POS systemReady to up credit card processing within your business? Curious about the best POS system available? Uncertain about how to procure a custom POS system? Get the answers you need, all in one place, from FLO Business Solutions.

What Is a Custom POS System?

A custom POS system is exactly what it sounds like—a custom point of sale system. That’s the short answer, at least.

The longer one? While you’ll find several types of basic POS system frameworks on the market, you may need something tailored to your individual goals and requirements. That’s where a custom system comes in. With careful adjustments and alterations, you have a custom POS system designed to serve your business on a more specific level. It goes beyond the most straightforward POS system for retail, taking into account things like loyalty programs and inventory tracking.

Customized management systems allow you to better accommodate complicated pricing structures.  You can also better incorporate this type of retail POS system into other processes. Think your CRM tools, for example. Rather than having to manage these functions separately, you can have them operate side by side. This cuts down on inefficiencies, sometimes enabling you to execute multiple tasks at once. You’re saving time, while at the same time creating a workflow that’s much more sustainable for the long term.

At the end of the day, incorporating a custom POS system into your business can be a great way of saving not only time, but money. It’s also often easier for your employees to handle. This type of system is meant to work for you, specifically—there’s less of a learning curve. Add trainability to the list of qualities you can appreciate about a customized system!

Can I Build a POS System?

Technically speaking, you could build your own custom POS system. Whether or not you want to do it is another question altogether. Every business owner must make their own decisions regarding a POS system. This includes the amount of time, effort, and resources you’re going to funnel into customizing a system without assistance.

Keep in mind that while building your own POS system allows you to customize it personally, that also opens you up to a host of mistakes. If you’re not an expert, you can’t expect yourself to know exactly what to do. You might spend money that isn’t necessary, make mistakes that cause more problems down the road, or run into similar issues. With that being said, it’s often more cost-effective—and time-efficient—to work with POS solutions experts who can help you create the perfect system.

How Much Does It Cost to Create Your Own POS System?

It’s difficult to say exactly how much it might cost to build your own custom POS system. A lot of the cost will depend on your specific needs, as well as the complexity of the project. Generally speaking, building out your own POS system can cost around $40,000 to $50,000. However, it’s not unusual for the price to climb up to $90,000. It can also be less.

However, you should keep in mind that you’re not only paying for the system itself, but for customizations and the price of labor (if you employ any individuals for assistance). If you only want to track sales without features like loyalty program and inventory management, it may cost less. But remember what we said earlier—a more customized system tends to integrate more easily with other processes. This means, in the long term, it may be cheaper to simply have a more customized system installed with the assistance of a company like FLO.

What Are the Three Types of POS?

There are three main types of “modern” POS systems. They include:

  • Tablet-based. As the name suggests, this option allows you to conduct sales using a tablet, typically an iPad or an Android. The convenience here is that the tablet is relatively easy to use and portable. They’re particularly popular in specific settings like restaurants. A POS tablet system for restaurant environments allow the user to conduct business tableside. If you’d prefer it to be more stationary, a POS tablet system stand allows you to work without holding the tablet.
  • Mobile POS. A mobile POS encompasses POS software you can operate with mobile devices—including smartphones. This means you can conduct business anywhere, with customizations as needed. The software may be similar to that which you might find on the app store, creating a user-friendly experience.
  • Cloud-based. To put it simply, a cloud-based POS system is dependent on an internet connection. This means you can work through several types of devices—a major benefit for growing businesses.

POS FAQs

Still have some questions about a custom POS system? Luckily, we have more answers!

What are “Level 2” and “Level 3” payment processing methods?

Level 2 and Level 3 payment processing methods address business to business transactions with extra data in payment messages. Through this extra data, you’ll increase the payment’s security, as well as its general reliability.

What is the difference between Level 2 and Level 3 payment processing?

Level 3 processing requires all of the data needed for Level 1 and 2 payments, plus additional info regarding freight amount, commodity codes, and the product itself. Furthermore, it requires the most effort, as well as specialized software. However, this results in the lowest interchange rates of any level.

What are the benefits of Level 2 and Level 3 payment processing?

Both levels offer enhanced security, faster account settlements, fewer chargebacks, and lower processing costs.

Now that you know a bit more about POS systems—and your customization options—take the next step by asking the experts. Call FLO at 803-887-7356 or contact us here and get the advice you need.