Best POS Systems For Clothing and Apparel Stores

In this post, we will explore four POS systems for retail clothing stores, highlighting their key features, pros and cons, and pricing structures to assist you in making an informed decision.

The ideal POS clothing store solution can help store owners streamline operations, efficiently manage inventory, and deliver an exceptional shopping experience to customers.

However apparel businesses require some specific features for their operations. And not all POS systems have them. It’s important to look for point of sale software that can handle size matrices, vast inventory catalogs, advanced CRMs, and more. Read on to learn more about the best POS for apparel retailers.

1. eHopper: Best for Inventory Management and Product Variations

Key Features

• Robust inventory matrix: eHopper’s inventory matrix feature makes it an exceptional POS system for clothing stores and boutiques. It allows retailers to create and manage an extensive range of product variations effortlessly, seamlessly combining attributes such as color, size, and style into unique item combinations. Each variation can be assigned its price, UPC, and SKU, enabling precise inventory tracking and pricing flexibility. Moreover, you can tailor product offerings and pricing across multiple locations.

• Print barcode labels: The print barcode labels feature streamlines operations for clothing stores by providing a seamless way to create and print barcodes directly from the POS system. Clothing store owners can effortlessly export and print barcode labels, customizing them with item names, prices, and quantities. Additionally, eHopper offers a range of label size options, ensuring compatibility with various printing requirements.

• Payins and payouts: This feature allows users to manually add or subtract specific amounts of money from their cash register. Additionally, eHopper displays an estimated amount of cash in the cash drawer, enabling users to reconcile their records effectively. Users can also attach notes to each payin or payout action, facilitating record-keeping and documentation. All payins and payouts are recorded and reflected in the reporting module.

• Voids and refunds: eHopper’s intuitive voids and refunds functionality streamlines merchants’ operations, allowing them to address customer order issues swiftly. You can void an entire order at any point on the same day it was placed. Furthermore, merchants can easily refund individual items or an entire order. eHopper empowers merchants with manual refund capabilities, allowing them to edit the refunded amount per their specific requirements, ensuring a seamless and customer-centric experience.

Pros

• According to some customer on-site reviews, eHopper offers great customer support. The staff is described to be helpful, friendly, and patient
• Software is relatively easy to understand
• Device agnostic

Cons

• Inability to provide a refund without a card present -some reviews mentioned that the software does not offer partial refunds
• No phone app
• Basic reporting only

Pricing

• Essential Plus: Their entry-level paid plan is just $10 per month. It allows for one user license, 1000 products, and 1000 monthly transactions. It includes basic features like inventory management, customer management, modifier management, and simple reporting.
• Freedom: This plan costs $24.49 per month and increases the limits on the number of users, products, and transactions.
• Omnichannel: Their most feature-rich plan comes in at $35.99 per month and includes everything in the Freedom plan, along with features like eCommerce, EBT, and up to one hour per month of phone support.

2. Lightspeed Retail: Best for Multi-Channel Integration

Key Features 

• Multi-channel capabilities: With Lightspeed, clothing retailers can seamlessly reach their customers across various platforms, including their websites, popular online marketplaces, and social media channels like Instagram and Facebook. Moreover, Lightspeed Retail offers flexibility in order fulfillment, empowering clothing stores to cater to their customers’ preferences through click-and-collect or shipping options.

• Clothing store inventory management: The software allows for seamless product importing, either individually or in bulk, enabling efficient tracking and management of merchandise. Additionally, Lightspeed Retail offers the flexibility to track intricate details such as sizes, colors, and even custom fields for unique product attributes, making it an ideal choice for clothing stores with diverse product lines.

• Automated supplier orders & receiving: Lightspeed Retail offers automated supplier orders & receiving with Lightspeed B2B. Lightspeed B2B allows retailers to easily access and browse through a vast catalog comprising millions of products from many popular fashion, sporting goods, and gift brands. This catalog allows retailers to add desired products to their inventory, complete with detailed information such as descriptions, images, and UPCs, all with just a single click. Moreover, Lightspeed Retail’s integration with NuORDER enables you to import purchase orders into the POS system, eliminating manual data entry and reducing the risk of errors.

• Customer management capacities: Lightspeed Retail equips businesses with robust customer management tools to cultivate loyal shoppers and drive repeat sales. At the point of checkout, customer details can be captured and added to a continuously growing database. Lightspeed’s efficient Quick Keys and product lookup features also streamline the checkout process, providing a frictionless experience that keeps customers returning.

Pros 

• Item management and reporting
• User-friendly interface and advanced customization

Cons

• Not much flexibility in payment processing
• Poor customer service – some customers mentioned that the company’s team frequently markets and sells additional features or services that fail to function as intended, yet they neglect to provide any response or support after the sale is made

Pricing

Lightspeed Retail offers several pricing tiers:

• Their entry-level plan, called Basic, is priced at $109 per month and provides a basic retail point of sale system along with rudimentary inventory tracking capabilities.

• The next tier-up is the Core plan at $179 per month. This adds more advanced accounting features and tools for integrating with an eCommerce platform.

• For $289 per month, businesses can opt for the Plus plan, which includes a customer loyalty program and analytical reporting functionalities..

3. ConnectPOS: Best for Customer Experience and Loyalty Programs

Key Features

• Multiple variants and bundles: ConnectPOS allows clothing retailers to efficiently manage their inventory by sorting items based on different attributes such as brand, color, size, or material. Furthermore, it provides comprehensive management options, enabling retailers to bundle individual items and assign them unique SKUs.

• Self-checkout clothing POS: ConnectPOS enhances in-store convenience by offering a self-service app that allows customers to finalize purchases via barcode scans at a self-checkout kiosk. 

• Multiple payment methods: The system supports modern wallets like Apple Pay, allowing for a quick and secure checkout experience. Furthermore, customers can conveniently utilize store credits and reward points, buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS) options, and even split payments, ensuring maximum flexibility and customer satisfaction.

• AI facial recognition: ConnectPOS incorporates cutting-edge AI facial recognition technology for secure customer identification. This feature allows for automatic enrollment and participation in loyalty programs, encouraging repeat business and fostering customer loyalty.

• Reward every purchase: ConnectPOS offers tailored recommendations, matching designs, and promotions based on their preferences and purchase history. This feature lets clothing stores suggest complete outfits or complementary items, encouraging customers to make full combo purchases and create a fully furnished wardrobe.

Pros

• Free trial 
• Simple stock control
• Data backup
• Great tablet features

 Cons 

• Customer service isn’t always that great
• Settings aren’t easy to find
• Frequent POS glitches – the system often fails to function properly and is highly susceptible to generating mistakes

Pricing

ConnectPOS is a subscription-based model point of sale. The pricing of ConnectPOS is not available on their website. You’ll have to contact their sales team to learn more about their pricing structure.

4. Magestore POS: Best for Magento Integration and Omnichannel Retail

Key Features 

• Real-time sync with Magento: One of the critical features of Magestore is its ability to maintain real-time synchronization with the Magento backend. This ensures that any changes made to inventory, products, or customer data are instantly reflected across all channels, whether online or offline.

• Product management: Magestore simplifies the process of managing products, allowing fashion boutiques to set up and maintain their catalogs across all channels. With support for product variations such as size and color, businesses can offer their customers diverse options, ensuring they can find the perfect item that meets their preferences.

• Loyalty programs: To enhance customer loyalty and encourage repeat business, Magestore offers a robust loyalty program. Fashion boutiques can implement reward points systems, gift card programs, or other promotional initiatives to incentivize customers and foster long-term relationships.

• Order fulfillment: Magestore’s order fulfillment capabilities are designed to accelerate the processing time for online and offline orders. With innovative order control features and access to real-time fulfillment reports, fashion boutiques can stay more organized and ensure that orders are efficiently processed and delivered to customers.

• Inventory management: Accurate inventory management is crucial for any retail business, and Magestore excels in this area. The system allows fashion boutiques to monitor inventory movement and status across multiple locations, ensuring that stock levels remain accurate and up-to-date. This centralized inventory management system helps prevent stockouts, overstocking, and other inventory-related issues.

• Stock reports: Magestore provides comprehensive stock reports so fashion boutiques can identify slow-moving products. With this valuable insight, businesses can create targeted promotions and strategies to move inventory and boost sales.

Pros 

• Responsive and efficient collaboration
• Recommended for Magento integration
• Customize the functions you want with its open API
• Some customers expressed their satisfaction with the fact that the platform offers a vast array of customization possibilities

Cons 

• No free trial available
• Learning curve
• Initial setup and customization challenges
• Additional development work required
• Feature-rich platform with room for improvement

Pricing

Magestore POS does not offer a uniform pricing structure for its inventory management software; instead, the cost varies based on several factors, such as the number of stores, the intricacy of the business operations, and the extent of support and services required. Their pricing model is a one-time payment. This means you only have to pay once to get the Magento POS license and use it as long as you want.

How to Find the Best Apparel POS

Research top contenders

• Identify your needs: Consider factors like store size, budget, and desired features.
• Shortlist popular options: Square, Shopify POS, Lightspeed Retail, Celerant Retail, and Clover POS are some popular choices.
• Read reviews and comparisons: See what other clothing stores are using and why.

Top features for clothing stores in a POS system

• Matrix Inventory: Apparel businesses often deal with products that come in various sizes, colors, and styles. A POS with matrix inventory capabilities will manage these product variations efficiently.

• Sales and Promotions: The ability to create and manage sales, discounts, and promotions is essential for clothing stores. Look for a POS that allows you to set up complex pricing rules, buy-one-get-one deals, and other promotional offers.

• Customer Management: A good apparel POS should have a built-in customer relationship management (CRM) module. This feature lets you store customer information, track purchase histories, and implement loyalty programs.

• Reporting and Analytics: Comprehensive reporting and analytical tools provide valuable insights into your business performance, sales trends, and customer behavior. Look for a POS that offers customizable reports and real-time data analysis.

• Mobile POS: With a mobile POS solution, you can process sales anywhere in your store, reducing checkout lines and improving customer service.

• eCommerce Integration: If you have an online store, look for a POS that seamlessly integrates with your eCommerce platform. This lets you manage inventory, orders, and customer data across multiple sales channels.

Best POS System For Retail Clothing Stores: Frequently Asked Questions 

• What is the best POS system for retail?

There isn’t a single “best” POS system for all retail businesses, as the best choice depends on your specific needs and budget. However, some of the top contenders for 2024 include KORONA POS, Epos Now, Clover, Square, Square Retail, and Lightspeed Retail.

• What is POS in the garment industry?

The POS system in the garment industry is the electronic system located wherever a transaction occurs. It serves as the terminal used for checkouts in clothing and apparel stores.

• Best POS system for small boutique

The best POS system for your boutique depends on your needs. Square for Retail is a great all-around option, especially for budget-minded businesses. Shopify POS is ideal if you want to integrate your online store with your physical boutique. Lightspeed POS is strong for managing a large or complex inventory.

Best POS System For Retail Clothing Stores: Wrapping Up

Choosing the right POS system for your retail clothing store ensures seamless operations, effective inventory management, and a delightful customer experience. Each of the four POS systems discussed – eHopper, Lightspeed Retail, ConnectPOS, and Magestore POS – offers unique features and capabilities that cater to the specific requirements of clothing retailers.

By carefully evaluating your business needs, budget, and desired functionalities, you can make an informed decision and select the POS solution that best aligns with your clothing store’s objectives. Ultimately, the right POS system will streamline processes, enhance efficiency, and provide a competitive edge in the dynamic retail landscape.

While KORONA POS isn’t a great fit for many apparel businesses, it is a popular choice for many thrift stores, especially chains and franchises. To learn more about who else KORONA POS can work for, click below.