2018 Review of QuickBooks Point of Sale 18.0

From the Sept. 2018 reviews of Point-of-Sale systems.

QuickBooks Desktop Point of Sale 18.0 is best suited for small to mid-sized retail operations that desire integration with other QuickBooks Desktop financial applications. Available in three editions, QuickBooks Multi-Store edition can support up to 20 locations. Designed for desktop installation, QuickBooks Desktop Point of Sale now works with Microsoft Surface Pro 4, which provides a measure of flexibility for users.

QuickBooks Desktop Point of Sale offers an easily navigated user entry screen with a drop-down menu at the top of the screen that takes users to a variety of program areas. A series of customizable tabs to the left offers access to point of sale functions including Make a Sale, Receive Items, Customer, Item, and Department List, Reports, and End of Day. The sales processing screen offers access to system functions, with tabs for tender options as well as detailed product descriptions. Users can look up both products and customers from the sales interface and add new information on the fly if necessary. Sales can be processed by entering product information or use a barcode scanner if desired. New integration with Microsoft Surface Pro 4 enables users to process sales from anywhere in the store and simply sync with the main application when returning to the register.

Users will have to use the Multi-Store version of QuickBooks Desktop Point of Sale in order to enable multiple registers. The product is designed to allow a variety of transactions to be processed from the sales interface screen, including the ability to add a new item, give a discount, process a return, put the order on hold, inventory receiving, as well as access to customer, product, and department lists. Both the Pro and Multi-Store edition of the product can also track serial number, allow users to add images to inventory, and manage orders.

QuickBooks Desktop Point of Sale supports multiple tender types including Cash, Checks, Credit and Debit Cards, Gift Certificates and Gift Cards. All editions of the product offer integration with QuickBooks Point of Sale Payments for easy credit card acceptance.

QuickBooks Desktop Point of Sale offers good customer management capability, with users able to track a variety of detail on each customer including a complete retail history, average receipt totals, and activity for specified period of time. Retailers can also choose to implement a customer loyalty program, which provides a more in-depth view of customer purchasing habits as well as the ability to reward customers for their business.

QuickBooks Point of Sale offers good inventory management capability, with the product supporting multiple pricing levels. In the Pro and Multi-Store edition of the product, users can assign an automatic reorder point, with the system processing a purchase order once the product reaches the indicated level, add a picture to an inventory item, and track inventory transfers between store locations. In the Pro and Multi-Store editions, users can also create price updates of discounts across multiple products and departments.

QuickBooks Desktop Point of Sales offers more than 50 pre-built reports that can be fully customized. Reports are accessed in the Report Center, with reports categorized by Customers, Items, Payments, Sales, Purchasing, and Employees. Reports available include the Activity Detail Report, which provides users with a detailed overview of all credit and debit card transactions, along with sales/inventory reports such as bestselling and worst selling products, products returned the most, and an Item Summary. All reports can also be exported to Microsoft Excel for more customization if desired.

QuickBooks Point of Sale seamlessly integrates with other QuickBooks desktop products, so users can transfer sales and customer data, eliminating the need to enter information twice. Users can also import customer and vendor files directly into QuickBooks Point of Sale using Microsoft Excel or Word. The product also integrates with common point of sale hardware peripherals including PIN Pads, receipt printers barcode scanners, cash drawers, pole displays, tag printers, and wireless barcode scanners.

QuickBooks Point of Sale Help functionality can be accessed directly from the product if necessary. Technical support is available during extended business hours Monday through Friday, with support available on Saturday and Sunday as well. Users can also access the support center, which provides access to a downloadable user guide, as well as good search functionality. Users can also obtain product support from local resellers if more convenient.

QuickBooks Desktop Point of Sale 18.0 is well-suited for small to mid-sized retail businesses that also utilize QuickBooks Desktop, though the product can also be used as a stand-alone point of sale application if desired. The product is currently priced 40 percent below retail, with the Basic edition $720, the Pro edition $1,020, and the Multi-Store edition now $1,140.

2018 Rating – 4.75 Stars