Lightspeed Point of Sale System is the leading POS in the use of cloud-based solutions for retailers and restaurants. The focus of the Lightspeed POS is to simplify the daily tasks the businesses must attend so that the staff can have more time to attend to critical business matters.
The POS automates the services you offer to your clients so that you can serve the guests more efficiently. Efficiency, in the end, increases business revenue, and that is the core purpose of the company; to make sales. The Lightspeed POS also enables you to manage all your store locations without going to the store physically. When you need to be sure that you are making sales and not incurring any losses, you need to keep a tab on your sales data. You should also be able to have an inventory system that helps you to account for every detail concerning your business stock.
The focus of Lightspeed POS is to ensure you give your clients an experience that will keep them coming back. You can create that experience right from your iPad.
Does Your Firm Need Cloud-Based Technology?
Allowing your business to have a cloud-based system means that your data location is unrestricted, not attached to a physical server. Instead, data storage is on the internet, which is possible through cloud computing. You do not need to use a server and a hard disk.
The impact of cloud-based technology is massive in every industry.
Across the board, businesses are accessing the priceless benefits of the technology.
1. Cutting Costs: Infrastructure and Updates
The traditional systems would require the company to invest in infrastructures such as computers, cabling, and servers. You would also need to pay the infrastructure experts to get the devices back in case they stopped working for some reason. You would also incur costs to keep the systems updated to secure the data from bugs.
However, the cloud-based system will not incur any infrastructure costs. The business data is on the internet, and you do not need physical servers to access the same. It will keep you from all the expenses of purchasing devices to store the data.
With cloud-based data storage, the system updates are automatic. You will not need to pay any experts to come and update the servers for your firm. The automatic updates also ensure that your data is secure from all bugs. You will get all that without paying extra costs for the service. The updates also ensure you have the latest system functionalities, which keeps you ahead of the competition. You do not need to do anything on your end to receive the updates. All you need to do is open your app, and the updates happen.
2. Accommodate Quick Changes
In the hospitality industry, there is a tendency for the menu to fluctuate so often. The changes happen within no time because of changes in the items you have in stock and what your chef intends to prepare. You, therefore, need a system that accommodates the changes as soon as they occur.
The cloud-based system has a feature that allows you to update your menu as fast as possible, and as soon as the need arises. It, therefore, allows you to present your latest and best menu to the guests.
3. Growing with Your Business
Your business is growing and evolving every so often. You could be opening a new store, trying out a new venture over some holiday, and so on as your business grows. The beauty of a cloud-based system is that the system grows with your business. It accommodates any new changes your business takes and takes care of your business needs.
If you need to add a new location of your business, it is pretty easy to add it from the cloud-based POS. When you need to add or remove a user, you will do so within a minute and without a problem. You may sometimes need to change the subscription package. The POS allows you to make the change without a problem.
4. Your Business Travels with You
The cloud-based system is as mobile as your iPad. You can access it from anywhere in the world, whether day or night. You will only need to have an internet connection and your iPad.
You are, therefore, free to access your store from the cloud when you are not available in the physical store. Nothing beats that level of convenience.
You will access your business sales of the day right from your home if you do not visit the store physically. You will also obtain your inventory data reports right from wherever you are and make the decisions that will favor your business.
5. Integrating with Other Systems
You may sometimes need to incorporate other features to the systems, and the functions may be available in other systems or apps. The cloud-based system allows you to bring the functionalities together without a problem.
The possibilities of what your cloud-based system can do for your business are endless.
6. Non-Dependency on Your Hardware
There are times your hardware may die or experience malfunctions. Your business data will remain intact even when your laptop or your iPad needs fixing.
You will not need to worry about your customer data, employees, and inventory records because your laptop crashed. You will be safe to know that you can still access the business data as soon as you have another gadget to access your system in the cloud.
It is easier to be distressed that your iPad broke down than the distress of losing data because its storage was a physical server that is no more.
How Much Does Lightspeed POS Cost?
Lightspeed retail will cost you $99 per month. It comes with one register and allows access of up to five employees. The POS allows you unlimited channel capabilities, onboarding specific to your profile, and cost-free updates.
You also get customer care support throughout the year, day, and night. The POS allows you safe back up in the cloud system, and primary data report features.
When you need to use Lightspeed on more than one Mac, you will need to contact Lightspeed directly for a quote.
It will cost you an additional $59 to get an e-commerce plug, which will enable you to sell online.
Lightspeed HQ
Lightspeed HQ believes that everyone should have and use e-commerce. Lightspeed focuses on ensuring that business owners make decisions based on real-time data. It also focuses on enabling businesses to work smarter and wow their customers by giving them the best possible experience.
Lightspeed HQ Products
- Lightspeed Retail
It is a complete POS with a retail management system. The purpose of the product is to help firms to manage their e-commerce and brick and motor businesses from one platform.
The product ensures that you always have accurate business data with you to enable informed business decisions.
When you have accurate business data, it will enable you always to have the right stock. You will invest in the items the business needs and the proper measures.
Lightspeed Retail POS is a tool in helping the business to attract the right guests to the company.
Benefits Of Lightspeed Retail
- Inventory Management
The system offers an integrated catalog such that the guests access a unified catalog. The catalog enables the customers to purchase from a central platform, and it helps save buying time. When the client spends as little time as possible to make an order and get the product, it boosts customer satisfaction and helps increase sales.
The system helps the business to sell items in bundles, or use unique serials and codes to identify the products. The POS also facilitates the firm to manage multiple variations quickly. Lightspeed retail also enables the business to keep track of the unit costs of the products. You, therefore, get to identify unused inventory. When your stock is running low, the POS will send you alerts.
The system has a feature that enables you to remove the returned from the inventory automatically.
- Quick Support
When you subscribe to Lightspeed POS, the experts quickly transfer your stock to the system. You also get training on how to use the POS, and you also receive customer care support throughout the year, day, and night.
- Boost Sales
The system enables you to quickly stock your business, sell fast enough, and ensure you thrive. The POS gives you the capacity to run all operations in seconds and without sophisticated controls.
- Use any device
Lightspeed retail does not restrict which tool your business will use to run its operations. It is your business; you are the boss, and so you run the business the way you wish.
- Know Your Customers
Lightspeed retail collects customer data, which enables you to profile your guests. The POS, therefore, allows you to know what services your guests would want from your firm. When you make decisions based on the data the POS collects, you will not go wrong.
The POS shows you your clientele history. It shows you the items they have purchased and highlights their favorites. The data will enable you to know your repeat guests, and you will know what items to stock for specific seasons.
- Manage Your stock
The Lightspeed POS experts are aware that your guests have special requests all the time. The POS features ensure that your company can deliver your promise to your customers without fail.
The system has the feature to separate your stock into colors, sizes, and other different categories. It also enables the business to identify products using unique serial numbers. The serials facilitate you to scan the products as you sell, keeping track of items sold.
The POS will come in handy when you need to bundle the products and sell them as a unit.
When you know your customers, you will need to create special offers for them. You will base the proposals on the individual needs and preferences. The Lightspeed POS will facilitate you to create the special offers.
When you have stores in multiple locations, it is critical to keep track of the inventory levels and SKUs across the stations. The Lightspeed Retail POS is what you will need for that feature.
- Directly Control Your Prices
When you are in business, you are in need to be in full charge of your product pricing. Depending on your customer profiles, you will need to give discounts to specific customer segments. It will be almost impossible to do that with a traditional system. The Lightspeed Retail POS will automate the deductions for you and auto-schedule seasonal promotions ahead of time.
When you need to change prices in bulk, give employee discounts, and set up rules on pricing, Lightspeed retail POS is what you need.
- Flexible Payment Options
Your guests will keep coming back if they know they have options on payment methods. The Lightspeed Payments feature gives you the platform to accept and process all payments on one platform. The POS allows you to accept online payments, and Lightspeed does not have any hidden fees.
The POS has built-in PCI compliance, which ensures customer data protection and keeps your firm from fraud. Lightspeed takes care of your system to ensure it is PCI compatible instead of leaving it up to you.
The POS continues constant monitoring of your transactions to eradicate any suspicious activities. It also guarantees you an end to end encryptions as you transact. There are chargeback experts on the ground to manage your firm.
Lightspeedhq comes with a VeriFone MX915 terminal, which is battle-tested and ready for use. The terminal is sleek and glossy and has an inbuilt touchscreen.
Lightspeed offers you devices that allow for tap, swipe, or dip platforms to accept and process payments. The apparatus also accepts credit and debit cards as well as gift cards.
2. Lightspeed Restaurant
When you run a restaurant, you need a system that can take care of your front and back office.
There are days the restaurant activities get crazy, and you could end up having the staff run back and forth. That is not the environment you want for your business. Your dream is a restaurant where there is calm, and your team is as efficient as possible no matter how busy the day turns out.
- Custom floor plans
Lightspeed restaurant comes in handy with customized floor plans. The programs are specific to the layout of your restaurant.
It can be hectic for your staff to manage the tables assigned to them manually. The custom floor plan enables you to organize the tables and the furniture available in your restaurant. You will also be able to add walls and doors to the project.
The plans allow you to set a background color of your choice, and you can choose what fits your restaurant brand. If at some point, you feel you do not like the background, the POS allows you to try out different things until you get what serves you best.
- Multiple Menu Management
The tool enables the servers to manage the menu professionally. The business can also develop or format already existing recipes. The menu modifier helps you to identify menu pricing quickly. It also helps determine the food requirements for food labeling.
- Timed Events
People participate in different activities each week. The events range from sports to music events or even soccer activities, among others. The common thing about the exercises is that there will always be retailers, some selling tickets, others offering hospitality services while some others provide fashion accessories.
When the events are going on, the retailers will need to make payments to the event organizers. Retailers must keep track of the payments. It will help them determine whether it pays off to participate in the events.
Some retailers only run a few events in the year, and an ECR would be sufficient for such a retailer. However, for the retailers who earn their living from the games, they would then need a retail management system that meets their needs.
The system also makes it easy for retailers to decide whether a different event at the same time would give better profits.
- Actively Preventing Global Fraud
When you are running online ordering, you need to be sure that your payment platform cannot allow any form of fraud.
Lightspeed Restaurant POS has mechanisms that ensure you are safe from any form of fraud:
- The tool to verify transaction accounts.
- Duplicate card checking
- Ability to check the last four digits when processing payments
- Protecting the password using essential functions
The tools enable the POS to confirm the identity of the cardholder on the spot. It reads the last four digits of the card or its unique verification code. The inbuilt AVS elements in the POS process the information and help verify the transaction.
The tools enable the POS to confirm the identity of the cardholder on the spot. It reads the last four digits of the card or its unique verification code. The inbuilt AVS elements in the POS process the information and help verify the transaction. The mechanisms help protect your business against financial losses.
When running online transactions, the Lightspeed Restaurant POS will quickly identify any fraudulent activities or operating procedures that could hurt your business.
When you protect the customer data, your business maintains its brand on the positive view of the market.
- Chargeback Management
When a cardholder disputes a transaction, the merchant will need to reverse the funds back to the customer. The reversals affect revenue because the funds are sales that need to be refunded. The merchant, in many cases, absorbs the costs that chargebacks incur.
The business must be safe against chargeback fraud. It will give the customer recommendable experience, check fraudulent charges before they happen. In case of any fraudulent chargebacks are detected, the POS will eliminate them quickly.
There are three primary sources of chargebacks:
- Merchant or customer errors that seem insignificant but in the end cause chargeback errors.
- Fraudsters use cards to discover unauthorized transactions. They use the cards to file chargebacks with their credit cards. Such events cause the merchant to be the victim, and in many cases, the merchant ends up refunding the consumer.
- Friendly fraud chargebacks. The cardholder takes advantage of loopholes in the chargeback system and steals from the merchant.
Lightspeed restaurant is aware that both your firm and your guests need protection from fraudulent activities. The POS, therefore, ensures that your POS and your devices have the mechanisms to keep you secure.