Lightspeed

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.

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.

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.

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.