Traditional cash Registers vs iPad Point of Sale Systems

With the development of technology has come an evolution in the way that we can purchase products. Enter iPad point of sale systems which are fast replacing traditional cash registers in many establishments.

iPad point of sale (POS) technology is a fantastic innovation that can do exactly the same as your basic cash register and a whole lot more besides. The concept of moving towards such a modern method of payment can seem a daunting prospect. Is a POS system right for your business?

We have done a direct comparison between traditional cash registers and iPad based point of sale systems to help you understand the benefits that POS technology can bring to your business.

Size and space

Traditional cash register: cash registers are heavy and bulky items that can take up a considerable amount of space and they require specific locations within your store to be plugged in and operational. They are difficult to move to clean around, and cannot be locked securely away.

POS technology: in comparison, iPadPOS technology is sleek, light and portable. There is no need for large checkout counters taking up valuable floor space. Instead, your staff can carry their iPads with them or keep them in a small and secure location by the shop floor.

Queues vs. portable sales

Traditional cash register: one of the worst parts of shopping is facing the prospect of long queues at a checkout and the sight of one can often deter shoppers from entering your store altogether.

POS technology: No need for unsightly queuing, with iPad point of sale, once your customer has decided on their purchase you can eliminate any waiting around. Got an older gentleman or heavily pregnant woman surrounded by shopping? Simply ask them to take a seat and take the iPad to them for convenience and customer service all wrapped up in one. POS systems also allow you to undertake business transactions anywhere including personal appointments at customer houses and events such as trade shows.

Old-fashioned or forward thinking?

Traditional cash register: a cash register is viewed by some customers as old-fashioned and outdated and using one could subconsciously send them the same message about your business.

POS technology: adopting iPad POS can identify your store as a modern and forward-thinking business that understands your customers developing needs and the newest payment processing technology.

Transaction reporting

Traditional cash register: the major limitation of a cash register is that it can only tell you information about the transactions that have taken place on it. More modern cash registers may be able to take a little more detail, but they are still limited to specific stores. If you have other revenue streams then you would need to manually review and combine the transaction records for each source of income.

POS technology: if you have multiple revenue streams then POS software can offer huge benefits to your business as they can synchronise all of your sales data in real-time, giving you a comprehensive report on your current sales figures at all times.

Not only can POS software be used for calculating sales figure, it also has extensive reporting capabilities for a huge number of customisable parameters including stock inventory and customer data. These reports can be used to streamline your business practices and marketing strategies.

Marketing capabilities

Traditional cash register: currently have little or no real marketing capabilities.

POS technology: whether you are taking customer email addresses to add to your database or monitoring where the majority of your customers come from, point of sale systems can give your business marketing a boost.

Purchase price, ongoing costs and support

Traditional cash register: there is some initial investment involved in purchasing cash registers and obviously the more that you need, the larger this outlay will be. Most cash registers have a life-span of 10-15 years although they may need an upgrade during this time, and apart from a warranty there is no ongoing support in place for businesses that use them.

POS technology: the majority of POS companies offer a no obligation trial so you can establish if it is right for your business before you make a commitment. Initial hardware and software costs may outweigh the purchase price of a traditional cash register, and there are ongoing monthly costs similar to that of other merchant services. However, the reduction in administrative costs, benefit of additional analysis and time saved means that within a short time your POS system will have paid for itself. You also have the additional benefit of ongoing customer support, with most POS businesses offering email and live chat services 24/7.

Receipts or paper-free

Traditional cash register: receipts can be a bugbear for many customers who dislike the tiny pieces of paper than they need to keep hold of for weeks or even months at a time to protect them if there is a problem with their purchase. Cash register receipt rolls are tricky to change, invariably need to be replaced at an inconvenient time and are not very environmentally friendly.

POS technology: in comparison, iPad point of sale is a paperless system. You can email the receipt of purchase directly to the customer meaning that it is always in their inbox if they need it. Not only that but you then get to add your customer email address to your database for ongoing marketing. ‘Lost receipt sir, no problem at all’, you can also recall customer purchasing information on the system meaning that they need not even print it in order to make a return. Finally it is a positive step in reducing paper waste, benefiting our planet

Keeping store records vs online back-ups

Traditional cash register: with ordinary cash registers you need to keep rolls of transaction receipts somewhere for years at a time. If they become lost or damaged then there is no way of replacing them.

POS technology: iPad POS uses cloud-based technology which means that your information is periodically basked up, always safe and accessible 24/7 from anywhere with an internet connection.

Reliability

Traditional cash register: an ordinary cash register has very few reliability problems, apart from the odd technological glitch or mains power problems.

POS technology: the only real downfall of POS technology is that it does require an internet connection. That said, most of them will also work offline and then synchronise with the Cloud as soon as an internet connection is back up and running.

Staff training

Traditional cash register: some cash registers can be very complex and require a significant investment in terms of staff training.

POS technology: the increase in mobile technology and popularity of iPads means that iPad based POS systems are extremely user friendly and the majority of staff will require very little training.

If you are looking to maintain a small and basic store then you may find that point of sale technology is too expensive and offers far more features than you require. However if you have grand ideas of expansion and diversification then iPad POS is the ideal tool to help your business grow into the future.