The online grocery market has exploded in recent years, with more and more customers turning to the convenience of online ordering. Statista estimates the market volume will expand to over $289 billion in the US by 2027. Are you equipped to meet this demand?
In today's digital age, having an online ordering system is crucial for grocery stores looking to stay competitive. It makes shopping more convenient for customers, it also streamlines the ordering process, and boosts sales.
However, with so many options available, choosing the right online ordering system for your grocery e-commerce efforts can be overwhelming.
That's why we've done the research for you. This post covers five top solutions for online ordering systems. From user-friendly interfaces to robust inventory management features, these systems have been tried and tested by industry experts and can help take your store to the next level.
Stay ahead of the curve and start exploring the world of online grocery ordering today.
Online Ordering Systems: The Basics
Before we dive into our list of top solutions for online ordering systems for grocery stores, let’s establish some baseline information, starting with: what is an online ordering system?
Simply put, an online ordering system is a platform that allows customers to order and pay for groceries online. It's a convenient way for customers to shop from the comfort of their own homes or on the go.
How does an online ordering system differ from a traditional POS system? While a traditional POS system manages transactions and in-store inventory, an online ordering system is specifically designed to support e-commerce. This system enables customers to browse products, place orders, and pay online, all without stepping foot in your store.
You can enjoy many benefits when you offer online ordering at your grocery store. You can reach a wider range of customers more easily, targeting nearby consumers who might never have considered visiting your store.
Additionally, online ordering provides a convenient shopping experience for your customers, which can lead to increased customer loyalty and repeat business.
An online ordering system can help streamline your operations and improve efficiency, as it automates the ordering process and reduces the need for manual input.
You may be tempted to ignore the trend toward online ordering and continue soldiering on doing things the way you’ve always done them. However, this approach can have a negative impact on your business in the long run.
In today's digital age, customers expect convenience and ease of use when it comes to shopping. If your competitors are offering online ordering and you're not, you risk losing customers to them. All in all, it's important to consider implementing an online ordering system to stay competitive and meet the evolving needs of your customers.
Now, let’s look at five top solutions you can use to implement online ordering in your grocery store.
1. Epos Now
Best for: Mid-size enterprises
Epos Now offers POS solutions for restaurants, hospitality businesses, and retail and grocery stores. This solution offers simplified stock control, operations management, and a smooth checkout interface for both in-store and online ordering processes.
Epos Now also offers integrations with tools like Shopify, Mailchimp, Xero, and more.
You can explore several different pricing options with this solution, starting at $39 per month for your first register and an additional $24 per month for each additional register. If you need an enterprise or custom solution, you must speak with Epos Now for a custom quote.
According to one customer, Epos Now offers an:
“...elastic SAAS solution that can be customized for various business needs – cloud-based solution that can work on any device and any operating system”
2. Comcash
Best for: Mobile POS features
Comcash offers a POS solution with a smooth, streamlined scanning and checkout process for your business in addition to online grocery ordering options. The interface is customizable and offers advanced features like:
- Mobile-friendly interface
- Single product catalog across web and in-store sales
- SEO optimization assistance
- Customer loyalty tracking
Comcash’s mobile POS solution (mPOS) allows you to scan products and take credit card payments from your mobile device. With Comcash, your POS solution uses an Android handheld terminal for checkout processes.
Comcash pricing starts at $125 per register per month, but you can build and price a custom solution for your store on their site.
One customer enjoys Comcash for:
“The ease of use for the average user. Minimal training is required to get someone functional on the software.”
3. POS Nation
Best for: Small to mid-sized retail stores
POS Nation offers an all-in-one point of sale solution that can help you streamline your business with improved checkout, powerful customer support, and more.
POS Nation works with a range of retail stores but specializes in small and mid-sized store and chain solutions. With POS Nation’s solution, you get integrated hardware, software, training, and payment processing, all bundled with 24/7 customer support for your business.
In addition to online ordering, when you partner with POS Nation, you can take advantage of features like:
- Mix and match pricing
- Scale integration
- Hotkeys with photos
- Employee and payroll management
- And more.
With POS Nation, you can explore monthly payment options starting at $149 a month, or you can explore the “Freedom” option for a one-time, upfront payment of $1,568.
According to one happy customer:
"POS nation is a truly complete point of sale system that is super intuitive. A benefit for beginning users to learn the ropes for retail/customer service cash handling.”
4. IT Retail
Best for: Grocery stores and ethnic markets
IT Retail offers the best point of sale solution for every grocer. Reportedly, revenue for stores that implement IT Retail increases by up to 15%.
Our intuitive solution fully integrates with e-commerce platforms and processes, allowing you to get your entire store online, leverage a huge network of delivery drivers and couriers, and operate your store stress-free.
See a full list of integrations and interfaces!
In addition to our robust online ordering systems, you can enjoy features like:
- Customer membership management
- Wholesaler product importing
- Hassle-free inventory management
- Shrinkage calculation and management
- Automated low-stock reports
- And more!
With IT Retail, you can explore standard monthly plans, or upfront hardware and software “Freedom” solutions in either standard or premium packages. You can explore IT Retails full pricing and build and price your own custom solution on our website.
According to Megan LaGree of LaGree’s Food Stores:
“From the start, we were very impressed with the friendliness of IT Retail’s installation team. The system itself is vastly more user-friendly than all our previous POS systems. IT Retail’s system has also really helped us gain control over our pricing structure by providing us with more in-depth pricing data. IT Retail enables us to closely track our customers and cater to our customers, ultimately making our store more profitable.”
5. Square POS
Best for: Mobile businesses
Lastly, let’s discuss Square POS. Square is a POS solution known for its highly mobile payment processing solutions that integrate with mobile phones, tablets, and more.
Square allows you to sync your in-store inventory to your online store, offer curbside pickup or buy online pick-up in-store (BOPIS). You can also use Square to sell through your store’s Instagram or Facebook accounts.
In addition to online ordering, Square offers tools for team management and customer loyalty. Square’s unique pricing model has no monthly fees, but instead charges per transaction. The current processing rate is 2.6% plus ten cents per transaction.
You can also get a custom pricing package for your business if you do more than $250K per year in sales.
According to one customer:
“Square POS is used when we are taking orders from someone directly, in person. It solves the problem of needing a payment system to accept credit cards and debit cards. It helps us to easily sell our items, quickly accept payment, manage what we've sold in the database, and transfer money to our accounts.”
Finding the Best Online Ordering System for Your Grocery Store
If you want your grocery store to keep up with the times and crush your competition, you must explore online shopping options.
You must ensure you partner your store with the right online ordering system to get the most of your online grocery shopping efforts. Ensure that the solution you select offers the features and support you need at the price point that works best for your business.
To see if IT retail is the best solution for your business, reach out today to request a free demo of our software!