Managing a retail store isn’t easy, and that’s especially true in the highly regulated liquor industry.
However, technology has advanced considerably, and liquor store point of sale (POS) systems now offer the same enhanced customer service and back office features as other retailers.
Liquor store POS systems also provide specific functions like shrinkage reports, high-risk payment processing, and age verification to help small liquor store owners stay legally compliant and profitable.
Upgrading to a comprehensive liquor store system is a big decision. Which provider is the right fit for your business?
In this article, we’ll cover the:
- Four must-have features every liquor store needs
- Five top liquor store POS providers in 2025
Liquor Store POS Systems: 4 Must-Have Features
There are four major “must-have” feature categories for liquor POS systems:
- Pricing for specials and sales
- Flexibility for both multi-pack and unit sales
- Advanced inventory tracking
- Age verification
1. Flexible Pricing Tools
Sales and creative promotions are critical for liquor retailers, so having quick and easy pricing options is a must. Promotions can include:
- Time-limited sales for wines or spirits associated with certain holidays (e.g., kosher wines for Passover)
- Global sales (e.g., “10% off all California wines”)
- Bulk pricing — you might offer a bulk discount for a major customer or a catered event
Liquor POS systems should also be equipped to automatically calculate the correct sales tax in each store location.
2. Case Break Inventory
From six-packs of beer to cases of wine, liquor stores deal in a wide range of multi-pack items.
POS systems with case break inventory functions can easily price and process sales by the bottle, by the six, or any other combination. You can accurately track inventory levels regardless of how you sell items.
Inventory flexibility also extends to “mix and match” capabilities for sales. For example, imagine you want to offer a discount to customers purchasing any 12 bottles of wine.
Instead of counting bottles and applying a discount by hand, your POS system should allow customers to select a variety of different wines (excluding restricted sizes) and automatically apply the discount at checkout.
3. Real-Time Inventory Tracking
Optimizing inventory selection and levels is key to running a successful liquor store. The inventory management tools in liquor store POS systems allow you to:
- Streamline receiving and reordering
- Create custom SKUs and barcodes
- Set restock alerts
- View inventory levels in real time across locations
- Identify bestsellers and dead stock
- Connect online and in-store inventory
…and more.
A liquor POS with barcode scanning integrated into the system allows for more accurate inventory overall and faster counts, discouraging theft and increasing inventory accuracy.
4. Age Verification
We don’t need to tell you the consequences of selling alcohol to minors. But we also know things get busy, and mistakes can happen when you’re checking IDs by hand.
Liquor store POS systems prevent these mistakes using age-verification tools like ID scanners. These let your staff quickly scan and validate IDs without slowing down the checkout process.
Don’t just take our word for it. Many studies show that implementing ID scanners significantly reduces underage alcohol sales.
Other Features To Look For
- Reporting and analytics: Get reports that help you make smarter decisions about what to stock, when to staff your store, and how to improve your bottom line.
- Employee management: Use your system to control staff access and track their work — from secure logins and role-specific permissions to time tracking, sales monitoring, and training tools for new hires.
- Security features: Protect your business by monitoring and recording everything from sales transactions and age checks to cash handling and employee actions. Integrate your POS with your surveillance cameras for a complete picture.
- Sales and transaction processing: Handle fast transactions with multiple payment types, easily look up products, and manage everything from bottle deposits to returns.
- Hardware support: Look for a POS system that comes with all the essentials — from receipt printers, cash drawers, and scanners (for products and IDs) to customer displays, mobile devices, and label printers.
Consider the features you need most as we explore the best liquor POS systems available today.
5 Top Liquor Store POS Systems
Choosing a POS system for your business takes time — and it should. This is a system you’ll be using every day. So, when you consider a POS system, take into account factors like:
- Your budget
- The features you want (and the features you need)
- What systems you’re using already
- Your short and long-term goals (why are you upgrading in the first place?)
Having clear ideas of what those are will help you narrow down a list. Once you do, schedule a demo with a few providers. Even a system that looks perfect on paper might be less appealing after seeing it in action.
Here are our top four picks for liquor store POS systems.
1. POS Nation
POS Nation is our top-rated retail management system that handles inventory, payments, reports, employee management, and more, all in one system. With support for ID scanning, auto ranking, customer loyalty, and other useful features, POS Nation is a reliable, all-around pick for small to mid-size liquor store owners.
Best Features
- Advanced inventory options: We offer advanced inventory features for liquor stores, including case break inventory tracking, mobile inventory scanning, and real-time visibility.
- Streamlined vendor management: Track all your vendors in a consolidated database, set automated low-stock alerts, and generate purchase orders in a single system.
- Built-in reports: Use sales and inventory data to gain insights into best-selling products and brands, peak hours, shrinkage sources, and more.
- In-house payments: We process payments in-house, offering competitive payment processing fees for any popular payment method, including gift cards, credit cards, and mobile payments.
All of our features are backed up by 24/7 support.
Pricing
We are used to working with small businesses and offer flexible pricing to accommodate various business sizes, hardware needs, and more. Try our pricing configurator tool today to get a custom quote.
2. KORONA POS
KORONA is a powerful liquor store POS system ideal for larger operations thanks to its robust customer relationship management (CRM) systems and franchise-level management tools.
Best Features
- Case break inventory: Track inventory by bottle, six-pack, can, or any other combination for accurate inventory levels and easy receiving.
- Robust CRM: KORONA POS’ standout feature is their robust CRM system, which lets you customize loyalty programs and integrate with other systems for personalized offers.
- Franchise management: Consolidate your various reports and inventory across all your store locations.
- Automatic inventory ordering: Avoid stockouts by setting automated order placements based on product par levels.
Pricing
KORONA POS’ Retail plan is $69/month per terminal with optional add-ons ranging from $10 to $50 per month for features like franchise support and advanced inventory management.
3. Bottle POS
Bottle POS was started by a liquor store owner in Georgia and built specifically for liquor retail. It comes with many helpful features, including auto ranking, case break inventory, customer loyalty, and more.
Best Features
- Auto ranking: Using automation and AI, Bottle POS quickly ranks your products to identify bestsellers and slow-moving inventory so you can make smarter stocking decisions.
- Centralized database: Bottle POS supports unlimited SKUs and has a database of common liquor information, making it easy to onboard your inventory from scratch or migrate from an older system.
- Suggested pricing: A built-in suggested pricing calculator lets you compare prices in your local area, see profit margins, and help you set competitive pricing for all your products.
- Advanced inventory: Bottle POS also supports case break inventory, real-time visibility, and automated invoicing to simplify receiving.
Pricing
Bottle POS offers several flexible pricing tiers starting at $69/month.
4. ePOS Now
Based in the UK, ePOS Now supports retail operations worldwide with easy-to-use systems. While lacking industry-specific features like case breaking, ePOS Now is a user-friendly system that could be a good fit for stores just starting out.
Best Features
- Mailchimp integration: Newsletters still offer one of the highest reurns on investment (ROI) for small businesses, and ePOS integrates directly with MailChimp for sophisticated email marketing.
- Automatic purchase orders: ePOS Now can create low-stock product lists, automated restocking lists, and simple supplier filters to make receiving and reordering easier.
- E-commerce integration: The system integrates with online shopping platforms like Shopify to support online sales.
- CRM and customer profiles: ePOS Now supports customer loyalty programs and builds detailed customer profiles to track sales history and more.
Pricing
ePOS Now lets you pay for their system upfront or pay monthly, with monthly plans starting at $79/month.
5. Spirits POS (Atlantic Systems, Inc.)
Founded in 1982 by liquor store owners, Spirits POS (made by Atlantic Systems, Inc.) is another system specifically designed for the liquor industry. With 40 years of experience and continuous customer feedback, they've developed specialized features that address the unique challenges of liquor retail.
Best Features
- Powerful inventory tracking: Along with real-time stock tracking, Spirits POS can store information for up to 100,000 individual products. It also includes essential functions like case breaking, vintage tracking, and advanced age verification.
- Customizable loyalty: Spirits POS offers comprehensive loyalty features for frequent shoppers, allowing customers to earn points on select purchases.
- Cloud-based gift cards: Sell and redeem in-store gift cards, storing all of the information on the cloud, making it easier for customers and eliminating duplicate processing fees.
- Self-checkout support: Spirits POS brings the convenience of supermarket self-checkout to the liquor store, with the ability for a single cashier to monitor up to four registers.
Pricing
Atlantic Systems does not currently list pricing on their website, but you can contact their team to receive a custom quote.
Talk With Our Experts To See if POS Nation Is the Right Fit for You
POS Nation is trusted by liquor store owners nationwide thanks to our excellent customer support, powerful features, and user-friendly interface.
But, that doesn’t mean it’s the right fit for you and your business. Schedule a customized demo today to see how POS Nation helps liquor stores:
- Modernize the customer experience
- Optimize inventory
- Make better business decisions
Want a sneak peek? Check out our overview video below.
