A point-of-sale (POS) system offers an alternative way that customers can pay you. Some of the benefits of a POS system for SMEs are: that it can speed up the checkout process and also help you to save and organise your sales data, store customer contact information and generate reports to analyse your business’ and sales performance.
Industries where the POS system is popularly used include retail and hospitality.
To help you find the perfect POS system for your small business, we compare two popular options – iKhokha and Yoco.
iKhokha – ‘Multiple Options Available’
About iKhokha
According to their website iKhokha, “believes that every South African entrepreneur should be allowed to compete in the digital economy and we, as a team and a business aim to give them the tools to do just that”.
iKhokha provides a range of card machines and point-of-sale systems that allow users to accept card payments.
Features
Ikhokha’s online suite of tools allows users to get reports and analytics, view settlements and manage refunds, manage products and staff, and access working capital within three months of trade.
All iKhokha card machines, except the Shaker Solo, connect to your smartphone via Bluetooth for easy transacting. The Solo boasts a 3G SIM connection to accept payments without being connected to a smartphone.
Customers can choose one of three POS software options available:
1. Retail POS System (shop, kiosk)
Features include the following:
- Product management, categorisation & inventory control
- Staff management with access-controlled logins
- Analytics and reporting with exporting functions
- Customer loyalty programs and promotions
- Staff, customer and supplier record management
2. Hospitality POS System (Cafe, bar)
Features include the following:
- Ability to customise table layouts
- Ability to create a kitchen, bar or custom station to receive orders
- Ability to split customer bills
- Ability to track and manage the usage of your ingredients
3. Enterprise POS System (store, restaurant)
Features include the following:
- 1 additional POS-ter software license
Prices
They have a range of card machines suited to all business types:
- Mover PRO – R999 – Tap & Go capability & Bluetooth connection to your smartphone.
- Shaker DUO – R2499 – Built-in printer, Tap & Go capability and connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth.
- Shaker SOLO – R3249 – With Wifi, Built-in Receipts Printer & SIM card. Accept card payments, no phone is required.
There are also other optional add-ons available.
There are no monthly fees and a transaction rate of 2.75% ex VAT.
- The first 14 days are free.
Benefits
- Customers’ card, cash and loyalty payments are captured in one place because of iKhokha and Poster integration.
- Custom Cash Advance offer available for active iKhokha merchants – must have traded for the past 3 months consecutively and must trade at least 3 times a month.
- The iKhokha’s Poster Boss app can help to analyse sales data by date range and you can view detailed statistics by product category.
- Your card machine can be delivered in 5 – 7 working days.
- They claim to have one of the lowest transaction rates in the country.
Yoco – ‘Small Business All-rounder’
About Yoco
Yoco’s POS system facilitates card payments for small businesses through their card machines. Their suite of tools allows for insights and comprehensive management of the business through the Yoco Point of Sale (POS) and Yoco Business Portal.
In 2018 Yoco introduced a cash advance offering, Yoco Capital, which is available exclusively to Yoco merchants. Merchants are able to pay off the advance when they get paid – with no collateral, and a fixed, upfront fee.
Features
The Yoco package is made up of a card machine and their online suite of tools, other hardware includes iPad and cellphone bundles and stands. Other accessories are pouches, lanyards or holsters. All of these are sold separately.
Other features include:
- Yoco requires an Internet connection/3G.
- You can use your smartphone or tablet to run the app on your existing Android or iOS smart device and add products, track sales and send digital receipts
- To improve your customer service, you can pair your card machine with your smart device and start accepting card payments, record cash and other payments like Snapscan, Zapper or EFT, and you can run a customer tab or save a cart for later payment.
- To better your customer experience, you can split bills and add discounts for customers, send digital receipts via e-mail or SMS, and manage refunds and chargebacks directly from the app.
- For your employees, you can accept tips to incentivise staff, create individual staff accounts, and secure staff accounts with a short PIN code.
- To help you sell, you can add and customise products with photos, descriptions, prices, variants and more. You can also manage inventory in one place and sync it between staff.
Payment Solution for SMEs
Prices
Merchants must purchase a Yoco card machine (3 options are available – see below), thereafter, there are no monthly costs, and merchants pay a per transaction fee that starts at 2.95% (excl VAT) which reduces as turnover increases.
- Yoco Go – R499 once-off – Accept contactless payments on the go.
- Yoco Pro – R999 once-off – mounts on your countertop and allows you to accept contactless card payments in-store.
- Yoco Neo – R2199 once-off – no smartphone pairing required.
Benefits
- You are able to connect your business to Xero. You can also integrate Yoco card payments with Vend or TabletPOS.
- On your desktop or tablet, you can view and track your sales history or access your business and account data in your online business portal.
- Payment Request is a simple way to request online VISA and MasterCard payments from your customers.
- Free access to tools to help your business grow, including Yoco POS app to manage your products and services from anywhere; Business Portal for performance insights and tracking.
- Expert support every day from 08:00 to 20:00, 365 days a year.
Disclaimer: Please note that some of the links in this article are affiliate links and SME South Africa will earn a commission if you purchase through those links. All recommendations have been carefully considered and they are resources SME South Africa has found helpful and trustworthy.
