IT Retail is a point-of-sale (POS) system by grocers, for grocers. It is used by thousands of groceries, markets, butcher shops, general stores, and specialty retailers nationwide. We recommend IT Retail for growing food-based retailers; it has software designed for optimal checkout flows, advanced inventory management features, and a selection of hardware built for speed and convenience. IT Retail is also a good fit for thrift and dollar stores, with quick scanning, employee anti-theft tools, and detailed inventory functions.
IT Retail has a custom pricing scheme that lets you pick and choose hardware to add. Or, you can select one of three pre-built packages with a $199 monthly fee, or a one-time payment of up to $1,999 plus support fees.
The system earned an overall score of 3.43 out of 5 in our evaluation of the best POS systems. Some drawbacks include a high price point and some steep add-on fees.
Fit Small Business delivers the best answers—focusing on accuracy, clarity, and objectivity—to people’s questions on retail, software, tech, and related topics. As a business, we have a strict policy of editorial independence. Whenever we say a product or service is great (or not great), this is based on our thorough evaluation and hands-on experience with these products and services—regardless of who we are partnered with.
David Rivera is a staff writer at Fit Small Business. He has more than six years of experience writing and improving content for industries such as technology, ecommerce, and luxury retail. Since early 2023, he has begun specializing in retail topics in general, and point-of-sale systems in particular.
Meaghan Brophy, who reviewed this article, has more than 10 years of retail experience and over five years of experience evaluating point-of-sale software.
IT Retail Overview
Pros
- All-in-one POS solution; software and hardware included in plans
- Supports bottle deposits and ID scans
- Advanced grocery inventory management features
- Click-and-collect orders integrations
Cons
- Locked into IT Retail for payment processing
- Steep add-on fees for ecommerce
- Subscriptions can be expensive
Deciding Factors
Supported Business Types | Retail Small but growing grocery, market, and specialty food stores |
Standout Features |
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Monthly Software Fees | Somewhat Expensive
|
Contract Length | Short-term (monthly) or long-term (one-time payment) available depending on subscription |
Free Trial | None |
Payment Processing Options | Built-in Locked into IT Retail’s payment processor |
Payment Processing Fees | Varies Custom rates |
Customer Support | Average 24/7 technical support for setup Extended business hours for regular customer service Online tutorials |
Is IT Retail Right for You?
IT Retail is most suited for running an advanced grocery store POS system, convenience stores with self-checkout options, and liquor stores with a large inventory. This POS system offers excellent functions for tracking perishable inventory and managing multiple checkout lanes. It’s also one of the few grocery POS systems with integrated online sales features. Additionally, IT Retail supports built-in employee scheduling and theft detection features for convenience stores while age verification tools and solid inventory management features to track by case, six-pack, or bottle.
Meanwhile, IT Retail does not have the matrix product inventory and back-office tools needed by restaurants and non-food-based retailers. It also lacks scheduling tools that salons, hotels, and repair and handyperson businesses need. IT Retail is also best suited for stationary checkout lanes; it does not work particularly well for service-type businesses like salons or mobile businesses.
IT Retail Alternatives & Comparison
Pricing | Integrated Payments | Built-in Inventory | Ecommerce | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | $199–$1,999+ | IT Retail payment processor | Extensive | Third party |
 | $0 - $29+ | Square Payments | Limited | Built-in |
 | $149 (monthly) to $999 (one-time payment) | Third party | Extensive | Third party |
 | From $59 | Third party | Extensive with upgraded plans | Built-in |
Best For | Learn More | |
|---|---|---|
| Small and growing businesses needing an affordable all-in-one POS | |
| Growing markets | |
| High-risk retail or food and beverage retail |
IT Retail User Reviews
| Users Like | Users Dislike |
|---|---|
| Designed especially for grocers | Glitchy back end |
| Easy to use and works offline | Expensive |
| Strong relationship with customer support | Complicated to set up |
User reviews across multiple sites like the IT Retail software in general. While some said it was more than they had wanted to spend on the system, they also noted that it was worth the price. Most praised the ease of use and the grocery store features, although a few mentioned that they had some glitches in the back end.
Those who loved IT Retail’s customer service said that they had developed a strong relationship with them. However, customer service also had the most complaints among those not liking the system, primarily because they were slow to respond. One user expressed that they could not find an operating manual.
Here’s how IT Retail scores across popular review sites:
- Capterra: 4.8 out of 5 based on around 10 reviews
- Site 2: 4.5 out of 5 based on around 35 reviews
- Trustpilot: 4.5 out of 5 based on more than 30 reviews
IT Retail Pricing
IT Retail struggled in this section because the base subscription for its POS software and hardware plans starts at $199 per month, whereas the most competitive systems with comparable features offer base subscriptions below $100. It also imposes expensive add-on fees for installation and integrations that top competitors would charge less for, or even offer free. However, it is worth noting that IT Retail is a specialty POS system. If you want to immediately own the POS hardware and don’t mind paying more upfront, IT Retail’s higher plans could be a good fit for you.
While the IT Retail system is compatible with third-party hardware, it works best with more rugged hardware options designed to last in high-volume businesses like grocery stores—unlike more generic POS systems that run on iPads.
IT Retail uses a custom build-and-price model, so the total price you end up paying for your POS system will depend on factors such as the type of business you run, how many lanes or registers you need, and any additional hardware and accessories you get.
IT Retail also offers a few pre-built packages. It does not offer a software-only plan; the website displays one monthly subscription for software and hardware, and two other plans where you purchase the hardware outright and pay monthly fees only for the software and support. These two plans include a two-year hardware warranty.
Subscription | Flex Monthly | Freedom Standard | Freedom Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
Fees | $199 per month | $1,499 + software and support fees | $1,999 + software and support fees |
Included hardware | Widescreen touch PC, thermal receipt printer, barcode scanner, cash drawer, pinpad, customer display LCD | Widescreen touch PC, thermal receipt printer, barcode scanner, cash drawer, customer display LCD | Widescreen touch PC, thermal receipt printer, barcode scanner, cash drawer, customer display with dual-arm mount |
Warranty | Lifetime | 2-year hardware warranty | 2-year hardware warranty |
Contracts and agreements | Requires IT Retail Processing Agreement | Requires IT Retail Processing Agreement; no long-term contracts | Requires IT Retail Processing Agreement; no long-term contracts |
IT Retail offers its own payment processing solution to simplify payment processing management. A built-in processor means using one software for accepting payments, and your transactions, inventory, and sales are updated in real time. Again, the pricing is customized so there is no information on the website, but we reached out to an IT Retail representative and confirmed that there is no fixed monthly payment processing fee.
The provider also offers both fixed-rate and interchange-plus pricing, depending on your preference (most payment processing software for small businesses usually offer only fixed-rate fees). Higher custom and prebuilt plans include payment processing hardware (PIN pad with stand). Otherwise, you will likely be able to use (or purchase separately) your own. Its website also says it can offer better rates than its competitors. In general, to get the lowest rates, shop around and get a few quotes from merchant service providers ahead of time. You can then see if IT Retail can match or beat the lowest ones.
IT Retail Register & Checkout Features
IT Retail offers an extensive suite of register and checkout tools for a wide range of food-based retailers. The system particularly excels in grocery and convenience store features with payment processing, age verification, click-and-collect ordering, and mobile checkout options. Note, however, that IT Retail charges add-on fees (some particularly expensive) for software integrations and hardware accessory setup.
With an organized screen that includes buttons, hotkeys, pop-up menus, and a search bar, IT Retail makes it easy for cashiers to sign in, run transactions, handle loyalty programs or layaway/tabs, and even put a transaction on hold so they can ring up a different customer. The POS system is designed to accommodate the fast pace of a busy grocery store.
Other functions include:
- MV, near-field communication (NFC), gift cards, eWIC, and electronic benefits transfer (EBT) payments
- Cash, credit, check, and contactless payments
- Offline mode, so you can keep selling even when the internet is down
- Integration with the latest scanner/scales from Zebra and Datalogic
- Price overrides
- Discounts
- Order modifiers
- Programmable in-store charge limits
- Safe drops
- Product editing or addition on the front end
- Customer displays
- Integration with other apps for coupon optimization and more
The software’s checkout system can also take order modifiers; if a customer wants to make a last-minute minor change to their order the POS can make this change quickly and complete the transaction. You can also set up a webstore where customers can place orders online and pick up on the go, or have their items delivered.
The loyalty program is highly customizable with discount settings that let you offer rewards by product, percentage, and days of the week. You can set up points earned per dollar, as well. The rewards program is easily accessible from the front end. In addition, IT Retail integrates with AppCard, which can learn your customer’s buying habits and deliver marketing messages to increase return visits.
IT Retail has customizable rewards programs. (Source: IT Retail)
IT Retail is good for many kinds of retail stores, but it offers tools designed with groceries in mind such as self-checkout kiosks, customer-facing displays, and the ability to switch a lane from self-checkout to cashier-assisted checkouts.
Other useful tools include:
- Calculating by weight or quantity
- Product lookup
- Gesture-controlled scrolling
- Multiple-scale integration
- Bottle deposit
- WIC considerations
Typical hardware setup for local grocery stores with IT Retail’s all-in-one solution (Source: IT Retail)
IT Retail has a partnership with FutureProof Retail to provide customers with a digitized in-person shopping solution. The software includes line-free mobile checkout and order-ahead features for businesses in the grocery industry. Shoppers can scan and pay for items using their smartphones, making self-checkout even faster and smoother. This is an optional add-on, which, according to FutureProof, does not require a long-term contract and offers customized pricing.
Scan-and-Go software developed by FutureProof in partnership with IT Retail for self-scanning, digitized in-person shopping.
(Source: IT Retail)
Stores that accommodate online grocery shopping see increased sales and customer satisfaction. IT Retail has joined with several online grocery and delivery services to help you process orders.
For example, by using Mercato via IT Retail, you can offer products like specialty, fresh, and branded items. Mercato monitors orders and deliveries and manages payments and refunds. IT Retail also integrates with LocalExpress, Freshop, My Cloud, and Instacart.
IT Retail offers a comparison chart of its ecommerce partners to help you make the best choice. (Source: IT Retail)
IT Retail Management Tools
IT Retail offers a suite of back-office management tools which includes advanced inventory tracking, reporting, and employee management features. The system did well in this category. However, it’s important to note that most of its key functionalities will require you to pay an add-on fee while other features, such as CRM and ecommerce, require integrations. Third-party tools are also very limited; only around 15 integrations are currently available.
You can add products individually or in bulk on the back end or add them at the register from the manager dashboard. You can also make batch changes, such as to price. The software has low stock alerts as it tracks inventory counts in real time, so cashiers know if they are low on an item. The platform also enables you to generate purchase orders and receive against an order or on the fly.
One of IT Retail’s best inventory features is the mobile scanner app. Employees and managers can use this app to receive stock, perform inventory counts, add and change products on the fly, adjust pricing in batches (for sales), generate and send purchase orders, and compile lists of shelf tags to print.
IT Retail’s advanced inventory management lets you keep a detailed count of products; monitor cost, price, and markup; and receive low-stock reports for items that need replenishing. (Source: IT Retail)
You can set employee permissions for the back or front end, and add new employees to the system—their details will automatically be synced to each register. Employees can clock in and out directly from the register, and the software creates timecards and tracks their activities. It also offers rapid onboarding for multiple employees.
In the reports section, you can use this data to see your top performers, or compare employees against a store average or across date ranges. IT Retail says that they are also working on an artificial intelligence (AI) platform that can help identify and eliminate employee theft.
You can track the sales activity of each employee. (Source: IT Retail)
The sales dashboard offers real-time data of your business’ performance with reports that include visual graphs or spreadsheet listings so that you can explore the information in a way that’s best for your needs. You can examine data by stores, departments, and individual sellers. Get high-level analysis like how price changes affected sales or profits, or drill down to specific transactions by viewing the original receipt. IT Retail’s data downloads directly to Excel or QuickBooks for accounting or deeper analysis.
You can check store performance by location and date range. (Source: IT Retail)
Other IT Retail’s back-end reports and analytics features include:
- Cloud-based data storage: Access your business data remotely from any computer or mobile device.
- Mobile optimization: The reporting dashboard is optimized for mobile with a simple interface compatible with both iOS and Android devices.
- Machine learning (ML) algorithms: IT Retail’s analytics uses machine learning algorithms to create insightful reports from sales data to employee performance.
IT Retail also includes reports for shrinkage calculation and management. These reports let you spot inventory that is lost due to non-sale reasons—for example, food spoilage or employee theft. This report is generated based on items received, items sold, and past inventory counts. Shrink reports guarantee that your products are always fresh, all the time.
IT Retail has three main types of inventory reports:
- The shrink report lets you track which items were lost due to reasons other than sales—spoilage, employee theft, or clerical errors. You can also see how often certain products are lost due to inventory shrinkage.
- The low inventory report lets you know which items are running low so that you can restock before running out completely.
- The inventory value report shows you the current total value of all the inventory you currently have in stock.
IT Retail Ease of Use & Customer Support
IT Retail is so dedicated to ensuring a smooth checkout experience for grocery stores that its hiring process includes making new employees work in a grocery store for a day to understand the challenges. It’s built for speed and reliability, so you don’t lose customers because of slow or glitchy systems. Third-party software integration is limited but includes QuickBooks plus a range of CRM, marketing, and ecommerce tools.
In addition to 24/7 technical support, IT Retail offers on-site training during the product rollout, as well as through a library of videos. There’s an emergency number posted on its website—not something we’ve seen for other software companies. Regular support hours are extended from Monday to Friday, 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time.
IT Retail Expert Score
We gave IT Retail an above-average score for this category primarily for its breadth of versatile features that you won’t often see with niche POS software providers.
IT Retail’s industry-grade hardware is both scalable and reliable. It also offers free use of its payment processing with the added flexibility of being able to choose your preferred fee structure. While its average cost to set up and scale is more than what most popular POS systems would charge, IT Retail’s proprietary software and hardware offer functionalities like advanced self-checkouts and inventory management that bring true value for money.
We need to consider IT Retail’s pricing and its impact on small business owners. At $199 per month, it is a tough sell, especially if you have providers like Square that also offer all-in-one POS solutions at a significantly lower monthly cost. However, it is not uncommon for specialized software and equipment to be more expensive, and grocery and convenience store owners who are growing their business actively should find IT Retail a sustainable option.
How We Evaluated IT Retail
We test every point-of-sale (POS) system software ourselves when evaluating small business POS systems. We gauged each one for affordability and value-for-money features that not only include, but also go beyond, basic POS functions, such as the ability to handle complicated inventory, multiple payment methods, and multichannel features. We also evaluated each system’s scalability and flexibility ideal for small businesses.
Overall, IT Retail performed decently in our evaluation, standing out for its versatile hardware, flexible payment processing, and advanced niche features.
Click through the tabs below to see the full evaluation criteria.
30% of Overall Score
15% of Overall Score
IT Retail performed quite well for register features. It has a speedy checkout system that also includes customizable hotkeys, stock adjustments, and CRM features.
15% of Overall Score
IT Retail got a fairly high score for management tools, as it has solid inventory management with low-stock alerts, purchase ordering capabilities, and a strong array of employee management and reporting tools. Marketing features require an integration.
20% of Overall Score
20% of Overall Score
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Click the questions below to learn more about IT Retail’s uses and pricing.
IT Retail’s price point can be challenging for small businesses. However, any actively growing food-based retail stores, such as busy convenience stores and grocers, will find this system sustainable and easy to scale.
Food-based retailers can benefit from IT Retail’s all-in-one, scalable, POS solution, advanced niche grocery POS software, industry-grade hardware, and flexible payment processing fee structure.
IT Retail offers all-in-one plans that start with a single POS terminal:
- Monthly subscriptions for small retailers on a budget, from $199 per month for hardware and software
- Bundles in which you pay upfront for hardware ($1,499–$1,999) and own it outright, while paying monthly costs for software and support
Bottom Line
If speedy transactions are a priority, IT Retail is worth looking into. Designed for busy grocery stores, IT Retail’s optimized hardware and software create the most efficient workflows, whether for cashiers or customers at a self-serve kiosk—and especially for markets with multiple checkout lanes. Real-world users say that the interface is smooth and easy and generally praise customer support. Contact IT Retail for a demo today.
