Running a smoke shop isn’t easy.
To keep your customers happy and stay competitive. you need to create an excellent product list, keep costs low (and stay profitable), and stand out from the competition.
It’s a lot to handle, and relying on aging software or technology that isn’t industry-specific can make it worse. That’s why smoke shops around the country are increasingly adopting smoke shop point of sale (POS) software to simplify every aspect of their business.
But choosing the right software isn’t always easy. How do you know if a system is the right fit for you? In this post, we highlight the important features to look for, industry-specifics to keep in mind, and recommend some top providers.
Must-Have Features for Smoke Shop POS Software
A great POS system makes everything about running a business smoother, from checkout and customer loyalty to reorders and sales reports.
However, smoke shops have additional restrictions and challenges. That makes finding the right system a bit more challenging than the average retailer.
To help make things easier, here’s an overview of general retail and tobacco-specific features to look out for.
General POS Features
A smoke shop is, at its core, a retail business. That means before considering any industry-specific options, you need to make sure your POS system has everything a modern retail POS system has to offer.
These features are a must:
- Real-time inventory tracking
- Customer loyalty and customer relationship management (CRM)
- Sales and inventory reports
- Contactless payments
- Vendor management tools
- Employee management and performance tracking
- Custom label printing and SKUs
Of all the features on this list, powerful inventory management tools are particularly important for retailers. On a practical level, inventory that updates the second a sale is made makes it much easier to avoid overstocking or stockouts.
On a strategic level, the better your understanding of your inventory — from churn rates and shrinkage sources to bestsellers and profit margin analysis — the better equipped you’ll be to stay ahead of trends and make smart, cost-efficient business decisions.
That’s invaluable information for a small business in a competitive industry.
Tobacco Store Specific POS Features
Of course, you’re not just any retailer, you’re a retailer in a niche (and highly regulated) industry.
To stay compliant and fully reap the benefits of selling tobacco products and vapes, you should also keep an eye out for:
- Tobacco scan data support: Accurately track and export sales data to take full advantage of tobacco scan data promotions.
- Age verification tools: Ensure your system supports ID scanning and other age verification tools to streamline the checkout process while staying legally compliant.
- High-risk payment processing: Stores that sell age-restricted products are considered high-risk, and require a high-risk merchant account to process credit cards, digital wallets, and other modern payment methods.
- Carton-pack inventory: Ensure you always have an accurate view of inventory with the ability to track cases of products, packs, cigars, or other single items.
For more in-depth information on how to evaluate smoke shop POS software, check out our free buyer’s guide.
4 Top Smoke Shop POS Software of 2024
If you’re completely lost on where to start your search for smoke shop POS software, we’re here to help.
Here are four top providers, their pros and cons, and pricing information.
1. Cigars POS
Cigars POS is a powerful system built for small, independent smoke shops, vape shops, and cigar lounges. With a mix of industry-specific and general retail features, our solution helps tobacco retailers simplify inventory management, improve the customer experience, and make smarter decisions.
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Pricing
Cigars POS offers several flexible pricing tiers starting at $69/month. To learn more, check out our pricing configurator tool.
2. Square POS
Square is a popular name in the POS industry. It’s easy to use and set up, making it ideal for brand-new smoke shop businesses that don’t have an existing system.
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Pricing
Square POS’ retail plan starts at $29/month plus any additional hardware costs.
3. KORONA POS
KORONA POS stands out because it explicitly supports niche and high-risk businesses with solutions built to scale with your business. With robust franchise support, KORONA is a good choice for large-scale businesses with many locations.
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Pricing
KORONA POS’ Plus plan is $79/month per terminal.
4. POS Nation
POS Nation is a top-rated POS system built for retailers in multiple industries, including high-risk industries like liquor stores and smoke shops. Their knowledgeable staff and numerous hardware options make it another good choice for small and mid-sized smoke shop businesses.
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Pricing
POS Nation offers several pricing plans starting at $69/month.
See if Cigars POS Is the Right Fit for Your Business
Choosing new smoke shop POS software can be intimidating because there are so many options out there. We fully understand, and encourage you to schedule demos with various providers to ensure you find the right fit.
When viewing demos, have some specific questions ready. If a software demo feels generic or overly rehearsed, or they can’t show you the feature you’re looking for (or know someone who can) — you might want to walk away.
You should leave your demo feeling 100% confident that the software will work for your needs.
If you’re considering updating your smoke shop system, we’d love to talk to you. Cigars POS was built specifically to handle the unique challenges of running smoke shops, vape shops, cigar lounges, and other tobacco businesses.
Schedule your custom demo today to find out how Cigars POS can help your business.
