Used Square Arduino pos printer library

Square Got Close

When we finally converted to Square for our credit card processing, I was tempted by all the Point of Sale features that they built into their app. It could act as our cash register! We could even enter all our items, but Square still couldn’t track inventory. I really, really wanted inventory tracking. So I started searching. Is there an app for that? Turns out, yes, there are a few solid iPad-based Point of Sale systems that include inventory tracking features. I looked at Vend, Revel, Intuit, NCR’s Silver and ShopKeep.

If you are looking at different systems, I suggest you start with the company websites and also pay careful attention to how well they treat you on the phone. Phone support makes the difference between a quick resolution of an issue and frustrating hours figuring it out for yourself.

After initial research, I decided on ShopKeep Point of Sale. What tipped the scales for me was that ShopKeep was created by a frustrated wine shop owner who decided to build what he himself needed. So surely it would have features that a liquor store would need, right? (It’s pretty close!) I was also influenced by their customer service and terrific phone support.

I started by setting up a test store from my iPad and trying out some test items. As I played with it, I started a list of questions. The more I played with entering items, making pretend sales, and watching how it handled inventory, the more I understood the basics and the more I could ask more detailed questions. I put in a phone call to ShopKeep to ask those questions. My customer service rep Kevin was very good. He answered all my questions and took all my suggestions for improvement.