Nova - POS

Our Verdict

Nova is a fully featured POS system designed specifically for retail businesses. They have the major tools such as reporting, inventory management, and payment processing built into the system. They go a bit further than many by allowing you to manage contacts, send marketing emails, and set up SMS promotional campaigns. You’re also able to easily manage multiple locations from a single dashboard. It’s possible to drill into metrics based on employee or store location. The choice is yours.

The major drawback of the system is the fact that they don’t have integrations with third-party tools. If you’re able to live with that then it’s a solid, easy to use POS solution to help you grow your retail business.

Pros

Easy to use
Competitions to boost sales and motivate your team
Great customer support team
Simple employee management features
SMS promoter to drive repeat business

Cons

Closed system that lacks integrations with other software
No loyalty program
No customer facing display

Plans & Pricing

Nova only has two pricing plans. Each plan comes with all of the features. The differentiating aspect is the merchant account and payment gateways which are available for integration.

Nova Flexible

Nova Flexible is the entry-level tier and costs $89.99/m per location. This plan allows you to select your merchant provider from a list of Nova preferred vendors. It’s also limited to Auth.net and GS Paytech for your payment gateway.

Nova Pro

Nova Pro is the highest tier available and costs $129.99/m per location. With this plan you’re able to bring your own merchant account and choose any payment gateway to support your business.

At first glance, the plans don’t have much difference and are comparable to many other POS solutions on the market. If you’re starting out with Nova then payment gateways and merchants aren’t a big deal. It’s when you’re switching over from another POS solution that it matters.

It would be too much effort, when compared to the savings, to switch your payment gateway and merchant provider.

Nova Flexible

$89.99 /mo

Free Demo

Nova Pro

$129.99 /mo

Free Demo

In-depth review

Features and Functionality

Nova has the major features you can expect in a modern POS built for retail locations. You’re able to brand all your business collateral (receipts, business cards, and gift cards), access a real-time dashboard, and set price restrictions.

They go beyond other POS solutions in a few key areas.

CRM

They have a well thought out CRM that’s designed to help you build lasting relationships with your customers. It’s possible to add their phone number, address, birthday, etc. and sync it with their purchase history.

With this information at your fingertips it takes little effort to launch promotions that target your best customers and encourage repeat sales.

Email marketing

With the database you’ve built through the CRM, you can launch email marketing campaigns directly within Nova. It’s possible to send gift cards, promote discounts, or just create a regular newsletter to stay top of mind.

SMS marketing

A unique feature contained within Nova is called SMS promoter. It allows you to send text messages to your customers based on specific rules. For example, you can send messages a few days before their birthday, after their first purchase, or even based on location.

Inventory management

The POS system is built for retail and because of that it can handle a large number of products. There is a slight learning curve for some users, but once you understand the system it’ll be easy to stay on top of stock levels and identify the best performing items.

Hardware Requirements

To use Nova you need a laptop or desktop computer with minimum system requirements such as Windows 8 and a 2GB ram. It’s not currently compatible with Mac computers (there is a cloud app available which can be accessed from a Mac computer). There’s also a mobile app available but it’s for reporting and other basic functions. It doesn’t work as a POS.

Apart from that, you’re not required to buy any hardware to get started.

That’s not to say the hardware wouldn’t be helpful. They don’t manufacture hardware and instead recommend specific hardware to purchase from Amazon.

Integrations & Add-ons

A surprising decision Nova made is to avoid integration partners. The only integration that’s readily available is one with your wholesaler. They also need to have Nova POS. This could be a challenge if you use third-party accounting tools to help understand your profit and loss (Nova does do that).

Even though they don’t have integrations there are a few add-ons to choose from.

Competitions

You’re able to set up competitions to motivate your team. There are two types of competitions. One is for teams and the other is for individual employees. You can set the timeframe for the competition and create daily, weekly, or monthly winners.

Nova alerts

This add-on is useful when your team and locations grow. You can set up alerts to come via email or text message for key events such as employees clocking in/out, locations opening/closing, first sales notification, and so much more. In the end, it helps you run a tighter ship.

Business cards

Another add-on from Nova are the business cards. You’re able to order a set of cards for yourself or key team members with your company logo. It’s also possible to change the information based on location and other factors relevant to you.

Ease of Use

Nova is generally considered easy to use and has a simple interface. A few users have complained about the black background but that’s nothing more than an aesthetic choice.

Their inventory system is different from what many people are used to so it may take a little time to get acquainted. Once you do, you’ll be able to run multiple locations without much effort.

Customer Service

This is the area where Nova shines above all others. They offer assistance across multiple channels so you can find the one you’re most comfortable with.