ShopKeep Review: An Intuitive POS System

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Has fulfilling customers’ orders become your rarest commodity? Maybe your perimeters of success in your retail business are shrinking as days pass by. Fortunately, ShopKeep is in the market to resolve some of these drawbacks in a number of ways. The truth of the matter is, it’s quite puzzling to really settle your mind on the right POS system.

In other words, it actually proves to be a hard nut to crack. However, if we look at the bright side, it’s impeccable to say that a retailer who places reliance on an automated point of sale system, makes the most out of it.

And what should be part of the bargain?

Simply put, a competent POS system is one which lets a merchant accepts payments from customers in a fast and secure manner. That aside, it’s functionality to track all sales should be on the bucket list. Most importantly, it’s imperative to put its capacity to handle inventory management in the test.

Bear in mind, to optimize your online store, you need clean data so as to get a glimpse of all the insights to make a decision on what to revamp. What do I mean? Here’s a perfect illustration.

If we go by the customers’ behavior, we get a better apprehension about their entire shopping experience, in particular, whenever they visit our online stores. Please don’t get me wrong, that’s not to say, physical stores aren’t part of the equation. Let’s suppose there a cart abandonment issues, that’s a red flag which indicates there’s a high possibility that my site has an entangled checkout process.

Interesting enough, ShopKeep promises to meticulously keep track of all the customer data in real-time. So what exactly does ShopKeep have in store for us?

Well, let’s find out.

ShopKeep homepage

ShopKeep Review: Brief Overview

In precise words, ShopKeep is a beautifully designed cloud-based POS software. It’s specifically built to serve the needs of small and middle-sized business owners.

The best part?

ShopKeep focuses its strengths and energy to give an easy going experience to merchants in the retail business, restaurant and bar owners. And not to mention their popular Quick service restaurant POS system. If we are to analyze ShopKeep by its perfomance, it’s fair enough to say that it’s suitable for the hospitality industry.

For that reason, it’s no wonder why over 25,000 small business owners work with ShopKeep. In particular, its iPad POS system is well aligned to meet the dire needs of food and beverage sellers. It doesn’t matter whether you own a food truck or a coffee shop. ShopKeep comes in handy to take good care of your inevitable business needs.

Probably you might wonder. Is ShopKeep a highly-priced software? As a matter of fact, it’s not costly. Keep in mind, the team is conscious that it’s services are to be utilized by small merchants. To that end, ShopKeep maintains the flat rates and assures its users not to charge any extra transaction costs.

Consistency is an attribute which each and every retailer expects from their preferred POS system. And that’s exactly what ShopKeep strives to dominantly achieve. ShopKeep is PCI compliant in a bid to enhance a secure payment process.

So how does ShopKeep enhance my business to have a big breakthrough in the competitive e-commerce industry? It’s a 64 million dollar question which at the same time, can’t be left unanswered. Well, from the look of things, it seems like ShopKeep’s integration functionality is quite intelligible and deserves a standing ovation. Don’t panic though. We’ll look into its integration capacity in details later in this review so just you know.

Easier said than done, let’s go further and get a complete appraisal of what ShopKeep is capable of.

How does ShopKeep work?

To start off, we need to have a comprehensive run on its ease of use and functionality. Just like other top-notchย  POS systems, ShopKeep sets the bar up high via both the hardware and software components. In order to enhance ShopKeep’s efficiency, you need to incorporate the two in your business if possible.

ShopKeep helps you with payment processing. If you already have an existing payment processor, it’s still possible to integrate it with ShopKeep. This makes the workflow pretty much simplistic and idiotproof. What’s more captivating, is how it sorts all the inventory. So how do I get started? ShopKeep requires any newbie to fill in some relevant information. If for instance, you run a quick-serve sort of business, you need to go into specifics. It could be a bakery or even a juice bar. It’s mandatory that you issue this information while signing up.

This part is useful since ShopKeep uses it to give you a custom quote which primarily depends on your business needs. Take note, ShopKeep predominantly uses cloud technology to strongly protect your data. Be sure that all inventory records are well stored and are automatically accessible at any time. As a strategy to improve its features, ShopKeep updates the software, which comes with no additional costs.

The POS system allows remote management for the merchant. Once again, courtesy of the cloud-based point of sale. The most instrumental part which supplements the entire process is ShopKeep’s mobile app. You can gain access to all the sales data at the comfort of your mobile device.

ShopKeep goes an extra mile to generate all-inclusive reports which indicate the profit margins as well as the high-yielding products. If there’s no internet connection, the app will still run smoothly in your iPad. In furtherance of that, ShopKeep tends to operate offline which means you’re still able to accept payments from customers.

ShopKeep Reviews: Notable Features

ShopKeep POS

ShopKeep register

 

One outstanding attribute about the iPad POS register is its capacity to optimize my business’ transactions. From one single tablet, I’m able to accept the following;

  • Cash payments
  • Credit cards
  • Gift cards
  • Debit cards
  • Offline payments

In actual sense, ShopKeep’s iPad POS lets me monitor all my retail outlets from a single point in real-time. Its convenience is well attested to by the handy POS software which gives detailed insights and comes with tools which help the retailer to speed up all transactions.

BackOffice

ShopKeep‘s BackOffice unfolds a whole new range of functionalities which are proven to help in business management by an indisputable margin. First and foremost, you get to oversee all the employees’ actions from this point. In particular, you can track down all their respective working hours and monitor their perfomance.

As you may know, customer relationship management(CRM) is always part and parcel of running a business. ShopKeep has CRM tools which let me identify all the high-paying and returning customers. As my business soars to greater heights, so does ShopKeep help me handle new registers. On top of that, the BackOffice acts as the central point where I get to print all the barcode labels for my items which are in stock. You are at free will to either use a Mac or a Windows computer to generate the barcodes.

Significantly, ShopKeep lets me customize all receipts which I issue to my customers. You can edit the paper or email receipts to include requisite details such as the business information (name and location), social media handles, and promotional content. The BackOffice allows the user to manage all the billing information. It’s quite easy to change the payment details.

ShopKeep POS App

The ShopKeep pocket app is available on both iOS and Android platforms. Nobody is been left out here. It has a user-friendly interface and the navigation is quite smooth. To enhance the entire experience, ShopKeep often updates the app to maintain its relevancy and rank high against its rivals.

First, you need to log in the Back Office. The process is simple and straightforward. Above all, there’s a thorough and well-detailed setup guide to make sure you’re not met with any sort of stumbling block. The guide comprehensively enlightens you more about all the basic features available and how they can be utilized.

And that’s not all.

Remember, the inventory needs to be sorted in a systematic manner. Fortunately, you can import all your data via a CSV file. It’s nothing complicated. Key among the main features is the Register.

But how do I set up my register?

This is step is important since it activates your ShopKeep store on the iPad. On ShopKeep’s support page, there’s a short video which elaborates more on how to set everything up. Basically, there are two ways which you can activate your ShopKeep app to connect to your register. You can do this from the App itself or via the BackOffice. To activate the register at the comfort of ShopKeep’s app;

  1. Click the button labeled ‘Activate your register’
  2. Enter the correct store name and Manager code which is usually attached in the welcome email
  3. Tap ‘Activate’

And you’re done.

You can’t help but notice how reliable it is while processing payments. Furthermore, you don’t need prior skills to use the feature. Everything seems to work out pretty much well without any complexities.

The app automates all the inventory and gives me updates on all the stock levels. Moreover, it has the capacity to handle large volumes of inventory. Undoubtedly, this is a seamless POS which helps me scale my business. ShopKeep‘s register is built on cutting-edge technology which allows one to split payments.

And how is this feasible?

One single transaction can be divided into different payments by swiftly tapping the cards. If for instance, three customers walk in my restaurant and want to split the bill, it’s actually a no brainer with ShopKeep. Talking of refunds,ย the POS register makes it flexible and viable to issue the customer a refund or accept a return in the absence of the actual transaction receipt.

Apart from this, it records all deposits or down payments made by a customer for the purchase of an item. To be candid, it’s a feature you won’t find in most POS registers. This is accountability at its level best. Not only does it have a tips section, but also allows you to make adjustments on the amount which customers can tip promptly on the register. How amazing is that!

But here’s more.

It let’s one customize all discounts and tracks down who in particular, issued the discount. All the historical data is stored and easily accessible whenever a user needs to make reference. Equally relevant to this feature, is the fact that you can draw a line between employee and senior staff discounts. In the same way, it allows the merchant to set User permissions. From this end, it gives you an upper hand to monitor and control all activities done by cashiers. Be it refunds, discounts, or even pay-ins and payouts.

POS Hardware

ShopKeep POS

In the general run of things, a retailer needs to work with equipment which is sturdy and up to the task. Admittedly, nobody wants to dent their pockets in efforts to purchase a dependable point of sale hardware. It’s worth stating that ShopKeep has everything in check. Well, it’s quite certain that all packages on offer depend on a merchant’s preferences and their line of business.

Let’s have a look at the Basic Quick serve hardware kit for iPad. ShopKeeps charges $1,166 for the package which comes with the ethernet printer, and $1,196 for the one with Bluetooth printer. This kit includes;

  1. A credit card reader
  2. 14′ *16′ cash drawer
  3. iPad Air stand
  4. Espon Kitchen printer
  5. Epson 2″ Ethernet Printer or Epson 2″ Bluetooth Printer
  6. Ethernet Cable

With all this on board, it seems like ShopKeep gives more for less. Pursuing this further, the Kit is compatible with Apple iPad Air / Air 2, WiFi, Pro 9.7″, and Nighthawk Wireless Router. Also, ShopKeep has a flexible return policy. If the kit doesn’t suit your needs, you can send it back within 30 days. Not to mention that ShopKeep offers free shipping. And you don’t have to wait for so long. They deliver within 7 business days.

They have in stock, other hardware components which include;

  1. Barcode scanners
  2. iPads
  3. iPad enclosures
  4. Gift cards
iPad Cash Register

ShopKeep‘s cash register is designed to assist the user to avoid all mistakes and have a fruitful retail operation. It’s the safest place to keep your money if at all you accept cash payments from walk-in clients. Besides that, it impressively reduces operational expenses and improves customer service.

Keep in mind, the iPad cash register software comes in handy to optimize your business goals. It exceptionally tweaks all the potential openings to increase the profits. Many thanks to the insightful reports which lay down the high-selling products over a stipulated period of time. In addition, it integrates with gift cards.

This is a sound and legit way to market your brand and retain the already existing customers. The ShopKeep loyalty program rewards customers with points which can be converted to discounts when they later make a purchase.

ย ShopKeep POS integration and Add-ons

Notably, this is a valuable feature to really count on.

The e-commerce industry is up-to-the-minute and every merchant wants a piece of the huge cake. A retailer who has an online store which is up and running can rely on ShopKeep’s integration. To make an illustration, you can sync your inventory with ShopKeep eCommerce. They partnered with a profound e-commerce platform, BigCommerce to make this practicable.

Importantly, it’s the perfect means to boost your business’ productivity and sell products to the global market. In simple terms, it’s more like running a Brick and Click store. Here, you get to run both a physical store and an online store where you can virtually display your items and process payments via ShopKeep.

The integration efficiency is powerful to the extent that it allows you to make your brand known globally. ShopKeep helps you increase traffic in partnership with Yext, an online brand management company. To put it in simple terms, this platform works to control your marketing strategies which eventually boosts your revenues.

In regards to email marketing campaigns, ShopKeep syncs with Mailchimp to give you the best experience possible while promoting your products and services. Let’s not forget the most integral part, which is proper accounting. ShopKeep integrates with Quickbooks in just a few minutes. Handling financial statements and invoices has never been easier.

ShopKeep Review: Inventory Management

It seems like ShopKeep has made the entire experience a plain sailing one. It’s more than what you’d expect from just an ordinary payment processor. Most business owners are well acquainted with the fact that there’s a lot to put into consideration while handling their inventory.

But here’s the catch.

ShopKeep understands all the dynamics involved in order to organize the inventory without any hurdles. On the dashboard, ShopKeep’s app allows you to add, modify or delete any inventory item. The tools are quite fast and are built to improve your workflow so as to achieve higher profit margins. Let’s not forget the option to import products. Here, you can uniquely sort the items based on SKUs and include a couple of variants of the same product.

Correspondingly, ShopKeep’s BackOffice keeps a close track of all the sales and profits and autogenerates all reports on a daily basis. The app allows me to delegate work to employees and monitor whether the tasks are completed as per the set timelines.

ShopKeep tracks down all the stock quantities in an elite manner. In a broader perspective, it precisely shows me which products need to be restocked. The reports and analytics give me the necessary data to run my business from a professional standpoint. The latest version now lets the merchant set different sales taxes on purchased items.

This might sound a bit extra but it really counts. With ShopKeep’s inventory management feature, you’re able to keep track of the raw materials used to come up with a finished product. For instance, if you sell cakes, you’re able to exactly measure the number of grams used to bake one piece. In simple terms, you can have an accurate track of all ingredients which are used to make one inventory item.

ShopKeep Reviews: Customer Support

From the look of things, it seems like ShopKeep is mindful of its customers. The user can leverage off the 24/7 live support in the event of any questions. One can reach the team via email, phone or even text. This service comes as part of the monthly plan. So no extra charges for the customer support. We can’t ignore the Stevie Award it recently received for having the best customer service success in the technology industry. Keep in mind, it was racing against 100 high-level organizations in the Computer Software category.

ShopKeep has both Frequently Asked Questions and blog sections which are pretty much informative and elaborate.

ShopKeep Reviews: Pros

  1. Both the hardware and monthly plan are reasonably priced.
  2. The BackOffice is user-friendly and easy to navigate through
  3. An astounding customer service. It’s 24/7 live support deserves a round of applause.
  4. Easy to integrate with other apps
  5. ShopKeep regularly updates the software

ShopKeep Reviews: Cons

  1. The users experience a few glitches with the software sometimes
  2. There are several complaints online about ShopKeep’s inventory management.

Final Verdict

To sum it up, it’s prudent if we highlight some of its wins as well as areas which need some improvement. On the other hand, the big question still needs to be answered exhaustively. Is ShopKeep a POS system which is stable enough to run my business operations?

Absolutely yes. ShopKeep’s recent partnership with BigCommerce makes integration a lot easier for merchants who want to sell their products online. It’s a powerful tool which processes payments without errors and has useful features which help with inventory tracking among other demanding tasks.

The POS system is competent enough to run business operations in the hospitality field. What really stands out, are its reporting features which update the user in real-time, and the BackOffice, which has various options to customize to one’s preference.

ShopKeep is suitable for a small business owner who doesn’t want to break the bank while purchasing a piece of reliable hardware equipment. On the flipside, I think its time for ShopKeep to look at the noticeable outcry and fix the small issues with inventory management.

Over and above that, it’s true to say that ShopKeep is not just any ordinary Point of Sale system. It’s a valuable asset which you can actually use in your daily business transactions.

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