Your market might be physically small, but you still have big responsibilities and challenges. While running a small market isn’t easy, the right point of sale (POS) system can help.
The truth is that many small market owners are reluctant to adopt a new POS system because they worry it will be too complicated, too costly, or both. However, technology has come a long way, and there are many modern POS systems specifically built for small grocers, corner stores, and mini-markets.
Today’s POS systems do much more than process payments. They can simplify your business operations from top to bottom and modernize the customer experience.
In this article, find out why your small market will benefit from a modern POS system and our top four picks for small market POS systems in 2024.
Why Small Markets Need a Modern POS System
Just because a small grocery store or mini market has a smaller footprint doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to do. Between managing stock, reconciling payments, training staff, and everything else — running a small market can feel overwhelming.
When store owners rely on manual processes like paper records or spreadsheets, it can grind business to a halt. Point of sale systems give small markets a cost-effective way to streamline everyday processes while providing greater visibility into operations and customer preferences. This means less time spent on paperwork and more time spent on customers.
POS systems are easy for small businesses to implement and use, making them invaluable for maintaining profitability and delivering the convenient shopping experience customers love.
A small market POS system comes with various tools to help you modernize your store’s operations, including:
- Inventory management: Simplifies inventory with real-time tracking and vendor management, keeping shelves stocked with what customers love without the hassle.
- Staffing and training: A customizable interface and training modules simplify daily operations and staff training, ensuring the team is always ready to assist customers.
- Flexible payments: Allows customers to use their preferred payment methods, ensuring a smoother checkout experience and access to real-time sales data.
- Customer insights: Reports and data shed light on bestsellers, inventory churn, peak hours, and more, helping make informed business decisions.
- Added security and uptime: Modern cloud-based systems are constantly updated to meet the latest security and compliance requirements, reducing your business’ overall risk.
With the right POS system, small market owners can be more efficient, delight customers, and focus on what truly matters — growing their business and serving their community.
Related Read: How To Hire Employees for a Small Organic Grocery Store
Small Market POS Systems: 4 Top Picks
The right POS system shouldn’t bog you down in complicated features and tech you don’t need. Instead, it should help take everything great about your business and make it even better.
Just like every small grocer or mini-mart is unique, so are the various POS systems on the market. That’s why it’s important to find a solution that fits your needs well.
To help you narrow things down, here are our top four picks for small market POS systems in 2024.
1. Markt POS
Markt POS is our leading solution trusted by more than 1,000 small to medium-sized store owners. Our system is specifically designed to provide the relevant features that groceries, corner stores, and other small markets need to modernize operations and deliver better customer experiences.
Standout Features
- Smart inventory management: Add unlimited products, set up automated low-stock notifications, and create purchase orders with built-in vendor management.
- Built-in customer loyalty: Drive repeat sales and delight customers with customizable customer loyalty programs and discounts.
- Easy-to-use reporting tools: Understand customer preferences, forecast demand spikes, see your bestsellers, and gain a deeper understanding of local market trends with visualizations and custom reports.
- Integrated payments: Allow customers to pay however they want with flexible payment options (e.g., credit card, Apple Pay, EBT Food, and more) and built-in payment processing that works even when you’re offline.
See Markt POS’ complete list of features here.
Pricing
We offer customers a range of pricing tiers depending on your business size, hardware needs, and more.
2. Square POS
Square is one of the biggest names on the market for good reason. While it lacks some of the grocery and market-specific functions of other systems on this list, its POS system is an affordable, entry-level system that is easy to set up and use.
Standout Features
- Free options: Square’s basic plan has no monthly cost, providing basic payment processing and limited inventory management features at no cost.
- Third-party integrations: Square offers many third-party integrations (for a small added cost), including loyalty programs, marketing support, payroll, and more, so you can pay for just the features you use.
- Flexible payment: Square supports all modern payment methods and gift cards.
Pricing
Square’s basic plan is free, but the Plus plan that is recommended for grocery stores starts at $89/month.
3. IT Retail
IT Retail has decades of experience in retail, specifically for grocery stores and markets. With many industry-specific reports and functions, it’s a great choice for growing small to mid-size grocers.
Standout Features
- Advanced inventory management: Use powerful inventory management software to track perishable items, set low stock alerts, view stock levels, and more.
- Scale integrations: Integrate scales directly with your POS system, making it easy to offer deli meats, cheeses, and other variable weight items.
- Online sales integrations: Take your store online by seamlessly integrating your inventory with an online store. IT Retail also has partnerships with InstaCart and other services, giving you many options to reach more customers.
- Self-checkout support: Speed up checkout with IT Retail’s self-checkout hardware, that integrates directly with the POS system.
Pricing
IT Retail has several pricing tiers, including a starter tier for stores with five employees or less.
4. DUMAC
DUMAC has been in business for over 70 years and specializes in grocery and convenience store operations. With a focus on innovation and scalability, DUMAC is a great fit for independent grocers who want as much flexibility as possible while they grow.
- Robust multi-store support: DUMAC includes in-house back office and hosting systems that let you manage multiple locations from one place, including setting up multiple pricing zones.
- Streamlined inventory management: DUMAC includes powerful inventory management, with real-time tracking and computer-assisted price optimization and reorders.
- On-site support: While many systems are moving to the cloud to minimize complexity, DUMAC still offers on-site options for stores that need it.
- Third-party integrations: DUMAC supports many third-party integration packages depending on your needs, making it ideal if you already have other software that you rely on.
Pricing
DUMAC does not currently list pricing on its website.
A Final Word of Advice: Don’t Rush
We’ve said it once, and we’ll say it again — don’t rush. Whether you’re opening a new store or updating an old system, it’s important to find technology that’s a good fit.
Start by making a list of pain points and common situations you frequently deal with. That way, when you schedule a demo, you can see specifically how each software handles them. While any new system will take a bit of time to get used to, getting the answers to these questions should excite you, not scare you.
Last, work with a partner that understands your business and provides ongoing support. Inevitably things will break, or you’ll have specific questions, so don’t just look at the software and features but the quality of the support team.
Modernize Your Store With a Leading Small Market POS System
Running a successful small market is no small feat. To keep up with customer demand and stay competitive, you need to use every tool at your disposal.
Markt POS is built to address the specific needs of groceries, Indian, Asian, and Hispanic markets, corner shops, and other small businesses. With Markt POS, you can streamline your operations and gain real-time insights, helping you focus more on customers and growing your business.
Don’t let outdated systems hold you back. We’re a trusted technology partner with the experience you need to modernize your business and find long-term success.
Schedule a demo today to see how Markt POS can help you achieve more with less.
