Point of sale systems come in all shapes and sizes with incredible variety in the features they offer your business. The market for point of sale systems basically consists of two types: customized solutions and standard off-the-shelf solutions. Though a majority of the standard solutions include options to customize some features, custom built POS solutions are exclusive for your business’ needs. Large chain used these customized solutions most commonly. This is because it allows them to fully customize the system to their requirements. However, these custom POS systems also have their drawbacks. This article will outline 2 benefits and costs in regard to choosing a customized point of sale system.
Customized features
The main draw of a customized POS solution is the ability to pick and choose which features you want. Off-the-shelf solutions often come with features that some retailers will never use or even look at. Along with the ability to add features you wouldn’t be able to find on standard systems, choosing to have a custom-built POS is the way around having unnecessary features that could potentially slow down your system. A custom POS will also allow you to create specialized reports and add connectivity to other systems. If you are very well-versed in the features you want and know what your business needs, a custom solution is great.
Lack of support and upgrades
One of the main issues with custom point of sale systems is the lack of servicing and support. Often times, businesses will not have a group of developers in-house. Therefore, they need to contract the custom POS out to a third party of experienced professionals. Because of this, the support and servicing necessary for custom POS solutions is a tricky subject. Point of sale systems need regular upkeep and updating in order to run well. Having a POS custom developed means that updates must be specific to the software and require more development. This can be both costly and time consuming. A standardized POS will not run into this issue since the provider will regularly update the system under the contractual service agreement with the business.
Choose your own hardware
Another benefit of choosing a customized point of sale is the ability to choose your own hardware. By developing a system specifically for that hardware, compatibility wouldn’t be an issue. The only caveat to this benefit is the lack of versatility in hardware once you install the POS. Since the custom point of sale would be for specific hardware, switching over to new hardware can be difficult without re-developing the software. However, choosing your own hardware for the POS is a great way to standardize systems across all your locations. It also allows you to purchase cheaper hardware without having to go through a middle man.
Costs associated
Between development being time consuming and the cost of paying for a tean, custom POS solutions often end up costing far more than standard ones. Not only would the initial development and implementation end up costing far more, the updating and servicing of a custom system is far more expensive because it requires far more specialized work on the development team’s part. POS companies design standard POS solutions so they know exactly how they run and how they could break down. That’s why solving issues is very simple for them. On the other hand, creating a customized solution means that issues that the development team did not anticipate could arise and end up taking a while to repair, leading to extended downtime and costing your business in lost sales.
1 thought on “Should I buy an standard or custom point of sale?”
The advanced Point Of Sale systems supports us in maintaining the stock by providing real-time stock data reducing your time spent in stock management. So that people can use the time in some other tasks that require more of their attention