Many retailers delay upgrading their retail POS systems due to misconceptions about high costs, complexity, and limited features. But the truth is that modern retail POS software is essential for staying agile and providing a top-notch customer experience. It isn’t just an extra expense.
According to Retail Consulting Partners, more than half of retailers are still using outdated POS systems, with over 50% of all POS software being more than five years old. Putting off an upgrade now could mean falling behind on customer expectations.
Below, we’ll clear up common myths about POS systems, explore the potential of advanced POS software, and show you what makes the best POS system for retail stand out from the rest.
Myth 1: Retail POS Software is Too Expensive for the Average Retailer
Nowadays, most retail POS solutions use a flexible pricing model. Instead of paying huge upfront costs for hardware and licenses, you make predictable monthly payments. This makes the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) much lower.
Hybrid POS platforms offer lower initial costs and subscription-based fees compared to traditional POS systems, which typically come with high upfront costs and minimal recurring fees. In short, you’re paying manageable monthly fees rather than a significant lump sum. This makes advanced features more accessible, even for small and medium enterprises.
Veras Retail highlights this lower TCO. Our retail management platform leverages proven technology to rapidly deploy new features, eliminating the need for a hefty initial investment. You pay as you grow, which frees up cash for inventory, marketing, and other vital areas of your retail business.
Myth 2: Upgrading POS Systems is Too Complex and Disruptive
The days of lengthy, disruptive POS upgrades are long gone. Modern POS systems are built for quick, low-disruption rollouts. Most are API-driven and integrate easily with your existing ERP, CRM, and e-commerce platforms. They also deliver automatic updates with little to no downtime, meaning new features and security patches can be installed overnight without interrupting sales.
Integration is smooth, too. The top POS systems for retail come with out-of-the-box connections to e-commerce and CRM systems. Take our retail management solutions, for example. Veras CheckOut and Extend are hardware-agnostic, meaning they work with tablets or other devices, so adding or replacing terminals is a breeze.
Plus, Veras CheckOut syncs in real time with back-end systems like inventory, orders, and customer data via open APIs, while Veras Extend enables mobile POS and clienteling for associates.
The result? No store downtime and minimal disruption, making it easy for staff to quickly adapt to new checkout features, like mobile selling or clienteling, with almost no reconfiguration needed.
Myth 3: My Current Point-of-Sale System is Secure Enough
Security threats are constantly evolving, so you cannot just “set and forget” an old POS system. Did you know that the FTC reported $2 billion in payment fraud just in 2024 alone? That’s how important it’s become to properly handle card data.
The best modern retail POS systems come with built-in, certified security features that reduce the burden of compliance. As Retail TouchPoints explains, a POS system that “does not store, process, or transmit cardholder data” is not subject to PCI (PA-DSS) requirements. This means no costly annual audits or software updates are needed, and the risk of on-site data theft is greatly reduced.
Veras CheckOut takes a fully out-of-PCI-scope approach: it never stores customer payment data. By partnering with secure payment providers, we ensure PCI-sensitive data bypasses the POS, making compliance free of headaches!
Myth 4: Retail POS Software is Just a Glorified Calculator
Thinking of your point of sale as just a “cash register” is a thing of the past. Current top POS systems for retail are powerhouses that drive growth across your entire business.
- Omnichannel Integration
The best retail POS systems connect your online and in-store channels seamlessly. For instance, 67% of U.S. shoppers have used Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store (BOPIS) in 2020. A modern POS like Veras CheckOut automatically handles these orders, syncing inventory across your entire operation and smoothly managing endless-aisle requests or store pickups.
- Real-Time Inventory Management
Inaccurate stock data can hurt sales. Up to 60% of retailers have inventory records that are off. An advanced POS with live inventory (such as Veras Stock) fixes this. It shows real-time item availability across stores and warehouses, allowing for “save-the-sale” orders, better backroom replenishment, and even ship-from-store e-commerce orders.
- Personalized Customer Engagement
Modern POS retail software integrates with your CRM and loyalty programs, creating a 360° customer profile right at checkout. Studies show 72% of consumers expect personalized service, and with a point-of-sale retail CRM solution like Veras Reach, you can use real-time customer data to offer tailored promotions and show purchase history during the sale.
- Advanced Promotions and Upselling
With a sophisticated promotions engine like Veras Activate, you can also run complex offers like buy-one-get-one deals, serialized coupons, and upsell prompts, all auto-applied at checkout and calculating discounts based on your specific rules.
Myth 5: You Have to Choose Between Robust Features and Offline Reliability
It used to be that powerful retail software needed constant internet connectivity. However, modern enterprise POS platforms offer both advanced features and a reliable offline mode, without which every internet outage puts your business at risk of lost sales and damaged customer loyalty.
A modern POS, such as Veras CheckOut, automatically switches to offline mode when needed, allowing you to continue sales and scans, then syncs all the data once you’re back online. This way, retailers get the stability of an old-school system along with the omnichannel features and real-time inventory capabilities. No longer do you have to choose between the two.
Partner with Veras Retail for the Ultimate Retail POS Software Solution
Retail POS software is now the backbone of a retailer’s ability to keep up with the market standards. The best POS system for retail is usually flexible and future-proof, allowing for omnichannel selling, data-driven marketing, and, most notably, uninterrupted service.
It’s clear that Veras Retail software delivers proven enterprise-level functionality at a lower TCO, with seamless integrations and built-in security. The smartest retailers will choose an agile, omnichannel POS, such as Veras CheckOut with its mobile and web components, to stay ahead of the competition.
Hence, it is time your retail chain upgrades to the top POS systems for retail that support its growth and customer experience goals, one that combines enterprise power with ease of use!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. How long does a typical POS migration take?
It depends on the scope. For a single-store pilot, it usually takes about a month or two; for large-scale rollouts, retailers often plan 3 to 9 months for phased deployment and testing. Data is transferred using ETL tools and APIs. Veras Retail’s best practice involves cleansing the data and doing a staged migration (pilot → phased rollout) to ensure accuracy before going live.
2. Can retailers keep existing payment processors and peripherals?
Most enterprise POS systems from Veras Retail are hardware- and payment processor-agnostic, meaning retailers can usually continue using their current card terminals, scanners, and printers if they are supported.
3. How do the various Veras Retail modules work together?
Veras modules share a unified enterprise data model, syncing inventory, orders, customers, and promotions in real time to create smooth omnichannel workflows and consistent customer experiences.
4. Does Veras Retail support mobile and kiosk use cases?
Yes! Veras Extend enables mPOS, price checks, clienteling, self-checkout, and kiosk experiences on both Android and iOS devices.
