What is an ePOS?
A Point of sale system is the traditional hardware and software used when customers walk up to your counter, pick out an item from your stand or booth or pay over the phone. An ePOS is the electronic version of this, more widely used for small business now it is smaller, more portable and operates online where information is securely stored in the cloud.
As a small retail or hospitality business it is likely you will already have either a card reader, terminal or PDQ machine and it makes sense to integrate your ePOS with your website so that there is no inefficiency, duplication or time lag between ordering or available stock resulting in errors and disappointed customers.
If you do not already have an ePOS, this is a useful tool to see what is available. with features and pricing:
https://webforms.startups.co.uk/epos
Which ePOS integrates with what?
Here we discuss which main UK ePOS systems iterate with what platform
Square
One of the top uk ePOS providers, it is a perfect fit for small businesses usually set up with your phone or ipad, it has a simple and anxiety free interface.
Check https://squareup.com/
Square has its own basic website builder or integrates directly with WooCommerce (Wordpress), BigCommerce, Ecwid, Wix and Magento. Additionally it has an API to integrate with other providers.
Shopify POS
Check https://www.shopify.com/uk/pos/overview
Shopify offers its own ePOS system which of course integrates seamlessly with everything Shopify does and worth a look if you already have or are thinking of a Shopify website.
Zettle
Check https://www.zettle.com/gb
Zettle by Paypal, formerly iZettle, one of the pioneering portable card reeds at an affordable price for makers, artisans and start-ups. Zettle like Square has a well designed and easy to use interface and integrates directly with Shopify and WooCommerce.
Vend
Check https://www.vendhq.com/uk/
Vend is now part of Lightspeed, it is the user friendly small business side of Lightspeed, similar to Square, easy to use and works off most devices, integrating with Woocommere, BigCommerce and Shopify, with an API that allows further integration, it also works in places where internet outages may occur.
EposNow
Check https://www.eposnow.com/uk/
Epos now are an established contender who offer their own website builder as well as integration with Wix, WooCommerce and Shopify as well as API integration via Zapier.
Squarespace
Please note: Only currently available in the US.
Check https://www.squarespace.com/ecommerce/point-of-sale
Squarespace’s own ePOS system will make it to the UK and with everything Squarespace it will be a great bit of kit for small businesses especially catering for the creative industry. In the meantime it offers integration via Zapier API for Square and EposNow
API Integration
However, don’t worry if none of the above seem to fit with your current setup. If your ePOS does not directly integrate with your current or preferred website platform there are 3rd party systems that act as the go between syncing your ePOS with your website eCommerce so it's worth a conversation with your web developer.
SkuIQ offer a handy tool to see how integration can work for you ePOS
Check https://www.skuiq.com/
Zapier mentioned above connects EposNow and Square to most ecommerce platforms.
Check https://zapier.com/
More enterprise and bespoke platforms such as Magento will work with API integration and will recommend their prefered partners.
This article was written for the Digital Springboard