Point-of-sale (POS) systems are the hardware and software tools businesses use to accept payments and record customer transactions. POS startup fees can be expensive, so some providers offer leasing or payment plan options for hardware. Software is purchased as a one-time license fee or as a monthly or annual subscription. POS Leasing: Who It Is…
About the Author
Meaghan Brophy
Meaghan Brophy is a staff writer for Fit Small Business specializing in retail. She has provided content and guidance for indie retailers for years as the editor for Independent Retailer, a RetailWire BrainTrust panelist, and speaker at trade shows such as the Independent Retailer Conference and NY NOW. She has an M.S. in Publishing from Pace University.
She is frequently quoted as a retail expert in top publications like Forbes, Reader’s Digest, and Retail Dive.
When not talking retail, Meaghan can be found watching dog videos and practicing her tap dancing skills.
2019 Black Friday & Cyber Monday Broke Records. Here’s What It Means for Your Business
Black Friday and Cyber Monday reach record numbers yet again. This year, U.S. retailers brought in $7.2 billion in online sales during Black Friday and are projected to make $8 billion in online sales throughout Cyber Monday. One of the biggest surprises came as Thanksgiving Day online sales increased by 24%. Although digital sales are…
6 Best Barcode Software 2020
Barcode software allows you to create, manage, and track barcodes, often working with hardware to print, scan, label, tag, and track barcodes. Depending on whether or not you need simple barcode software, or barcoding and inventory management, prices can range from around $150 to $2,000 in upfront fees. Top 6 Barcode Software for 2019 How…
6 Best iPad Restaurant POS Systems
An iPad restaurant POS system helps eateries take and manage orders and process payments. Today’s best iPad restaurant POS systems also have inventory control, customer relationship management, and reporting capabilities, plus industry-specific features to manage recipes, ingredients, menus, and table maps with prices starting at $69 per month for one register. Top 6 iPad Restaurant…
6 Best Mobile Credit Card Processing Options 2019
Mobile credit card processing lets you sell products and accept payments on-the-go with a smartphone or tablet. Mobile credit card processors should be reliable, have affordable transaction fees, come with a free business management app, and function offline. The best mobile credit card processing services have no startup or monthly fees. Top 6 Mobile Credit…
10 Best PayPal Alternatives 2019
PayPal is a global name in online payments, but there are plenty of cases where an alternative to PayPal is a better choice for business or peer-to-peer payments. Some alternatives to PayPal deliver lower processing fees or faster deposits. Other PayPal alternatives offer more advanced peer-to-peer payments, like free instant transfers between bank accounts. How…
Vend vs ShopKeep: Price, Features, and What’s Best in 2019
In a Vend vs ShopKeep comparison, both user-friendly, comprehensive POS systems have core features to process transactions, plus advanced capabilities like inventory management, analytics tracking, and customer relationship management (CRM). However, Vend’s customer loyalty program has more customization options and comes included in the price, instead of charged as an add-on like ShopKeep Loyalty. When…
Cyber Monday Strategies, Trends & Sales Tips 2019
This year, online holiday sales are expected to reach a record $136 billion, with Cyber Monday making up a considerable part of that. Whether you have a brick-and-mortar store and website or sell exclusively online, putting in place Cyber Monday strategies is crucial for driving sales during the holiday season. If you don’t yet have…
What is Black Friday? 13 Tips to Boost Sales
Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, and it’s the biggest shopping day of the year in terms of foot traffic to stores. This day also serves as the unofficial kickoff to the winter holiday shopping season. Black Friday marketing typically begins early in November, though retailers build their Black Friday strategies months beforehand. Black…
6 Retail Trends to Watch
Retail trends are constantly changing as consumer preferences evolve and technology improves. As a result, business owners must keep up with retail industry trends to thrive against the competition. Small businesses in particular need to stay current with retail trends in order to compete with chain stores, appeal to shoppers, and bring in sales. Here…
6 Best Liquor Store POS Systems 2019
A point-of-sale (POS) system gives retail stores the ability to process payments and manage business operations like inventory control and customer relationship management (CRM). Liquor store owners also benefit from key features like age verification and mix-and-match pricing. Liquor store POS systems range in price from $49 to $200 per month, plus payment processing fees….
10 Best Shopify Apps for 2019
One of the reasons Shopify is a popular and highly rated ecommerce platform is its fantastic app store. These plugins and add-ons can greatly improve your online store’s usefulness, as well as your business’ performance. We’ve compiled a list of the 10 best Shopify apps of 2019, most (but not all) of which are free….
