Running a tobacco shop is demanding. You have to manage inventory, process transactions, and keep customers happy in one of the most tightly regulated markets. Doing all of this manually is time-consuming and prone to error. What if there was a way to simplify your job and boost your sales?
The answer lies in a modern point of sale (POS) system. You can automate many processes that take up your time and energy by leveraging a POS system built specifically for tobacco stores like yours.
A good POS system will help you manage inventory, process transactions quickly, and even create personalized customer promotions. In a competitive industry like tobacco, every advantage counts, and a top-notch POS system could be the key to taking your business to the next level.
In this article, we'll discuss everything you need to know to find the right POS system for your tobacco shop. We'll highlight the key features you should consider, walk through the process of choosing a POS provider, and review the top tobacco POS systems.
By the end, you'll be ready to implement the right POS system for your business to improve operations and drive increased revenue.
What To Look For in a POS System for Tobacco Shops
As a busy tobacco shop owner, the last thing you need to do is spend hours looking for the right POS system. So we’ll cut right to the chase. What should you look for in a tobacco shop POS system?
Start with a user-friendly interface. You want a POS system your staff can learn and use out of the box. It shouldn’t have complicated menus or feel clunky. An intuitive interface helps your team ring up sales like pros in no time.
Does your store already have technology in place? If you have payment processors and barcode scanners, your new POS system must play nice with your current tools. Incompatible software is a headache you can do without. Smooth integration and less hassle let you focus on what matters — serving your customers.
Sometimes technology has a mind of its own. You need a responsive support team to have your back when things go wrong. Look for a POS provider with expert support, ready to assist when needed.
Next, let’s look at features.
- Modern inventory management: Forget manual processes. With inventory management features, your POS system effortlessly keeps track of your products so you know what’s in stock and when to restock.
- Analytics and reporting: The right POS system provides custom reports that give you access to valuable insights about your sales, popular products, and customer behavior. Identifying trends and opportunities becomes a breeze, allowing you to fine-tune your strategies and stay one step ahead.
- Age verification: Your POS system should quickly verify your customers’ ages, ensuring compliance with legal requirements.
- Customer loyalty: A loyal customer base is the lifeblood of your store. Your POS system should offer a built-in customer loyalty program that allows you to reward your loyal customers, so you can keep them coming back. Whether it's points, discounts, or special promotions, a loyalty program can help build strong customer relationships.
Want to see how Cigars POS helps tobacco shop owners streamline their operations and keep customers happy? Schedule a demo today!
Top POS Systems for Tobacco Shops
- Lightspeed POS
- Square POS
- Korona POS
- POS Nation
- Cigars POS
Lightspeed POS
Lightspeed POS is a cloud-based system for various retail businesses, including vape and tobacco shops. Using its intuitive and user-friendly interface, you can efficiently manage your inventory, track product variants, and receive low-stock notifications.
Key features for tobacco stores:
- You can set up notifications to alert you when your stock levels are low. Using this feature, you can meet your customers' needs by maintaining product availability and preventing stockouts.
- With Lightspeed's integrated loyalty program, you can reward your customers and encourage repeat business. It enables you to create customized loyalty programs and track customer interactions, enhancing customer engagement and satisfaction.
- Lightspeed POS provides the ability to sell in-store and online products. Create your website, manage online orders, and utilize search engine optimization (SEO) tools to attract more customers to your online store.
Pricing: Starts at $69/month (if paid annually). For advanced reporting and customer loyalty features, prices start at $199/month.
Square POS
Square POS is a mobile-based system available for both iOS and Android devices. Its features include online payment processing, sales reports, inventory tracking, digital receipts, email and SMS marketing campaigns, and e-commerce.
Key features for tobacco stores:
- You can set low inventory alerts, but to take things a step further, you can generate automatic purchase orders to streamline restocking.
- With Square POS, customers can pick up their products in-store or choose to have them shipped, allowing you to cater to customer preferences.
- Square offers a range of hardware options suitable for businesses of all sizes. Square provides elegant and reliable hardware solutions for your business, whether you need card readers, stands, or complete cash registers.
Pricing: Square charges a percentage per transaction, starting at 2.6% plus 10 cents for swiped or tapped card transactions.
Korona POS
Korona POS provides cloud-based POS software that can scale with businesses of all sizes, including multi-location and franchise operations. It can be used on mobile or stationary hardware and runs on Windows, Linux, and MacOS. The system supports all modern forms of payment and peripherals.
Key features for tobacco stores:
- Cashier permission levels and detailed employee reporting features help protect your stock and minimize theft. You can customize user profiles and set permissions.
- Product analysis and sales reporting provide insights into your store’s performance. Identify which products drive sales and identify slow-moving items to optimize inventory and make informed decisions.
- With ID scanning support, you can simplify the age verification process and ensure compliance with legal requirements.
Pricing: Plans include Core, Advanced, Plus, and Enterprise, with costs ranging from $49 to $79/month, per terminal.
POS Nation
POS Nation provides retail point-of-sale software designed to meet the needs of growing businesses. Their primary focus is on small business retailers, including tobacco, cigar, and vape shops. POS software, hardware, training, 24/7 support, and payment processing are specifically designed for your store.
Key features for tobacco stores:
- With carton-pack inventory, you can efficiently monitor stock levels of cigarettes, cigars, and cigar boxes, even when cartons are broken down into individual packs. This helps streamline inventory management and ensure that popular products are always available to customers.
- POS Nation’s solution includes features to help prevent inventory shrinkages, such as employee permissions, transaction records, and integrated security footage.
- You can build custom components into a kit to supply your vape customers with various options and easily program them into your POS system as a bundle.
Pricing: The Flex Monthly option starts at $149/month. There’s also the option to build your custom POS system and get a free custom quote.
Cigars POS
Cigars POS is a point of sale software designed specifically for tobacco stores, cigar shops, and smoke shops. We crafted every aspect of our solution specifically with tobacco shops in mind, offering all the features and functionality you need for your store.
Key features for tobacco stores:
- With scan data reporting, you can easily create scan data reports, track manufacturers' discounts, and keep your pricing competitive.
- Custom label printing makes creating and printing custom labels for your products easy. Build bundles and create upselling opportunities to generate more revenue.
- We also provide essential features for tobacco store owners, including age verification, built-in customer loyalty, carton-pack inventory management, and store performance analytics.
Pricing: Cigars POS’ solutions are custom-built for you. You can get an idea of your pricing using the simple and transparent build and price tool.
How To Choose the Best POS System for Your Tobacco Shop
Not every POS system is built the same.
You might not need all the bells and whistles of big-box providers, but you need a POS system catering to the tobacco industry. Still, you must consider your specific requirements based on the size of your shop, the type of products you sell (cigars, tobacco, accessories), the volume of transactions you handle, and your budget.
Also consider the integrations you might need with other software or services, such as accounting software, e-commerce platforms, or payment processors. Can your chosen provider seamlessly integrate? Read reviews and recommendations and look for feedback. How satisfied are other customers? Pay close attention to the level of support they get.
Lastly, reach out to POS providers and schedule demos! Reputable providers will show you the system in action, help you explore its features, and highlight user-friendliness. Ask as many questions as you can!
Choosing the Right POS System for Your Tobacco Shop
Don't let an outdated POS system hold back your tobacco shop. Investing in the right POS system can level up your business and keep customers returning for more. Any solution above provides the features you need, but if you want a point of sale solution that genuinely caters to your needs, there’s a clear winner.
Cigars POS offers a range of features and benefits that make it the ideal solution for tobacco shops. From inventory management to customer loyalty programs, Cigars POS has everything you need to streamline operations and boost sales.
Upgrade your POS system to drive your business forward. Schedule a demo with Cigars POS today and see the difference for yourself.
