Are you still using a manual cash register or a basic spreadsheet to manage your smoke shop's sales and inventory? Do you find yourself struggling to keep up with the latest trends, regulations, and customer demands?
Maybe it’s time to consider implementing a smoke shop point of sale (POS) solution.
Implementing a POS solution is simpler said than done, however. You barely have the time and energy to manage processes as it is, let alone spend hours researching and comparing possible POS solutions. And these solutions are often a significant investment — if you make the wrong decision, you’ll be on the hook for a lot of cash and still be using a subpar system to manage your inventory and process payments.
We’ve got the solution for you. We’ve compiled a list of the best POS systems for smoke shops. We’ll include key features, pricing, and more, giving you everything you need to make the best decision for your business.
Why You Need the Best POS System for Smoke Shops
Every business needs a tool to help them manage inventory, process payments, and streamline operations. But what are the consequences of just doing things by hand and neglecting to implement a POS system for your smoke shop?
Without a good POS system, you may face a range of consequences and challenges, including difficulties managing inventory, processing payments, and staying compliant with age verification laws.
Plus, if you implement any old POS system — rather than one designed with smoke shops in mind — you may find yourself struggling to manage the unique aspects of your business, such as case breaks and custom label printing.
What features should you look for in your point of sale solution? Your essential features will depend on your store’s specific needs, but some key features for every smoke shop are:
- Age verification features
- Inventory management suite
- Customer loyalty programs
- Scan data reporting capabilities
- Compliance and reporting features
In short, when you invest in a quality smoke shop POS system, you can run your business smoothly and efficiently, while complying with all the regulations in place for running your shop with ease.
Clover
Best for: Restaurants with Cigar Bars
Clover offers point of sale and payment-processing solutions for retail stores and restaurants. Their solution allows users to manage their inventory and track sales with ease. Clover boasts a flexible solution that allows you to make sales from anywhere using the Clover mobile app.
Key Features for Smoke Shops:
- Ability to accept all forms of payment
- Customer engagement features
- E-commerce for retail
Pricing: Clover offers a variety of pricing models. The standard option costs $1,799 upfront, then an additional $49.95 per month.
Lightspeed POS
Best for: Vape and CBD Shops
Lightspeed offers a POS solution designed to help shops manage inventory, operations, employees, and more. They specialize in retail, restaurants, hospitality, and golf course operations.
Key Features for Smoke Shops:
- Integration with BlueCheck for ID verification
- Robust product catalog to manage all your vape flavors and varieties
- Partial inventory count capabilities to minimize shrinkage
Pricing: Lightspeed’s standard pricing package is $119 per month and is best for omnichannel businesses. You can explore lower pricing packages down to $69 per month.
POS Nation
Best for: Mid-size retailers
POS Nation offers an all-in-one point of sale solution designed to streamline your business. You can use POS Nation to speed up checkout processes, delight your customers, and grow your business. POS Nation offers customizable, easy-to-use hardware and software solutions.
Key Features for Smoke Shops:
- Carton-pack inventory tracking to track packs of cigarettes or individual cigars
- Built-in age verification features
- Scan data reporting
- Robust sales reporting
Pricing: POS Nation’s solutions are all custom priced. You can see the price for the exact solution you need for your store using their pricing tool.
Cigars POS
Best for: Tobacco and smoke shops and cigar lounges
Cigars POS is the only point of sale solution on this list specifically designed for cigar and smoke shops. We understand that smoke shops have complex inventories and unique laws and regulations to comply with. Our solution is designed to offer you all the features you need for your smoke shop without unnecessary functionality that muddles up your interface.
Key Features for Smoke Shops:
- Built-in age verification
- Custom label printing for unique bundles and sales
- Simplified scan data reporting to track discounts from manufacturers
- Transaction surveillance and other security features
- Customer loyalty features
- 24/7 technical support
Pricing: Create the perfect solution for your store using our transparent build and price tool! 
talech
Best for: Small, single-store shops
talech is a leading point of sale system for small businesses. They serve a variety of retailers, restaurants, and cafes. This POS solution is designed to be as intuitive as possible, offering over one hundred different features to streamline your store's operations.
Key Features for Smoke Shops:
- Real-time inventory tracking
- Custom barcode printing
- Robust reporting and analytics
Pricing: talech’s standard pricing package costs $69 per month for your first terminal, and an additional $29 per month for any additional terminals needed.
Implement the Best POS System for Smoke Shops with Ease
Choosing the right POS system for your smoke shop can feel overwhelming enough, but even once you’ve made your decision, you’re left with a daunting task: implementation.
Implementing your new solution means troubleshooting technical issues, training staff, getting your inventory solution online, and more.
Are you getting stressed out just thinking about it?
Have no fear! When you work with Cigars POS, we’ll set you up with our simple-to-use solution in no time. Cigars POS is user-friendly and designed specifically for smoke shop owners like you.
That means every feature you need to run your store smoothly and profitably is available right out of the box. To see if Cigars POS is the right solution for your store, schedule a free demo today!
