Starting a new business can be an exciting yet stressful experience. You have many decisions to make about production, marketing, and checkout processing. Usually, you try to conserve costs as much as possible to stabilize cash flow and ease financial stress. For instance, instead of choosing expensive point of sale equipment, you may opt for an iPad cash register.
Is this the right decision for your company? FLO Business Solutions can guide you to finding the best checkout solution with a free demo.
Some iPad Cash Register Essentials
Opting for a tablet cash register is a cost-effective, versatile, and user-friendly solution. Moreover, as your company grows, you can usually upgrade to include more software features. Generally, you’ll need a few important tools to begin:
1. Tablet
A tablet is a portable, personal computer made by one of several manufacturers:
- Apple
- Samsung
- Amazon
Typically, the Apple iPad is popular due to its versatility, user-friendliness, and cohesiveness with other Apple products. You have several models to choose from with different price points: iPad mini, iPad, iPad Pro, or iPad Air. However, any tablet brand should work adequately, providing it has enough storage space to run the required software.
2. Receipt Printer
Each year, consumers lose between 1 to 2.5 billion dollars because of scanner errors. Providing both a digital and printed receipt can help customers catch transaction mistakes.
3. Cash Drawer
Many consumers still prefer to pay with cash. A cash drawer provides a safe place to store currency.
4. Software
In addition to a tablet, you’ll need a cash register app managed by a payment processing company. A payment gateway platform facilitates electronic transactions from a digital wallet, credit, or debit card. Important factors when choosing the best option include the following:
- Fees
- Support
- Security features
- Processing time
- Integration
- Ease of use
5. Card Reader
When accepting cash alternate forms of payment, you need a card reader to process customers’ information. This device uses hardware and software to read information from your card or digital wallet.
6. Offline Mode
For a card reader to work, you need a connection to the internet to transmit transaction data. However, even the best services may still experience outages. Moreover, some mobile businesses may sometimes find themselves out of range. Having an offline mode allows you to encrypt and store your client’s information until you can reconnect to the internet.
7. Barcode Scanner
If you run a product-based business with a large inventory, you may benefit from a barcode scanner. This device quickly and accurately reads a coded sequence of vertical lines that identifies specific products.
Benefits Of Using An iPad Cash Register
Typically, you have a few options when choosing how to handle the checkout process for your business:
- Traditional cash register
- POS terminal
- Smartphone
- Tablet
A traditional cash register can calculate sales and print a receipt. Some may even generate a few basic reports. In contrast, a POS system is an advanced system with added features of managing inventory, employees, sales, and promotions. However, a POS will generally cost more because it’s more robust.
For any small business, choosing a mobile device as a cash register is a cost-effective choice. This option offers the following advantages:
- Lower cost
- Simple setup
- Cloud-based
- Scalability
- Integrates with POS system
Perhaps the greatest advantage of choosing a mobile device is its adaptability. When you begin your company, you can keep costs down by picking only the most essential features. As your business grows, you can easily integrate a POS to help manage operations.
FAQs About Finding The Best Checkout Solution
Difficulties during the checkout process can contribute to a negative experience with your business. Thus, choosing the best solution is crucial for your long-term growth. If you have questions about hardware and software solutions, call us at 803-887-7356. Below, we answer a few commonly asked questions about an iPad cash register solution.
What Kind Of Business Can Benefit From Using an iPad Checkout?
Virtually, any type of industry can benefit by using a tablet checkout system:
- Food and beverage
- Retail
- Home and field service
- Medical practice
- Dentist
- Legal
However, some systems have features geared toward a specific industry. For example, retail stores require strong inventory tracking while restaurants need reliable table management. That’s why you need experts to guide you to a solution specific to your industry’s requirements and business needs.
How Much Cheaper Is an iPad Setup over a POS?
Generally, an iPad setup is indeed cheaper than a POS system. Often, tablets are relatively inexpensive costing only a few hundred dollars. Of course, the processing fees for card and digital wallet transactions vary between companies. Some charge a flat monthly fee, others by the transaction.
A demonstration is the best way to determine which system will work for your company and the accompanying costs. At FLO Business Solutions, we offer a free consultation to discuss your needs and recommend the best option.
Why should I Choose FLO Business Solutions?
For over 20 years, our veteran-owned business has been successfully helping businesses just like yours with level 2 and level 3 business to business processing. We’ve worked with over 8,000 businesses from start-ups to national brands. Our company sets itself apart from other similar businesses with our personalized and comprehensive services:
- All-in-one solutions
- Next-day funding
- Bundled services with deep discounts
- Price lock guarantee
- Easy-to-read agreements
- Onsite installation and support
- Connect with real people to get workable solutions
Call us today at 803-887-7356 to book your free, no-obligation demonstration. Together, we can find a checkout solution perfect for your company.