Point of Sale Systems
What to look for in a Point of Sale System
Traditional point-of-sale systems were standalone pieces of retail kit that facilitated payment and provided pricing information. Nowadays, EPOS systems are part of a much wider range of EPOS solutions that work together to increase operational efficiency.
When choosing a till system, there’s a whole host of features to consider. Whether you’re a small business or a large, multi-site operation, here are the most important factors you’ll want to look for in a point-of-sale system:
Flexible menus
Time is of the essence in all commercial environments, especially retail and hospitality. Speed of service and stock replenishment are top priorities. It’s essential to have a point-of-sale system that supports quick service and efficient order management.
Modern day cash registers that can be configured to suit any environment and feature easy-to-use, adjustable menus are the best way to ensure customers are served to a high standard.
Here are some menu features to look out for on an EPOS terminal:
- Buttons with images that quickly identify products and minimise booking errors
- Intuitive menus that display individual screens on the point of sale system
- Customisable foreground and background colours
- Font size specification
Integrated payments
Contactless payments are now a commonplace feature within retail environments across the world. UK and Irish markets have witnessed a year-on-year growth in non-cash payments.
Across Europe, the total spend of card payments accounted for €3.817 billion from 2020-21 – an increase of 6.59%.
A retail point of sale system that promotes convenience is a huge factor in keeping your customers happy and increasing footfall. Your electronic point of sale system should feature a secure, integrated payment system that makes it easy for your customers to purchase goods.
Here are some features to look for on the best POS systems:
- Intuitive menus that are ideal for fast-paced hospitality and retail environments
- A chip & PIN terminal to reduce input errors
- Contactless payment options to save time counting cash
Table management
There’s more to dealing with customers than taking orders and receiving payment. Table management has a massive impact on the customer’s overall experience. Promoting good service at multiple touchpoints can often be as important as the quality of product that you’re selling.
Having the ability to mirror table layouts on your POS system makes it significantly easier to manage large service areas. Staff are able to select one or more tables from their EPOS devices and you can even attribute different colours to different table statuses – e.g. green for a free table or orange for an occupied table.
Important features to look out for
Here is some other point of sale system features to look out for:
- Ordering by seat - Tracking orders by specific seats helps to reduce mistakes at POS
- Customised kitchen instructions for customers with special dietary requirements
- Age verification for restricted items e.g. alcohol
- Stock countdown – Orders are automatically deducted from stock levels in real-time, providing staff with up-to-date availability information
Whether you’re in the market for point of sales systems for small businesses, or you’re in charge of a multi-site operation, there are plenty of features to keep you ahead of the curve.
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