6 Best Grocery POS Systems for 2023

IT Retail is a cloud-based, serverless setup. This enables it to offer its POS for a much lower price than traditional, locally installed systems. Software cost starts at $99 per month for small shops. Larger supermarket-style stores and multilocation markets will need to request custom pricing. Your IT Retail terminals will arrive preprogrammed and ready to install. But if you prefer to leave the installation to the professionals, you can request in-person installation for a custom-quoted fee.

IT Retail’s standout features include:

• Online grocery: A recent survey reports that US online grocery sales for November 2022 were $7.7 billion. IT Retail integrates directly with industry-leading online grocery ordering and delivery platforms like Instacart, so your store can meet customers where they prefer to shop. Note, however, that setting up an online store can be expensive.
• Employee productivity: In addition to supporting customized user permissions and tracking employee time, IT Retail also tracks your cashiers’ performance. The system logs activities like voids, refunds, and discounts and allows you to compare an individual staff member’s performance to store averages. These reports can illustrate underperforming staff members or alert you to potential theft.
• Customer loyalty: IT Retail lets you engage with customers through a customizable rewards program. You can reward loyalty points for every purchase, which customers can later redeem as a dollar amount or a percentage discount. There is no chance your customers will miss a chance at redemption; before finalizing payment the IT Retail POS alerts your cashier when a customer has unused loyalty points.
• Comprehensive inventory: IT Retail’s inventory tracks your products in real time. It also includes tools for lot tracking and expiration date tracking to keep your market compliant with FDA tracking regulations for perishable items.
• Bottle deposits and ID scans: This system seamlessly handles tax-free bottle and can deposits in states that require it. The system also prompts for ID scans for age-restricted products, so your cashiers will never forget to check.

Revel uses iPads as the foundation for its cloud-networked retail POS system, just like competitor Square for Retail does. Revel, however, is backed up to a local server, which gives it stronger offline functionality and ensures that you can process payments even if you lose internet access. Though this consumer-grade hardware is likely less expensive than purpose-built hardware, you’ll need to contact Revel for a custom quote.

Revel Systems’ standout features include:

• Inventory management: With the ability to manage complex matrix inventories, you can organize items into categories, monitor stock counts in real time, send automatic low-stock alerts, and generate purchase orders. Aside from its barcode scanner, you can use your phone to scan items, and the activity will be synced from the app to your dashboard seamlessly. If you need first-in, first-out (FIFO) or lot tracking, however, you’ll need to add the Yellow Dog inventory integration.
• iPad-based self-checkout: With self-checkout stations built on iPads, Revel users can get self-service tools for a fraction of the cost of a custom kiosk build.
• Loyalty program and CRM: Create your own loyalty program depending on how your customers want to earn—like earning points per transaction, for buying specific items, or based on the purchase amount. You can generate insights from the app’s management console to develop a rewards program (e.g., exclusive discounts and promos) that will boost customer satisfaction.
• Employee management: Set up administrator permissions, assign roles and wages, monitor timecards, and manage payroll. The system also allows you to create staff schedules and standardize time sheet rules according to local laws.
• Payment processing: Revel Systems’ management console lets you view credit card transactions throughout a particular period and check on deposited funds. It is also EMV-compliant and integrates with QuickBooks for seamless accounting processes.

Users love POS Nation and rave about its supportive 24/7, US-based customer service. The system also arrives at your location preconfigured with the POS Nation software, so all you need to do is plug in the components. In-person installation is available; prices will vary based on the complexity of your configuration, though. If your market sells alcohol or tobacco products you can prompt cashiers to scan IDs. And if your state requires grocers to collect and refund non taxed bottle deposits, POS Nation can handle these automatically.

POS Nation’s standout features include:

• Flexible ecommerce integration: Users are not tied to a built-in platform; if you already have a website that works for you, you won’t need to move to a POS Nation-built tool. For a fee of $15 per month you can integrate your web store with POS Nation. This is great if you already have a plan for ecommerce sales. If you want a built-in ecommerce site, however, you’ll prefer IT Retail or Square for Retail.
• Mobile POS option: POS Nation operates on stationary touch-screen terminals or mobile tablets. You can use these mobile devices to run sales at a satellite location like a pop-up tent in your parking lot, or even add or count inventory items.
• US-based customer support: While many POS brands outsource their technical support to call centers outside the US, POS Nation’s 24/7 support representatives are US-based. They are also reviewed highly by POS Nation users. Nearly every positive review of this system mentions the friendly and knowledgeable support team.
• Strong inventory tools: POS Nation’s built-in inventory tracking supports unlimited products. You can create multiple pricing levels for cases or packs of items, or build mix and match product combos with pricing that updates as included items are added to the sale.

Comcash comes with several features that help you manage a high-volume market with ease. You can quickly process bottle deposits and redemptions, scan IDs for age-restricted purchases, and track expiration dates on perishable products. The system also includes an integrated online store and robust loyalty tools.

Comcash’s standout features include:

• Marketing and loyalty: Your Comcash system prompts for e-receipts for every order (they aren’t kidding about trying to eliminate paper waste). These emails are the foundation of a customer profile. Customers can also enroll using a phone number; there are no cards required and no specialized loyalty number to remember. Additionally, they can earn points for purchases, and you can also use the loyalty system to send targeted emails and coupons or promote new items.
• Integrated online store: Like Square for Retail, Comcash includes an integrated online store. This store syncs seamlessly with your in-store inventory and loyalty program. So, you will never sell an item online that you don’t have in stock, and customers can apply loyalty points or promotions just as they would if they visited in person.
• Flexible hardware: You can operate your Comcash POS on low-profile touch-screen Windows tablets or opt for industry-grade Elo Touch screens with integrated scanners and scales. Self-checkout terminals are also an option, as are handheld inventory scanners that speed order receiving and inventory counts.
• Unified customer experience: Since the loyalty and ecommerce site are built into your Comcash POS, your customers receive a unified customer experience. They will see the same logos, branding, and user interface whether they purchase in-store or online. They can apply the same coupons and rewards across channels, and even retain copies of all their past purchases so they never forget a product that they loved.

Catapult is a complete retail management solution that can streamline a busy local market or help a regional brand compete with Kroger and Whole Foods. With all the software tools under the ECRS umbrella, you won’t need to daisy chain third-party integrations to add needed functions. All of your reporting and analytics are also compiled on a single dashboard, which will save you administrative time.

Catapult’s standout features include:

• Myriad self-checkout configurations: Catapult has the widest range of self-checkout options of any system on this list. Small shops can use small-footprint terminals with a card reader, and large markets can expand with scales, scanners, and change dispensers. The self-checkout is guided and intuitive, and handles many everyday issues on its own. For example, if a Catapult self-checkout stand runs out of change, it will print a barcoded receipt that the customer can scan at another stand to receive their change.
• Marketing and loyalty: All the systems on this list include marketing and loyalty tools. Catapult’s tools go a bit further than most. Beyond simply rewarding customers for purchases, you can also reward them when they share your store’s events and promotions on social media. You can also offer targeted promotions for birthdays, holidays, or other custom events.
• Inventory with Universal Product Database: Catapult’s inventory includes robust tools for tracking expiration dates. It communicates directly to your largest suppliers via an EDI connection so you can place orders with a few clicks and manage invoices in the cloud. The system also contains a Universal Product Database (UPD), which contains images, ingredients, ordering information, barcodes, and descriptors for hundreds of thousands of products. This reduces your labor cost for entering items into your inventory and helps you identify new products.
• Comprehensive online learning center: All the systems on this list have customer support and training resources, but Catapult’s online learning center truly stands out. This portal includes comprehensive classes to teach you and your staff how to use every nook and cranny of the system. The Catapult team also regularly hosts webinars to help independent grocers and other retailers meet new business challenges.

Like third-placer POS Nation, Square does not require long-term contracts. Square also comes with built-in payment processing, so if you are a small market upgrading from a cash register or a micro-market with a single lane, this POS is a great fit. This system is so popular with small businesses of all types that your employees will likely already be familiar with it. The lack of a long-term contract lets you use Square as long as it suits, then upgrade or move to a new system if your needs change.

Square for Retail’s standout features include:

• Bring your own hardware: Square for Retail can run on iPads that you already own. All you need is a card reader and a Square account. You can get started with the system in a single afternoon. Of course you can purchase additional hardware from Square to customize your system. If you need barcode scanners, integrated scales, customer-facing displays, or additional card readers, Square has you covered.
• Free online store: Beyond being free, the Square Online Store offers a lot of great features. You can highlight top selling items, new products, discounts, or deals on your site. Your site will also integrate seamlessly with Instagram, Facebook, and Google product listings. So if a customer is looking for a nearby store that sells what they need, your Square Online Store can put your market at the top of their list.
• Inventory integration: Square for Retail includes product tracking inventory that updates in real time and includes bulk inventory intake and smart forecasting tools. If your market sells mostly shelf stable products, this may be all you need. But if you need to track expiration dates for perishable items or lot numbers for meats, seafood, and other products that are prone to food-borne illness or recalls, you’ll want to add the Finale Inventory integration. This will increase your operating costs; Finale’s software fees start at $75 to $799 per month. But considering all you’re saving on your Square hardware and software, this shouldn’t break the bank.
• Workforce management: Square offers built-in employee management tools to manage your employee hours, scheduling, and payroll. These features are included in Plus and Premium packages; Free subscribers will need to pay an additional $35 per month.
• EBT payments: If you need to accept EBT, or WIC payments, you can add the TotilPay integration for $49.95 per month.