Simplify Your Retail Sales Management With These 5 Tools That Combine POS and CRM

Rupal Bhandari profile picture
By Rupal Bhandari

Published
6 min read

CRM in retail doesn’t have to be an independent tool. In fact, combining it with POS can help save time and money.

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Traditionally, if a small or midsize retail business wants to keep track of customer information, someone at the cash register has to manually enter customers’ contact and other details into a separate customer relationship management (CRM) tool or a data sheet.

However, a tool that combines point of sale (POS) and CRM functionalities can reduce the manual effort and auto-fill the information whenever a customer makes a payment. Together, these functionalities can help:

  • Track customers’ buying history to capitalize on their preferences and strengthen customer relationships.

  • Boost customer experience, create targeted marketing campaigns, customize promotions, and upsell or cross-sell relevant products or services.

To help owners and managers at retail businesses find the right tool that combines POS and CRM functionalities, we have prepared this list.What does “top” mean? Each of the five tools included in this article has had a minimum user rating of 4.0 on Capterra’s software directory over the past year.

For more details on how we selected the products, you can read our methodology at the bottom of the article.

1. Clover

Trial/Free Version

  • Free Trial
  • Free Version

Device compatibility

* Analysis accurate as of date of publication

Clover is a cloud-based POS tool that comes with built-in CRM features. In addition to card transactions, it supports both mobile and contactless payments. The tool is compliant with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) to ensure the security of transaction details.

auto-created-customer-profile-from-credit-card-tra

Auto-created customer profile from credit card transaction data in Clover (Source)

Some of the tool’s highlights include:

  • Automatic customer profiles created from credit card transactions. The profiles include personal information, contact details, purchase history, and more.

  • Rewards programs to promote customer loyalty.

  • Text message, email, and social media integration to communicate with customers.

  • Customer segmentation based on buying trends to create and run strategic promotional campaigns.

  • Feedback forms to record and track customer recommendations or complaints.

  • Restaurants can take customer orders via third-party platforms such as Grubhub and Doordash, Menufy, and Chowly.

Cost of the tool: The software-only package is available at $9.95/month, with 3.5% + 10¢ charge per transaction. It also offers various POS hardware stations. Transactions made via Clover POS devices have a discounted rate charge of 2.7% + 10¢ per transaction.

Read reviews of Clover

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2. Lightspeed POS

Trial/Free Version

  • Free Trial
  • Free Version

Device compatibility

* Analysis accurate as of date of publication

Lightspeed POS is a cloud-based retail POS tool fit for retailers and restaurateurs. In addition to a payment gateway, the tool offers built-in features for customer loyalty programs, CRM, merchant services, and eCommerce. The tool is PCI DSS compliant to ensure the protection of customer data.

adding-notes-to-customer-profiles-in-lightspeed-po

Adding notes to customer profiles in Lightspeed POS (Source)

Some of the tool’s highlights include:

  • Detailed reporting on customer sales history from across channels to make tailored recommendations.

  • Automate discounts at checkout based on different customer types, such as VIP or regular (or special employee discounts).

  • Mobile app to stay updated on-the-go as well as process transactions without being in front of a traditional checkout station.

  • Table-side ordering and self-order menus for restaurants to enable customers to order from their tables via iPads.

  • Customer outreach on multiple channels, including email, landing pages, and digital ads, via integration with Mailchimp.

  • Selling directly on social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram, via integration with CommentSold.

Cost of the tool: Lightspeed’s packages start at $69/month and go up to $229/month.

Read reviews of Lightspeed POS

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3. Square for Retail

Trial/Free Version

  • Free Trial
  • Free Version

Device compatibility

* Analysis accurate as of date of publication

Square for Retail is an iPad POS tool that also offers CRM features. It helps manage inventory, employee staffing and planning, customer support, and payroll. The tool is PCI DSS compliant.

checking-out-and-preparing-an-invoice-in-square-fo

Checking out and preparing an invoice in Square for Retail (Source)

Some of the tool’s highlights include:

  • Creating customer profiles and tracking their buying history at the time of payment/checkout.

  • Segmenting customers into different groups based on buying habits and purchase history.

  • Generating detailed reports to monitor sales, get insights and guidance based on customer data, and manage marketing communications.

  • Setting up eCommerce websites or integrating with social media platforms via Square Online Store.

  • Creating and running automated email marketing and social media marketing campaigns via Square Marketing.

  • Restaurants can set up online ordering via integration with Weebly.

Cost of the tool: Square for Retail is available starting at $60/month and 2.5% + 10¢ per digital transaction. The vendor also provides POS hardware.

Read reviews of Square for Retail

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4. WooPOS

Trial/Free Version

  • Free Trial
  • Free Version

Device compatibility

* Analysis accurate as of date of publication

WooPOS is a POS and inventory management tool that also offers basic CRM functionalities. It is appropriate for retailers that want to set up multiple stores or eCommerce operations. The tool is PCI DSS compliant.

woopos-dashboard-showing-the-various-functions-for

A dashboard in WooPOS (Source)

Some of the tool’s highlights include:

  • Targeting email marketing campaigns and measuring their effectiveness by tracking customer interest.

  • Rewarding repeat and regular customers with loyalty programs.

  • Tracking statistics and synchronization for gift cards and store credit across multiple stores.

  • Setting up store information on Google local listings via integration with Pointy.

  • Setting up eCommerce and online selling via integration with Shopify.

Cost of the tool: WooPOS packages start at $29/month.

Read reviews of WooPOS

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Considerations when selecting a retail sales management tool

Now that you have a good idea of the top retail sales management tools that combine POS and CRM functionalities, take a few steps back and look at your business requirements. Compare these to the features offered by each tool and then make a choice.

Here are a few considerations you should keep in mind:

  • Ensure that the tool can process refunds and returns: If you own a business such as a clothing or apparel store chances are, every once in a while you’ll need to process returns and refunds. In such cases, select a tool that allows you to process returns and refunds easily.

  • Explore payment functionalities in alignment with your customer behavior: For retail businesses such as restaurants and bars, it is likely that customers will split one bill between multiple people on the table. Ensure that the tool you choose allows you the flexibility to split a bill into multiple payments and add tips to the bill.

  • Explore online selling and order taking functionalities: Whether it is a retail business selling apparel or a restaurant providing food, today’s digital economy means you are likely to want to sell online. For a retail sales management tool, this means integrations with eCommerce platforms or order taking applications. Before selecting a tool, explore such features if you already sell online or intent to sell online.

If you are already using a tool for retail sales management, please share your experience with us in the comments section below.



Methodology

To select the products mentioned in this article, we identified the most common products across listings for CRM tools for retail, POS tools for retail, and CRM and POS tools combined for retail, via Incognito Google search on March 26, 2020. Products that appeared on third-party listings at least twice during this research were shortlisted for further evaluation.

The shortlisted products were evaluated against the following features:

  • Contact management.

  • Tracking top customers, or customer details and visits.

  • Email or social media integration.

  • Payment processing.

  • Inventory management.

  • Reporting.

  • Refund and returns management.

The tools that provided all the above mentioned features were shortlisted after manual product validation. Additionally, the selected tools had to have a rating of 4+ and minimum 10 reviews on Capterra in between March 26, 2019, and March 26, 2020.

The tools that met all the above criteria were selected for the article.

Note: The applications selected in this article are examples to show a feature in context and are not intended as endorsements or recommendations. They have been obtained from sources believed to be reliable at the time of publication.


Looking for Retail Management Systems software? Check out Capterra's list of the best Retail Management Systems software solutions.

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About the Author

Rupal Bhandari profile picture

Content Writer @ Capterra, sharing the latest strategies and insights about digital marketing, sales, and customer engagement. She received her MA in English Literature from the University of Delhi, India, and has created research-intensive and thought-leadership content for some of the world's leading technology products and companies for over five years. She is an aspiring vegetarian chef and a pay-me-with-cuddles dog sitter in her free time.

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