POS systems
Restaurant POS system
Bar & Pub POS
Retail Point of sale
iPad based POS
Delivery platform integration
Payment processing terminal
Ecommerce website
Small & medium business
Retail POS
Restaurant POS
Appointment-scheduling POS
POS software
Quick service
Bars & Breweries POS
Professional Services
Hospitality POS system
Retail EPOS system
Pizza POS system
Online ordering & delivery
Ecommerce store integrations
Multi store capability
The POS providers industry segment is a subset of the point-of-sale terminals and systems industry. This industry provides hardware, software and services used to accept card payments at retail locations, such as grocery stores and clothing retailers. These terminals can be installed on a computer or mobile device.
There are a number of established POS providers in Canada to choose from. This article takes a closer look at the top 10 companies, how their POS system works and what they have to offer potential clients.
Here are the top POS Systems:
Lightspeed is the first POS system to look at and it is a restaurant POS system with an intuitive and easy-to-use interface. Instead of pressing dozens of buttons in order to place an order, Lightspeed only requires users to press a few colourful icons on the screen. The restaurant ordering system is designed to reduce wait times and ensure that customers receive their food within a reasonable time frame.
The company provides terminals for iPad and Android devices. It is capable of processing credit card transactions via integrated mobile payment solutions, such as Apple Pay and Google Wallet.
The ordering systems come in multiple versions, depending on the number of tables in the restaurant. Users can choose between a single table version (for 3-5 guests), two table version (with 6-10 seats) and a full-size version (for groups of over 10 guests)
TouchBistro is another POS software designed with the needs of restaurateurs in mind. The software is used to streamline the ordering process, making it faster and easier for customers to place orders with their servers.
The point has a number of digital tools that are designed with efficiency in mind. For example, users can create separate tabs for items that are on special or for specific customer orders, while digital timers make it simple to keep track of the estimated time of arrival of ready-to-serve food.
The restaurant POS also comes with a number of analytical tools to help users identify patterns in their business. It provides statistics about total wait times, average table turnover rates and much more. The POS system is easy to use and available for a reasonable price, making it a strong contender in the top 10 list of best POS systems in Canada 2021.
Toast is better than most POS systems that have been developed with simplicity in mind. It works by organizing the ordering process into three simple steps. First, customers select their main course using large visible menus. Second, they place an order for their drinks and/or desserts (if desired). Finally, they pay at the counter before receiving their food.
Toast has three different versions, each geared towards a specific type of business: fast-casual (for restaurants such as Panera Bread), quick service (for customers who want to pay at the counter and collect their food from the kitchen) and full service (for traditional sit-down restaurants).
Square POS was designed with the needs of small and medium businesses in mind. Square point of sale is compatible with a variety of iOS and Android devices, making it easy to process payments from customers using their familiar mobile devices. The Square POS features a card reader only supports credit/debit cards, meaning that users will have to upgrade if they want to accept cash payments.
The Square POS system is an affordable option, especially for small business owners looking to expand their services and includes loyalty programs. The Square point of sale comes with free credit card processing and requires no long-term contracts or lease agreements.
Epos Now is a cloud-based POS for quick-service restaurants similar to Shopify POS. It was created with the needs of owners and managers in mind, making it easy to use and providing insights into operations that can be used to save time and money.
The system manages everything from payments to inventory management, making it a comprehensive tool for small businesses without dedicated IT teams. Restaurants can provide their customers with a number of services without having to invest in extra hardware or staff training.
Quetzal Software is a cloud-based POS system designed to help small and medium-sized businesses maximize their operations. The platform offers point-of-sale tools with inventory management capabilities that can be used with Apple, Android and Windows devices.
The software was created by the same team that developed QuetzalPOS – a leading retail management tool for Windows that has been used by more than 145,000 businesses worldwide.
QuetzalPOS offers a number of features to make your business run smoothly. You can keep track of inventory through the use of barcode scanner and other unique identifiers, request quotes from suppliers, create reports and much more.
In addition to its powerful functionality, the platform is also known for its ease of use. The user interface is simple and intuitive, making it possible to implement the software on a quick timeline and explore all the features.
Vend is a cloud-based POS terminal designed to make it easy for small stores to manage their operations. The software comes with a number of useful tools, including inventory management, staff scheduling and invoicing capabilities.
Vend is popular among owners and managers of restaurants, coffee shops and bars because it offers a comprehensive toolset that also includes a loyalty program and a customer feedback system.
Vend has a number of features, but its most notable perk is the fact that it can be used on any device with web access. This gives businesses the flexibility to serve their customers from anywhere in the world without having to invest in specialized hardware or additional staff training.
Lavu is a point-of-sale system with an emphasis on simplicity and ease of use. The platform was designed from the ground up to be intuitive, making it possible for small retail stores to quickly create a professional-looking website that also offers powerful back-office functionality.
Restaurants can accept contactless payments through traditional methods – such as credit and debit cards – as well as cash, checks and gift certificates. The platform is also compatible with a range of hardware, including a receipt printer and barcode scanners.
Lavu is one of the best point-of-sale systems for small businesses looking for an affordable way to expand their payment processing service. It offers a user interface that’s easy to master without sacrificing advanced features.
Revel Systems is a powerful point-of-sale solution for small and medium businesses that want to take their operations to the next level. Revel Systems offers advanced inventory management capabilities and can be used with Apple, Android and Windows mobile devices.
Revel Systems comes with a number of features for both merchants and managers, including WiFi support, an intuitive interface and customer loyalty programs. There’s also a customer feedback system that supports social media integration, making it possible to spread the word about your business with just a few taps on your device.
Clover is an all-in-one POS system that offers inventory management, staff scheduling and customer relationship tools for retail stores. The platform includes over 40 features, including custom reporting options, receipt printers and the ability to send invoices directly through email.
Prospera Technologies is a POS provider that designed Clover with SMBs in mind; it’s easy to use even for those who aren’t tech experts. The software also offers a point-of-sale app for Android that can be used for payment processing on the go, making it possible for you to quickly engage with customers and sell products while maintaining control over your inventory levels and staff schedules.
Point of sale systems are so many but not all POS systems are created equal. When running a business, you need to be sure that the POS you install in your business is excellent, and can help increase overall revenue.
There is really a POS solution for every type of business and even cryptocurrency investors, though these systems may come in different forms and work differently from each other. We will help you take a look at various best POS systems so as to make it easier for you to choose what works for you.
A POS system helps small and large businesses manage operations. It simplifies the billing, purchasing process and has inventory management features. The goal is to increase efficiency, improve customer service and give you more time to focus on moving your business forward.
Many POS systems range from basic cash registers held together with rubber bands up to high-tech computerized systems that can handle inventory management, sales, and payroll.
Some POS systems are designed to replace cash registers; others focus on inventory management, while still others offer the full range of features for all areas of your business.
POS systems vary not only by cost but also by their capabilities. Choosing the right system can be overwhelming because there are so many different options available.
A point-of-sale (POS) system represents a bundle of POS hardware and POS software used to provide the nerve center of brick & mortar businesses. Some of the best POS systems are available for free while others cost up to $200 per month for one station.
It is a good POS system to manage stocks and accept payments. It automates stock tracking and reporting. The best POS system for retail stores is a payment processing system at $200 monthly for your business. For a single company, it will give $5,000 per month a day. You should not look for a free POS system, but instead, find one that is affordable. Users have to choose between a flat fee of monthly fees for their POS.
The best restaurant POS software for the P2P industry does more than only process the selling of goods and payment methods. It makes it easy to run your business from the beginning, with functions that assist you to track sales and customer data, tracking inventory, and customer management.
Support for the latest ordering techniques is another critical capability of a modern POS system. Look for systems that give you maximum flexibility with the month-by-month POS software subscriptions, a choice of third party payment processors, and compatibility with third-party hardware that you can purchase separately.
Self-serve ordering is also a growing trend due to the Coronavirus pandemic and many POS systems have implemented POS software to take tablets and smartphones into portable delivery stations.
The best POS system for the P2P industry is essential to keep up with modern technology and provide the digital marketing opportunities that may bring your brand into the mainstream.
A good POS system in Canada is essential for any physical or online store that sells products or services to its customers. Fast, efficient, flexible, and reliable transactions are the bread and butter of your operations.
The best POS software will be able to handle all types of transactions, deliver timely information about stock levels and other aspects of your business to help you make informed decisions.
The best POS support all the latest and future technologies so that your business is always ahead of the competition.
Whether you are starting a new business or expanding an existing one, choosing the right POS system can make all the difference. In the past, your POS system was similar to cash drawers and a credit card machine. Now, however, POS contains much more than basic transaction functionality. It is advisable to look for a solution that offers a free trial period.
Honestly, assess the size of your business and how large you plan to grow it over the next few years. If you own a small restaurant and never plan to open a second location, then you don’t need multi-location support and you also likely do not need an inventory system that can handle 500,000 unique identifiers.
If you are running a small restaurant, chances are, you would be just fine with a restaurant POS system that provides basic inventory functionality, timesheet integration, and a table map in addition to basic transaction functionality.
The reverse is also true; if you own a local chain of restaurants, then you will need multi-location support if you want to be able to manage all of your locations together, rather than running all of the sites separately.
There is also a possibility that an inventory system would be a requirement, as a large chain of restaurants will most likely have a lot more unique items than the local diner up the road.
The size of the business is also another crucial factor to consider when choosing a POS system. If you own a small, local business with a few locations, then chances are cloud-based POS systems are a better choice for you.
If your company has less than five employees and only operates in one location, then the cloud-based point of sale with employee management features is most likely not going to be an option for you.
In this case, it would be much easier to have a local system installed at each site instead of having the potential headache of trying to get all of your employees synced up under one central location.
Additionally, determining the type of hardware and POS software is also a critical consideration in choosing your POS. Cloud-based point of sale systems works well for retail stores with multiple locations because they allow each site to be managed separately.
If you are looking for something that will integrate easily with your current process, you should probably stick to POS software/hardware combinations. They will take more time and effort order to get implemented, but the support behind them is usually very good.
The companies will be able to help you set up and implement your POS software, rather than trying to figure it out on your own.
Some POS features are really complex and need a lot of customization in order for them to run smoothly in your business. If you already have a team of developers who can help with the customization, then the chances are good that you should be able to find what you need.
However, if you do not have any development experience and no one on your team is familiar with programming languages like C# or Java, then choosing a POS system that requires heavy customizations could spell disaster for your implementation.
You would most likely end up hiring an outside firm to do the customization for you, which will drive up your costs.
Last but not least, if your business is on a tight budget and you aren’t sure about spending more than $5,000 on a POS system it might be better to consider open-source POS software.
This type of POS system can work well for small businesses, but you will have to be prepared for a longer implementation process since it isn’t as user-friendly.
It’s never easy choosing the right Point of Sale system for your business, so get ready for some hard work, research, and planning. Nevertheless, once you are clear on what you need in order to run your business, you should be able to find a POS system that works for your business.
Retail and restaurant businesses require different types of POS (point-of-sale) systems. This is because their business models, ownership structures, and purchase patterns differ.
Retail businesses typically sell goods that are uniform in nature and large in quantity; restaurants usually offer a diverse range of products with a lower unit value, along with variable portion sizes and higher demand.
The POS software needs to perform differently depending on the business model employed by the retail or restaurant enterprise.
Most Canadian Retailers now use a combination of traditional retail POS equipment and cloud-based systems designed specifically for retailing, which are customized for their specific industry.
Most retailers have adopted the use of POS software to replace manual record-keeping, using databases that allow centralized information. Increased productivity is the primary reason for retailers to use POS software; however, there are other advantages associated with its use as well.
A retail business can benefit from easier inventory management, improved customer relationship management and more efficient purchasing processes.
A POS app also improves order accuracy, lowers costs and allows you to increase profits by streamlining purchase order information. Retailers can also enjoy streamlined online sales reporting, which helps business owners better understand what their customers are looking for.
The software systems that retail businesses use vary in terms of functionality depending on the size, industry or operational requirements of the business. Smaller retailers may have limited budgetary considerations, but most larger retailers have invested in sophisticated systems that address their specific requirements.
In a restaurant business, the restaurant POS software is responsible for maintaining detailed information about products on hand and those sold.
In addition to allowing you to track inventory, a restaurant POS can also help with menu management, customer management, track unit costs and price management of food items that are frequently ordered together. It can even monitor customer buying patterns and spending levels.
The best restaurant POS system is interactive and can:
While such systems produce reports that help restaurant owners better serve their customers, the software must be scaled to their business needs. The reports that are generated by a good POS system may also be used internally for purposes other than decision making, including employee management and performance analysis and customer feedback surveys.
As you can see there is a glaring difference between the restaurant and retail POS systems. This means you would need to pick a POS solution that suits your specific needs and industry.
| POS system provider | Pricing p/m start | Type of business |
| Lightspeed Restaurant | CA$69.00 | Retail, Hospitality, Golf |
| Square Restaurant POS | CA$60.00 |
Counterservice retail and hospitality
|
| Clover POS | CA$100.00 | Hair, Services |
| Revel systems | CA$99.00 | Quick service Restaurant |
| NCR (Aloha) | CA$175.00 | Complex retail or hospitality |
| Touchbistro | CA$69.00 | Full service restaurants |
| Toast POS | CA$80.00 | Restaurants |
| Sunmi POS | CA$29.00 | Small stores |
| Oracle (Micros) | CA$55.00 | Food & Beverage, Retail |
| Shopify POS PRO | CA$119.00 | Small omnichannel POS |
