Square is an industry-leading digital point-of-sale (POS) system with an intuitive, user-friendly interface that helps business owners achieve new levels of efficiency and customer loyalty. POS systems are “smart cash registers” that use advanced digital features and big data to help businesses monitor their profits and keep operations running smoothly.
Pros
- No monthly fees: Users pay with a fixed payment card for each transaction.
- Highly portable: Connect to your device and take it anywhere.
Cons
- Poor customer service:
- Not ideal for large businesses.
With Square, simplicity is key. The POS platform is a connected card that plugs into the headphone jack of various mobile devices without the need for additional hardware. The mobile connector syncs with Square Checkout, and all systems are automatically updated.
What’s on Offer
- Works offline.
- Flat fees per transaction; no monthly fees.
- Wide range of integrations:
- Mobile access from anywhere.
- Inventory control
- Payment processing
- Customer database records information about a large number of individual customers to drive sales.
- Email marketing service: $15/month
- Digital coupons are available via email or SMS.
Why Go With Square?
Square has an intuitive interface that anyone can easily set up and use, and it connects to mobile devices for use anywhere. Square processes large amounts of data and provides monthly, weekly, and hourly overviews of your business. The software also gives you access to detailed information about each employee to help you identify their strengths and areas for improvement.
Plus, it integrates with dozens of accounting and e-commerce applications that can increase your company’s efficiency.
Another big advantage is the price. Square doesn’t charge a monthly fee; instead, it charges per transaction. If you have a large company with very high monthly sales, this can be quite expensive, but for small businesses, it can be more cost-effective than paying monthly fees for other point-of-sale (POS) system providers.
Who Uses Square
Its intuitive interface and numerous features and integrations make it a preferred choice for those who manage fast-paced, demanding businesses, such as restaurants and bars, and who don’t have time to deal with complicated POS systems or analog cash registers that don’t work when needed.
The system is also very popular among freelancers who don’t have an office, such as gardeners and plumbers. Square provides them with a multi-function digital recorder that they can take with them anywhere, providing backup wherever their business takes them.
Ease of Use
- It doesn’t require users to buy or use a tablet.
- Simply connect it to your phone and you’ll be online in minutes.
- No additional hardware is required beyond a card reader.
- The registration and dashboard are synchronized. Changes made on one automatically update on the other at the same time.
- You’ll need a tablet if you want to print receipts or complete registration.
- It accepts Apple Pay and Google Pay.
- Ease of use is one of Square’s defining characteristics. Users can open an account in minutes without a long learning curve.
Thanks to its extensive features and integrations, you can easily equip your platform with all the tools you need to make things even easier.
The setup process is simple. You just need to sign up and register with your name and email address, and add information about your business, including a bank account and routing number that Square will use to send transaction payments. You’ll receive a free card reader in the mail, and you can also purchase a chip card reader for an additional fee. It can take up to a week for Square to open your bank account.
What’s Unique About Square?
- Simple and straightforward. Square is unique, and one of the company’s core principles is its ease of use. It’s all about users who need a simple platform to manage their small or medium-sized business, where speed and simplicity are key. The site combines ease of use with a wide range of features and integrations to suit any industry.
- Headphone jack. The credit card charger with its convenient headphone jack has become a symbol of its image among the company and its consumers. It’s just the kind of simple, easily recognizable product feature that’s perfect for the smartphone age, where our mobile devices have become extensions of our apps.
- Pay only for what you collect. Square has simplified the payment process by charging users only for the amount they collect. This eliminates monthly fees and is another way the company keeps things simple and straightforward.
Customer Support
Square has a comprehensive online knowledge base with a search function that should be able to answer most questions. You can also use the dedicated user forum to ask questions.
Pricing (Software and Hardware)
- 2.6% for all card transactions
- 2.6% + $0.10 for manually entered transactions
- Card reader: $29
- No monthly sign-up fee
Square doesn’t charge a monthly fee. The company takes a 2.6% fee on every card transaction and 2.6% + $0.10 for every manually entered transaction. The connected card reader costs $29.
This payment system is simple, but it can get expensive after a certain sales volume. That’s why the company offers customized pricing plans for businesses with annual revenue over $250,000.
Square includes a headset-compatible card reader, although the Square contactless and chip card reader costs $49. If you want Square’s contactless and chip card reader for your tablet, the price is $169. Finally, the Square cash register is an essential piece of permanent equipment for your store, but it’s expensive. You can buy it outright for $799 or lease it for $39 per month for 24 months.
Contract Terms
Reverse engineering or customization of Square’s software or hardware beyond what is stated on the company’s website is prohibited. You agree not to use the system in any way that would harm anyone or violate the law.
Regarding security, Square states that it has implemented various measures to protect user information from loss or unauthorized access, but does not guarantee that these measures are invulnerable.
Bottom Line
Square offers one of the best point-of-sale (POS) solutions for small and medium-sized businesses looking to improve their operations and increase efficiency, cost management, customer service, and more. This is a great way to implement a system that uses customer data and stores business data in ways that would be much more difficult to implement on your own.
