Is Square POS right for your retail business?
Square POS is an American point of sale platform. It is pitched to small retailers as low cost and easy to use. You will often see it bundled with free hardware and promoted on TV.
Square is easy to set up. Retailers like that, and fair enough.
Cost is a different question. Square can look cheap. Whether it is cheap for your business depends on your numbers.
Work out what Square will cost you
Square charges a percentage of each card sale. At the time of writing, Square charges 1.6% per transaction for in-person card payments, and that fee includes access to its free POS software plan. Card-not-present transactions are charged at 2.2%.
A percentage fee grows with your business. The more you sell, the more you pay.
Before you decide:
- Pull your daily card transaction count and total value.
- Apply Square's current rate to those numbers.
- Multiply it out over three years. That is a fair way to judge the total cost of ownership of any POS software.
Example: a store taking $3,000 a day in card sales at 1.6% pays $48 a day. Over a 360-day trading year, that is $17,280. Over three years, it is $51,840.
When you compare, add any alternative’s software cost to the card processing rate you can negotiate yourself. That gives you a like-for-like picture.
The Tower Systems alternative
Tower Systems does not charge based on your transaction volume or value. Your software cost is capped, and you know exactly what it costs each day.
It is a few dollars a day for the software and access to real human support.
We are also payment provider agnostic. You choose your provider and negotiate your own rate. Your card processing cost stays between you and your provider.
Make two phone calls
If Square interests you, call them. Have a few questions ready.
Then call us. Use any of our local office or mobile numbers, our national sales line on 1300 662 957, or email sales@towersystems.com.au.
We think you will have two very different experiences. Easy access to a human is one reason local retailers choose Tower over Square. Being local is another.
POS software can be complex. A quick call with a person usually sorts out a question in minutes. It gets frustrating when you cannot reach anyone.
So call Square with a question or two. See how they respond, and factor that into your decision.
So, is Square right for you?
Only you can decide that. As you weigh it up, consider:
- How easily you can reach a person when you need help
- Whether that help is local
- Whether that level of service is what you need to get the most from your POS software
