2022 Vend POS Review: Is It Right for Your Retail Business?

In this article, we’ll be looking at a POS terminal from Vend that is available now. Vend is an end-to-end point of sale system and the first to offer cloud processing with integrated payment services which means you don’t need your own servers. The software provides you with everything needed for your retail business including inventory tracking, customer CRM service and cash drawer management.

The “the best point of-sale system” is a point of sale system that allows users to manage their retail business from the convenience of their own home, without having to leave.

Vend by Lightspeed is a cloud-based retail POS solution designed for companies with huge inventory or several locations that need flexible payment processing. It can help you manage numerous sales channels, give store credit payments, utilize layaway options, integrate payments, and access comprehensive analysis and insights, in addition to its real-time Management of Inventory tools and built-in loyalty program. Vend POS is ideal for businesses such as gift shops, homeware stores, fashion boutiques, vape shops, and health and supplement dealers. Its monthly rates start at $119 ($99 invoiced yearly) per location.

Vend by Lightspeed is a great place to visit.

Lightspeed completed its purchase of Vend in April 2021, giving existing Vend users access to Lightspeed’s future retail product upgrades. Vend products are still available to new Vend users without any price changes or disruptions.

What We Recommend Lightspeed Vendors For

Vend has shown to have a lot to offer expanding brick-and-mortar stores among the various retail POS software we’ve tried. Its features are built for scalability, with upgraded plans offering premium capabilities to help you handle numerous transactions, clients, and locations as your business expands. The absence of a native ecommerce platform (like Shopify and Square) and the comparatively expensive price point are Vend’s greatest limitations.

Regardless, Vend is one of the greatest retail POS systems available. It’s ideal for:

• Retailers having a large inventory and a number of locations: For all of its subscription tiers, it provides real-time Management of Inventory features. It gained a position among the finest POS systems for Management of Inventory thanks to mobile scanning applications for receiving shipments, built-in demand forecasting, barcoding, and integrated purchase order management.
• Storefronts that need sophisticated, user-friendly checkout tools: During the checkout process, Vend enables staff to add new clients to the system’s database, utilize the system’s built-in loyalty program, manage shop credit, and issue layaways. These features, together with its free customer display software, user-friendly touch-screen interface, and customized payment options (such as store credit or IOUs), make it an excellent choice for high-volume merchants wishing to streamline the checkout process.
• High-risk, high-volume businesses: The platform includes an age verification feature that enables cashiers to scan and validate driver’s licenses at the point of sale. It also works with a number of third-party payment processors. Vend is an excellent point-of-sale system for high-volume retailers offering CBD, tobacco, and vape items.
• Vend does not have a built-in payment processor, which is a disadvantage for retail enterprises looking for flexible payment processing choices. This enables merchants to choose their preferred payment processor or request to be paired with one of Vend’s numerous partners and take advantage of special prices only available to Vend users. It also allows you to set up layaway, gift cards, shop credit, and other payment kinds that aren’t available in most POS systems.

When Lightspeed Vend Wouldn’t Be a Good Fit

• Startups and small enterprises seeking for a free POS: The provider’s POS software is not available for free. The most basic package is $119 per month per location, plus an additional payment processing and ecommerce platform charge. A free POS system like Square, which also includes capabilities for expansion in a more cheap, all-in-one solution, is preferable for small and startup shops.
• Ecommerce connection options are only accessible in Vend’s Pro and Enterprise subscriptions, which might be prohibitively expensive for small firms. Vend also lacks native ecommerce features, necessitating the use of third-party software such as Shopify or BigCommerce. Retailers searching for a multichannel POS system will receive more bang for their buck with Shopify if they sell mostly online, or Square if they sell mostly in-person and on mobile devices.
• While the product includes appointment software connections, the membership price point may be too high if you aren’t able to fully use the program’s retail functionalities. We offer Square Appointments and Fresha as industry-specific POS system alternatives for companies like spas and salons that operate on an appointment basis.

If Vend doesn’t seem like the appropriate match for your company, have a look at our best POS systems guide, which breaks down our top POS selections for every industry.

Overview of Vend by Lightspeed

Vend by Lightspeed is a great place to visit.

Lightspeed Pricing for Vendors

The price website for Vend displays monthly options starting at $119 per location. The Lite plan only allows for one location, but the higher levels allow for numerous. Each membership includes one register, with additional registers costing $49 a month per unit. The amount of shops you can manage and sophisticated capabilities like real-time Management of Inventory, supply chain management, and premium API access are the key distinctions between Vend’s plans.

Vend, unlike other popular point-of-sale software, does not have its own payment processing system, and users are not charged additional fees for using third-party processors. It also allows consumers to be paired with one of Vend’s partner processors, who provide special reduced transaction rates.

Vend Fees

*Additional registers are $49 per month (paid yearly) or $59 per month (billed monthly) (billed monthly).

Lightspeed Hardware is the vendor.

Vend’s browser-based POS software may be used on any Mac or PC by retailers. Vend also offers a Register app for iPads and iPad minis that can be downloaded. A Star Micronics mPOP all-in-one touch-screen system is also available for purchase.

On a Mac browser, access the Vend checkout dashboard (Source: Vend)

Vend is compatible with the majority of industry-standard equipment, including as barcode scanners and receipt printers. Because of this versatility, you may set up a full-featured countertop checkout (with Vend’s free customer-facing display software) and utilize iPads for mobile sales curbside or on the sales floor.

Businesses may utilize their own device or purchase hardware from Vend or a third-party checkout hardware provider. You may purchase the gear outright or lease it via Portal Advantage, which includes a protection package, if you buy through Vend. However, if you already have hardware, you may use it as long as it’s compatible. Card readers may also be purchased via your preferred payment processor.

Vend’s website provides a thorough help center with a step-by-step guide and experienced partners available to solve hardware and integration problems.

Vend’s Hardware Kit for Professionals (Source: Vend)

Features of the Vendor

Vend has a lot of features that make it easy to manage a lot of inventory, several registers, and various locations from a single platform. Logging in to any device or using the Android and iOS applications gives you access to the software and checkout functionalities. Vend can manage cash flow, apply discounts and notes to each transaction, and personalize receipts by adding your business logo or website data.

Even in a pinch, the gadget has your back for in-store operations. Because it’s a cloud POS system, you can use the selling functions even if you’re not connected to the internet. It will re-sync your sales once you’re back online.

Its “Park” function, which enables associates to put a sale on hold so they may pick it up and finish the transaction later, will be appreciated by busy businesses. This implies that if a client wishes to add another item to their basket or get their wallet from their vehicle, you may pause the transaction, assist the next person in line, and restart the sale when the first customer is ready.

To learn more about each feature, scroll down:

Register & Checkout

Vend offers both desktop and free customer-facing display applications for iPads and Android smartphones, and the software may be used with either the Vend Register or any third-party register. The user interface is simple to use and guides you through selling tasks, such as adding new clients, assigning an employee to each transaction, applying discounts, and taking notes on transactions. Not only that, but Vend lets you to add custom action tiles to your checkout page, exactly like Square POS, so your most frequently used actions or goods are right at your fingertips.

What if I told you that Each POS user has their own barcode created by Vend. You may then link each user code to an employee’s ID, enabling them to scan their codes at the register to be allocated to a transaction.

Customers may add their own personal information to their profile straight from their iPad or tablet device using Vend’s customer-facing checkout applications. (Image courtesy of Vend)

Vend’s desktop selling interface is simple to use and includes options to help your checkout process go more smoothly. (Image courtesy of Vend)

Payments that are flexible

While Vend does not have a built-in payment processor like Shopify or Square, it interacts with the majority of major payment processors and offers a wide range of payment choices and features for every kind of transaction. Vend allows you to handle refunds, layaway, store credit, gift cards, on-account payments, and checks in addition to credit and debit card payments. Not only that, but in a single transaction, you may handle various tender kinds.

There are a variety of tender alternatives available when processing a transaction, including store credit and layaway. (Image courtesy of Vend)

Mobile near-field communication (NFC) payments, such as Apple Pay, allow for contactless payments. You may make quotations and “park” the transaction to checkout after the purchase is completed for firms that produce unique items or operate on work orders.

Consider Square, Lightspeed, or Shopify if you want a POS system that includes a fully integrated in-house payment processor as part of your POS subscription.

Management of Inventory

Vend has powerful Management of Inventory tools for brick-and-mortar retailers. The platform makes it easy to add inventory to your POS catalog. You can either add products individually through the dashboard or upload them in bulk using a spreadsheet. Moreover, it is designed to handle many variants (like different sizes and colors) and composite items (like gift baskets or discount bundles).

One of its most distinguishing features is the free Scanner by Vend smartphone app. This software uses the camera on your mobile device to scan barcodes, making it easier for staff to complete full or partial stock counts or receive shipments. Employees may also use Scanner by Vend to see whether a product is in stock at any location, verify price, and validate product specifications. This implies that salespeople may address queries from customers immediately on the sales floor.

The scanning app from Vend makes inventory counting simple and precise. (Image courtesy of Vend)

What if I told you that You can’t perform partial inventory counts with many POS systems. Scanner by Vend is a built-in function for merchants that wish to do spot-checks on vast or complicated inventory.

Vend also provides the ability to manage inventory in real time, schedule automated replenishment points, track vendor information and transactions, and create extensive product pages with important product information, in addition to the scanning app.

The product pages on Vend allow you to provide a wealth of information about the product, its seller, and much more. (Image courtesy of Vend)

Vend also has completely integrated order management functions, which is a noteworthy inventory capacity. From inside the POS, Vend allows you to generate, send, and monitor purchase orders (POs). The majority of other systems, such as Square, will provide reorder reports but will need you to export or create POs in a different tool. Vend allows you to handle POs from a single spot and gives workers insight into what shipments are on their way.

Vend not only allows you to handle buy orders, but it also allows you to manage entire orders. Stock receiving, ordering, returning, and transferring functions are all built-in.

Ecommerce

Vend does not have a native ecommerce platform like Shopify, Square, or Lightspeed, but it does allow you to link a third-party site with your POS system. This means you can integrate your physical and online sales channels on one platform, making it simple to keep track of all aspects of your retail operation. The following are some of its ecommerce management features:

• Online orders will display on your POS dashboard, allowing you to track and fulfill online orders directly from your POS platform, eliminating the need to transfer between two systems.
• Customer syncing: When consumers create profiles in your ecommerce shop, such profiles are immediately added to your POS system’s customer database.
• Multichannel syncing: Connect your Amazon, social media, or eBay storefronts to your POS dashboard to keep all of your sales channels in one place.

Vend works with all of the major ecommerce platforms, including Shopify, BigCommerce, Magento, and WooCommerce.

Gift Cards & Loyalty

Vend’s POS system includes features for selling, redeeming, and tracking gift cards. You may make your own gift cards, order them through Vend’s provider, or purchase them from a third-party vendor. Gift cards are also included as a tender option at checkout, making it simple for shop staff to redeem them.

Vend’s POS dashboard and checkout screens now include a point-based loyalty program. When consumers make a purchase, their reward or loyalty balances appear on their receipts, and they may also be sent to them. Vend also allows you to personalize your program by assigning points to the loyalty activities that have the most effect on your Conclusion.

Management of Customers

Vend POS has features for creating customer profiles, customer groups (such as a VIP program), and customized pricing for groups. Purchase history, loyalty points, VIP status, and account balances are all automatically kept under each customer profile, which is available across all of your sales channels.

User activity, personal information, and shop credit status are all shown in each customer profile. (Image courtesy of Vend)

Vend makes it easy to add customers to your customer list, with a feature that allows you to create customer profiles during the checkout process. Additionally, all customers from all your sales channels automatically sync to your POS, so all your online customers will have profiles when they visit your storefront. The only major shortcoming of Vend’s Management of Customers is that it lacks customer reporting capabilities (like you see with Lightspeed POS).

Reporting & Insights

Vend offers a simplified and very useful reporting module that includes your retail dashboard with daily sales and figures, inventory, payments, registers, gift cards, shop credit, and tax data, among other things. Vend’s browser-based dashboard also allows you to see your reports from anywhere. Despite the lack of a mobile reporting app, Vend’s dashboard is mobile-friendly.

Setting daily, weekly, and/or monthly sales objectives for each employee and tracking their achievement is one of my favorite reporting options. You may even let workers track their progress toward their objectives. This is a Vend-only feature that makes it simple to hold your employees responsible and keep them on track.

Vend’s demand forecasting reports are another crucial tool, allowing you to foresee how much stock you’ll need and what’s selling the best. Additionally, all of Vend’s reports are customizable, allowing you to navigate through various variables and filters to solve problems and discover the information you want. Vend also allows shops to create bespoke reports. Many POS systems in this price range simply provide templated analytics, thus this is a noteworthy feature that I’ve only seen in Lightspeed’s premium plans.

What if I told you that Vend connects with Dor, a small company foot traffic analytics software, so you can watch your in-store conversion rates and staff appropriately during busy hours. Vend also has accounting Integrations with QuickBooks, Xero, and MYOB.

Vend’s Retail Dashboard shows you the most important information you need to know on a daily basis. (Image courtesy of Vend)

Age Verification App that is RACS Compliant

Vend has a Hyperspace Age Verification App that is only available via Vend. The Food and Drug Administration requires it to be approved under the Retail Access Control Standard (RACS) (FDA). Vend users may now sell items that are age-restricted. You may specify age criteria for various goods after the age verification app is paired with your smartphone. An age verification message will appear when an age-restricted goods is scanned into a transaction. Employees will then be asked to scan the customer’s identification. The transaction may proceed after the information has been validated.

When prohibited items are included in a transaction, Vend alerts you to double-check the stated age criteria. (Image courtesy of Vend)

Integrations

Vend provides a variety of connectivity choices, ranging from accounting software to staff management software. Vend’s open application programming interface also includes an in-house developer community to help customers in creating highly customized functionalities, such as an online shop or third-party payment processor (API).

Vend’s most common integrations include the following.

• QuickBooks Online is a software program that allows you to
• Xero
• BigCommerce
• WooCommerce
• Shopify
• Homebase
• Mailchimp
• Timely
• Insights into the Loop
• NetSuite

Lightspeed Ease of Use is a great way to sell your product.

• Apps and browser-based
• Checkout screen that is simple to use
• Step-by-step instructions for getting started
• Uploading inventory in bulk
• Mode for use when you’re not connected to the internet
• Most hardware is supported.
• Customer assistance that is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• A comprehensive assistance center is available.

Vend POS is simple to set up. The program works on most PCs, Macs, and iPads, and it effortlessly interacts with leading payment processors. Vend then guides you through a step-by-step setup process, prompting you to do tasks such as ringing up a transaction and adding clients to your database. You may also upload your client information and inventory in bulk, eliminating the need to input each item separately. It also makes it simple to connect third-party tools with just a few clicks or with the aid of Vend’s developer community, who can help you create bespoke solutions via the API.

Vend combines your customer data and inventory across all of your locations after you’ve set it up, ensuring that inventory counts and client purchase histories are always up to current. The company also boasts one of the best customer service departments. It provides email and chat help to customers all around the world 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In addition, its professionals are accessible for on-site training and hands-on assistance.

Lightspeed Alternatives is a vendor.

The finest Vend alternatives include economical POS and inventory tools for successfully managing mobile, in-store, and online sales. With a forever-free POS software and ecommerce connectivity, Square is one of Vend’s top rivals. It also provides low transaction fees and cost-effective hardware solutions. See how Square stacks up against Vend.

Vend by Lightspeed: What Users Have to Say

Vend is one of the most popular retail point-of-sale systems on the market. However, there aren’t enough recent iOS customer evaluations for this service in the App Store as of this writing.

Meanwhile, on prominent review sites, Vend has received the following ratings:

Users are generally pleased with the Vend platform, but they still want additional third-party connections, among other things. The following are some of the most frequent comments we received from reading customer evaluations and chatting with company owners that utilize the platform:

Conclusion

Primarily brick-and-mortar businesses with large and fast-moving inventory require a POS system that can easily track and manage all of their business activities. Vend’s granular inventory features make it one of the best retail POS systems on the market. To top it off, it offers advanced checkout tools and built-in Management of Customers and loyalty features that you usually find as add-ons in other top-ranking POS software. Vend also gives its users the freedom to choose their payment processor at no additional cost. Sign up for Vend’s 14-day free trial.

Vend by Lightspeed is a great place to visit.

The “vend pricing” is a software that allows retailers to set up and manage their prices. It also has other features such as inventory management. The software is available for both Windows and Mac operating systems.

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