The best bookstore point-of-sale (POS) systems have industry-specific features like inventory tracking with customizable inventory fields for ISBN and other book information, bibliography databases with real-time updating, pre-ordering capability, and vendor management suitable for large bulk orders. We reviewed both traditional and industry-specific POS systems to find our most recommended solutions.
Based on our evaluation of 24 data points, the best bookstore POS systems are:
- Shopify: Best overall, especially for multichannel sales, preorders, and author sites
- Square for Retail: Best budget option
- Basil: Best POS made specifically for bookstores
- Lightspeed: Best for customization options
- Bookmanager: Best for working with schools
Bookstore Point-of-Sale Systems Compared
Best for | Monthly fee | Customizable inventory fields | Purchase ordering | Read full review | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bookstores wanting to sell online and take preorders | Ecom plans: $39–$399; POS: $0–$89 | No | Yes | ||
Bookstores wanting decent functionality on a tight budget | $0–$60 | Yes | No | ||
Bookstores wanting an industry-specific POS | From $225 (with $250 one-time setup fee) | Yes | Yes | N/A | |
Multilocation bookstores or those wanting customization | $89–$269 | Yes | Yes | ||
Bookstores that work with schools | $7,070 per year (complete software package for two computers) | Yes | Yes | N/A | |
Shopify POS: Best Overall & for Multichannel Sales & Preorders
Pros
- Centralized multichannel management
- Positive user reviews and strong popularity
- Integrated payment processing
Cons
- No customizable inventory fields
- Must subscribe to ecommerce plans to access POS; POS Pro plan can be pricey
Why We Chose Shopify POS for Bookstores
We consider Shopify POS one of the best retail POS systems for good reason—for book retailers, Shopify’s centralized ecommerce and multichannel functions, social media integrations, and robust inventory management functionality make it suitable for selling both in-store and online. It also comes with an integrated payment processing option, reasonable transaction fees, and shipping discounts. Shopify is highly trusted by a huge number of users and generally has very positive reviews. Stores in the Books & Literature category on Shopify grew 34% year-over-year in Q2 of 2023.
Shopify does require subscription to its ecommerce plans to access its POS. While it offers a free POS plan, features are limited; brick-and-mortar book shops will benefit from upgrading to the Pro plan to access advanced inventory management, reporting, and analytics.
Shopify POS Standout Features for Bookstores
- Centralized multichannel management: Shopify is an excellent system for multichannel selling; you can manage both in-person and online sales (including shipping) from one location. You can also set up preorders, letting your customers reserve and pay for books they are looking forward to, even before the books ship out. You can also track sales and inventory changes across channels and across marketplaces.
- Real-time inventory management: The POS contains inventory management features that are useful for keeping track of book inventory: real-time inventory updating, low-stock alerts, and barcode scanning for faster inventory counts.
Shopify POS Monthly Pricing
- Shopify Ecommerce Plans (required for POS usage)
- Basic: $39 (Annual $29/mo)
- Shopify: $105 (Annual $79/mo)
- Advanced: $399 (Annual $299/mo)
- POS Pro
- $89 (Annual $79/mo)
- Staff, inventory, and customer management
- Seamless omnichannel selling
- Retail reports
Square: Best for Bookstores on a Budget
Pros
- Free plan and affordable upgrades
- Built-in online store
- Real-time inventory tracking and reliable low-stock alerts
Cons
- Extra fees required for payroll management, marketing, and loyalty
- Inventory management is not bookstore-specific
Why We Chose Square for Bookstores
Square is one of our most frequently recommended systems; smaller bookstores will find value in its forever-free plan and low upgrade costs. Even with the free subscription, you’ll get a native and easy-to-setup online store, a variety of reporting features, and good inventory tracking. Square has a large number of users, and consistently gets high scores in user reviews and overall popularity.
This POS does have a few disadvantages. While it has ecommerce and inventory management functions, you can find better ecommerce functionality in Shopify; meanwhile, Basil has better inventory features. You may need a bit of creativity to make Square inventory work for a bookstore; one user reported having to enter ISBN information into a different field because there was no field specifically for ISBN.
Square Standout Features for Bookstores
- Intuitive and affordable basic POS features: Square works well for bookstores that are just starting or on a budget and don’t yet need extremely advanced features. Wide-ranging and custom reports will help you figure out business patterns and store performance, while the intuitive POS interface lets you process sales and manage inventory efficiently. Purchase ordering is available in the paid plan.
- Mobile app and native online store: Square also has a mobile app that is just as easy to use as the desktop POS (although the latter has more functionality). Square includes an online store builder even in its free plan; this is a good way to get your foot in the door for online bookselling without having to pay for dedicated omnichannel features.
Square Monthly Pricing
- Free
- Product categories and options
- Low-stock alerts
- Online selling
- Plus: $60
- Inventory counting
- Bulk inventory intake
- Purchase ordering and vendor management
Basil: Best Bookstore-specific POS
Pros
- Barcode and ISBN scanning for book inventory management
- Built-in purchase ordering and vendor management
- Custom reports and mobile app included
- Suitable for book fairs and offsite events
Cons
- Expensive setup and monthly fees
- No low-stock alerts
- No offline mode
Why We Chose Basil for Bookstores
Basil is a bookstore-specific software system with POS, online sales, and inventory management functions. It allows for barcode or ISBN scanning to efficiently count and update stock, uploading of inventory to online markets like Amazon, and built-in purchase ordering for new books. It also offers a mobile app and excellent off-site functionality.
However, Basil is quite costly with its $250 one-time setup fee and $225+ monthly fee. I was also unable to discover any low-stock alerts for inventory management or an offline mode. The lack of these features could grind your bookstore sales to a halt if inventory runs out unexpectedly or your internet connection drops.
Basil Standout Features for Bookstores
- ISBN-based inventory management: When you scan a book’s ISBN, Basil will automatically record the title, author, publisher, and price. This helps not only with keeping track of inventory, but also predicting sales numbers and trends. You can also look up Amazon price range information for specific books, which helps you determine the best pricing to set for your own bookstore.
- Built-in purchase ordering for new and used books: Basil lets you make POs from any of several major distributors that are already integrated into the POS. You can keep several purchase orders active simultaneously and add items to these orders as often as you like. Basil even maintains a special-order list for each customer, so you can keep tabs on what individual buyers have ordered and when these books can be picked up. Finally, you can opt to receive inventory even without a corresponding PO.
- Off-site functionality: As long as you have an internet connection, such as via a Wi-Fi hot spot, you can use Basil to process transactions. This makes it a suitable POS system for author signings and other off-site events. If you want to lend or rent out some of your inventory for a book fair, you can create a separate shipment in the POS to keep track of that inventory. Afterward, you can receive the shipment back or create a sale for selected items and then bill the book fair.
Basil Monthly Pricing
- One-time setup fee: $250
- Subscription fee: From $225 (Depends on store size, volume, and product type)
- No long-term contracts
Lightspeed Retail: Best for Customization Options
Pros
- Inventory can be organized with tags, categories, descriptions, and serial numbers
- Integrated supplier network with over 50 publishers available
- Bulk inventory management and pricing adjustments
- Customizable inventory fields available
Cons
- Extra fees for online selling and loyalty features
- Advanced reporting requires the most expensive plan
Why We Chose Lightspeed Retail for Bookstores
Lightspeed Retail consistently leads our list of the best POS inventory systems, with its granular inventory management with customizable matrix, unlimited entries, and built-in purchase ordering and vendor management. Bookstores using Lightspeed Retail as their POS will be able to track items using customizable tags, categories, serial numbers, or stock-keeping units; work with dozens of integrated publishers when making POs or returns; and synchronize large amounts of inventory across multiple bookstore branches or online.
These high-end features come at a cost, however; Lightspeed Retail has no free plan and isn’t the most affordable POS around (though it does offer a 15-day free trial). If you want to offer multichannel selling and loyalty features for your customers, as well as unlock advanced reporting functions for yourself, you’ll have to upgrade to Lightspeed’s higher-tier plans. Some users also report that the POS interface isn’t very intuitive, which I found to be true when trying the software (I kept on mixing up the “Catalog” and “Inventory” functions, for example).
Lightspeed Retail Standout Features for Bookstores
- Detailed multilocation inventory tracking: Lightspeed allows you to manage inventory either in bulk or for individual items. You can bulk import and edit your inventory, as well as change pricing and price rules for multiple items at once. On the other hand, you can also track individual items or item groups by assigning and searching for appropriate categories and tags. Lightspeed Retail doesn’t seem to have a specific inventory field for ISBN and author names, but the serial number and other customizable fields could work for these. Customizable reorder points, low-stock alerts, and real-time inventory updating across channels are also available.
- Integrated vendor management and supplier network: The Lightspeed POS comes built-in with a network of suppliers and their catalogs, including over 50 book publishers. Children’s books, religious books, and comic books are available as well. Bookstores can create and send purchase orders directly from the POS system, without the need for any third parties. You can set reorder points and low-stock alerts, specify suppliers, delivery location and date, and other information to keep track of incoming books and keep your stock filled.
Lightspeed Retail Monthly Pricing
- Lean: $89 (Annual $69/mo)
- POS system with integrated payments
- Dedicated account manager
- Standard: $149 (Annual $119/mo)
- Accounting and ecommerce features
- Advanced: $269 (Annual $199/mo)
- Omnichannel loyalty
- Advanced reporting
Bookmanager: Best for Working With Schools
Pros
- Full-service consumer webstore available
- Purchase ordering and vendor management available
- Customers can request quotes before checking out
Cons
- Steep price point
- Updates and support require yearly subscription
- Not a cloud-based POS
Why We Chose Bookmanager for Bookstores
Bookmanager includes inventory management, purchase ordering (including returns), customizable reports, gift cards, and a loyalty program. The software also comes with the Bookmanager Webstore, which you must renew annually but will help you build orders and sell books online. This feature lets users request a quote before checkout, ideal for working with schools that have to approve large orders before placing them. It even has automatic discounts and delayed payments for schools and libraries.
This bookstore software also works for selling non-book items, such as if you have a coffee bar or stationery section inside your bookstore.
Bookmanager has a few drawbacks: There is no free plan and the software is quite expensive, it does not seem to have automatic alerts for low stock, and it is not a cloud-based or hybrid system, meaning that you’ll need a constant connection to the internet.
Bookmanager Standout Features for Bookstores
- Bookmanager Webstore: The Webstore includes a Guest Checkout option, which allows buyers to reserve items for in-store pickup without the need to first create an account. This makes checkout faster for first-time or irregular customers, and can also foster greater customer loyalty over time. Buyers can also request a quote before checking out. Finally, the Webstore also lets you create custom site content, and includes audiobook integration.
- Inventory and catalog management: Bookmanager gives you access to Pubstock, a file that lets you review the availability and pricing for thousands of book titles from over 140 publishers and distributors. You can also categorize different titles in your inventory according to status or location in your bookstore; for example, you can classify certain titles as reserved for customers, held in back-room storage, or displayed in your shop window.
Bookmanager Monthly Pricing
- Bookmanager Complete: $7,070 per year
- Software for two computers
- Pubstock
- Webstore
- Training and remote support
- Brick & Bookmanager: $6,650
- Software for two computers
- Pubstock
- Training and remote support
- Multilocation: Up to $21,540 for three bookstore branches
- Conversion and data transfer from a different POS: $600 to $5,000
How We Evaluated Bookstore POS Systems
When evaluating POS systems that could be used in a bookstore, we prioritized good inventory management for keeping track of the book stock. Specifically, we wanted to see granular or detailed tracking with customizable fields for ISBN and other information. We also looked for real-time inventory updating, barcode scanning ability, low-stock alerts, and purchase ordering tools. A mobile app and customizable reports were good bonus features as well.
We also considered pricing, with free plans earning significantly more points for a POS system. Integrated payment processing and unlimited inventory items earned more points. Finally, we considered general user reviews, popularity, and our own experiences trying out the POS systems.
10% of Overall Score
We considered each POS system’s pricing, in particular whether it offers a free plan and a subscription under $75 per month. We also checked whether it offers an unlimited number of inventory items as well as integrated payment processing. Square scored highest here, as no other POS we evaluated offered a long-term free plan.
30% of Overall Score
Here we checked for granular inventory management, whether a mobile app was available, and customizable reports. We also looked for online selling capability that can be managed from a centralized POS dashboard. Shopify scored highest in this category, as it has all of these features available.
30% of Overall Score
This was one of the most important categories we considered when evaluating bookstore POS systems, as nuanced inventory management is critical for bookstores. We looked for real-time inventory updating, barcode scanning, and automatic low-stock alerts, as well as customizable fields for tracking vital information such as ISBN. We also wanted to see good purchase ordering ability, and strong vendor/distributor management in general. Basil, which has ISBN-specific tracking capability, scored highest, followed closely by Bookstore Manager.
10% of Overall Score
We graded each system’s customer support hours, presence of an offline mode, and presence of touch-screen compatibility. Shopify took the lead here.
20% of Overall Score
Finally, we reviewed each system’s overall set of features, value for money, and popularity among users (based on a broad sample of online reviews, when available). Square took the lead here given its excellent feature set for affordable monthly prices, intuitive POS system, and lots of good reviews from users.
Bottom Line
While booksellers can benefit from features that retail POS systems offer, running a bookstore requires a few extra considerations, such as particularly good inventory management and purchase ordering. The best software for you will depend on your bookstore’s size, volume of inventory, business model, and budget.
Shopify is our pick for the best overall bookstore POS system. Its robust multichannel and inventory management capabilities make it particularly suited to bookstores wanting to build an online presence and take pre-orders as well as author sites. Shopify also offers a free trial so you can explore whether it’s the right fit for your business.