2022 Vend POS Review: Is It Right for Your Retail Business?

Vend by Lightspeed is a cloud-based retail POS system ideal for brick-and-mortar retailers with large inventories or multiple locations and those looking for flexible payment processing. Aside from its real-time inventory management tools and built-in loyalty program, it can help you manage multiple sales channels, provide store credit payments, use layaway tools, integrate payments, and access advanced reporting and insights. Businesses like gift shops, homeware stores, fashion boutiques, vape shops, and health and supplement retailers are perfect fits for Vend POS. Its monthly fees start at $119 per location ($99 billed annually).

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What We Recommend Vend by Lightspeed For

Of the many retail POS software we have tested, Vend has proven it has a lot to offer growing brick-and-mortar retailers. Its features are designed with scalability in mind, with advanced plans that have premium capabilities that will help you easily manage multiple transactions, customers, and locations as your sales grow. Vend’s biggest drawbacks are the lack of a native ecommerce platform (like you get with Shopify and Square) and the relatively high price point.

Despite that, Vend is one of the best retail POS systems on the market. It is best for:

• Retailers with extensive inventories and multiple locations: It offers real-time inventory management tools for all its subscription plans. Mobile scanning apps for receiving shipments, built-in demand forecasting, barcoding, and integrated purchase order management earned it a spot among the best POS systems for managing inventory.
• Storefronts needing advanced, easy-to-use checkout tools: Vend allows employees to add new customers to its database, use the system’s built-in loyalty program, manage store credit, and provide layaways—all during the checkout process. These, along with its free customer display app, user-friendly touch-screen interface, and customizable payment methods (like store credit our IOUs), make it a great option for high-volume retailers looking to speed up the checkout process.
• High-risk, high-volume businesses: The platform has its own certified age verification tool that allows cashiers to scan and verify drivers’ licenses at the point of sale. It is also compatible with several third-party payment processors. These features make Vend an ideal POS for retail stores with high turnover and those selling CBD, tobacco, and vape products.
• Retail businesses wanting flexible payment processing options: Vend does not have a built-in payment processor. This allows retailers to choose their preferred payment processor or request to be matched with one of Vend’s many partners and enjoy discounted rates exclusive for Vend users. It also has options for setting up layaway, gift cards, store credit, and other payment types not found in most POS systems.

When Vend by Lightspeed Would Not Be a Good Fit

• Startups and small businesses looking for a free POS: The provider does not offer a free version of its POS software. Its cheapest plan starts at $119 per location, per month, and you will also have to pay a separate payment processing and ecommerce platform fee. Small and startup retailers are better off with a free POS system like Square, which also provides features for growth in a more affordable, all-in-one solution.
• Small multichannel retailers: Ecommerce integration features are only available in Vend’s Pro and Enterprise plans, which can be pricey for small businesses. Plus, Vend does not have any native ecommerce tools, so you’ll need to subscribe to a separate software like Shopify or BigCommerce. Retailers looking for a multichannel POS system would find more value for money with Shopify if they primarily sell online or Square if they get more in-person and mobile sales.
• Service and appointment hybrid businesses: While the tool offers appointment software integrations, the subscription price point might be too steep if you can’t maximize its retail functions. For businesses like spas and salons or others that operate on an appointment model, we recommend a more industry-specific POS system alternative like Square Appointments and Fresha.

Vend by Lightspeed Overview

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Vend by Lightspeed Pricing

Vend’s pricing page shows monthly plans with fees that start at $119 per location. The Lite plan supports one location, whereas the higher tiers support multiple locations. Each subscription comes with one register, and additional registers start at $49 per unit, per month. The main differences between Vend’s plans are the number of stores you can manage and advanced features, like real-time inventory management, supply chain management, and premium API access.

Unlike other popular POS software, Vend does not have its own payment processing system, and users are not charged any extra fees for handling transactions through third-party processors. It also offers its users the option to be matched with Vend’s partner processors that provide exclusive discounted transaction rates.

Vend Fees

*Additional registers cost $49/month (billed annually) or $59/month (billed monthly).

Vend by Lightspeed Hardware

Retailers can operate Vend’s browser-based POS software on any Mac and PC. Vend also has a Register app that can be downloaded onto iPads and iPad minis. You can even choose to purchase a Star Micronics mPOP all-in-one touch-screen system.

Vend checkout dashboard on a Mac browser
(Source: Vend)

Most industry-standard accessories, like barcode scanners and receipt printers, are compatible with Vend. This flexibility means you can set up a countertop checkout with all the bells and whistles (including Vend’s free customer-facing display app) and use iPads for mobile sales curbside or on the sales floor.

Businesses can buy hardware directly from Vend or a third-party checkout hardware vendor or use their own device. If purchasing through Vend, you can buy the hardware outright or lease through Portal Advantage, which includes a protection plan. But if you already own hardware, then you can continue to use it—as long as it’s compatible. You can also purchase card readers through your chosen payment processor.

Vend’s website has a comprehensive help center with a step-by-step guide and expert partners ready to answer questions regarding hardware and integration.

Vend’s Pro Hardware Kit
(Source: Vend)

Vend Features

Vend offers many features for handling a large volume of inventory, multiple registers, and several locations with a single platform. You can access the software and checkout features simply by logging in to any device or using the Android and iOS apps. Vend can track cash movement, add discounts and notes for any transactions, and customize receipts by adding your website details or company logo.

The tool has your back for in-store operations–even in a pinch. While it is a cloud POS system, you can continue using the selling features even when disconnected from the internet. When you’re back online, it will re-sync your sales.

Busy retailers will also appreciate its “Park” feature, which allows associates to put a sale on hold so they can pull it up and complete the transaction later. This means that if a customer wants to add another item to their basket or needs to grab their wallet from the car, you can put the sale on hold, continue helping the next customer in line, and resume the sale when the first customer is ready.

Click through each feature below for more details:

Register & Checkout

Vend has both desktop and free customer-facing display apps for iPads and Android devices, and the software can pair with the Vend Register or any third-party register device. The interface is easy to use and prompts you through selling actions, adding new customers, assigning an employee to each transaction, tacking on discounts, and making transaction notes. Not only that, but just like you see with Square POS, Vend allows you to add custom action tiles to your checkout screen, so your most used actions or products are right at your fingertips.

Did you know? Vend creates user barcodes for each POS user. You can then attach each user code to your employees’ IDs, allowing your staff to simply scan their codes at checkout to be assigned to a transaction.

With Vend’s customer-facing checkout apps, customers can add their own personal information to their profile right from your iPad or tablet device.
(Source: Vend)

Vend’s desktop selling interface is easy to use and features tools that will make your checkout easier.
(Source: Vend)

Flexible Payments

While Vend does not have a built-in payment processor like Shopify or Square, the software integrates with most major payment processors and has lots of different payment options and capabilities for any kind of transaction. In addition to accepting credit and debit card payments, Vend also lets you process returns, layaway, store credit, gift cards, on-account payments, and checks. Not only that, but you can process multiple tender types in a single transaction.

When you go to process a sale, there are many tender options available, including store credit and layaway.
(Source: Vend)

Contactless payments through mobile near-field communication (NFC) payments, like Apple Pay, are also possible. For businesses that create custom products or operate off of work orders, you can create quotes and “park” the transaction to checkout once the order is complete.

If you are looking for a POS system with a fully integrated in-house payment processor that comes with your POS plan, consider Square, Lightspeed, or Shopify.

Inventory Management

Vend has powerful inventory management tools for brick-and-mortar retailers. The platform makes it easy to add inventory to your POS catalog. You can either add products individually through the dashboard or upload them in bulk using a spreadsheet. Moreover, it is designed to handle many variants (like different sizes and colors) and composite items (like gift baskets or discount bundles).

One of its most unique features is its corresponding free Scanner by Vend mobile app. This app allows your mobile device camera to scan barcodes to help employees when performing full or partial stock counts or receiving shipments. Scanner by Vend also lets employees check if a product is in stock at any location, verify pricing, and confirm product specs. This means that associates can answer customer questions right from the sales floor.

Vend’s scanner app makes inventory counting easy and more accurate.
(Source: Vend)

Did you know? Many POS systems don’t allow you to do partial inventory counts. Scanner by Vend is a native feature ideal for retailers with large or complex inventories that want to cycle spot-checks.

In addition to the scanner app, Vend has the ability to track inventory in real time, set automatic restock points, track vendor information and purchases, and make detailed product pages that include pertinent product information.

Vend’s product pages let you add tons of information about the product, its vendor, and much more.
(Source: Vend)

Another notable inventory capability that Vend brings to the table is its fully integrated order management features. Vend lets you create, send, and track purchase orders (POs) from within the POS. Most other systems, like Square, will generate reorder reports but require you to export or create POs in a separate program. Vend lets you manage POs across all locations from one place and provides employees visibility into what shipments are on the way.

Not only can you manage purchase orders with Vend, but the software also has full order management. This includes built-in stock receiving, ordering, returning, and transferring features.

Ecommerce

Gift Cards & Loyalty

Customer Management

Vend POS includes tools to build customer profiles, create customer groups (such as a VIP program), and give groups special pricing. Your customer’s information—which extends across all your sales channels—includes purchase history, loyalty points, VIP status, and account balances and is automatically stored under each customer profile.

Each customer profile displays user activity, personal information, and store credit status.
(Source: Vend)

Vend makes it easy to add customers to your customer list, with a feature that allows you to create customer profiles during the checkout process. Additionally, all customers from all your sales channels automatically sync to your POS, so all your online customers will have profiles when they visit your storefront. The only major shortcoming of Vend’s customer management is that it lacks customer reporting capabilities (like you see with Lightspeed POS).

Reporting & Insights

Vend has a streamlined and incredibly helpful reporting module with eight reporting categories, including your retail dashboard with daily sales and numbers, inventory, payments, registers, gift cards, store credit, and tax reports. You can also view your reports from anywhere via Vend’s browser-based dashboard. Though Vend does not have a mobile reporting app, the dashboard is mobile-friendly.

One of my favorite reporting features is the ability to set daily, weekly, and/or monthly sales goals for each employee and track their progress. You can even allow employees to monitor their progress against their goals. This is unique to Vend and makes it easy to hold your staff accountable and help them stay on track.

Another key feature is Vend’s demand forecasting reports, which enable you to anticipate how much stock you’ll need and what is selling the most. Additionally, all of Vend’s reports are adjustable, so you can click through different variables and filters to problem-solve and find the data you need. Not only that, but Vend lets retailers set up custom reports. Many POS systems in this price range only offer templated analytics, so this is a notable feature, one that I have only ever seen in Lightspeed’s premium plans.

Did you know? Vend integrates with Dor, a foot traffic analytics platform for small businesses, so you can track your in-store conversion rates and accurately staff for peak hours. Vend also integrates with QuickBooks, Xero, and MYOB for accounting.

Vend’s Retail Dashboard displays your most pertinent day-to-day information.
(Source: Vend)

RACS Compliant Age Verification App

Vend offers an exclusive Hyperspace Age Verification App. It is certified for the Retail Access Control Standard (RACS) as required by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This means that Vend users can sell age-restricted products. Essentially, when the age verification app is integrated with your device, you can set age requirements for certain products. When an age-restricted product gets scanned into a transaction, an age verification notice will pop up. From there, employees will be prompted to scan the customer’s ID. Once verified, the purchase can continue.

Vend prompts you to verify set age requirements when restricted products are included in a sale.
(Source: Vend)

Integrations

Vend by Lightspeed Ease of Use

• Browser and app-based
• Easy-to-navigate checkout screen
• Step by step setup guide
• Bulk inventory uploading
• Offline mode
• Compatible with most hardware
• Responsive 24-hour customer service
• Extensive help center

Setting up Vend POS is easy. The software is compatible with most PCs, Macs, and iPads and integrates seamlessly with popular payment processors. From there, Vend walks you through a step-by-step setup guide and prompts you through actions like ringing up a transaction and adding customers to your database. It also allows you to upload your customer database and inventory in bulk, so you don’t have to add each item individually. Additionally, it makes it easy to integrate third-party tools with a few clicks or with the help of Vend’s developer community, which can assist you in developing customized tools with the API.

Once set up, Vend integrates your customer data and inventory across locations so that inventory counts and customer purchase histories are always up-to-date. The provider also has one of the most highly rated customer support teams. It offers 24/7 global customer support via email and chat. Plus, its experts are available for hands-on support and on-site training requests.

Vend by Lightspeed Alternatives

The best alternatives to Vend offer affordable POS and inventory features to manage mobile, in-store, and online sales efficiently. Square is one of Vend’s top alternatives, with a forever-free POS software and ecommerce integration. It also offers competitive transaction fee rates and affordable hardware solutions. See how Square compares to Vend.

What Users Think of Vend by Lightspeed

Vend is among the top retail POS systems on the market. However, as of this writing, there are not enough up-to-date iOS user reviews for this provider in the App Store.

Meanwhile, Vend has earned the following scores on popular review sites:

• G2: 4.1 out of 5 based on about 60 reviews.
• Capterra: 4.3 out of 5 based on around 220 reviews.

Overall, users are positive about the Vend platform but still desire more third-party integrations, among other things. Some of the most common feedback we gathered from reading user reviews and speaking to business owners who use the platform are as follows:

Bottom Line

Primarily brick-and-mortar businesses with large and fast-moving inventory require a POS system that can easily track and manage all of their business activities. Vend’s granular inventory features make it one of the best retail POS systems on the market. To top it off, it offers advanced checkout tools and built-in customer management and loyalty features that you usually find as add-ons in other top-ranking POS software. Vend also gives its users the freedom to choose their payment processor at no additional cost. Sign up for Vend’s 14-day free trial.

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