Wondering what are the best POS softwares for a garden center? Are you looking for a POS software tailored to your needs? In this article, discover 5 of the most popular point of sale softwares used in garden centers. Pick the right POS for you by comparing their pricing, features and customer support.
Not all POS softwares have features tailored for the management of a garden center. Here are 5 point of sale softwares that are perfect for the needs of garden centers and nurseries:
The table below summarizes the different pros of the best POS softwares for a garden center: ,Windward%20Software,Alice%20POS,POS%20Nation,Rapid%20Garden%20POS,Lightspeed|Based%20in%20Canada,x,x,,,x|Languages,English,French%2C%20English%2C%20Spanish,English,English%2C%20Spanish,English%2C%20French%2C%20Dutch|Multi-store%20management,x,x,,,|Personalized%20tags,,,x,x,|E-commerce,x,x,,,x|Re-commerce%20features,,x,x,,|Remote%20stock%20management,x,x,,,The information in this article has been found on those companies' websites, and this information is subject to change.
1. Windward Software
This Canadian company has been offering its services since 1984 all over the world and has developed a software capable of meeting the needs of its customers in several types of industries such as garden centers.
Specific Features for Garden Centers
What makes Windward Software different from other POS is its accessibility, its customer service and the adaptability of its platform for users with at most 3 registers.
24/7 Technical Assistance
Windward Software emphasizes its flexibility in terms of its customer service, which can be reached at all times to accommodate the customers located in several time zones.
Suitable for Medium-Sized Businesses
The POS software of Windward Software is designed and optimized to meet the needs of businesses with 3 or more registers. The software is suitable for medium-sized SMEs in the retail sector.
Customer’s Support
Technical support is available 24/7 via chat or telephone in English.
Customer’s Service Location
- Canada (British Columbia)
- Philippines
- India
2. Alice POS
Alice POS offers a cloud-based point of sale solution designed for stores such as garden centers and store networks such as franchises or buying groups. This software is designed to increase income and save time while offering specific features to stay one of the best POS for a garden center.
Specific Features for Garden Centers
Alice POS has several features made to help you manage your garden center. Revenue-generating features, supplier catalogues integrations and multi-store management are major assets for a garden center.
Best Revenue-Generating POS Features for a Garden Center
Alice POS is not only a point of sale software, it is also a tool to multiply the income of your business. The re-commerce features as well as the customer fidelity features integrated into Alice POS enable modernized and profitable sales.
Re-commerce Features
Re-commerce (also known as circular economy) consists in revaluing practices such as rental, repair, purchase of used products and product exchanges within a company's economic model.
This modernized economic system makes it possible to offer versatile goods and services to your customers in order to meet all of their needs. Alice POS can help you manage:
- Rentals
- Repairs
- Used products
- Product exchanges
With these circular economy features, it is possible for you to increase your revenue with the help of Alice POS software.
Why not offer a gardening tool rental service in your garden center? This will allow you to generate more income, without requiring a lot of extra effort!
Customer Fidelity Features
To help you build customer loyalty, Alice POS offers features such as:
- Membership cards
- Rewards programs
- Discount management
These are managed directly in Alice POS. So you don't need to use any third party apps!
With these features, you can generate more revenue simply by giving your customers reasons to shop at your garden center again. It is easier to sell to your loyal customers!
Integration With Garden Centers Suppliers' Catalogues
Alice POS offers an integration with garden centers supplier catalogues through the OrderEase platform. This would make your daily work much easier!
The synchronization of Alice POS and OrderEase makes it possible to have the suppliers catalogues in your point of sale software. Synchronizing the images and product descriptions allows for faster management of your online store. Use images taken from the suppliers catalogues for your own listings!
Orders made in OrderEase are also directly sent to Alice POS. When your order is delivered to you, you can then transform it into inventory! This will make you save a lot of precious time. You no longer need to manually add each item!
Multi-Store Management POS for a Garden Center
The Alice POS software is recognized for its powerful features for multi-store management and it might be one of the reasons why it's one of the best POS for a garden center! These allow quick and easy inventory transfers, synchronization of inventories and prices, and much more! Alice POS is suitable for franchises and corporate chains.
Here are some multi-store features offered by Alice POS that would be useful for an owner of several garden centers or a franchisee:
- Master and sub-master accounts
- Transfer of inventory between stores
- Multi-store promotions
- Standardized pricing
- Local products and prices
- Advanced reports
Customer’s Support
Technical support at Alice POS is available every weekday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (UTC-4) and on special requests every other day with the Advanced, Premium and Enterprise plan (by phone). This support service is available in French and English.
Knowledge Base
A knowledge base is available to all Alice POS users. This knowledge base is a self-help tool for users to learn how to navigate the POS software and be able to use it to its full potential.
Customer’s Service Location
- Canada (Quebec)
3. POS Nation
This North Carolina-based company offers a generalized point of sale software with comprehensive plans for new merchants. POS Nation focuses on selling the software and all the necessary POS hardware like scanners and card readers.
Specific Features for Garden Centers
POS Nation stands out for its offer focused on the sale of the POS hardware, as well as the POS software. Garden centers owners also like that they can print personalized barcodes for their items.
Compatibility With the POS Hardware
POS Nation stands out for offering a complete retail kit. If you have the budget to purchase new equipment directly from your POS software, POS Nation could be an option for you. You can also rent the equipment if that’s something you would like.
Creation of Personalized Barcodes
The creation of personalized barcodes can be useful in a garden center, since the products often have unconventional dimensions.
POS Nation's software allows custom barcode printing to help garden center owners properly identify their products.
Customer’s Support
The company that developed this point of sale software is based in North Carolina and offers 24/7 customer support in English only and requires a monthly fee to access this service.
Customer’s Service Location
- United States (North Carolina, Texas, Florida)
4. Rapid Garden POS
This software developed in California is one of the best POS software for a garden center. This system is designed to meet the demand of huge horticultural farms and garden centers. Since 1985, this company has offered a solution to the giant American producers.
Specific Features for Garden Centers
Rapid Garden POS is a POS software that provides service to garden centers and the Californian horticultural world. Its features are, unsurprisingly, related to this industry. The software is therefore suitable for huge garden centers. It can also be used by other businesses that have the same needs.
A Software Developed for Garden Centers
The strength of Rapid Garden POS is its specialized point of sale system for garden center owners. Indeed, the Rapid Garden POS will be able to link the inventory of a nursery to its retail business (garden center). The users can manage different inventories under the same licence.
Printing Plant Instructions
Plants can sometimes be tricky to care for. Each plant is different and requires different care. Rapid Garden POS has included in its POS software the ability to print plant care instruction labels.
Customer’s Support
Technical support at Rapid Garden POS is based in San Diego, so their service is in both English and Spanish.
Customer’s Service Location
- United States (California)
5. Lightspeed
Since 2014, Lightspeed has been a notable player in the POS software market providing POS solutions to small and medium businesses in retail. This company operates in North America, Europe and Oceania by distributing point of sale systems online.
Specific Features for Garden Centers
Lightspeed offers a product that is not particularly aimed at garden centers or other businesses of the kind. Indeed, this company rather offers a general product suitable for most. This company relies instead on its e-commerce integrations and 24/7 customer support. This is still a POS used by many garden centers.
E-commerce
Lightspeed integrates with several online sales software (e-commerce) like Ecwid and NuOrder. It's the link between the POS software and the e-commerce platform that makes the big selling points for this software.
24/7 Customer Support
Lightspeed offers its users 24/7 technical support in English and can therefore cover the territory in several time zones.
Ex. North America, Europe and Oceania.
Customer’s Support
Technical support is available 24/7 from Lightspeed. It is available in multiple languages, including English, Dutch and French.
Customer’s Service Location
- Philippines
- United States
- Canada
Regardless of the POS software that you chose, the use of one of those softwares is essential for the proper functioning of a retail business such as a garden center. Choose the option that will be most suitable for you while remembering the pros of each (multi-store management, circular economy, spoken languages of the service, etc.). This way, you will be able to find what's the best POS software for you or your garden center.[dub_vc_book_demo]
