sure that the system is configured according to your requirements and all integrations function smoothly
- Check if the internet connection is secure and strong to support your PoS activity
Troubleshooting
Waiting for your issues to be fixed by the PoS providers’ support team can interrupt your operations, so retailers can save time by preventing or learning to solve the most common problems themselves.
- Properly train your staff to use your PoS system correctly and identify the most frequent issues
- Get a secure remote access solution for your IT team to troubleshoot remotely
- Run regular checks of your PoS system
- Establish a process for swiftly addressing PoS problems with your services provider
Case study
Payment processing system redevelopment
Itransition's team revamped a payment processing system for an established payment transaction service provider.
Case study
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Learn about the self-service kiosk app we developed for a 24/7 restaurant chain that contains payment, advertising, maintenance and advertising modules.
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