Is your generic, one-size-fits-all point of sale (POS) solution causing you more grief than it’s worth?
A standard POS software solution might offer a wide range of features designed for retailers, but chances are, you’ll pay for features you don’t need while struggling to cobble together solutions for features you don’t have.
If that sounds like a waste of time — and money — to you, you’ve come to the right place. You need a custom solution for your POS software.
In this post, we'll explain why smoke shops need customizable POS software, and what features and benefits you should look for when choosing one. We’ll also give you some top choices for smoke shop POS providers you may want to consider when implementing your new solution.
What Is Customizable POS Software?
Before we dive into our list of top solutions, let’s first establish what we mean by “customizable POS software.”
Customizable POS software is a point of sale solution you can tailor to meet the specific needs of your smoke shop. This type of solution offers more flexibility than off-the-shelf solutions as it allows you to modify the software to fit your unique needs.
Related Read: 5 Best Cloud POS Systems for Retail [Benefits + Top Vendors]
Why should you pursue customizable POS software for your business? Let’s take a look at a few of the benefits of using customizable POS software.
- Greater control: Control the features and functionality in the software to meet your shop’s unique needs.
- Seamless integration: A custom solution lets you build the integrations you need into your solution.
- Unique and tailored: Stay competitive in your industry by increasing operational efficiency with a solution built specifically for your store.
Smoke shops face unique challenges in their business practices that might warrant a customizable POS solution.
You have extremely varied inventory and may need features that allow you to break cases and packages and sell individual units of products like cigars. You also need to manage age verification procedures and comply with a variety of local and federal regulations.
A customizable POS solution can be customized to meet these unique requirements and ensure your shop operates efficiently while remaining compliant with the law.
Related Read: [ANSWERED]: How Profitable Is a Smoke Shop?
However, implementing customizable POS software can also present challenges. If you aren’t careful, a custom solution can become overly complex, making it difficult to train staff on the system. You may also struggle to get quality technical support, as the software may be unique and require specialized knowledge to resolve any issues that arise.
Top Customizable POS Software Solutions
Lightspeed Retail
Best For: Larger businesses and enterprises
Lightspeed offers a cloud-based commerce platform designed for retail, hospitality, and golf courses. They offer solutions specifically for vape or CBD shops, so if your store falls into those categories, Lightspeed might be a solution worth a second look.
Some of the key features and customization options Lightspeed offers include:
- Expansive product catalog
- Low stock alerts
- Built-in RACS (retail access control standards) compliance
- Unified e-commerce and in-store sales channels
Pricing: Lightspeed offers a standard package starting at $119 per month.
Square POS
Best For: CBD and cannabis sales
Square is a well-known point of sale provider that offers a wide range of features to help manage smoke shops. One of Square's most notable features is its mobile app, which allows business owners to manage their operations from anywhere. The app enables users to process transactions, monitor inventory, and access sales data directly from their smartphone or tablet, providing added flexibility to run their business on the go.
Some of the key features and customization options Square offers include:
- Integration with third-party apps like Magento, Limelight, and more
- E-commerce and in-store sales integration
- Simplified, custom workflows to automate processes
- Customer loyalty features
Pricing: Square offers their “Plus” package for $60 per month, plus 2.5 percent and 10 cents for every in-person transaction and 2.9 percent plus 30 cents for every online transaction.
POS Nation
Best For: Small businesses
POS Nation provides an all-in-one point of sale solution that caters to small to mid-size retailers. Their customizable hardware and software streamline operations and help you grow your business. POS Nation empowers retailers to improve the customer experience, accelerate checkout processes, and scale their business.
Some of the key features and customization options POS Nation offers include:
- Carton-pack inventory tracking
- Built-in age verification
- Scan data reporting
- Robust sales reporting and analytics
Pricing: Pricing is customized for each client. You can use their pricing tool to calculate the price of your custom solution.
Cigars POS
Best For: Smoke shops and tobacco stores
Cigars POS is the only point of sale solution on this list designed specifically for tobacco and smoke shops. Our software is an all-in-one solution that can help smoke shop owners simplify operations, streamline inventory, and speed up your customer checkout processes.
Some of the key features and customization options Cigars POS offers include:
- Streamlined inventory management
- Built-in age verification features
- Custom label printing
- Scan data reporting
- Transaction surveillance
- Customer loyalty features
- 24/7 technical support
Pricing: We offer customized pricing for our customized solutions. With our build and price tool, you can create a tailored solution for any use case that fits the specific needs of your store, without paying for unnecessary features.
KORONA
Best For: Quick service businesses
KORONA offers a comprehensive point of sale solution for a wide range of businesses, including smoke shops and CBD stores. Their cloud-based system includes inventory management features that cater to a diverse range of products and can be easily tracked with a handheld device.
Some of the key features and customization options KORONA offers include:
- E-commerce features
- Customer loyalty programs
- Security and loss prevention
- Self-checkout kiosks
Pricing: KORONA’s solutions start at $59 per month.
Do You Need Customizable POS Software?
If you’re frustrated with your current point of sale solution — or if you’re still muddling through with manual processes — customizable POS software is what you need for your smoke shop.
However, you want to make sure you’re not implementing an over-complicated solution with features you don’t need that ends up being more trouble than it’s worth.
The solution? Check out a POS solution specifically designed for smoke shop owners. Cigars POS offers customizable options, but it comes with all the features every smoke shop owner needs for their store.
Schedule a demo of Cigars POS today to see how this simple but robust solution can have you up and running in no time.
