David Rivera

While your point-of-sale (POS) system helps you manage multiple aspects of your business—everything from inventory and product management to marketing and staff optimization—it also gathers a ton of valuable information in the process. If you take the time to look at this POS data and analyze it to spot trends and patterns, you’ll find many…

A point-of-sale (POS) system is the combined software and hardware that manages purchases, returns, and exchanges for in-person transactions. The best ones also include inventory management, customer relationship management (CRM), analytics, and other functions. There are many different types of POS systems, from apps to self-service terminals. While typically located at your cash wrap, a…

Cash registers are machines that businesses use to record transactions and accept payments from customers. Once just advanced versions of calculators that add sales totals, cash registers of today can perform many more functions, including generating reports, accepting multiple payment methods, and managing inventory. Some companies may still prefer electronic cash registers (ECRs), which can…

Thermal receipt printers are tissue box-sized printers that produce hardcopy receipts for sales transactions. The best ones should be durable, integrate with a wide range of point-of-sale (POS) systems, and print fast enough to keep up with your transaction volume. Pricing for a solid thermal printer averages around $350. Based on our evaluations, the best…

Gamification is the use of gaming elements and mechanics within sales and marketing to boost customer engagement and create buying incentive. Within retail, gamification can be used to attract new customers, strengthen relationships with existing customers, enhance the shopping experience, and increase overall conversion rates and sales. Retailers can use gamification in-store (with tools such…

Businesses that participate in events and pop-ups like outdoor markets, fairs, and festivals may want to rent or use a POS system that is compatible with a variety of hardware devices, has good sales mobility, and doesn’t have any long-term contracts. We evaluated several POS systems in terms of their use as short-term rentals, in…

Barcode label printers—which help small businesses create price tag barcodes, shelf labels, or even armbands and tickets—range in price from $100 to thousands of dollars. They can support home-based businesses, retailers, restaurants, food producers, and warehouse operations. The best label printers integrate with point-of-sale (POS) systems and other business-supporting software to streamline small business operations….

Cash registers are essentially high-performing calculators with attached cash drawers used to process sales transactions. Point-of-sale (POS) systems are a full-featured combination of hardware and software that can process transactions as well as perform a variety of other functions from employee time tracking to real-time inventory management. If you’re trying to decide which is best…

Pharmacies need more features than a standard point-of-sale (POS) system offers. Handling prescriptions requires software that can manage complex inventory, track IDs and signatures for compliances, and include or integrate with pharmacy management systems. We looked at common POS systems recommended for pharmacies and specialized pharmacy POS to determine the six best options. Based on…

Impulse buying refers to unplanned or spontaneous purchases that shoppers make on a whim due to an emotional response at the moment of seeing the item. Impulse buying can happen both in brick-and-mortar stores and online. This guide will explore why people buy impulsively, what items are most frequently purchased, and how you can capitalize…

Point-of-sale (POS) system costs vary by industry; expect to pay $0 to $400 per month for software, and $60 to over $3,000 upfront for devices, registers, and hardware kits—depending on your POS hardware preferences. This comes to a total of around $4,000–$10,000 per year, without factoring in additional costs for payment processing. That price range…

Toast and Clover are both well-developed point-of-sale (POS) systems with strong industry-specific features designed for kitchens and food businesses. In general, Toast favors simplicity and straightforwardness, while Clover prioritizes flexibility. In our evaluation of best restaurant POS systems, Toast ranked as the best overall with a score of 4.16. Clover did not make the final…