There’s never been a better time to own a cigar shop.
Cigar sales are growing at a steady pace, and tobacco aficionados continue to look for quantity and quality, purchasing popular and premium brands. Industry experts predict that this trend will continue well into the next decade.
But to make the most of this boom, you need a plan and the right tools.
Specifically, a point of sale (POS) system can help you tackle the most challenging aspects of running a cigar shop, including inventory management, age verification, and marketing.
In this blog, we’ll explore the top eight features of cigar shop POS systems and how they can push your business toward its full potential. Then, we’ll share our curated list of the four best cigar shop POS systems on the market.
8 Features You Need From Your Cigar Shop POS System
When customers walk into your cigar shop, they expect a luxury experience.
That means having the right products in stock, crafting a convenient shopping experience, and expertly guiding tobacco aficionados to the perfect cigar.
Fortunately, the right cigar shop POS system makes it a breeze to accomplish these goals. Along with ensuring quick, secure checkouts, this powerful tool can help you manage inventory, learn about your customers, launch sales-boosting marketing campaigns, and more.
Let’s look at four essential features of a POS system:
- Inventory management gives you a real-time overview of your stock levels, making it easier to keep your humidors full of the right cigars.
- Customer relationship management (CRM) tools let you learn about your shoppers, provide personalized service, and make tailored cigar recommendations.
- Marketing features like email and SMS integration, a rewards program, and promotion options can help you grow your customer base and revenue.
- Reporting and analytics reveal your shop’s sales trends and overall financial health, helping you make informed decisions to grow your business.
While a standard POS system with these features can help you tackle the day-to-day tasks of running your shop, we recommend choosing a solution specifically designed for the tobacco industry.
Here are three unique features to look for in a cigar shop POS:
- Carton-pack inventory tracking lets you sell and manage your stock by full or partial cartons and individual packs.
- Cigar label printing lets you add barcode labels to individual cigars, simplifying the checkout and inventory counting processes.
- Built-in age verification keeps checkout lines short and protects your shop’s tobacco license.
- Tobacco scan data reporting helps you understand your customers’ preferences and gives you the opportunity to earn extra revenue from scan data incentive programs.
Choosing an all-in-one POS system with these cigar-specific features can transform your shop’s operations, improve your customer experience, and increase your sales potential.
4 Cigar Shop POS Systems Worth Checking Out
Now that you know what a cigar shop POS system can do, you’re ready to start shopping for one.
To help you get started, we’ve put together this list of our four favorite cigar shop POS solutions. Keep reading to learn about their top features and pricing.
1. Cigars POS
Cigars POS is a POS provider focusing exclusively on smoke shops. Their feature-rich, all-in-one software includes everything you need to navigate the complex cigar industry, including:
- Scanner-powered age verification to protect your shop’s reputation and license
- Carton-pack inventory tracking to keep your customers’ favorite cigars in stock
- Automated inventory reordering and receiving to save you time
Cigars POS also offers integrated high-risk payment processing, which is a must-have if you’re hoping to add tightly regulated products like CBD, delta-8, or kratom to your shop’s shelves.
Cigars POS starts at $69/month, but you can get an instant quote for your cigar shop using their pricing tool.
2. KORONA POS
KORONA POS offers powerful POS software designed to meet the needs of retailers in all industries.
Along with standard features like payment processing and inventory tracking, KORONA POS includes features like:
- ID scanning to prevent underage tobacco sales
- Built-in SMS marketing features to let you send personalized messages to loyal customers
- Employee permission levels to keep your store safe from theft
While KORONA POS’ software isn’t specific to cigar shops, it can still help you manage and market your business.
KORONA POS’ basic subscriptions range from $59 to $69, but you’ll likely pay additional fees for a la carte features like advanced inventory management and sales reporting.
3. FTx POS
FTx POS is a POS provider that specializes in supporting liquor stores, tobacco shops, and convenience stores.
Their software includes features that can save you time and help you expand your store’s reach, like:
- Multi-store management to help you open and manage multiple cigar shop locations
- Handheld inventory scanners to make stock counts faster and more accurate
- An app-based loyalty program to boost your sales and help customers save
FTx POS’ pricing options range from $99 to $299/month.
4. POS Nation
Our final (and favorite) cigar shop POS system is POS Nation.
We offer powerful yet user-friendly software designed to help you stay compliant with tobacco laws, keep your humidors stocked with the right cigars, and make more sales.
Here’s a peek at what our software can do:
- Real-time inventory management that shows your stock levels by the carton and pack
- Advanced reporting and analytics with scan data reporting, product ranking, and customer purchase history
- Built-in age verification that’s quick and secure
Along with these features, we also offer 24/7 support at no additional cost to help you make the most of your cigar shop POS system.
We offer pricing options to meet every cigar shop’s needs and budget.
Light Up Cigar Shop Success With POS Nation
You can’t enjoy a cigar without a lighter — and you can’t run a profitable cigar shop without the right POS system.
Fortunately, you don’t have to look far to find it.
POS Nation is an all-in-one POS solution built to help you manage your cigar inventory, verify customer ages, grow your customer base, and make more sales.
Discover how POS Nation can take your cigar shop to the next level by scheduling your live demo today.
