Retail point-of-sale (POS) systems have transformed over the years to become completely mobile, meaning you can sell in store or on the go using an iPad to run the entire system. There are many additional POS benefits that have come with this innovation.
iPad-based POS systems are designed to simplify your store by saving room and providing an all-in-one solution for taking payments, managing inventory, producing receipts and keeping track of purchases. Some vendors choose to display their iPad in a Square Stand ($99), for a professional-looking register that connects to a receipt printer, cash drawer and barcode scanner via a USB hardware hub.
Square Point of Sale is a free-to-download app that can be used on the iPad in combination with a free Square Reader to create a complete iPad-based POS system. You’ll pay just 2.5% per swipe for Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express, and you’ll have the payments in your bank account in one to two business days.
Once you have set up your iPad POS system, you can do more than just process payments — you can also make changes to details like price, name and quantity. You can track inventory and receive email alerts when things are running low. A drag-and-drop function lets you put the most popular items front and centre. And the touch-screen system is easy to learn and to train your staff to use.
When you use an iPad as a POS with Square, the date from it syncs with your Square Dashboard so you can see, in real time, what’s happening in your store and across multiple locations. The portable nature of the iPad system means you can use it as a register in any location — from pop-ups to markets — so you can continue to make sales on the go.
Check out our guide for how to choose a POS system for tips about which system to purchase for your iPad and more information about how to pick the right POS for your business.