Best POS Systems For Sports & Outdoor Retail In 2024

So, big day tomorrow! Today is already the last day of 2020 – a not-so-favorable year for everyone, especially for retail businesses. It’s finally the time for us to say goodbye to the “auld lang syne” and look forward to a brand new year. To secure a successful 2021, businesses in general and retailers in particular need to find themselves a supportive “side-kick” to help them with their retail business recovery. And we’re here to help! In today’s article, as our little New Year gift, we’ll present you with the 5 best POS systems for sports & outdoor retail in 2024!

Retailers in other industries, please don’t get jealous! We also have different lists of top POS systems for different types of businesses. Check them out now on our blog page!

ConnectPOS

ConnectPOS is a cloud-based POS software for omnichannel retail. Being one of the leading POS systems in the market, ConnectPOS is famous for being feature-rich, technologically advanced, and easy to use. With that being so, it is suitable for all sizes and all kinds of businesses. Nevertheless, ConnectPOS deems one of the best POS systems for sports & outdoor retail. This POS solution provider is trusted by more than 2,000 retailers worldwide. 

An attractive trait of ConnectPOS is the compatibility with multiple devices. From desktops, laptops (macOS, Windows), to mobile gadgets like smartphones and tablets (iOS, Android), this POS software can handle them all. 

Moreover, this POS solution provider takes pride in being budget-friendly while still ensuring essential functionalities to operate a retail business efficiently. The pricing plans are simple and straightforward with no hidden fees. Retailers can start with the Standard plan at US$49 per month if they pay monthly or US$39 if they pay annually. This plan ensures essential features for businesses without a huge upfront investment needed. Even better, merchants can customize their own POS system with the Custom plan. With that, you can “DIY” your POS to suit your needs and your pocket simultaneously. 

Key features:

Multi-store management

• Get inventory updated with real-time synchronization in multiple stores and multiple warehouses. 
• Gain precious insights into retail business performance including product sales, shift management, staff management, customer behavior across channels. 
• Easily add stores as the retail business grows or add registers to sell more during peak season. Besides, retailers can also deactivate a store or a register when they don’t need it anymore. 

Compatibility with advanced technologies

Integrating with Magento, ConnectPOS proudly equips its users with up-to-date technologies to enhance both business operations and customer experience. 

• PWA consumer app. This feature allows customers to access easily via a QR code, view product information simply by scanning barcodes, get personalized recommendations, and do self-check-out directly on their mobile phones.
• Interactive customer screen. Customers can actively interact with the customer display in various ways: review their items before paying, check items stocks, digitally sign, leave a rating, etc. 
• AI facial recognition. It helps store associates deliver a better personalized experience to each customer by recognizing existing customers and reviewing their personal information. They can also identify potential customers who have visited the store several times but haven’t purchased anything yet to assist them even better. Plus, ConnectPOS AI facial recognition supports better security by shoplifter alarm.  

Integrations

ConnectPOS integrates with multiple e-commerce platforms, including Magento, Shopify, BigCommerce, and WooCommerce. Merchants can also use the flexible payment integration with well-known payment gateways such as Paypal, Moneris, Authorize.Net, iZettle, etc. 

Lightspeed Retail POS

Lightspeed Retail POS is a cloud-based POS system. Business owners and operators know about this POS mostly because of its “library” of integrations. There are numerous integrations for Lightspeed users to equip for their POS system. That’s why this POS appears to be among the most ideal POS systems for sports & outdoor retail. 

Lightspeed Retail POS is compatible with multiple platforms from PC (macOS, Windows), and mobile devices including smartphones and tablets (Android, iOS). 

There are 5 pricing plans for merchants who wish to adopt Lightspeed Retail POS. The plans include Basic, Starter, Standard, Advanced, and Pro. Businesses can start at US$69 per month with the Basic plan, which comes with some most basic features. The higher plan they upgrade to, the more benefits and functionalities they will have. 

Key features:

Inventory management 

• Utilize custom tags and categories to effectively organize and quickly search products by brands, sports types, names, etc. 
• Import multiple items at once to save time with the powerful item import tool. 
• Use product matrices to arrange many variations of sporting goods. 
• Keep track of and efficiently organize work orders for services like skate sharpening.

E-commerce functionalities

Unlike many other POS systems, Lightspeed doesn’t partner directly with e-commerce companies. Instead, retailers can use third parties if they wish to connect Lightspeed Retail POS with e-commerce platforms. For instance, Accumula unites Lightspeed with Shopify/Plus and Magento 2, or Kosmos syncs Lightspeed and BigCommerce, Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, and X-Cart. 

With the integration of POS and e-commerce platforms, businesses can: 

• Import stock and synchronize location information from physical stores to e-commercial shops at the fingertips. 
• Have a wide range of themes to choose from with plenty of mobile-responsive and customizable templates to build a unique e-commerce website. 
• Manage shipping properly as retailers can view, edit, and organize shipments from the e-commerce back office. 
• Leverage built-in tools to boost SEO and drive traffic to the online sporting goods stores. 

Payment integration

Lightspeed Retail POS has its own independent payment processing system called Lightspeed Payments. However, Lightspeed Payments is available in the US and Canada only. Thus, for business owners and operators who are running their retail business in other countries, Lightspeed Retail POS integrates with various local payment solution providers.

Vend POS

Vend POS is a cloud-based POS system. Being on the list of favorable POS systems for sports & outdoor, the POS solution provider promises to help streamline operations, boost efficiency, and improve sales performance for retailers. 

Being capable of running well on multiple devices is a decent feature of this POS. Merchants who wish to integrate their POS into PCs (Windows, macOS) or mobile devices (iOS, Android) can consider Vend POS. Although Vend mobile POS primarily could only work on iOS-based devices, the Android-based POS has been made available recently.

On the website, Vend POS presents its pricing plans in 7 currencies. Basically, business owners and operators have 3 options to choose from: Lite at US$99, Pro at US$129, or Enterprise plan. Retailers will need to contact Vend POS to get a quote of the plan for enterprises. 

Key features:

Inventory management

• Quickly add, edit, and remove products. 
• Perform proper inventory count. 
• Easily monitor and keep track of stock levels across multiple locations with a built-in inventory management system.
• Conveniently order new supplies in the POS system to avoid running out of stock.
• Have inventory data synchronized in real-time thanks to seamless integration with e-commerce platforms. 

Multi-store management

• Flexible and remotely monitor and manage sporting goods retail business with a web browser or iPad app. 
• Easily scale upwards or downwards simply by adding new locations and registers.
• Actively make sales even in the most remote locations with an offline mode, which facilitates the continuity of operations when the internet connection is unstable or unavailable. 
• Manage catalog centrally so business owners and operators don’t need to visit each store. 

Integrations

Vend POS used to build its own in-house e-commerce solution. However, now it only integrates with third-party e-commerce platforms which are WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and Shopify. Indeed, e-commerce integration is only available for retailers who are using the Pro and Enterprise plans.

Vend POS has different payment solutions for sports & outdoor retail businesses in different regions in the world. For example, Australian merchants can make use of Afterpay, Commonwealth Bank, Klarna, Paypal, etc. 

FooSales POS

FooSales POS is a WordPress plugin. It was launched in 2018, and since then, FooSales POS has grown significantly and now becomes one of the favorite POS systems for sports & outdoor retail. 

One of the most powerful functions of this POS system is its ability to operate on multiple platforms. Whether it is PC-based (macOS, Windows) or tablets and smartphones (iOS, Android), FooSales POS is compatible with them all. 

Regarding pricing, retailers can get a 30-day free trial with no credit card information required. After that, businesses can continue using FooSales POS by subscribing to a single domain plan at US$15/month or a multiple domains plan for US$45/month. There is also a yearly plan for a lower price, $144/year for a single domain and $429/year for multiple domains. 

Key features:

Complete integration with WooCommerce

A little fact: Both WooCommerce and FooSales POS are plugins of WordPress. Thus, FooSales POS is designed to work natively with WooCommerce and uses the official WooCommerce  API to connect to your store. That’s why it is one of the best WooCommerce POS systems. With that being so, FooSales POS users can take advantage of the complete integration of a POS system and an e-commerce platform. 

Moreover, connecting directly to WooCommerce eliminates the need for a third party. With that, businesses can minimize syncing problems and reduce costs.

Catalog 

• Quickly add products to the cart by using the search function and selecting from the products list.
• Speed up the check-out process by using the device’s built-in camera or a handheld barcode scanner to scan the barcode of a product.
• Real-time synchronized data as the product quantities are automatically adjusted after scanning a product’s barcode.

Offline mode

This powerful feature empowers FooSales POS even when the internet is lost or unstable. Just note that you need an internet connection to log into your POS. Once you’ve logged in and completed an initial download of all your relevant store data, you can keep making sales without any interruptions. Even though there will be some limitations, fundamental functionalities can still be processed during offline mode (create new orders, process refunds and exchanges, etc.). All the transactions made during offline mode are stored on your devices. When you regain your internet connection, all of the data will be synced with your WooCommerce database. 

If there’s anything wrong with the synchronization, retailers can use the custom import tool in the FooSales plugin to manually import all offline changes back into the WooCommerce database.

Retail Express POS

Retail Express is a cloud-based retail software. It is deemed the number 1 Australian POS software for growing businesses in various industries, including apparel, furniture, toys, nutrition, and sports & outdoor. It is best for inventory-based retailers and is trusted by more than 4000 Australian & New Zealand retailers. It stands out as one of the most robust POS systems for sports & outdoor retail, with 3 separate solutions for startup, single store, and multiple stores. 

The POS software functions well on PC, Mac, iPad, and Windows-based tablets, giving merchants more flexibility. Although some mobile POS is claimed to be not as feature-rich as the PC-based version, Retail Express promises that its mobile POS will fulfill business needs with the same powerful features as available on PC and Mac. 

In terms of pricing, you can get the software and setup starting from US$129 per month per store.

Key features:

Customer management and customer loyalty

• Use in-store surveys to collect customers’ information. 
• Build customer groups for personalized marketing and exclusive promotional offerings. 
• Create fruitful loyalty programs with advanced features like minimum redemption spend thresholds, points expiry dates, and bonus multipliers.
• Reduce manual marketing work with automated SMS and emails.
• Ensure proper margins by configuring the rules and rewards exactly how you want them to be. 

Inventory and order fulfillment management

• Get visibility into the supply chain for every single SKU.
• Easily monitor and manage large product volumes across multiple locations.
• Optimize inventory levels in multiple locations with smart algorithms.
• Automatically replenish stock and make orders when detecting low-stock situations.
• Make special orders with suppliers to fulfill customers’ needs and demands. 
• Transfer stock across channels. 
• Utilize barcode scanners to digitize the stocktakes.

Integrations

Retail Express POS offers users the most extensive range of integrated payment options, favored by Australian consumers. Some payment solutions partnering with Retail Express POS are Afterpay, zipPay, Tyro, Skyzer Payments, etc. 

In terms of e-commerce, the POS integrates with leading e-commerce platforms: Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, and Neto. 

Let’s thrive in 2024!

As you’re reading these lines, 2024 is already coming close, knocking at your door. We gave you the list of the top 5 POS systems for sports & outdoor retail in 2023 to seize every opportunity it will give business owners and operators like you. We hope that you find it helpful to ensure a hopefully more favorable year for the retail space. And if you’re still not sure which one among these 5 to count on, how about taking a closer look at our suggestion?

ConnectPOS prides itself on having all the resources and abilities to offer one of the best POS software on the market. And it’s just a few clicks away! Book your 14-day completely free trial below, or contact now to receive 24/7 assistance. 

We wish you all the best in 2024!