With smoke shops popping up on every corner of your neighborhood, setting your business apart from the competition is critical.
Fortunately, the right point of sale (POS) system might give you the edge you’re looking for.
Whether you’re launching a new business or you’re a seasoned professional in the tobacco industry, this blog will share everything you need to know about modern smoke shop POS systems — including what they can do, how they can benefit your store, and four top providers to consider.
What Is a Smoke Shop POS? 6 Must-Have Features
You might think of a POS system as a simple tool for processing sales transactions, but a powerful smoke shop POS solution can do so much more.
It helps you stock your shelves with the perfect selection of tobacco products, empowers you and your team to provide stellar service, and even enables you to attract new shoppers and turn them into loyal customers.
But to accomplish these goals, you need a POS system designed for smoke shops with the right combination of features. Here’s what to look for:
- Built-in age verification protects your tobacco license by preventing underage sales.
- Tobacco inventory tracking gives you a real-time overview of your stock levels broken down by carton and individual packs.
- Automated purchase orders and receiving save you time and make stocking your shelves with the right products effortless.
- A loyalty program helps you retain customers and encourages them to spend more during each visit to your smoke shop.
- In-depth sales reporting helps you monitor your business’ profits, learn about your customers’ shopping habits, and even take advantage of tobacco scan data incentive programs.
- Integrated payment processing speeds up the checkout process, protects your store and customers from fraud, and allows you to sell high-risk items like CBD, delta-8, and kratom.
These tools can transform your smoke shop’s day-to-day operations by eliminating tedious manual processes and giving you more time to interact with your customers and grow your business.
4 Best Smoke Shop POS Systems
Now that you know the basics, you’re ready to start searching for the perfect POS system for your smoke shop.
Navigating the world of POS software can be intimidating, so we’ve made it easy for you by curating this list of four reliable providers, along with their pros, cons, and pricing.
4. National Retail Solutions (NRS)
National Retail Solutions (NRS) is a POS provider catering to retailers in all industries. NRS is known for providing simple, affordable POS software and hardware.
Pros
NRS’ biggest appeal is their user-friendly interface. You can set up the hardware and software in minutes and immediately start exploring the features.
This easy onboarding process saves you time and makes training your team a breeze, and the intuitive layout puts essential features like checkout, inventory counts, and your price book right at your fingertips.
Cons
The main downside to NRS is their pricing structure. While the starter cost of $19.99/month might seem appealing, you’ll have to upgrade to one of their premium tiers and pay additional a la carte fees to access the features you need to run your smoke shop.
For example, you’ll have to upgrade to NRS’ pro plan to access age verification, vendor management, tobacco scan data, and advanced sales reporting.
Pricing
NRS’ standard hardware packages start at $599 for one register, and their base software subscriptions range from $19.99 to $49.99/month.
However, you’ll probably need access to additional features like advanced inventory management, customer loyalty, and in-depth sales reporting — which means you could end up paying much more.
3. Lightspeed
Next on our list is Lightspeed, a provider known for providing powerful POS software for retailers in all industries.
Pros
Lightspeed is a great fit for multi-location or e-commerce-focused smoke shops.
Their multi-location reporting feature syncs your inventory and sales data across all your smoke shop locations, making it easier to manage a growing business.
They also offer built-in e-commerce to help you build a website for your smoke shop and sell products online for pickup or delivery.
Cons
The biggest drawback to Lightspeed is the cost. If you want access to their premium features, expect to pay a premium price.
Pricing
Lightspeed’s software subscriptions range from $109 to $339/month.
2. KORONA POS
KORONA POS is a POS software and hardware provider focusing on retail stores and quick-service restaurants, with a special emphasis on liquor stores and smoke shops.
Pros
KORONA POS’ powerful customer relationship management (CRM) system and built-in marketing features are their main draw.
With their software, you can keep detailed records of your customers, their purchase history, and contact information, then use this data to offer personalized discounts and coupons. You can also offer loyalty rewards and engage with shoppers through email and SMS marketing.
Cons
KORONA POS’ comprehensive suite of features can make it challenging to use. You may have to invest more time in onboarding to the new system and training your team to use it.
Pricing
KORONA POS’ base pricing plans range from $59 to $69/month, but we recommend upgrading to their Plus plan, which costs an additional $20/month for features like advanced inventory management and sales reporting.
1. Cigars POS
Our final (and favorite) smoke shop POS solution is Cigars POS. We offer POS software and hardware specifically designed for smoke shops, cigar lounges, and other tobacco-focused retailers.
Pros
Since our POS system is industry-specific, you’ll have access to all the features you need to run your smoke shop, including built-in age verification, custom cigar label printing, carton-pack inventory tracking, tobacco scan data reporting, high-risk payment processing, and more.
Plus, we offer 24/7 support at no additional cost, so you can get immediate answers to your questions and solutions for your problems.
Cons
Our prices might seem higher than other generic POS providers at first glance, but you get what you pay for. Each of our subscription options includes all the features you need for smooth operations and high sales.
Pricing
We offer pricing options to meet every smoke shop’s needs and budget. Use our build and price tool to get an instant, custom quote for your business. 
Get the Best Smoke Shop POS System: Cigars POS
The right POS system is crucial for smoke shop success — and fortunately, you don’t have to look far to find one.
Cigars POS is our all-in-one POS solution designed to help smoke shop owners like you save time, simplify your day-to-day operations, and boost profits. With our software, you can master the art of tobacco inventory management, excellent customer service, data-driven decision-making, smoke shop marketing, and more.
Schedule your personalized demo to see Cigars POS in action.
