It’s a tough time to be a small or independent supermarket. Competition is getting tighter as prices increase and customers’ budgets get smaller.
Luckily, it’s not all bad news. Supermarket point of sale (POS) system providers give small businesses cost-effective tools to help them cut costs, improve the customer experience, and boost profits.
If you’re on the fence about upgrading your supermarket POS, we’re here to help. In this article we’ll cover:
- The reasons you should update your supermarket POS system
- Top five POS providers
- Tips for evaluating a POS provider
Why Upgrade Your Supermarket Point of Sale System?
As the old saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Maybe you’re getting by with your current system, but do any of these sound familiar?
- You find yourself spending long hours manually writing invoices.
- You can’t seem to keep on top of your inventory levels and frequently over or understock your shelves.
- You aren’t sure how to track items from local sellers or products you make in-house.
- You see customers get frustrated when they can’t pay with their preferred payment method
- You don’t have a reliable way to gauge your store’s financial performance.
- You don’t have an easy way to connect with customers through marketing or a customer loyalty program.
The right technology can solve these types of problems. While many store owners don’t want to deal with the hassle of upgrading an old system or learning new technology, the results are worth the temporary discomfort.
And at a time when prices are rising and customers are pickier than ever, you need to take every advantage you can get. A supermarket point of sale system can help you by:
- Simplifying vendor and inventory management
- Enabling better decision-making with access to sales and inventory reports
- Creating a better customer experience through modern payments, customer loyalty, and tailored marketing
Supermarket Point of Sale Systems: 5 Top Providers
Not sure where to start in your search for the perfect supermarket point of sale system? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
Here are five top picks for supermarkets in 2025.
1. IT Retail
IT Retail is built on over 25 years of experience creating solutions specifically for grocery stores and supermarkets. Our system offers industry-specific features designed to help independent supermarkets improve the customer experience and stay competitive, both in-store and online.
Standout features
- Simplified inventory management: Automate invoicing and receiving, see stock levels in real time, track perishable inventory, set low stock alerts, and more.
- User-friendly reports: View store performance, track inventory turnover, sales history, and more using IT Retail’s pre-built reports.
- Built-in customer loyalty: Connect with customers and entice them back with customizable customer loyalty.
- Integrated e-commerce: Connect your in-store and online inventory to offer online shopping through platforms like Mercato, Freshop, Instacart, and more.
- Deli scale integrations: Easily weigh out and price catch-weight items automatically.
Pricing
We work directly with businesses to provide custom quotes based on your unique needs. Try out our pricing configurator tool to get started.
2. Square
Square POS is one of the biggest players in retail POS systems because it is easy to set up and use. While many advanced features require paid add-ons, Square is an affordable option for new businesses or supermarkets with a low number of transactions.
Standout features
- Customizable interface: Create a user-friendly experience for staff and customers thanks to Square’s customizable interface.
- Flexible add-ons: Add features as you need them by purchasing add-ons through Square’s App Marketplace.
- 3rd-party integrations: Integrate with various e-commerce platforms, coupon sites, Quickbooks, form builders, and more.
- Robust e-commerce: Easily sell online, including grocery pickup and delivery options, through Square Online.
Pricing
Square offers free options for startup businesses or businesses with low transaction volume, a standard $29/month plan, and custom configurations.
3. Lightspeed
Based in Canada, Lightspeed provides enterprise-level retail systems for businesses of all sizes. While their system is pricier than others on the list, they make up for it with robust multi-location management and omnichannel marketing features.
Standout features
- Built-in supplier catalog: Quickly set up reorders and get a comprehensive view of supplier margins to help compare prices.
- Multi-location management: Get a holistic view of business performance, adjust pricing, and quickly move inventory across all your locations.
- Robust reporting: Get a detailed understanding of inventory turnover, profit margins, cart size, and other metrics.
- Built-in app store: Add features to your supermarket POS system using Lightspeed’s integrated app store.
Pricing
Lightspeed’s Core plan starts at $149/month with optional add-ons for additional registers and hardware.
4. Markt POS
Markt POS (spelled without the “E”) is a system specifically built for small, single-counter food markets (e.g., butchers, cheese shops, and specialty food markets). Markt aims to provide enterprise-level features and support for smaller businesses without the enterprise-level price tag.
Standout features
- Deli scale and self-checkout support: Easily weigh and price catch-weight items with robust scale integrations and speed up checkout with secure self-checkout hardware.
- Powerful inventory management: Track a wide variety of goods, including scanning barcodes from suppliers or putting in custom SKUs for homemade goods.
- Spanish language support: Use Markt POS in both English and Spanish, offering support for staff and customers who are non-native English speakers.
- Order management features: Track and modify orders for grocerants and other quick-service restaurants attached to your supermarket.
Pricing
Markt offers custom pricing based on your business’ size, hardware needs, and more.
5. ECRS
ECRS is the maker of the CATAPULT POS system, which focuses on making a unified, scalable platform for retailers. ECRS has leaned heavily into AI-powered innovation, with many automated features to manage inventory and other manual processes.
Standout features
- Employee management: Track employee performance, conduct audits, track productivity, and monitor labor costs directly from your POS system.
- Flexible payment options: Offer payment via debit card, credit card, contactless payment, and biometric payment methods like fingerprint scanners.
- Automated inventory management: Streamline reorders with automated reordering tools, suggested reorder points, and more.
Pricing
ECRS offers custom pricing quotes through its website.
Tips for Evaluating a Supermarket POS Provider
When evaluating a supermarket point of sale provider, our first and most important piece of advice is to take your time.
While many POS systems appear similar on paper, they all have strengths and weaknesses. They also all feel different. A system with all the “right” features is still wrong if it’s not intuitive.
That’s why it’s key to schedule multiple demos with different providers to get an idea of what’s on the market. Before you do that, consider these key points:
- Budget: How much money are you currently spending on your system and how much will the new one cost? Similarly, how much time will you save using a new system?
- Goals: What are your short and long-term goals? By having these in mind, you can ask to see the features that matter most to your business. Which features are “must-haves” vs. “nice to haves”?
- Support: Who can you contact when things go wrong? Are you confident fixing it on your own without built-in support? Does the company provide any kind of onboarding support or training?
All of these are important when choosing a POS system.
See Why Supermarkets Around the Country Trust IT Retail
IT Retail is dedicated to helping small businesses with the right tools. We’ve partnered with hundreds of stores nationwide, helping them stay competitive and improve the customer experience.
Choosing the right supermarket point of sale system can be daunting, but it all starts with a conversation.
Schedule a custom demo today to see if IT Retail can help your supermarket meet its goals in 2025.
