This section provides an overview for restaurant point of sale (pos) systems as well as their applications and principles. Also, please take a look at the list of 11 restaurant point of sale (pos) system manufacturers and their company rankings. Here are the top-ranked restaurant point of sale (pos) system companies as of November, 2024: 1.AccuPOS, 2.NCR Payment Solutions, LLC, 3.Toast, Inc..
Table of Contents
A POS (Point of Sales) system is a system that collects and analyzes information such as product name, sales quantity, sales date and time, etc., when products are sold at retail stores.
By using a POS system, it is possible to determine the "when," "who," and "what" of a product purchased, and to analyze the characteristics of the purchaser as well as the timing of each product. This information can serve as an indicator for retailers to manage store inventory and plan for new products.
There are various types of POS systems, the most familiar of which are integrated with cash registers installed in convenience stores and supermarkets.
A cash register equipped with POS systems (POS cash register) reads product barcodes to obtain information on items sold, such as item name, quantity, and date and time of sale, and stores this information in a database. In addition, if a store has a membership card, the POS systems can also retrieve customer information such as age, gender, and past purchase history.
Information on the name of the items sold and the date and time of the sale allows retailers to understand the sales of each product and analyze correlations with factors such as time of day, weather, events, and customer demographics.
In the case of franchise retailers, where multiple stores are dispersed throughout various regions, the ability to check inventory status and sales at the headquarters in one place helps to improve the efficiency of ordering operations.
Specific applications include improving the inventory and layout of stores, such as "allowing extra space in winter inventory for products that sell well in winter," or "making products that are easily purchased by office workers at night more prominent at night in stores near train stations frequented by office workers. By not only accumulating data but also conducting appropriate analysis, it is possible to take measures to improve store profitability, such as optimizing inventory and stocking methods.
POS systems have a strong image of being used for sales management in retail stores, but there are also products that can manage employee attendance and numerical targets through a similar system. Because it can centrally manage a large number of data, this system is indispensable for improving operational efficiency for companies with a large number of employees and complicated data aggregation and analysis.
Since there are various types of POS systems, we will explain the principle of POS systems with an integrated cash register, which is used in retail stores such as convenience stores, as an example.
Products sold in retail stores are assigned a product code that is linked to the item name and manufacturer information. There is an international standard for the format of product codes, and the standard is called a "BAR code."
The BAR code is an identification marker with vertical stripes. It is printed on the exterior of a product or affixed as a sticker and contains information such as the manufacturer and seller of the product and the product standard.
A hand scanner or other scanner attached to the cash register reads the BAR code printed on or affixed to the product. By reading the code, the product information recorded in the BAR code is registered.
The POS terminal is the central function of the POS cash register. By reading the BAR code with a scanner, the POS terminal registers and records sales, total sales for each register, displays prices, and issues receipts.
POS terminals in a store are connected to each other by a store controller, which aggregates store sales based on sales at each register. In addition, information can be exchanged with the head office, and product information read by the POS cash register is stored in the cloud at the head office, including information such as payment methods.
The merchandise master is a database that centrally manages merchandise information. Information such as product names, prices, suppliers, selling prices, costs, etc. are registered and checked against sales information sent from stores to manage company-wide sales and profits. Since information from the POS cash register can be used to analyze when and to whom products on the product master were sold, the maintenance of the product master is essential to the operation of POS systems.
POS systems handle large amounts of data and have complex networks for data transmission. It is important to choose the functions of POS systems after clarifying the purpose of the system so that the results will be worth the effort and cost of installing such a system.
If the purpose of the system is to collect information itself and not to analyze it, the system may not produce improvements commensurate with the maintenance costs, and profitability may decline. In addition, if the system is linked to membership cards or smartphone applications, it is necessary to maintain and educate compliance regarding the handling of customer information.
*Including some distributors, etc.
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AccuPOS, established in 1998 and headquartered in Westerville, Ohio, is a manufacturer and supplier of advanced Point of Sale (POS) system software. The company provides complete POS system software, hardware, and integration solutions. It offers restaurant & food service POS, retail & shop POS, AccuSHIFT timekeeping, AccuCOUNT inventory management, and loyalty program, which cater to various business types including retail stores, restaurants, bars, thrift stores, and grocery stores. The company has received certifications and awards from QuickBooks and Sage for the seamless integrations of its accounting software.
Oracle Corporation, founded in 1977 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, is an American multinational technology manufacturer, specializing in database software, cloud infrastructure, and enterprise software solutions. Oracle provides solutions through Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) and Oracle Cloud Applications. OCI is a global cloud data center infrastructure spread across 44 interconnected geographic regions for commercial and government purposes. Oracle Cloud Applications offer a suite of software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications, including enterprise resource planning (ERP), enterprise performance management (EPM), supply chain management (SCM), customer relationship management (CRM), and human capital management (HCM) software. Oracle caters to industries such as finance, healthcare, and manufacturing.
Toast, Inc. can be considered a software provider and supplier for the restaurant community, established in 2012 and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. The company pairs its understanding of the restaurant industry with cloud-based software and restaurant-grade hardware to deliver an intuitive, all-in-one platform across point of sale, guest marketing, digital ordering and delivery, and payroll and HR. The company has been ranked fifth on the Forbes 2021 Cloud 100, the definitive ranking of private cloud companies in the world, published by Forbes in partnership.
TouchBistro, established in 2010 and headquartered in Toronto, Canada, is a software manufacturer of point-of-sale (POS) platforms for the restaurant industry. Its products, including TouchBistro POS, payment processing, online ordering, loyalty programs, and reservations, cater to various restaurant needs. The company offers its technology that makes running a restaurant easier, which has led to awards such as the 2020 Restaurant ICX Elevate Award and recognition as one of Canada's growing companies.
Heartland, founded in 1997 and headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a supplier of critical financial services, operating as part of Global Payments Inc. It specializes in delivering credit/debit/prepaid card processing and security technology through Heartland SecureTM, along with a comprehensive Heartland breach warranty. It serves over 400,000 business and educational locations nationwide, offering an array of services, including point of sale, mobile commerce, e-commerce, marketing, payroll solutions, and related business solutions.
Revel Systems, established in 2010 and based in San Francisco, California, is a software supplier that specializes in cloud-based point-of-sale (POS) and business management systems. Its product suite includes a POS platform, open API for integrations, employee management for labor operations, kitchen management for streamlining kitchen processes, and enterprise management for standardizing operations across locations. The company's platforms help restaurants and retailers diversify its revenue streams and scale its businesses with ease.
Square Capital is a service supplier of financial services, specifically lending services, to businesses. It was established in 2009 and is headquartered in London, England. The company is an international and independent asset manager specialized in Quality Investing, with offices in Paris, London, Monaco, and New York. It has expanded into software and started building integrated, omnichannel solutions to help sellers sell online, manage inventory, book appointments, and hire and pay staff. It supports sellers from Australia to Ireland, Canada to Japan, and across all 50 United States."
Lightspeed, established in 2005 and headquartered in Montreal, Canada,²⁵ is a software supplier of a one-stop commerce platform. It offers an inventory scanning app, kitchen display system, customer-facing display, golf course management system, as well as an ecommerce platform and other products. These products are designed to power businesses, simplifying complex operations and streamlining workflows. The company follows GDPR and PCI compliance, ensuring customer data security, and conducts its business with integrity and high ethical standards.
Ranking as of November 2024
Derivation MethodRank | Company | Click Share |
---|---|---|
1 | AccuPOS |
15.5%
|
2 | NCR Payment Solutions, LLC |
11.8%
|
3 | Toast, Inc. |
9.6%
|
4 | Revel Systems |
9.2%
|
5 | Epos Now |
8.9%
|
6 | Square Capital |
8.9%
|
7 | Oracle |
8.9%
|
8 | Heartland |
7.7%
|
9 | TouchBistro |
7.7%
|
10 | SON-MAK |
7.4%
|
Derivation Method
The ranking is calculated based on the click share within the restaurant point of sale (pos) system page as of November 2024. Click share is defined as the total number of clicks for all companies during the period divided by the number of clicks for each company.Number of Employees
Newly Established Company
Company with a History
*Including some distributors, etc.
*Including some distributors, etc.
Country | Number of Companies | Share (%) |
---|---|---|
United States of America | 3 | 100.0% |