2020 Review of Vend Point of Sale

From the 2020 reviews of point of sale systems.

Vend is an online point of sale application designed to work on iPad, Mac, and PC platforms. Along with complete point of sale capability, Vend includes e-commerce management, flexible payment acceptance, inventory management capability, and flexible reporting options. Though designed to be used online, in the event an Internet connection is lost, Vend will continue to work offline, with data synching with the application once a connection is available.

Vend offers an intuitive user interface, that can be customized to suit user needs. A vertical menu bar to the left of the screen provides access to all Vend functions, while point of sale activity is completed in the center of the screen.

Vend offers complete product search capability, with users able to search for a product while completing a sale. Both customers and products can be added on the fly, and Vend allows users to set up quick processing buttons to streamline the sales process. Users can process a variety of transaction types including high volume cash sales, customer sales, online sales, gift card sales, layaways, refunds, credits, and voids.  

Vend currently supports multiple tender types, including cash, checks, debit cards, credit cards, and gift cards. The application also accepts split payments, partial payments and mobile payments such as ApplePay. In addition, users can create custom payment types and add payment buttons to the interface for expedited processing.  

All Vend editions support multiple registers, although retail businesses with multiple locations will need to purchase either the Pro or Enterprise version. Vend also integrates with popular online selling platforms such as Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce, and has recently added Online fulfillment and Click and Collect capability which is available to users that have integrated Vend with one of these online selling platforms.  

Vend provides easy customer management capability, with users able to process cash sales or create a new customer on the fly when processing a sale. Vend is also an ideal solution for brick and mortar retailers who sell online, as the application is able to centralize operations into one central database, synching with multiple stores and warehouses. Vend also includes a loyalty program that tracks customer purchases for discounts and rewards, with the ability to target sales to specific customer groups as well.

Inventory management capability is outstanding in Vend, offering multi-store inventory management including product transfers. Online retailers can also manage inventory in Vend, using a Bluetooth or USB device to add inventory products using a smartphone. Vend supports multiple pricing levels, along with multiple descriptors such as size and color, and users are able to create groups for like products or products that are typically sold together.  

The Vend Retail Dashboard provides retailers with a real time look at performance metrics such as Total Revenue, Sale Count, Customer Count, Gross Profit, Discount Percentage, and Basket Value, with a look at both current and historical performance available. Reports are available in five categories: Sales Reports, Inventory Reports, Payment Reports, Register Reports, and Gift Card Reports, and reports including Sales Summary Report, User Report, Product Report, and Item Sold reports are available. Users can run reports by location in order to spot sales trends and reorder products with better accuracy, and all reports offer drill-down capability, with the Pro and Enterprise plans including advanced reporting options. Reports are completely customizable and can be exported to a CSV file for further customization if desired.

Vend offers integration with both Xero and QuickBooks Online as well as MYOB for smaller businesses, with integration with NetSuite and Gusto available as well. Vend integrates with all common point of sale hardware peripherals including scanners, receipt printers, and cash drawers. The product also works on an iPad for anytime/anywhere sales processing. Users can also opt to purchase point of sale hardware directly from Vend.  

The Resources section of Vend’s website offers access to a variety of support tools which include the Help Center, with access to videos available as well. Users can also access the Vend blog, download a variety of guides and eBooks, and watch prerecorded webinars. Vend offers 24/7 global support, which is included in the price of the product, with users able to access support via telephone or email. Various training options are also available, with both live and on-demand training available.    

Vend offers a modern take on point of sale systems, emphasizing speed, convenience, and an all-in-one solution. Scalable, Vend currently offers three plans: Lite which supports a single location and costs $99 per month; Pro, which can be used in single and multiple locations and costs $129 per month; and Enterprise, which supports six or more locations, and is best suited for larger or multi-store retailers, with pricing available upon request.  All editions of Vend include real time inventory management capability, 24/7 phone and online support, and small business reporting capability.

2020 Rating – 5 Stars

Product Strengths:

• Suitable for retailers of all sizes
• Works with brick and mortar and online platforms
• Integrates with accounting applications
• 24/7 support is available

Potential Limitations:

• No dedicated mobile app