Boutique POS System
One way for your independent retail business to stay ahead of the competition is with a boutique POS system, whether you're competing with other local retailers or big-box giants.
A boutique POS system can provide your customers with the friendliest shopping experience possible, all while delivering you back-end data to help make positive business decisions that push towards growth.
The question is,
How do you know which boutique POS system is right for your needs?
We've put in hours of research and narrowed it down to our 5 favorites.
Continue reading to learn more!
Boutique POS Systems
Clover
- Best all-in-one POS system
- 2.6% + $0.10 payment processing
- $0 per month starting
Lightspeed Retail
- Best for larger retail businesses
- 2.6% + $0.10 payment processing
- $69 per month starting
Vend
- Most intuitive system
- Payment processing fee is processor-dependent
- $0 per month starting
Shopify
- Best for eCommerce retailers
- 2.7% payment processing fee
- $9 per month starting
Square
- Best for new businesses
- 2.6% + $0.10 payment processing fee
- $0 per month starting
Clover is the best all-in-one system on the market, with plans that range from $0 to $69 per month for businesses that only require a single register.
Prices for this system and additional registers will vary depending on which vendor you purchase your Clover plan through.
It's also worth noting that the free plan is not available on all of the Clover devices, one of which is the Clover Station.
One great thing about Clover is that there are plenty of proprietary POS hardware options to choose from, including:
Clover has flat-rate pricing for its payment processing, though the rate that you'll pay will depend on the level of the plan that you choose. For example, the Register plan, best suited for boutique establishments, uses a 2.3% + $0.10 fee for in-person transactions.
However, if purchase your POS system from a provider other than Clover, the payment processor may be under a completely different pricing model.
As for its functionality, Clover is a cloud-based POS system with both POS hardware and software in a sleek, ready-to-use package. Everything needed in order to start making sales comes right out of the box. Just like all other quality POS systems, you can customize Clover to fit your needs by using a wide range of third-party integrations and retail apps.
Specific features that make Clover a great choice for boutique retail clothing stores include loyalty program options, discounts, mobile gift card functionality, and advanced inventory management. You can mix and match Clover's various pieces of POS hardware to create your perfect setup. You can even make sales on the go by utilizing the card reader and the Clover Go app.
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Lightspeed Retail POS software may seem expensive, starting off at $69 per month for a single register, but once you look into their extensive list of high-end features, it just might be the best POS system for boutique establishments around.
The Lightspeed Retail system can either run on a desktop computer or on an iPad. However, if you want proprietary hardware, you'll need to get in touch with a Lightspeed representative for a quote.
The in-house payment processing offered by Lightspeed Retail is 2.6% + $0.10 per in-person transaction.
If you already have a payment processing company that you like doing business with, you can integrate with them as well.
However, you will have to pay an additional monthly fee, which comes out to about $30 extra per month.
You can opt for a month-to-month plan with Lightspeed, though signing a year-long contract will get you the best deal, especially if you decide to use Lightspeed Payments as your processing system.
Lightspeed truly shines as a hybrid system, which you can use on a wide range of hardware. You'll find a broad selection of features in this boutique POS system, including multi-location functionality, eCommerce support, customer management, employee management, purchase orders, store credit, and advanced inventory management.
Beyond that, Lightspeed offers some of the best customer support on this list.
You'll also find plenty of great inventory management features, including an inventory matrix, customizable tags, and the options to manage your bulk items using a different system. If you have a multi-location business, you can complete your purchase orders through different locations and keep them all synced to a single system.
The loyalty program functionality is exceptional, and the omnichannel functionality makes it just as strong of a system for online sales as it is for in-person sales.
Overall, Lightspeed is one of the most robust systems on the market today, perfect for those who need to manage larger, more complex boutique establishments.
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Vend is a boutique POS system under the Lightspeed brand that also has a starting price of $69 per month for a single register. In fact, most of the pricing options through Vend are similar to those from Lightspeed.
The beauty of Vend is that you can use it with any device, such as a desktop or dedicated iPad, as long as you have an internet connection. Vend also sells proprietary hardware through POS Portal and has tons of options to choose from, including full-fledged POS systems and individual components, such as barcode scanners and receipt printers.
The mPOP kit, which works with an iPad, costs $499 and is one of the most popular options in the Vend sphere.
Vend's payment processing uses Lightspeed Payments and comes at a flat rate of 2.6% + $0.10 for every in-person transaction.
However, if you choose, you can opt to work with a third-party payment processor, such as Elavon or Chase. Note that you will have to pay an additional monthly fee to use an outside payment processing company.
As with Lightspeed, you can work with Vend on a month-to-month contract, though the best value comes from signing the year-long contract with Lightspeed Payments.
In addition to being one of the easiest POS system solutions for employees to use, it is also one of the most popular boutique POS system options for retail clothing stores, thanks to its unique feature sets and colorful interface.
The interface is very easy to navigate, though if you do have problems, you'll be able to get in touch with someone at Vend to help, thanks to the 24/7 support.
Another benefit about using Vend is that it works well with businesses that are looking to scale. Whether you run a small boutique or a multi-store outlet, you won't have to worry about outgrowing this retail POS solution. Some of the most notable features include advanced inventory management, gift cards, discounts, sales reports, customer relationship management, social media tools, and free smartphone barcode scanners.
Note that you will not get in-house eCommerce capabilities through Vend as you would with other POS systems, though you can integrate with one of the many third-party apps, including Shopify, BigCommerce, or WooCommerce.
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The least expensive Shopify plan starts out at $9 per month, offering selling through social media and mobile only. The most expensive plan in the Shopify lineup is $299 per month, which gives you all of the latest and greatest inventory and reporting features.
While you can run the Shopify retail POS system on just about any mobile or tablet device, whether Apple or Android, you can also purchase the Shopify Payment reader, which costs $49. If your establishment requires proprietary hardware, Shopify's website has great hardware bundles. The mPOP Basic hardware bundle is one of our favorites, combining tabletop hardware with a cash drawer and receipt printer for $499.
Now while you can purchase the card reader, this is not always necessary. iPads and iPhones now have the ability to accept payments via NFC.
All Shopify accounts come with built-in payment processing. However, if you'd like to integrate your own payment processor into this boutique POS system, you have that ability, but there will be an added fee. Currently, Shopify has a flat-rate fee, which ranges from around 2.4% to 2.9%.
Same as Lightspeed and Vend, you can opt for a month-to-month plan with your Shopify point-of-sale system, though you'll pay less if you go the company's yearly contract.
While Shopify is amazing for businesses that need a host for their online store, this retail POS system is just as powerful for brick-and-mortar businesses, combining data from eCommerce and in-person transactions. Customers can make purchases through your online store, then pick them up in person.
Thanks to the fact that you can run your Shopify account on an iPad or Android tablet, you can take it with you on the go to pop-up shops, flea markets, and other types of events. With accounting software integration, offline inventory sync, robust inventory management, customer sales profiles, and detailed analytics, Shopify is one of the most versatile boutique POS solutions around.
If you have a strong online store, we can't think of a better point-of-sale system choice.
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Square is the best brand for businesses that are just starting out, as the initial plan is completely free. Without any commitment, you can upgrade when you need to or switch to a different boutique POS system in an instant!
There are many tablets compatible with Square, as all you'll need to run your business is a tablet and Square's free credit card reader. However, owners of clothing stores often opt for the Square Stand hardware or Square register for a more professional look.
These cost $169 and $799 respectively. The Square Register has a built-in card reader customer-facing display with a sleek and modern aesthetic, perfect for high-end fashion boutiques.
Every Square retail POS solution comes with flat-fee payment processing of 2.6% + $0.10 per in-person transaction.
If your business brings in more than $250k per year in revenue, you can speak with a Square representative for a custom plan.
We absolutely recommend newer businesses get started with Square, as neither a big budget or a merchant account are required in order to get started. While Square is certainly not the most robust or advanced retail POS solution on the list, you can easily integrate with third-party features for greater flexibility.
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The Bottom Line
If you need a boutique POS solution for your retail store, we guarantee you'll find an option that perfectly suits your needs in one of the POS systems that made it onto our top 5 list.
Each of these choices comes with their own special features to help keep your business growth on the rise, no matter what type of business you run.
For more accurate boutique POS system pricing, answer the quick questions below to let us know what you're looking for. We provide the lowest price quotes from the most reliable providers on the market, so that you can focus more of your time on your business and spend less time making calls!
And the best part - it's completely free.
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Tyler Connaghan
Contributing Author