Find a Point of Sale System near you
The average rating for Bark Point of Sale System is 4.94, based on 44,185 reviews
5/5
based on 44,185 reviews
Interested in getting an electronic point of sale system set up for your business? Read our handy guide to find out how much an EPOS system costs depending on your requirements.
An EPOS system (electronic point of sale system) is a combination of hardware and software that are designed to allow your business to accept payments more efficiently. Check out our handy guide for more information on EPOS systems and their different types.
The main purpose of an EPOS is to process customer transactions that are handled through your till system. Appliances that facilitate an EPOS include cash drawers, card readers, barcode scanners and receipt printers. If you're a retail business wondering if EPOS is the right system for you, read our handy guide on retail EPOS systems for more information.
The capabilities of an EPOS are far-reaching, especially if you opt for a comprehensive system tailored to your industry. That’s because your products or services can be integrated with your EPOS, allowing you to manage your inventory, accounting, marketing, individual employee performance and much more. Search for EPOS providers near you on Bark.
| Minimum cost | £250 |
| Maximum cost | £1,600 |
The cost of purchasing an EPOS ranges between £250 and £1,600 on average. These figures take into account the price of both the hardware and software.
There are large price fluctuations when it comes to purchasing an EPOS, as it really depends on whether you want something that offers basic functions such as card processing alone, through to the ability to give an in-depth analysis of your business performance.
The good news is that this flexibility means you can select exactly what functions you require for where your business is right now. As your business grows, you can also upgrade the system in line with your changing needs.
The cost of both EPOS hardware and software can either be priced as an annual or monthly fee. It’s typically the case that a lower rate will be applied when purchasing an annual plan, though a monthly plan will give you the option to cancel or change your plan if needed.
The cost of an EPOS varies depending on several factors, including:
EPOS hardware
EPOS software
EPOS interface
Payment processing
Required features
Offline functionality
| EPOS Hardware | Highest average price | Lowest average price |
| Basic EPOS hardware | £500 | £250 |
| Standard EPOS hardware | £950 | £600 |
| Advanced EPOS hardware | £1,500 | £1,000 |
A crucial aspect of EPOS hardware is that, unlike EPOS software, aspects such as card machines will be handled by both your employees and customers.
In response, you need to consider the ease of use and overall experience for both parties. Ideally, payment acceptance and the printing of the receipt should be completed within a few seconds.
On the basic end of the scale, for £250 upwards you will need to already have a controlling device such as a tablet or smartphone. Cheaper receipt printers may be on the slower side, and aspects such as a cash drawer are unlikely to be provided. However, if you are switching from a different provider and already have these features in place, basic EPOS hardware may be proficient.
Standard EPOS hardware can set you back anywhere from £600 to £1,000 on average. This will include everything you need including a cash drawer, barcode scanner, card machines, tablet, printer, payment facilitator stands etc.
The most advanced EPOS hardware bundles will include all of the above, but will be tailored to specific industries. For example, if you are a restaurant then traditional thermal printers that generate till receipts aren’t suitable for use within a warm kitchen environment. Instead, your system would use hardware that is specifically designed for use around high temperatures.
A similar ethos can be applied to any industry when you opt for the best packages, so that your EPOS hardware makes your employees work as efficiently as possible.
| EPOS Software | Highest average price | Lowest average price |
| Basic EPOS software | £30 per month | £0 per month |
| Standard EPOS software | £50 per month | £30 per month |
| Advanced EPOS software | £100 per month | £60 per month |
All EPOS software will facilitate customer transactions, with the monthly price ranging from no charge at all up to £100 a month. There are basic, standard and advanced levels of features to consider that will determine which price band your EPOS software falls under.
Basic EPOS software will give you simple reports and logs about your transactions. It will tell you how many products you sold and on which days.
By opting for a cheaper EPOS, you may find the initial savings you make mean you lack access to insightful data in regards to your business performance and marketing strategy.
Standard EPOS software goes one step further by giving you reports relating to transaction activity and employee performance. Although it’s not designed for extremely complex operations with thousands of product lines or multiple stores, it will suit the majority of business types including smaller retail or hospitality ventures.
Advanced EPOS software will give you access to the very best features that are specifically tailored to your industry such as restaurants, hotels, spas or large retail chains. The level of reports will cover everything from stock analysis to which areas of your business are performing the best. There are also advanced options for integration with your online store.
Such features do come at a cost, with the software ranging from £60 to £100 per month on average. In return, you’ll be able to analyse every single detail relating to purchases and overall performance. If you consider the difficulty of obtaining such data without using an EPOS system, it could actually save a lot of time and money for your business.
EPOS interfaces are the screens that will allow you to view and use your EPOS software. The software can run on a variety of devices including smartphones, tablets and computers.
There is a huge price difference between a smartphone and an Apple iMac as an example. The cost of the interface may be billed as part of your hardware package, or may require a separate purchase.
There may also be additional card processing costs, which range from 1.5% to 3% of the total purchase cost on average in addition to a small flat fee. The total cost depends on the agreement you have with your card processing provider.
Businesses that are deemed to be ‘high risk’ will incur higher card processing fees versus secure ones.
EPOS features include the likes of:
Cash drawers
Receipt printers
Card terminals
Barcode scanners
Weighing scales
Custom features
The higher amount of features you require will affect the total cost.
As an example, in a busy retail store, only having one card terminal would be impractical. It would mean only one cashier can serve a customer at a time and doesn’t cover you against malfunction of the device.
Most EPOS systems run via the cloud, requiring a constant internet connection. If your internet is patchy or prone to complete outages, this means your business is unable to process transactions until the problem is resolved.
For an additional cost, you can opt for a hybrid system that allows your browser cache to keep functioning until the internet is restored. While you still won’t be able to sync tills or complete other advanced functions, it will make sure those all-important payments can keep coming into your business.
Absolutely! The simple fact is that your customers expect a safe, secure and efficient way of paying for goods or services. At the same time, your business will greatly benefit from the data EPOS provides.
Therefore if you want to improve all aspects of your business, an EPOS is an incredibly worthwhile investment. With the right system, you may even find the initial spend is recouped with the increased business performance an EPOS generates.
Find EPOS providers near you on Bark today.
The average rating for Bark Point of Sale System is 4.94, based on 44,185 reviews
5/5
based on 44,185 reviews
