ConnectPOS

For a retailer that runs physical shops alongside an online store, ConnectPOS offers one cloud point-of-sale system meant to keep both in step. The company describes its product as an ecosystem covering operations across channels, inventory and customer management, and it says the platform suits businesses from single shops up to global chains. It states that more than 10,000 retailers use it.

Keeping orders and stock in step across channels

The system links in-store sales with online orders and stock in real time, so a sale at a till or through a web store is reflected wherever that stock is held. The company says a business can run several stores and warehouses and can take payment from more than one warehouse on a single bill. Inventory is tracked by SKU and, where used, RFID tags, with reorder recommendations and demand forecasts, which the company says help avoid both stockouts and overstocking. Orders placed with each supplier can be followed through to the customer, and product variants such as size, color and order status can be managed without separate records.

Checkout on tablets, kiosks and phones

ConnectPOS runs on kiosks, tablets, smartphones and desktop computers. Customers can use a progressive web app to scan products and pay from their own device, which the company says reduces queues at busy times. Gift cards and reward points can be created and redeemed in store. The company also points to RFID-based product recognition and scan-to-pay as ways to speed up transactions. Its AI features include facial recognition that shows a returning customer's purchase history to staff when that customer is in the shop.

Offline selling and automatic updates

If the internet connection drops, the company says the system switches to an offline mode so transactions can carry on. When the connection returns, the database refreshes automatically, with the site stating an interval of every three minutes. Staff can also trigger a manual refresh from the menu.

Integrations, platforms and sectors

The product connects to the commerce platforms retailers already use, from Magento and Shopify to back-office systems. The company says it supports more than 50 integrations, including payment gateways, gift card providers and loyalty programs. Its architecture is described as API-first, microservice and headless, so features can be customized for each business without disrupting the rest of the system. The site states 99.9% uptime and says the platform can handle over a million products and customer records.

The sectors named include fashion, eyewear, footwear, furniture, sporting goods, toys, convenience stores, along with universities, non-profit organizations and travel agents. ConnectPOS is also specific about its limits. It does not sell hardware, though it can recommend compatible providers, and it does not help implement other business systems such as ERP, CRM or accounting software without using its own solution.