What is a hispitality EPOS System?

What am I reading?

You’re reading the beginner’s guide to EPOS software features. This is the introduction – we’re going to take you through all the different things that EPOS software can do, right up to the next step – choosing your payment processing.

If you’re totally lost in choosing an EPOS system, and you don’t know where to start with software, this will help orientate you and tell you what to expect. It will describe everything an EPOS can do – and some things that it can’t!

 

How will this guide help me buy an EPOS system?

To buy an EPOS system on this site, first, you need to choose your software. Then, choose your payment processing. Last, choose your hardware.

If you’re lost, we can talk you through the different systems on the market and recommend one to you, and even help you set up a demo with them – but you need to get in touch. We typically make recommendations over the phone – although you can peruse this guide and get a sense of what you’re looking for right here and now.

This guide is to help you understand the software. Most software is customisable anyway – when you’re very small, you’re likely to want the free-but-basic software available from a FreePOS provider.

 

Introduction: what is an EPOS system? 

What is a hispitality EPOS System? A hispitality EPOS system is a machine designed to help you run and manage your shop or hospitality business. We sell full ones starting at around £595.

An EPOS system is fundamentally a till (or tills) – but it’s also the software that comes with those tills, including your login as a manager. You can understand how your shop is doing, where your inventory is, and how many of products X and Y you’re selling – all through your EPOS. You can even manage your staff, set hours, and integrate with things like your accounting software or online shop. 

An EPOS system is made up of three things: software, hardware, and payment processing. Most of the functions of the EPOS, including all of those described above, are dictated by the software. So it’s important to choose the right one! Then, the payment processing is a contract between you and a bank and moves money from customer cards to your account, for a fee. 

Finally, we – StoreKit – sell the hardware. Our hardware can be used with any cloud-based software, so if you don’t like the software you choose through us, you can simply switch. This is called agnostic hardware. Other hardware is proprietary, meaning that if you don’t like your EPOS system, you’d need to buy a whole new till. If you choose a micros or TISSL POS, or even EPOS Now – you’re choosing proprietary hardware, so there’s a higher sunk cost. 

Choosing can get complex! That’s why we also help merchants choose their software and payments, so if you’re not sure what you need, you’re in the right place. Each of those three parts is billed differently, so it’s tricky to tell what’s the right price.