(1) There are so many good programs out there. I have a great “shopping for POS systems handout that will help you ask the right questions when shopping for one. You can go very wrong though so don’t go cheap and do your research. There are a lot of good cloud based systems out there but you also really want something that live son your computer at the shop. Most importantly you want a system that is robust enough to be able to customize item data, reports and inventory so you can do the right inventory control measures necessary for your store to be most efficient. If you system is not able to give you the data you need or the reports you need to effectively evaluate the performance of your inventory than you will not have the right quantities at the right time to maximize your sales potential- THIS is makes gives you a positive cash flow and will make your shop profitable.
Artisan POS
Lightspeed POS
ERPLY
Quickbooks POS
These are a few good POS systems to explore and see if they are the right fit for your operation. The main difference these days are programs like Artisan POS and Quickbooks POS and ones like Lightspeed and ERPLY is that the former are software programs that you pay license fees for up front and have to upgrade annually or at least when the version you have sunsets. They are a big chunk to bit off for startups and stores that have tight cash flow. The later systems are monthly fees that can be cheaper at startup but can end up costing you more in the long run depending on various factors. Bottom line- you NEED a good POS system and consider any cost for one the cost of doing good business.
(2) Are any better than another for both online and in store POS systems that are integrated?
(3) Lightspeed is a good one- ERPLY is good too. Talk to Sam Carpenter at Global Gifts about ERPLY.