The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Clothing Store POS System

Deciding on a point-of-sale (POS) solution is one of the most crucial choices a clothing retailer can make. The right POS system becomes the central hub connecting your sales channels, managing vital operations, and enabling personalized customer experiences. However, with countless options on the market, all touting different features and capabilities, it can feel overwhelming to determine which perfectly aligns with your unique business needs.

This comprehensive guide serves as your handbook for selecting the ideal POS system for ecommerce specifically catered for apparel and clothing stores. Whether you currently operate a single retail location or plan to grow into an omnichannel brand, this content will lead you through defining your requirements, narrowing down options based on must-have functionality for your vertical, and evaluating vendors. 

Understanding Your Needs

Before starting your search, it is wise to carefully consider your business’ specific needs and goals. Ask yourself questions like:

• How many store locations do you have or plan to open?
• What is your average transaction amount?
• How many daily transactions do you process?
• Do you sell online or plan to in the future?
• What features are an absolute must-have?

Thinking through your needs upfront will assist you in narrowing down the overloaded POS system market to find systems that fit your unique requirements.

Key POS System Features for Clothing Stores

Clothing and apparel stores have some distinct operational needs that you will want your POS system to address. Here are some typical features you should look for:

Inventory management

Having visibility into real-time inventory availability across multiple store locations is crucial for clothing retailers. Make sure the clothing store point of sale system you select has advanced inventory management and transfers between locations.

Customer Data & Loyalty Programs

Collecting customer data such as contact information, purchase history, and sizing preferences is extremely helpful for clothing stores. This data powers targeted promotions and personalized service that breed loyal, repeat customers. Ensure the POS you choose has a built-in loyalty program and CRM capabilities.

Omni-Channel Sales

Many clothing stores combine brick-and-mortar and eCommerce sales channels. Seek out a fashion boutique POS system that seamlessly integrates both in-store and online transactions. This omni-channel functionality will unite your customer data and inventory in a single overview no matter which sales channel is used.

Tailored Reports

The ability to generate and analyze targeted sales reports and metrics is vital for making informed business decisions. Make sure the POS reporting tool allows you to extract and export the specific clothing store data points you need.

Customization

Since all clothing retailers have their own distinctive workflows, you’ll want a POS that can adapt to meet your specific needs. Seek out systems with add-ons, integrations, and setting adjustments that allow customization of your business procedures.

Added Benefits to Look For

Beyond the core must-have POS features, keep an eye out for these extra capabilities that can improve clothing store operations:

• Tableside ordering and payments to enhance the customer experience
• Cross-channel returns and exchanges between in-store and online
• Mobile POS app with offline mode for queue busting
• Integration into accounting software
• Security tools like end-to-end encryption to protect payment info
• Multi-language support

Key Considerations When Comparing Systems

As you evaluate POS options for your clothing store, keep the following key factors in mind:

Ease of Use

A POS system is only as good as its staff’s ability to use it efficiently. Make sure to choose software with an intuitive user interface to reduce mistakes and speed up transactions after rollout.

Scalability

It should fully meet your current requirements but also provide flexibility to handle your company’s future growth without needing to migrate to another platform.

Vendor Reputation & Support

The POS software company you select should have a proven reputation over many years in business with solid support channels to rely on when you have questions.

Hardware

Consider whether you want a cloud or locally-installed system and make sure the recommended POS hardware like terminals and receipt printers aligns with your preferences.

Cost

While cost should not be the only deciding factor, small retailers do need to select a POS system that aligns with their available budget including both software and hardware expenses.

To power your growing clothing retail business with seamless omnichannel sales, visibility into real-time inventory, and deep customer insights, choose Hana Retail as the best POS system for your retail clothing store. As a leader in the POS space, Hana Retail has the features, scalability, and customization required by clothing and fashion brands. Sign up FREE today!