
Full EPOS features checklist
These tables are designed to give you a full list of all the EPOS features we can think of; and what kind of features you can expect from which level of EPOS software. (You can read about the level they each offer on their profile page.)
The page is also designed so that you have a list of everything an EPOS system can do in one place.
It doesn’t mean that a software described on its profile page as “mid-level” will have all of the features described as mid-level in this table – just that that’s the kind of feature we would expect from a mid-level software.
Why don’t you just tell me all the features of every software?
We can – over the phone.
Two things are going on here. There’s around fifty softwares on this site, and all of them are being updated all the time – any information published here would be inaccurate fairly quickly. Best to ask in person.
Also, we make our money on referrals. These don’t affect your price versus buying direct, and we make a similar amount whomever we refer to you. So if you are thinking of buying software which is available on this site, and you’ve used some of our content to help make your decision, give us a ring. This way, we’ll learn more about what would help customers like you.
Also – these tables are formatted such that they show the first “10” features in each category – click “next” for the remainder of each category’s features.
1) Taking Payments
Or, read our article about taking card payments in your store.
In short, payment processing marks a choice between a pay-as-you-go or a contract style providers. With pay-as-you-go, there’s a short list of four providers to choose from; with contract, there are hundreds of different providers and a payment application is required in order to integrate payments. Pay-as-you-go providers sometimes throw in free basic EPOS software.
Taking Payment | Level of Software | Notes |
---|---|---|
Processing included in EPOS | FreePOS only | Payments must be chosen separately and integrated – except in the case of freepos |
Pay-as-you-go processing integration | All StoreKit software | Individual PAYG processors are integrated with individual softwares |
Contract payment integration available | All StoreKit software | |
Portable Payments | Mid-level software | Ask us about hardware to help enable this |
2) Front-of-House (Generic)
What we’re describing as “front-of-house” here is the bread-and-butter of EPOS systems. It should empower your staff to help your customers however they can.
Front-of-house function | level of software needed | notes |
---|---|---|
overall speed / ease of use | very basic - enterprise | This is inverse: generally, the more complex systems are harder to use |
Product images on cashier screen | very basic + | |
Product library | basic + | |
Product categorisation / modifer "depth" | very basic - enterprise | The number of categories and attributes which you can tag products with in an EPOS is a vital measure of complexity |
Discounts... by percentage | basic + | |
Discounts... by attachment | basic + | E.g. "buy ten pencils and get a pencilcase free' |
Discounts... by percentage | basic + | |
Discoutns... "buy-one-get-one-free" | basic + | |
Discounts... timebound / temporary / schedule | basic + | |
Discounts... manual | very basic + | |
Refunds | very basic + | |
Partial refunds | basic + | |
Store credit | mid-level + | |
Cash management | mid-level + | |
Multiple Tenders | basic + | |
Stock checks (individual / multisite) | basic + | |
Customer facing display / self-ordering kiosk | sophisticated / enterprise | |
Voice ordering | sophisticated / enterprise | |
Product search by... SKU | basic + | |
Product search by... barcode | basic + | |
Front-end product creation | very basic + | |
Offline front-of-house | basic + | |
Forced modifiers | mid-level + | |
Rental software integration | Requires integration with rental software | Ask StoreKit for more info! |
2) Front-of-House (Retail)
Front-of-house functions unique to retail tend to reflect more complex inventory-based needs of retail businesses. If you’re interested in service appointment booking, you may need additional software which could integrate with your EPOS. Check out our integrations list below.
Or, read our article about front-of-house for retail.
Front-of-house retail feature list | Level of software required |
---|---|
Parked orders | mid-level + |
Stock transfers (multisite) | mid-level + |
Loyalty cards | basic + |
Items by weight | sophisticated / enterprise |
Composite products | mid-level + |
Tax free shopping | mid-level + |
Gift Aid | mid-level + |
Custom tax rates | sophisticated / enterprise |
Barcode generation | mid-level + |
Invoicing | mid-level + |
Wholesale pricing | mid-level + |
2) Front-of-House (Hospitality)
Front-of-house features which are unique to hospitality reflect the greater level of service expected in front-of-house. One big collection of features is “table mapping”.
Or, read our article about front-of-house EPOS functions for hospitality businesses.
Front-of-House (Hospitality) feature list | Level of system required |
---|---|
Menu engineering (individual / multisite) | mid-level + |
Digital menu boards | sophisticated / enterprise |
Recipes display for FOH staff | mid-level + |
Coursing | mid-level + |
Coursing overrides | sophisticated / enterprise |
Specific printer routing | basic + |
Alternative kitchen display systems | sophisticated / enterprise |
Quick (button) modifier addition | basic + |
Manual modifier addition | basic + |
Large text on kitchen receipts with clear allergen modifiers | mid-level + |
Table mapping | mid-level + |
Bar tabs | mid-level + |
Set menus | mid-level + |
In/out dining options | mid-level + |
Bill splitting | basic + |
Booking rooms | Integration with PMS system required |
3) Inventory Management
Or, read our overview about what inventory management software should entail. Inventory management is a set of features which dramatically increase in scale as you get bigger. Basic systems come without any inventory management except a stock “countdown” – whereas at the top-end, expect to integrate your EPOS with some inventory-specific software.
Brightpearl is a great example of inventory management software with an EPOS module, rather than the other way round.
Inventory Management Feature List | Level of software required |
---|---|
Quick and practical view of the state of your inventory | Mid-level + |
Import from and export to .csv / .xlsx | very basic + |
Product categorisation and tagging "depth" | very basic - enterprise |
Translation between in / out | sophisticated / enterprise |
Inventory Mapping | mid-level + |
Inventory search across stores | mid-level + |
E-commerce integration | basic + |
Create purchase order | basic + |
Low stock notifications | mid-level + |
Automatic reorder to par stock levels | mid-level + |
Cost of goods analysis | mid-level + |
Supplier management | mid-level + |
Stock count – manual | very basic + |
Stock count – scanner | basic + |
Stock count discrepancies report | mid-level + |
Constant updating (cloud) | all StoreKit systems |
Multisite stock transfer | mid-level + |
Warehouse / Logistics management | integrate with vertical software |
Batching (time-bound inventory) | sophisticated / enterprise |
4) Reporting
Or, read our introduction to EPOS reporting functions here.
We’re collecting all this data…how do we use it? Understanding your business is key to making it better – EPOS features associated with reporting should help you do just that. There’s the finesse with which you can compare tagged attributes; then there’s a series of untaggable attributes which can be examined as discrete lenses.
Reporting features | Level of software you required |
---|---|
Sales by... product | basic + |
Sales by... custom category (e.g. brand) | basic + |
Sales by... employee | mid-level + |
Sales by... time of day | mid-level + |
Sales by... area/table/shelf | sophisticated / enterprise |
Rigid timeframes | very basic + |
Flexible timeframes | mid-level + |
Throughput analysis | sophisticated / enterprise |
Comparison (month on month) | basic + |
CSV export | very basic + |
budgeting tools | sophisticated / enterprise |
smart suggestions | sophisticated / enterprise |
Aggregated reporting | Integrate with analytics software |
5) Staff and Multisite
EPOS features around staff and multisite are concerned with how you set your “views” of different functions on the website.
If you’re not sure, read our introduction to staff and multisite functions here.
Multisite & Staff Permissions Features | Software level required |
---|---|
Different staff views & permission levels (rigid / flexible) | basic - enterprise |
Clock in / clock out by... card swipe | basic + |
Clock in / clock out by... fob | basic + |
Clock in / clock out by... profile / PIN | basic + |
Roster planning | sophisticated / enterprise |
Staff training | basic - enterprise |
Multisite in reporting | mid-level + |
Multisite in inventory | mid-level + |
Pay careful attention to the level of staff training which is included in your package when you select an EPOS software provider.
6) Marketing & Loyalty
Marketing & Loyalty Function | Level of System Required |
---|---|
Loyalty Cards | basic + |
Gift Cards | basic + |
Per £ spent discount | basic + |
Per purchase discount | basic + |
Buy X get Y free | mid-level + |
Customer accounts | mid-level + |
Favourite products | sophisticated / enterprise |
Visit tracking | sophisticated / enterprise |
Link to email marketing | mid-level + |
Email receipts | basic + |
Custom receipt layouts | basic + |
E-commerce module | mid-level + |
E-commerce is a really big and complicated topic! It’s as big a decision as your EPOS – and you may wish to choose an integrated separate e-commerce platform OR an EPOS with an e-commerce module. Take a look at our EPOS for clothes shops page for a detailed study.
7) Integrations
Finally, integrations are when two softwares talk to each other – check out our integrations page to see a full list of software you may wish to integrate with your EPOS.
With integrations, there’s two rules of thumb. The first is that top-end systems are generally more likely to expect that you integrate; the second is that big companies are more likely to have integrations than smaller companies.
Common integrations include e-commerce, accounting, payments, PMS, and analytics.
Rarer integrations include online ordering systems and delivery platforms.
Integrations | Level of system required for integrations to be available |
---|---|
E-commerce integration | basic + |
Accounting software integration | basic + |
Online order system integration | mid-level systems + |
Delivery platform integration | mid-level systems + |
Wholesale management integration | mid-level systems + |
Warehouse management integration | mid-level systems + |
Logistics software integration | mid-level systems + |
Service scheduling integration | mid-level systems + |
Staff management / HR integration | mid-level systems + |
Analytics / Information Aggregator integration | mid-level systems + |
Marketing / Loyalty software integration | basic + |
PMS integration | mid-level systems + |
Rental software integration | mid-level systems + |
CRM integration | mid-level systems + |
Payments integration | all StoreKit systems |
App store | mid-level systems + |
Open API | mid-level systems + |
8) Whole System Enablement
If you’re not sure what a “cloud-based” system means, try this article about what cloud EPOS is and means.
On operating systems, it’s important to note that most of the systems on this website have a cashier app accessible via a login which needs to be downloaded; and a web-based back office log in. “Available on Windows / iOS / Android” refers to whether you can download the app to that operating system. The back office can nearly always be logged into from any device.
Other Features | Level of system required |
---|---|
Cloud-based | everything via StoreKit |
Hybrid / Offline mode | mid-level systems + |
iOS available | everything via StoreKit |
Android available | some systems |
Windows available | some systems |
9) Supported Hardware
Hardware Supported | Level of system required |
---|---|
Cash Drawer | very basic + |
Thermal Receipt Printer | very basic + |
Kitchen Pinter (+ routing) | basic + |
1D barcode scanner | very basic + |
2D barcode scanner | mid-level + |
Flatbed scanner | mid-level + |
Barcode Printer | basic + |
Dallas Key | basic + |
Weighing scales | sophisticated / enterprise |
Embedded barcode scales | sophisticated / enterprise |
Card reader | very basic + |
Caller ID | enterprise |