Running a tobacco shop is a demanding job. Between keeping your shelves stocked with the right products, providing top-notch customer service, and staying up to date on tobacco regulations, your to-do list is miles long.
But there’s good news: The right point of sale (POS) system can make your life easier.
This powerful tool can simplify your store’s operations, eliminate time-consuming and error-prone manual processes, and automate your day-to-day tasks — giving you more time to focus on your business’ growth.
In this blog, we’ll share everything you need to know to find the best POS system for your tobacco shop. Keep reading to discover the top features you need and explore our handpicked list of the best POS systems for tobacco shops.
How To Choose the Right Tobacco Shop POS System
Before diving into the pool of POS providers, let’s start with the basics. What should you look for in a POS system for your tobacco shop?
First, let’s talk features. A modern POS system goes beyond processing sales transactions and can help you manage inventory, learn about your customers, and market your tobacco shop.
Let’s take a closer look at six specific features your POS system should include.
- Integrated payment processing: Your POS system should include a fully integrated payment processing solution, letting you process transactions accurately and securely.
- Real-time inventory tracking: Your POS system should give you an overview of your stock levels from anywhere, at any time. Since tobacco shop inventory is unique, we recommend looking for specialized features like carton-pack tracking and cigar label printing.
- Built-in age verification: Your POS system should help you stay legally compliant by prompting cashiers to ask for customers’ IDs at the checkout counter. An ID scanner can make this process even more secure.
- Sales reporting and analytics: Your POS system should help you understand your customers and make data-driven decisions, so look for one that reveals your sales trends, best and worst-selling products, and customers’ shopping habits. A POS system with scan data reporting features will also help you earn manufacturer rebates.
- Marketing tools: Your POS system can also help you attract and retain valuable shoppers through features like a built-in customer loyalty program, flexible promotion options, and email and SMS integration.
- 24/7 support: Your POS provider should offer 24/7 support at no additional cost to help you make the most of your software and tackle technical issues before they impact your bottom line.
Once you’ve found a POS system provider who checks the right boxes, do some deeper research. Check their reviews on sites like Capterra, Trustpilot, and Software Advice, and ask colleagues in the smoke shop industry about their experience with different providers.
Next, schedule a live demo to see each software’s features in action. This step will help you gauge the user-friendliness of the system and the quality of the provider’s support.
6 of the Best POS Systems for Tobacco Shops
Now that you know what you’re looking for, you’re ready to start evaluating providers. To help you get started, we’ve curated this list of the six best POS systems for tobacco shops like yours, plus their top features and pricing.
1. Best for Beginners: Square
First on our list is Square. This provider is popular among retailers in all industries because of their user-friendly software and sleek-looking hardware.
While they don’t offer specialized features for tobacco shop owners, we’ve included them because their simple software is a great introduction to POS systems.
Top Features
- Flexible hardware configurations: Square lets you choose from different hardware configurations to meet your needs and budget. You can stick with a simple card reader if you’re just starting out, and upgrade to a fully-featured register as your shop grows.
- Low stock alerts: Square will notify you when you’re running low on a certain product, helping you keep your customers’ favorite cigars and cigarettes in stock.
- Integration options: You can customize Square’s POS software to meet your shop’s needs through e-commerce, accounting, and inventory integrations.
Pricing
Square’s most popular plan costs $89/month, but they also offer a free start for new businesses or advanced plans with custom pricing for established shops.
2. Best for Small Budgets: National Retail Solutions (NRS)
Next on our list of the best POS systems for tobacco shops is National Retail Solutions (NRS).
NRS offers a standard all-in-one hardware and software package that includes all the basic features you need to process sales transactions and monitor inventory levels — which makes it the perfect option for business owners looking for a simple solution at an affordable price.
Top Features
- Daily sales summary emails: These daily updates help you monitor your store’s financial performance — even when you can’t be there in person.
- BOSS Club Coupon program: This unique loyalty program lets you attract new customers without denting your profits. NRS consolidates customer information and sends coupons that shoppers can use at any NRS-affiliated small business.
- Ease of use: NRS’ software and hardware are simple to set up, quick to learn, and easy to use.
Pricing
NRS offers three tiers of pricing, ranging from $19.95 to $49.95/month. Keep in mind that your costs will likely increase as your business grows since NRS doesn’t include features like advanced inventory management or reporting in these more affordable plans.
3. Best for Marketing: KORONA POS
Looking for something a little more powerful? Then check out KORONA POS.
KORONA POS promises to help you attract more customers, make more sales, and grow your business.
Top Features
- Customer relationship management (CRM) tools: KORONA POS’ CRM system lets you stay connected with customers, view individual customers’ purchase history, and offer personalized discounts.
- Commission and tip management: KORONA POS lets you reward and incentivize your employees by tracking their sales and tips.
- Bring-your-own hardware: KORONA POS’ software runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS systems, so you can cut costs using hardware you already own.
Pricing
KORONA POS’ base pricing plans range from $59 to $69/month. We recommend upgrading to KORONA POS Plus, which costs an additional $20/month and includes in-depth sales reporting and more advanced inventory management features.
4. Best for E-Commerce: Lightspeed
Lightspeed is one of the most high-tech solutions on our list of the best POS systems for tobacco shops. Their powerful software is designed to help you manage multiple locations and online sales, making it a solid option for rapidly expanding businesses.
Top Features
- Multi-location management: Lightspeed’s software lets you monitor inventory levels and sales performance across multiple locations.
- E-commerce integration: Lightspeed offers a seamless e-commerce platform, letting you make online sales, manage pickup and delivery orders, and offer convenient options to your customers.
- iPad-based software: Lightspeed’s software can run on an iPad, making it easy to help customers from the sales floor or keep an eye on your store while you’re away.
Pricing
Lightspeed’s advanced features come at a cost. Their pricing options range from $109 to $339/month.
5. Best for Customization: FTx POS
Searching for a POS system that’s as unique as your tobacco shop? FTx POS offers a customizable solution that you can tailor to meet your business’ needs.
Top Features
- Customizable interface: FTx POS lets you design a custom POS interface to put your most-used features right at your fingertips, saving time and keeping checkout lines short.
- Seamless integrations: FTx POS offers e-commerce, customer loyalty, and accounting tools that work seamlessly with their software to eliminate clunky third-party integrations.
- Scan data reporting: FTx POS makes it easy to collect tobacco scan data and take advantage of manufacturer rebates.
Pricing
FTx POS offers custom pricing options based on your business’ sales volume, so reach out to their sales team for more information.
6. Best Overall: Cigars POS
The final option on our list of the best POS systems for tobacco shops is Cigars POS. Our software is designed specifically to meet the needs of smoke shop owners, helping you manage inventory, stay compliant with tobacco regulations, and grow your customer base.
Top Features
- Tobacco inventory management: Our software can help you navigate the intricacies of tobacco inventory management with features like carton-pack tracking, cigar label printing, and AI-powered product ranking.
- Customer loyalty: With Cigars POS, you can customize, launch, and manage a sales-boosting loyalty program to increase revenue and expand your customer base.
- Advanced sales reporting: Our software includes a comprehensive reporting and analytics suite to help you learn about your customers’ shopping habits, product preferences, and your store’s overall performance.
- High-risk payment processing: We offer integrated high-risk payment processing to help you take advantage of the CBD, delta-8, and kratom boom.
Pricing
We offer custom pricing options to meet every tobacco shop’s needs and budget. Use our build and price tool to get an instant quote.
Light Up Tobacco Shop Success With Cigars POS
Whether you’re brand new to owning a business or are a smoke shop industry veteran, Cigars POS includes everything you need to simplify your day-to-day operations, provide exceptional customer service, and grow your shop.
Plus, our industry-leading support team will be by your side during the onboarding process and beyond to help you make the most of your new POS system.
Ready to achieve your tobacco shop’s full potential? Start your Cigars POS journey by scheduling your live demo today.
