Is there anything sweeter than owning a candy store? You’ve dreamt of opening up your own candy shop since you were a kid, and here you are, living that dream. Congratulations!
However, when you get down to brass tax, running a candy store can be a lot more complicated than you originally anticipated. And unfortunately, many business owners fail within their first year of business.
So what’s the best way to ensure that your candy store gets off to a strong start?
We recommended investing in the right tools and software. A point of sale (POS) system is an integral part of your candy store’s tech stack. We’ll outline some of the best POS systems on the market today. We will cover each system’s top-line features, benefits, and we’ll even throw in a few real-life customer reviews to help you make an informed purchase for your business.
POS Systems for Your Candy Store
So what does your candy store need in a best-in-class POS system?
First and foremost, your pricing system will likely be more complex than the average retail store. Many candy shops sell items at either a fixed price, by weight, or both. Additionally, your inventory system will need to support a larger-than-average catalog of products. As such, your POS system must be able to track multiple SKUs across a variety of product categories.
As a recommended next step, download our free resource: The Retail POS System Buyers’ Guide. This guide features some of the major considerations that you need to make in order to find a POS system that fulfills the unique expectations of your customers.
Now, without further ado, let’s dive into the top four candy store POS systems.
1. ERPLY
ERPLY is a POS solution designed for small- to medium-sized businesses known for its in-depth inventory management features. According to ERPLY’s website, their aim is to make their POS solutions as flexible and personalized as possible for their customers.
Some ERPLY features that may interest candy store operators are:
- Product matrixes for complex inventory
- Trend tracking for easy inventory restocking
- Weight-based pricing
- Multiple product label templates
- Built-in promotion and discount options
- Customer loyalty and reward programs
ERPLY’s reviews are largely positive across review sites. The few negative reviews seem to be related mostly to customer support accessibility.
“ERPLY distinguishes itself nicely, navigating with relative finesse the dichotomy between high-end functionality and “little guy” accessibility. The software is powerful, scalable, and incredibly versatile… it’s not the easiest software to learn and could use a few improvements in terms of support…” -Merchant Maverick Review
2. Shopify
Shopify is largely known for its e-commerce features, but they also offer POS solutions for brick and mortar retailers. If your candy store has online ordering options, Shopify may be a good choice for you.
Shopify features ideal for candy stores include:
- Barcode-based inventory counts
- Demand forecasting via past sales data
- Suggestions for items to put on sale
- Customer tags for easy customer segmentation
- Advanced reporting features
- Buy online, pick up in-store options
Shopify has a number of positive reviews, though a majority are centered around their e-commerce and online shopping offerings. Negative reviews mention a lack of features needed to run your business.
“If you’re looking for an easy-to-use, reliable, and elegant online platform for your store... We feel confident recommending Shopify to most merchants, provided they aren’t seeking lots of advanced functionality on a shoestring budget.” - Merchant Maverick Review
3. POS Nation
One of POS Nation’s cornerstones is its simplicity. Our solutions are plug-and-play, enabling you to get your candy store operations up and running quickly. This simplicity doesn’t sacrifice quality, however. POS Nation offers a plethora of incredible features packaged in a user-friendly interface. Additionally, POS Nation offers top-notch customer support for both hardware and our software, CAP Retail by POS Nation.
POS Nation features ideal for candy store operations include:
- Simple inventory management and unlimited SKUs
- Scale integration for pricing by weight
- Whole case or case-break inventory to sell in bulk or piece by piece
- Mix and match pricing and sales
- Multiple options for coupons and promotions
- Customer loyalty and purchase history tracking
POS Nation has rave reviews across all review sites and platforms. Customers love that we don’t hide fees or rope them into long-term contracts. We don’t see you as just a customer — you’re our partner, and we’re invested in your success.
"POS nation is a truly complete point of sale system that is super intuitive. A benefit for beginning users to learn the ropes for retail/customer service cash handling." - SoftwareAdvice.com Review.
4. Lightspeed Retail
Lightspeed Retail offers solutions for retail, restaurant, and golf establishments. They focus on businesses of all sizes, from small business to enterprise. As a note, these offerings come with a higher price tag than the other options discussed in this post.
Some features offered by Lightspeed Retail that may interest candy store operators include:
- Contactless payment options
- Up-to-date inventory and stock data across locations
- Reorder points assist in restocking efforts
- Advanced reporting and analytics
- Membership, discounting, and monthly subscription box options
Lightspeed Retail has numerous customer reviews online, many of them positive. Negative reviews of Lightspeed Retail seem to center around pricing, as well as the complexity of the user interface.
“If you’re looking for a system that will likely have every option you could dream up in a POS… and pricing isn’t a major consideration, Lightspeed Retail should be fairly high on your list... Some users have reported system glitches that can be frustrating. The learning curve is also fairly steep…” -Merchant Maverick Review
The Best POS System for Candy Stores
Going to a candy store should be a joyful experience for your customers, and the right POS solution can help you make that happen. No POS system will be the right solution for every business, but by examining all of the features and functionality offered by each system, you can select the right fit for your store.
To check out the options POS Nation offers and see what might be the best fit for your candy store, use our build and price tool. You can also schedule a demo of CAP Retail by POS Nation to see how our unique point of sale software can streamline your processes.
