Is ShopKeep POS Right for Your Business?

As you search for the right point of sale system for your small business, you might immediately turn to your fellow business owners’ opinions to inform your decision.

If this sounds like you, then you should start your search with the ShopKeep POS system. ShopKeep reviews from small business customers are some of the best out there. Generally speaking, ShopKeep’s customers are happy ones, and they certainly like sharing the success they’ve had with these POS systems.

But before taking your peers’ word for it, it’s crucial to learn all about this well-reviewed point of sale option.

Read on for the ultimate ShopKeep POS review to help you learn all the ins and outs of this option.

The Fundamentals on ShopKeep POS Systems

Let’s lay some groundwork for understanding the ins and outs of all things ShopKeep. With competitors like Square and Chase, this POS system company is far from the biggest name on the market. That said, based on ShopKeep reviews, the small business owners who opted for this POS system seem to be happy with their choice.

But other than resounding customer satisfaction, what exactly does a ShopKeep POS system provide?

ShopKeep POS systems—with the help of a smart device like a phone, tablet, or iPad—will let your business access card and contactless payments, and also allow you to perform vital administrative functions.

Depending on which ShopKeep POS hardware you end up opting for, you’ll be able to access capabilities like creating financial reports, managing inventory, and overseeing employee activity.

And you’ll have a lot of hardware options to sort through—ShopKeep’s store is replete with options that will include individual pieces of hardware like credit card readers and barcode scanner along with Starter Kits that offer bundles of hardware.

The Details on ShopKeep POS Systems

With the basics on ShopKeep covered, it’s time to get to the meat of this review. Here are all of the pertinent details you’ll need to know in order to decide whether or not ShopKeep is the right POS company for you.

ShopKeep Pricing

When you try to pin down a price for ShopKeep POS services, it’s tough to get a direct answer.

Here’s the deal: Although ShopKeep’s POS hardware will come with a distinct, explicit price, their software and payment processing capabilities will come with a quote-based cost. So, you’ll have to be in touch with a ShopKeep sales rep in order to get an idea of how much you’ll pay beyond hardware costs.

Not having access to a starting cost can understandably be a little unsettling as you’re shopping your POS system options. However, on their website, ShopKeep claims that through their quote-based pricing system, they can “guarantee the lowest integrated payment processing rate with premium hardware at a fraction of the cost.”

ShopKeep Software

If you decide to go with ShopKeep as your company’s POS system, you’ll just have one software option. And you’ll have to pay based on the price that ShopKeep quotes you. This quote will be based on a few factors, including which features your business will require and how many payments it will process.

ShopKeep Hardware

As far as hardware goes, ShopKeep offers many more options than their limited software offerings.

As the ShopKeep shop shows, a ShopKeep POS system can come in many different shapes and sizes. ShopKeep knows that your POS hardware needs will depend heavily on your business’s industry and setup, so they’ll offer you a wide variety of options with which you can tailor your POS hardware package.

Beyond their starter kit options—which offer large bundles of point of sale hardware ranging from $198 to $1,519, for different business profiles—they offer the following individual pieces of point of sale hardware:

• Credit card readers
• iPad enclosures
• Printers
• Cash drawers
• Barcode scanners
• Networking
• Gift cards

A Summary of ShopKeep Reviews From Customers

If you search for ShopKeep reviews, you’ll find a lineup of a lot of stars. That’s because both customers and business sites alike really like ShopKeep POS systems. Small business review sites, by and large, give ShopKeep highly positive reviews for their long list of capabilities and hardware options. And small business owners give ShopKeep positive reviews for their customer service and user-friendly software.

For the most part, ShopKeep’s negative reviews speak of a breakdown of communication or a one-off bad experience, which are certainly both valid. And with every negative review, there’s a response from the ShopKeep team attempting to resolve the issue the customer faces, which is about as promising as a negative review can get.

The Advantages of ShopKeep POS Systems

Having combed through the details on all that ShopKeep POS systems have to offer, we need to take a step back in order to consider what these details actually mean for your business.

Here are some of the advantages to using ShopKeep POS for your business’s day-to-day financial needs:

Well-Reviewed

A POS system needs to offer the whole package—including intuitive design, lots of helpful features, and top-notch customer service—in order to win at the customer reviews game. And that fact that ShopKeep has five out of five stars on many major customer review sites shows that they provide that whole package.

Lots of Hardware to Choose From

With the ShopKeep shop options at your fingertips, you can mix and match POS hardware in order to create the perfect POS setup for your business’s payment processing needs.

Alternatively, you can opt to buy your ShopKeep POS hardware in one of their recommended bundles based on what type of business you run. Whether you’re working in a store, a sit-down restaurant, or a quick-service restaurant, the ShopKeep starter kits can provide you with an easy solution to your business’s POS system needs.

The Disadvantages of ShopKeep POS Systems

All that being said, ShopKeep, just like any other POS system option out there, has drawbacks. And no matter how great any option might seem, it’s crucial to make sure that you’re familiar with all of the inevitable downsides before you commit to any one POS system.

Are any of the following disadvantages to ShopKeep POS complete deal breakers for your business?

Additional Technology Needed

One of the most major downsides to ShopKeep POS systems is that you’ll have to come to the table bearing a smart device. Even after you shell out some major capital for costly ShopKeep POS hardware, you’ll have to make sure your business has access to an iPad or a tablet.

That’s simply because ShopKeep POS software requires a smart device to run, and none of the ShopKeep POS hardware comes fully capable of running it on its own.

So, if your business doesn’t already have a tablet or an iPad, then you might want to look into more affordable POS options that won’t require your business to take on this additional cost.

Only One Software Option

Should you decide on ShopKeep as your business’s POS system, you won’t have any software options to choose from—you’ll just automatically be provided with the one version of the ShopKeep POS software that exists.

Other POS systems will allow you to choose from tiers of plans for their software. That structure allows businesses to find the POS software that provides the perfect balance of power and affordability, all wrapped up in one.

Plus, if a POS software offers more capabilities than your business even needs, why would you pay for the whole package? Unlike ShopKeep, many of its competitors understand this logic and offer tiered software plans to that end, but ShopKeep doesn’t quite address this common pain point.

All in all, if you’re looking for a POS system that will allow you choices when it comes to software, then ShopKeep POS probably isn’t the right move.

Your Top Alternatives to ShopKeep POS Systems

If you’re not quite convinced by ShopKeep POS, then the next move for you is to start shopping your best alternatives. Even if you think you like what ShopKeep POS is offering up, it’s smart to get an idea of what its competitors look like, if only to get a frame of reference to measure your options.

Here are the top two alternative POS systems to ShopKeep to see if they’re an even better fit for your business:

Square

Your first top alternative to ShopKeep POS systems is Square POS systems. Although most Square hardware also requires additional technology, the Square Register doesn’t require a smartphone, tablet, or iPad. In fact, the Register is their first fully integrated point of sale system. And it will cost you less than most point of sale packages out there.

The Square Register comes fully equipped with no additional costs for software, with a one-off $999 price tag. You’ll also have to pay 2.5% plus $0.10 for each transaction you run through the Square Register.

And even with this more affordable pricing, the Square Register allows you to access similar, if not better, capabilities. You’ll be able to track sales, manage inventory, and build a customer directory all in one place.

Plus, the dedicated customer display will allow your customers to pay in whatever way they prefer, quickly and efficiently.

If your business doesn’t have a smart device at its disposal, or even if it does, and you’d prefer to access a fully integrated POS system option, the Square Register could be a better fit for your business.

Clover

Another top POS option for you to consider alongside ShopKeep is Clover. Just like ShopKeep and Square, Clover offers ample POS hardware options to choose from. The hardware options with Clover, however, will primarily be fully capable, even without a smart device in the picture.

Aside from Clover Go—Clover’s smartphone credit card processor—the other three Clover hardware options are completely self-sufficient, so there will be no need for your business to invest in a smart device in order to run this POS system.

If you opt for a Clover POS system, you’ll be able to choose from three different software plans—Payments Plus, Register Lite, and Register—in order to find the perfect balance between cost and capability for your Clover POS system.

With the Payments Plus software plan, you’ll pay no additional cost for your software, and you’ll still be able to access sophisticated capabilities like setting employee permissions and shifts and enabling customer engagement marketing.

Altogether, if you’re looking for the utmost choice and flexibility from your business’s POS system, then Clover might just be the best fit for your preferences.

Deciding If ShopKeep POS Is Right for Your Business

Depending on what you want from a POS system, ShopKeep POS could very well be the right option for you. If you rely heavily on other business owners’ opinions and experiences, then the highly positive ShopKeep Reviews should steer you toward opting for this system.

However, if your business doesn’t have a smart device, and isn’t willing to invest in one, then ShopKeep simply isn’t an option, as their software can’t run without one. Plus, quote-based pricing and packaging can make for a lot of uncertainty in your shopping experience, especially if you’re the type of business owner who wants a guaranteed good deal.

Just like any other POS system out there, ShopKeep POS comes with upsides and downsides, so be sure to carefully consider all your options before committing to one.

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from Fundera Ledger https://www.fundera.com/blog/shopkeep-reviews/