Lightspeed Retail - Recommended POS Systems Provider

Our Verdict

Lightspeed is a simple, intuitive solution designed for small businesses from the retail and restaurant industries. It has the functionality you’ll need, focused in a single, easily manageable place, and the system tosses in a few handy features you never even knew you needed. All in all, Lightspeed is an amazing quality of life improvement for retailers and restaurant owners.

Pros

All-in-one solution
Rich customization options
Great insights & analytics features
Amazing customer support

Cons

No variety in price packages
Some analytics tools come at an additional cost

Plans & Pricing US

Lightspeed’s offers pricing for whatever stage your business is at. Each of the plans are billed monthly and annually. All plans allow you to accept credit card payments at a card-present rate of 2.6% + 10¢ and a card-not-present rate of 2.6% + 30¢.

Conveniently, they offer a 14-day trial that grants you access to every bit of the platform’s functionality. This is a great way to test the water without investing a single dime. Sign up, choose your type of business, and you’ll be set to go in no time!

Basic

Basic is a tailored solution crafted for independent retailers, focusing on meeting essential day-to-day needs efficiently. Packed with all the necessary tools, including an intuitive point of sale system and real-time inventory management, it ensures swift transactions. At just $89 per month when billed annually or $109 billed monthly, it offers excellent value for its comprehensive features. With multi-store functionality, unified payments, and round-the-clock chat support, Basic empowers businesses with 1+ outlet, 1+ register, unlimited turnover, products, and users, facilitating seamless operations and growth.

Core

Core is the ultimate choice for retailers aiming to streamline operations and foster business expansion. Priced at $149 per month when billed annually or $179 billed monthly, Core provides unparalleled value with its comprehensive set of features.

With capabilities such as an intuitive point of sale system, real-time inventory management, and multi-store functionality, Core equips businesses with the tools needed to thrive. Integration with top-tier accounting and ecommerce software, along with 24/7 chat support, ensures seamless operations. Additionally, Core enables businesses to enhance customer experience through features like gift cards, Loyalty programs, and detailed inventory and sales reports. With Core, businesses can elevate their operations and take their ventures to new heights.

Plus

Plus is the premier solution tailored for established retail operations seeking advanced customization and seamless scalability. Priced at $239 per month when billed annually or $289 billed monthly, Plus offers unparalleled flexibility and functionality. With features such as an intuitive point of sale system, real-time inventory management, and multi-store functionality, Plus empowers complex retailers to push boundaries.

Integration with top-tier accounting software and 24/7 phone and chat support ensure smooth operations. Plus also provides tools to enhance customer experience through features like gift cards, Loyalty programs, and detailed inventory and sales reports. Moreover, Plus offers a custom report builder, custom workflows, and API access, enabling retailers to tailor their systems to meet specific needs and drive success. With Plus, retailers can elevate their operations and unlock new opportunities for growth.

Enterprise

Finally, the Enterprise plan gives you everything above, plus deep analytics, at a customized price. This plan is for the more serious business that is ready to look deep into their numbers and grow even more. In order to find out about pricing, you can contact Lightspeed to get a quote.

Enterprise

Basic

$89 /mo

14-day free trial

Core

$149 /mo

14-day free trial

Plus

$239 /mo

14-day free trial

Enterprise

Get a quote

14-day free trial

Plans & Pricing Canada

Basic

CAD 119 /mo

14-day free trial

Core

CAD 199 /mo

14-day free trial

Plus

CAD 269 /mo

14-day free trial

Enterprise

Get a quote

14-day free trial

In-depth review

Features and Functionality

We’ve talked about Lightspeed being an all-in-one POS solution for small businesses before, but now the time has come to dive a bit deeper.

Inventory management

Lightspeed comes with a set of handy features for inventory management:

Item import: Simple data transfers from one platform to another via Excel or CSV files.
Product customization: Add additional descriptions like size and color to your products or categorize them by certain sets of parameters.
Bulk stocking: You can easily stock from multiple vendors at once saving time and money in the process. More on the matter, you can order stock directly from your POS.

Reporting and analytics

With the built-in reporting functionality your POS grows from a tool for selling into a full-blown CRM system:

Retail analytics: Learn more about new and recurring customers, your own stock, and best-selling items.
Employee tracking: Check the performance of your staff and, essentially, the success of the established sales process.
Remote reporting: You can’t stay at work 24/7. That doesn’t mean that you can’t check on how the things are going from the comfort of your couch.

Integrated payments

Lightspeed can accept any kind of payment whether it be cash, card, or mobile. The payment process is PCI compliant, meaning credit card data is processed and transmitted electronically in a secure environment. The payment system is EMV-compatible as well.

Customer management

Managing your gift cards, special discounts, and loyalty programs have never been simpler. Set them up in one place and control the sales flow with data-driven decisions on which items are more relevant as an up-sale to your customers.

Hardware Requirements

While all that you essentially need to work is a computer or an iPad, Lightspeed offers several hardware kits for small businesses. You can purchase them in bundles or, alternatively, you can order the items you need in your store separately. More on the matter, you can get them made in a custom design that fits the style and interior of your business.

iPad hardware kit

This kit includes a LAN receipt printer, a cash drawer, a Bluetooth scanner, an iPad stand, and some receipt paper. This bundle is designed for a seamless wireless experience. Simply take the tablet with you and help your customers shop on the fly instead of forcing them to stand in a queue.

The desktop hardware kit

This bundle comes with a cash drawer, a USB scanner, and a USB receipt printer all designed to give a slick, modern vibe from the casher’s stand.

Integrations & Add-ons

Lightspeed POS is compatible with an impressive list of nearly 100 applications like 1-Click website, Ask Emma, Agendrix, Cludbeds, Clock, etc.

It would be much easier to talk about the categories of these apps than to describe each and every one of them in detail. You can easily integrate marketing, analytics, ERP, employee management, payment processing, inventory management, and customer loyalty solutions in a few quick taps of your finger.

Ease of Use

Lightspeed is simple and intuitive enough that you’ll get a good feel of it quite quickly. Setting the tool up is as hard as filling up a form of three fields, and the interface is so straightforward that you’ll feel like someone is holding your hand.

Customer Service

Lightspeed is an outstanding example of support done right. The team covers every aspect of client interactions from the questions people will have about setting up the system, to ongoing maintenance inquiries. Every plan comes with a 100% free of charge one on one session with a professional willing to help out with setting everything up. In addition, you’ll also have access to other support options: