Back in the day, merchants were relying on the cash register when they were exchanging money with their customers. According to some information, the first cash register was made in the 19th century.
And for many, many decades it was changing and constantly evolving and now it has turned into Point-Of-Sale, or short for POS. Unlike previous versions of the cash register, this one is much more powerful and can execute a variety of different tasks.
That’s precisely one of the reasons why many business owners decide to utilize it. Now, for those of you who don’t know, there are many types of it and today we will talk about every single one of them.
All You Need To Know About Different Versions Of POS Systems
What Do They Do?
Before we move forward with this topic, let’s first uncover some basics. This will help you figure out what exactly a POS system is and what it does. Namely, it works just like old-time cash registers, by collecting cash and ringing up sales.
What's interesting is the fact that it has to connect to the internet to take care of every single aspect of the company. So, with this system you can:
- Supervise inventory
- Manage your employees
- Connect with third-party applications
- Communicate across devices
- Have a constant remote access
- Take your company online
Add All Types Of POS Systems
Countertop
This is the most traditional type of POS system. It can be defined as a computer that runs a certain program to help you manage your firm. A majority of these systems involve a cash drawer, touchscreen monitor, and receipt printer.
Additionally, you can also connect it with other devices like customer display poles, barcode scanners, and mice. Generally speaking, a countertop system is the best for businesses that have dedicated payment stations.
Mobile POS System
A mobile POS system, or short for ‘m POS’ is when a smartphone, tablet, or any other mobile gadget behaves as the electronic point of sales terminal. So, all you have to do is to attach your device to a credit card reader, turn on your POS system and that's it.
Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you are not permitted to add more peripherals like cash drawers, barcode scanners, and receipt printers. An amazing thing about this type of system is that it supports more than one hardware option.
Touch-Screen POS Systems
This type of system works on a variety of different sorts of touch screens, such as smartphones, tablets, and computers. Additionally, some of these systems contain their own touch-screen hardware instead of working with a third-party device.
Furthermore, a touch-screen POS enables staff who work in the restaurant to take tableside orders and make sure that all orders are correct. It is safe to say that the design of this touch-screen software has made everything much easier for both workers and consumers because it's very easy to use. This type of POS system is the best for:
- Fast-paced companies, such as restaurants, fast food chains, and high-volume retail shops
- Any firm needs a system that is easy to comprehend and that its employees will be able to use without experiencing any issues.
Cloud POS Systems
This is a program that records all transactions in real-time, so you can easily access all your data from any place that has an internet connection. This is a perfect solution for any company that has its stores in several locations, such as hotels, restaurants, and retailers.
Smaller firms with more than one POS system, or even location can have a huge benefit from this type of system, as data is going to sync directly to a centralized database. Furthermore, many cloud-based POS systems also involve real-time inventory updates which can be of great help for retail sellers with more than one store. They’ll be able to efficiently monitor product levels.
Cloud POS transactions occur in person, and this whole payment processing occurs in the cloud. Moreover, these are all wireless POS systems that can connect to Wi-Fi so they can effectively sync data straight to the cloud. This type of system is mostly intended for:
- Companies that want to access sales, inventory, or reporting data from any location
- Businesses that want to save money on hardware expenses
- Firms that need something that has a flexible setup
Tablet POS Systems
In the last couple of years, Android and iPad POS systems have become very popular, since you can already utilize a tablet that you own. Some of these services are free of charge with credit card processing, while there are those that demand a relatively low monthly subscription fee, however, they let you pick your own credit card processor.
There are two things that we can conclude from this article. First, there are so many amazing options when it comes to these POS systems, and second, all of them are extremely useful, which is one of the reasons why they are high in demand.
