Retail POS — single-store + multi-location
Retail POS prioritises inventory management, multi-location reporting, and increasingly omnichannel integration with ecommerce. Per-transaction processing matters but is typically less dominant than restaurant TCO because retail transactions are higher-value and lower-volume.
The reasoning.
Square Retail is the cheapest first POS for single-store boutiques. Lightspeed Retail is the mid-market multi-location leader. Shopify POS dominates omnichannel retail (online + in-store inventory unification). Clover Register Lite for single-store mid-tier IF buyer understands lease structure.
Vendors that don't fit this vertical.
Toast (restaurant-only), TouchBistro (restaurant-only), NCR Aloha (enterprise restaurant), SpotOn (restaurant-focused), Heartland (restaurant-focused).
The cost most buyers underestimate here.
Barcode scanner + receipt printer — $300-$600. Standalone retail hardware that's not always in entry hardware bundles.