Leading POS Bundles in Australia

Gone are the days when cash registers (both single roll cash registers and dual roll cash registers) were a must-have for processing payments in any retail business setup. Modern-day retail businesses require more than just a payment processor to partake in the competitive retail landscape. They require an all-in-one solution, capable of micro-managing multiple aspects of your business operations and performing functions such as tracking and managing inventory, building and managing customer relationships, managing employees, generating sales reports and more. In 1986, Eugene Mosher introduced the first graphical point of sale (POS) software that transformed the existing payment processor, the cash registers, invented in 1879 by James Ritty. The modern point of sale  (POS) systems are an in-inclusive solution that facilitates numerous operations of a retail business.

What is a Point of Sale (POS) System?

As the name implies, point of sale (POS) is the place in a store where customers make payment for the products/services they wish to purchase and the retailer/store executive accepts the payment and issues a payment receipt containing all purchase-related information like date and time of purchase, product name and number, price, etc., for example, checkout counters at retail stores. This payment slip acts as a proof of transaction that helps maintain transparency with the customers, thereby building a reliable customer-relationship. These receipts are beneficial for customers too if they wish to exchange/return any purchased product.

To complete the transaction process, a set of hardware and software components is used, known as a point of sale (POS) system. These solutions are equipped with multiple features like inventory tracking and management, employee management, customer relationship management, and more.

The Components of a Point of Sale System

The components of a point of sale (POS) system are categorised into two-

• Hardware: The collection of physical devices, available in different sizes and shapes form the hardware components of a point of sale (POS) system. Some of the popularly used point of sale (POS) systems include:

• Monitor: Ideally, these are the most important component of a point of sale (POS) system. Also known as the ‘heart’ of a point of sale (POS) system, these devices are used to display product-related information on the screen for the retailer/sales executive to collect payment from the customer and process transactions. The point of sale (POS) software runs on the monitor.

• Barcode Scanner: As the name suggests, these devices ensure the efficiency of a point of sale (POS) system and minimise the scope of human error. Barcode scanners are designed to scan, read, and fetch product- information from barcodes and display them on the point of sale (POS) monitor. Scanning information using a barcode scanner is quick and more accurate.

• Payment Processor: These devices allow customers to choose their payment mode that provides a better shopping experience for customers. These days, customers prefer making payments using debit/credit cards or via any third-party payment mode for which you would require a high-quality payment processor that is equipped to facilitate cashless transactions.

• Cash Drawer: Even though people prefer cashless payments these days, there still are customers who make payments through cash. To store the cash and other important bills and slips securely, a cash drawer is used. Most cash drawers come with compartments where you systematically arrange your cash and other bills, making the job of the cashier easy and time-saving. Cash drawers are usually connected with the monitor and open and close on receiving a command from the point of sale (POS) software.

• Receipt Printer: These are also another essential hardware component of a point of sale (POS) system, used to print payment invoices and contain purchase-related information, for example, mobile wireless receipt printers . These slips maintain transparency with customers and act as transaction proof. There are two types of receipt printers preferred by every point of sale (POS) system- dot matrix receipt printer and thermal receipt printer.

Other than these, there are some other hardware components that some businesses might require. They include:

• Scale: These devices are particularly important if you own a retail store where you need to weigh commodities such as grocery stores.

• Self-service Kiosks: As the name implies, these devices allow customers to place their orders and pay for the same by themselves, without any assistance from a store executive. Self-service kiosks are beneficial in expediting the customer checkout process in a store.

• Customer-facing Display: These devices are usually placed at the checkout counters and are used to display the price of the product along with the price breakup maintaining transparency with the customers.

• Software: The point of sale (POS) system is the operating system used to facilitate business operations. The software allows store executives to find products, manage customer orders, complete the transaction process, generate sales reports, and a lot more. Vend, Shopify, Square, etc. are some of the popular point of sale (POS) software.

Best Point of Sale (POS) Bundles in Australia

• Vend POS Bundles: This is a cloud-based point of sale (POS) and retail management system designed specifically for retailers for inventory management. Vend allows retailers to keep track of customer loyalty, and eCommerce performance, and perform other business analytics. This point of sale (POS) solution allows retailers to operate their businesses from any location and is programmed to function on an iPad, therefore easing retailers who run their business on the go. Vend is also capable of integrating with your existing business systems, hardware, and other consumables and the Vend POS bundles usually come with barcode scanners.

• Shopify POS Bundles: This point of sale (POS) system allows retailers to manage both their digital and physical stores conveniently. Shopify POS is a part of the Shopify eCommerce Suite that allows users to bring and manage their businesses from any location, at any time. Shopify POS systems support multiple features like custom payment options, inventory management, custom sales, multiple payment options, and a lot more.

• LightSpeed POS Hardware: A popular cloud-based point of sale (POS) system designed specifically for restaurants, cafes, bars, and other food joints, LightSpeed’s software helps making reservations, managing inventory, and managing staff easy. It comes with an intuitive interface on which you can manage your restaurant’s menu, track employee schedules, payments, and orders. The software is cloud-based which means, you can access your business-related information and manage business operations remotely, at any time.

• Hike POS Hardware: If you are looking for a systematic and reliable point of sale (POS) software that minimises the use of paper from the operations and transactions of eCommerce, retail, and brick-and-mortar store businesses, then Hike POS is the perfect option for you. This solution will allow you to automate and innovate your business operations, empowering you to develop and expand your business and compete in the market. Hike software is also capable of managing other business aspects such as building and managing customer relationships, tracking and monitoring inventory, analysing the performance of the products you sell, and more.

• Kounta iPad POS Bundles: This is an advanced point of sale (POS) system that is beneficial specifically to retail and hospitality businesses. It comes with different inventory tools that keep a check on the ‘Cost of Goods Sold’ (COGS) and eliminate the chances of over-ordering. Kounta is equipped to accept payments in different methods like swipe, taps, tips, and splits, and centralises configuration, manages and reports data that helps users to access their chain stores at different locations from one central place.

• Square POS Bundles: This mobile point of sale (POS) system is capable of processing online payments, generating sales reports, tracking inventory, emailing and SMSing marketing campaigns and a lot more. Other than Square’s proprietary hardware, this software works on both iOS and Android devices. It is perfect for small businesses as the software is free, comes with user-friendly tools, and has optional add-ons that make it unbeatable.

• TouchBistro POS Bundles: Designed specifically for food and beverage operations like food trucks, coffee shops and restaurants, TouchBistro offers convenient check and menu management, ingredient-level inventory tracking, table management, customisable staff permissions, and reporting and analysis. Using this solution, you can choose from an in-built and popular third-party payment processor which is hence an excellent option for fast-paced operations.

Advantages of a Point of Sale (POS) System

Most business owners consider the point of sale (POS) system as the core of their business. Owning the right solution is therefore extremely vital for the smooth functioning of any business. Some of the major benefits of using a point of sale (POS) system are:

• Time-Saving: Owning the right hardware components help in expediting the checkout process which is beneficial to both the customers and the employees. All you need is a barcode scanner to fetch the product-related information from the barcode which gets displayed on the monitor via the point of sale (POS) software. The amount gets displayed on the customer-facing display and the customer pays for the product either in cash or using the payment processor. On accepting the payment, the merchant issues a payment receipt to the customer using a receipt printer. Since all the hardware components are integrated, the wait time for customers gets minimised. The point of sale (POS) software also helps you track inventory and check their stock levels easily without having you rummage through the entire inventory.

• Better Customer Experience: Since locating products that your customer requires can be done easily in just a few seconds, your customers can enjoy a hassle-free ad convenient shopping experience. At the same time, there are numerous self-service kiosks at retail stores that help customers search for products they are looking for by themselves. Point of sale (POS) systems are also beneficial as they are capable of storing customer information such as their purchase history using which you can provide a more personalised service to them in the form of rewards and coupons. That said, these solutions maintain high-security levels that avoid data breaches. The modern cloud-based point of sale (POS) systems can store customer data remotely and safely, mitigating the risk of data loss.

• Facilitates Tracking and Managing Inventory: Tracking and managing your inventory is no longer challenging. These integrated solutions allow you to track your inventory across different stores, at different locations. At the same time, you can track your stock availability and re-stock items that are running out of stock.

• Generates Precise Sales Reports: You can generate a comprehensive sales report using a point of sale (POS) system referring to which you can analyse your store’s overall performance, determine the total number of products sold, the bestselling products, profit margins, etc. Not only this but also the chance of human error gets eliminated, providing you with accurate and reliable sales reports.

• Expedites Product Return Process: Point of sale (POS) systems expedite the product return process and are extremely beneficial especially if you own an online store. Your customers can easily return/exchange any purchased products in just a few clicks.

Summing Up,

Now that you have an idea about the point of sale (POS) systems and the leading point of sale systems in Australia, you need to decide the store you would want to purchase your point of sale (POS) system from.

POS Sales Australia is an industry-leading online point of sale (POS) system reseller, having an extensive collection of the leading point of sale (POS) brands, available at competitive prices. Regardless of the size of your business, we are efficient in providing you with state-of-the-art solutions that would help you improve your business efficiency and profitability. At the same time, we offer personalised assistance to our customers to help them make the right decision about their purchase and ensure that the solution they pick not only suits their business needs but also their budget.

For more personalised assistance with your shopping, get in touch with our experts who will help you make an informed decision.