6 Best Liquor Store POS Systems in 2023

• Robust liquor inventory tools
  KORONA tracks inventory as you sell it, updating on-hand stock in real time. When it’s time to resupply, you can create purchase orders (POs) directly in your KORONA dashboard. KORONA speeds physical inventory counts with an integrated scan-to-count smartphone app.
• Antitheft features
  KORONA supports unlimited users and customized permissions, so you can control exactly what information each employee can access. It tracks voids and refunds by employees and supports blind cash drops so you can easily spot cash overages or shortages in cashier tills.
• Age verification
  You can set the system to prompt cashiers to enter a date of birth before processing a transaction or attach ID scanners to your POS and swipe IDs for age verification. Age verification prompts are added by product sector, so you don’t need to assign age restrictions to individual products manually.
• Liquor industry integrations
  Integrations with bLoyal and BottlecApps allow you to extend your loyalty features, create a customer-facing app, add shipping and an integrated ecommerce site, or offer local delivery (where local law permits).

• Cash discount setting
  Cash-only stores may be reluctant to switch to a POS because a POS comes with the added cost of credit card processing fees. POS Nation gives these shops a handy workaround with its “cash discount” setting. This setting allows you to set a price for your products that is high enough to cover credit card processing fees, then offer a discount to customers who pay cash. This covers your fees and keeps you on the right side of the law; 10 states ban the practice of passing credit card fees directly onto customers. Cash discounting, however, is legal in all 50 states.
• Short-term contract option
  As with KORONA POS, POS Nation users have the option of a month-to-month contract. Its month-to-month contracts are a bit pricier than KORONA’s, but POS Nation includes desktop POS hardware in its fees. However, month-to-month users should note that they are locked into Worldpay as their only payment processing option.
• State-specific reporting
  POS Nation includes built-in reports for specific regions, like 1014 reporting for Pennsylvania beer distributors and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) Wholesale Liquor Report.
• Hardware included in subscription
  POS Nation includes POS terminal hardware for subscribers. Month-to-month subscribers pay $99 per terminal monthly for POS Nation hardware and software. Users who opt to purchase their system upfront pay $999 per terminal. You may need to purchase additional networking hardware and handheld inventory scanners. For a full estimate, get a tailored quote from POS Nation.

• Multistep age verification
  Your Lightspeed POS prompts your cashiers to scan customer IDs and then check that the scanned information matches the front of the ID. This two-step process can be a game changer for liquor stores in college towns or areas with a high incidence of fake IDs.
• Shop by appointment
  Lightspeed Retail includes appointment booking tools that allow you to create in-store shopping appointments. This is a great tool to offer VIPs or wine clubs or to use when you receive shipments of allocated bottles.
• Email and short message service (SMS) marketing tools
  Lightspeed Retail includes direct email and SMS marketing tools. Users can add Lightspeed’s built-in tools at the Advanced subscription tier ($199 per month) or rely on integrations with Ikeono for targeted text promotions and Mailchimp for targeted emails.
• Built-in ecommerce tools
  Lightspeed Retail users that subscribe at the Standard ($119 per month) or Advanced ($199 per month) level can add an integrated ecommerce site to the Lightspeed Retail POS. Integrations with BlueCheck and AdVision Age Verification support age verification in your online store.
• Drizly integration
  Like mPower Beverage, Lightspeed Retail integrates with Drizly, the ecommerce and local delivery app designed specifically for liquor stores.

• Theft protection
  Your IT Retail POS analyzes every transaction for suspicious activity. It will flag transactions that managers should review for possible theft. The electronic journal feature saves a record of transactions so that you can see customers’ and cashiers’ actions at the till. The system also integrates with Remote Eyes, a video surveillance system that coordinates suspicious POS transactions with video clips.
• Rewards prompt
  Your IT Retail POS will alert cashiers when customers have unused rewards or loyalty points. The system scans itself based on the customer’s payment information and prompts cashiers to apply rewards before finalizing payment.
• Mobile reporting app
  IT Retail’s mobile reporting app allows you to see your store’s performance metrics from your phone, tablet, or off-site computer.
• Robust reporting and analytics
  IT Retail’s reports include robust sales and inventory reports. You can see the value of your current inventory at a glance and set low stock alerts to prompt new orders. You can segment reports to get a clear view of what stock is not selling. The system also includes detailed employee performance tracking to identify training opportunities or reward high performers.

mPower POS operates on Windows devices that run Windows 10 or later. You can use hardware you already own, purchase from a third-party supplier, or purchase hardware from mPower for custom-quoted prices.

• Robust reporting, including state-specific reports
  mPower includes a wealth of sales and inventory reports to help you track your stock by the case or bottle and generate new orders. You can drill down into your sales and cost data and convert any report into a chart. Like POS Nation, mPower also supports some state-specific reports, like the TABC reports for Texas shops.
• 10 ecommerce integrations
  mPower integrates with a whopping 10 different liquor-industry-specific ecommerce tools. Popular tools like BottlecApps and Drync give you a branded mobile app. Drizly and Minibar support local delivery where local laws permit. CityHive, Sellr, and WineFetch help users create high-functioning ecommerce websites. The BottleRoom 3 platform expands your store’s reach by connecting you with rebates, coupons, and promotions from major brands. If you need a branded ecommerce website that integrates with your POS, the Thirstie integration has you covered.
• Reserve function
  Your mPower Beverage POS includes a reserve function so customers can order special bottles ahead of a specific date. If your store rents kegs for private events, you can reserve kegs for a specific date and quickly recall the reserved order at a later date to process the payment.

• Free POS
  The baseline Square for Retail POS is free to use for unlimited terminals. The Free POS only comes with a single set of user permissions, but this may be enough for small liquor stores or those just starting out. You can easily upgrade to a higher subscription tier as your business grows.
• Free online store
  All Square accounts come with a free Square Online Store. The online inventory syncs with your in-store inventory, so you can easily sell online for pick up or—where legally permitted—delivery. The Online Store includes pop-up tools for age verification to ensure your online orders comply with age requirements.
• Square business ecosystem
  The Square POS communicates seamlessly with the full suite of Square small business tools. You can add loyalty, email and text message marketing, team management, payroll, and more to run your business. Nearly every Square tool offers a free subscription, free trial, or pay-as-you-go plan, so you only pay for what you use.
• Vincipia integration
  Square for Retail integrates with the beer, wine, and spirits ecommerce platform Vincipia. Vincipia includes compliance tools to ensure your online sales comply with local liquor laws. Vincipia also includes club management and batch processing tools for subscriptions and wine clubs.