Lightspeed Retail POS Software Reviews
Hey retailers! Welcome to my Lightspeed Retail POS review.
I have personally used Lightspeed as well as its top competitors over the years in my own business.
Read my review below to find out why Lightspeed retail has become one of the best business-management systems on the market.
Is Lightspeed retail the real deal?
Allow us to save you some time—yes.
If you want to know why then read on.
We've thoroughly researched and compiled a list of all of the software's benefits and features to just about every kind of business.
This Lightspeed retail POS review will also cover the following:
And here is a quick highlight overview of this system:
Pricing
Since the software caters to businesses of all sizes, each payment plan also offers full scalability.
That means that it's practical for both small businesses AND enterprise-level companies.
Lightspeed retail provides market-leading services at each business level so that every user is always getting the best value for money.
Its payment plan comes in 6 tiers:
Basic: $69 per month billed annually ($828) or $79 per month
This plan comes with enough features to support a start-up company or an individual trader. It also allows you to keep an electronic inventory while receiving reports about your stock.
This version, along with the others, comes with a free terminal.
Starter: $99 per month billed annually ($1,188) or $119 per month
This version provides all of the basic features, including the ability to integrate your business with e-commerce applications and seamlessly sell items online.
Standard: $119 per month billed annually ($1,428) or $139 per month
This one comes with everything included in the basic and starter plan. It also provides the ability to integrate your POS system with your accounting software.
The standard plan serves as an extra smooth transition for businesses that intend to scale upwards.
Advanced: $169 per month billed annually ($2,028) or $189 per month
The advanced plan offers a customer loyalty program along with the features of the basic and the standard plan.
When growing a business, customer service is a crucial factor. One of the best ways to retain your customers is by rewarding them for using your services.
Pro: $229 per month billed annually ($2,748) or $259 per month
Along with the features of the previous plans, the pro version offers analytics to all of your data.
That means that you or a team member can assess every part of your business and optimize it for maximum success.
Enterprise: Requires contact for a quote
This plan is reserved for enterprise-leveled retail companies and thus requires a quote that can be negotiated.
After settling on a price, a team will provide you with a POS system that is completely tailored and optimized for your retail business.
That means that everything is included as well as a dedicated team to meet every need regarding your retail enterprise's POS.
Payment Processing
Lightspeed also offers its own payment processing called Lightspeed Payments.
It accepts all major credit and debit cards at the rate mentioned further on.
With Lightspeed Payments, the starter price of $99 is sold at $69 instead.
It is also worth mentioning that Lightspeed retail offers a 14-day free trial with no subscription renewal charge.
Benefits & Features
What sets Lightspeed retail apart from other POS systems is its diversity of use. Lightspeed ensures that its point of sale software is optimal for businesses of every industry.
Whether you run a jewelry store, an online clothes store, or a local pet shop, Lightspeed promises to provide the best selling experience for its customers.
It supports local stores that operate through one outlet, enterprise-level companies with multiple stores, and everything in between.
Inventory Management
Stores that require serial number tracking or stores that sell items in bulk can optimize their inventory management using the tools provided by the POS software.
Lightspeed Analytics
With Lightspeed retail's automated reports, not only can you keep track of every aspect of your business, but you can also dynamically optimize aspects of your store for better performance.
Cloud-Based Mobile Integration
Depending on your payment plan, you can also have more than one point of access. So, you can maintain a brick-and-mortar setup while receiving payment from your online store.
Customer Relations Management
With these CRM tools, you can provide consistently high-quality customer support while creating different methods for customer retention.
Customer Support
Along with the 24/7 support and online forums for users to have constant access to information, Lightspeed retail also offers educational resources such as free guides, blogs, and videos.
Full E-commerce Integration
Lightspeed retail offers seamless integration with all major e-commerce stores.
This means that you can keep track of the inventory for your physical store and your online inventory.
Once you have set up an online store, you will receive consistent tech support regarding your online point of sale and other integration aspects.
The e-commerce applications that Lightspeed integrates with include but are not limited to:
Lightspeed Accounting
Lightspeed Accounting is a unique software that allows you to seamlessly integrate your POS with your store's accounting software.
With this, you can conveniently import inventory to your accounting software to automate your bookkeeping process.
Lightspeed retail provides POS that serves as a remarkable store-management tool for every kind of business in the retail industry.
Considering the different payment plans, a small business can use Lightspeed retail's market-leading features, receiving excellent value for money.
This allows retail stores to always have access to the best POS features at every level of business.
Cons
Compatability
Lightspeed retail supports use over web-based applications, Apple Mac devices, and iOS software.
However, its biggest drawback is that it does not support Android devices or windows operating systems.
This is a major deal-breaker for those looking to migrate their inventory and the rest of their store information from their windows operating systems.
Transaction Fees
There is a small transaction fee for every purchase made towards your store when you use Lightspeed Accounting:
FAQ
Is Lightspeed like Shopify?
Although Lightspeed retail and Shopify overlap in many ways, they differ due to their primary services.
Where Lightspeed retail overlaps with Shopify is both of their attempts to cater to the other's specialty.
Shopify released its retail POS system for brick and mortar stores to use along with the Shopify e-commerce platform.
Unsurprisingly, the POS does not possess as many features as Lightspeed retail.
Inversely, Lightspeed retail also offers an e-commerce platform option to its customers but has limited features to cater specifically to the POS system.
Is Lightspeed better than Square?
Lightspeed retail and Square POS share many similarities, and both serve as good alternatives for the other.
Square POS offers a free version of its POS system, which is perfect for small businesses. However, with steep hardware costs, it can be hard for businesses to scale upwards.
Lightspeed retail may have include transaction fees in its service, but it is slightly less than Square POS transactions fees.
In contrast to Lightspeed retail, here are transaction fees for Square POS:
Lightspeed speed also provides 24/7 customer support with numerous access points and informational resources, whereas Square POS only provides minimal customer support in comparison.
If your store requires regular customer support and lower transaction rates, Lightspeed retail is the better option between the two.
Is Lightspeed a good company?
Lightspeed retail reviews on tech review websites have been overwhelmingly positive.
Most users have complimented Lightspeed on its consistent and reliable customer support and its variety of integration capabilities.
Its ratings from sites include the following:
Lightspeed offers POS services for companies outside of the retail industry and still maintains the same market-leading quality and variety of features.
Their consistency in high-quality service and customer support has led them to become one of the most credible companies for business-management technology.
As mentioned before, Square POS and Lightspeed retail POS are both great alternatives for each other.
Where Lightspeed retail starts its cost off at $99, Square POS offers a free version and a plus plan that costs $60 per location.
Some features, such as data reports and integration, will not be as robust.
However, Square POS excels in its ease of use and accessibility for smaller stores.
Shopify
Although Shopify may not offer the same retail POS services, it exceeds Lightspeed retail as an e-commerce platform.
At only $29 per month, you can build an online store using the best e-commerce features on the market.
If you're only looking to have your presence online, you can use Shopify as a highly effective online POS system.
Final Verdict
Lightspeed retail provides one of the most intuitive and useful POS services for various businesses and boasts an unmatched variety of features.
Although it only supports iOS software, it provides extraordinary freedom for businesses to assess every aspect of their business at every level.
With superior integration capability, intuitive reports, and dedicated 24/7 customer support, choosing Lightspeed retail is a terrific option for retail companies seeking to grow their business.
