What is Square?
Square is a superior mobile point of sale system with a well-designed interface that is simple for its customers to use. Square POS is available for Android, iPhone, iPad and cloud. This POS system was created to help businesses reach new heights when it comes to performance and customer development. A Point of Sale system is the hardware and software that enables business owners to monitor sales and accept payments. With the Square point of sale platform, small and mid size companies can run their businesses with confidence and competence, whilst managing and improving their bottom line.
Square is a great platform for the beginner because of its design and ease of use. When you are starting out with a new business, you don’t wish to have problems navigating an app. Square doesn’t require users to buy any additional hardware and it isn’t necessary to use a tablet, you can merely plug it into your smartphone. Square’s dashboard and register are synced, which means if you update one, as a matter of course, it will be updated on the other. Last but certainly not least, Square is so simple to set up. You register on the official website, provide your banking information and within 7-10 business days you will receive a free Square reader.
With the Square platform, point of sale users pay no monthly fee – only a flat rate on swiped transactions, this can be the perfect set-up for small businesses because it ends up being a lot cheaper for them.
If you are a small to mid size business that wishes to increase your productivity, expand your customer outreach and gain insights on what your strengths and shortcomings are – Square may be the perfect point of sale platform for you.
Square
What popular features do you get with Square?
- Flat-fee pricing
- Great mobility
- No contracts
- Supports Android and iOS
- Account protection tools
- Credit card processing
- eCommerce integration
- Inventory management
- ACH payment processing
- Has the ability to operate without wifi
- Online checkout form
- USB scale
- Email Subscription updates
- In-app sales report
- Reporting and Analytics
Customer Support is available at Square
Square offers phone support to customers between Monday to Friday. Email, social media messaging and a community forum are also available. The online user manual at Square is also handy for customers who are looking for answers, it includes screenshots, step-by-step guides, articles and videos for every feature and product. It’s easy to use and well set out on the site.
What kind of business is Square ideal for?
Square is appropriate for a host of businesses including; pubs, cafes, bakeries, beauty professionals, health and fitness, food and beverage, retail, trades and services, markets and countless others.
For businesses that are high-stress and fast-paced, Square’s simple interface and list of features can save the day. Staff members don’t want to be dealing with complex point of sale systems in that type of work environment, so it makes Square an intelligent choice for those business concepts.
For Bars and Pubs, Square POS can offer users – Split Checks, Inventory Control, Cash Drawer Management and Gift Card Management.
For Restaurants, Square provides its users with Reporting and Analytics, a Loyalty Program, Mobile Access, plus Gift Card and Inventory Management.
Retailers who sign up to Square have access to mobile payments, signature capture, receipt printing, point of sale transactions, recurring billing and more.
Trades and Services love the Square platform (going by the user reviews) because of its mobile payments. According to the Square website, over 100 million dollars has been earned by Trade and Home Service businesses using Square. And it’s no wonder when business owners can take care of their business from the comfort of their own smartphone or tablet. Square assists these types of businesses to streamline their accounting, manage their staff and get paid promptly.
Square may not be ideal for larger, high volume businesses due to the pricing set-up.
Pros and Cons
- No monthly fees
- Countless features
- Perfect for small business owners
- Mobility to use on the go anywhere
- Account limitations and drawbacks
- Account freezes and suspensions
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Here are some products we think might be a good fit based on what people like you viewed.
Lavu
- À la carte integration options
- Highly customizable
- Offers third-party processors
- Money-back guarantee
- No interchange rate markup
- Free virtual terminal
EPOS NOW
- Demo and free trials
- Easy integration with third party systems
- Cheaper hardware options
How much does Square cost?
*based on information provided by the vendor. Actual cost may vary.
Square Point of Sale software is absolutely free. There are no set up fees or monthly fees. Basically, you only get charged when you take a payment.
- Dashboard is free
- Gift Cards start at $1.30 per card
- App Marketplace – free to integrate
- Online Store – starting at 2.2% per transaction
- Loyalty – starting at $49/month
- Team Management is free
Hardware and Software:
- Square Reader (tap & go credit card reader) – $59 + 1.9% per tap or insert
- Square Stand (iPad POS) – $149 + 1.9% per in-person payment
- Square Terminal (credit & eftpos machine) – $329 +1.6% per tap or insert
- Square Register (fully integrated POS terminal) – $1099 + 1.6% per tap or insert
- Custom Rates – Square are happy to create custom pricing packages for all businesses that process over $250,000 in card transactions annually. Business owners should make contact with the Square Sales Team to find out if they are eligible.
Final thoughts...
In 2009, Square was co-founded by Twitter CEO, Jack Dorsey and American businessman, Jim McKelvey. Square is an offshoot of Block Inc (formerly known as Square Inc) and is based in San Francisco, California. The Point of Sale and payment processing platform has a lot to offer including inventory tracking, offline capabilities, a stack of features and more.
Square’s ‘no contracts and no monthly fees’ makes it the perfect point of sale choice for small businesses because they are only being charged per transaction. Square has the ability to integrate with a ton of useful apps to help businesses grow and succeed. Some of these include; Xero accounting software, Woo Commerce, Mailchimp, Acuity Scheduling, Go Daddy websites and marketing in addition to dozens of others.
Square POS is used by various industries for its intuitive interface, affordable pricing and basic ease-of-use. Square point-of-sale is available to users in English, Spanish, French and Japanese.
