More and more retailers are turning to point of sale (POS) systems to keep up with growing demand across physical stores, e-commerce sites, and digital channels.
POS systems aren’t just where sales happen, they’re where the customer experience is either made smoother or stalls. For retailers juggling in-store inventory, digital orders, and real-time customer expectations, a good POS is less about flashy hardware and more about doing the essentials really well to help businesses stay aligned and responsive.
But with so many options on the market and varying business models to consider, finding the right fit can be a real challenge, so here’s a closer look at six leading retail POS systems which each offer unique strengths tailored to specific business needs.
1. Manhattan Active® Point of Sale: A Leading, All-in-One POS Option
Manhattan Active’s Point of Sale system is recognized as one of the most advanced enterprise POS systems available today. Unlike many solutions that focus narrowly on transactions, it is purpose-built to unify selling, service, and fulfillment across physical and digital channels.
Its cloud-native, microservices architecture ensures real-time visibility into enterprise-wide inventory, empowering associates to fulfill online orders, locate items, and process returns seamlessly from any device. Associate also gain mobile tools that surface customer profiles, curated lookbooks, integrate personalized recommendations, and appointment scheduling, all designed to deliver higher-touch service and stronger client relationships.
Manhattan’s continuous innovation cycle, with frictionless updates every 90 days, ensures retailers are always running the latest features without disruptive upgrades. And as part of the broader Manhattan Active® Omni suite, the POS extends naturally into advanced order management, inventory optimization, and Maven, Manhattan’s AI-powered customer service agent—making it the industry’s first AI-enabled POS experience.
The platform is already proven at scale: retailers like Pacsun achieved 30% faster checkout times, while specialty and luxury retailers use it to deliver seamless omnichannel experiences across high-volume retail environments across hundreds of stores. This makes Manhattan Active POS the go-to choice for retailers who need enterprise agility and future-ready innovation in one unified solution.
2. Clover: Flexibility for SMB Retailers
Clover’s retail POS provides a practical solution for small and midsize businesses looking for a customizable system.
Its modular design allows retailers to build the exact setup they need with essential tools like payment processing, gift card programs, and inventory tracking. It also helps them connect seamlessly with e-commerce services like Pointy, which makes in-store products discoverable online via Google.
Clover delivers enterprise-level functionality with real-time insights on customer behavior and purchase trends, enabling more targeted promotions and smarter inventory decisions. And its fast, flexible refund processing, even for orders with multiple payment types, helps smaller retailers maintain professional standards as they expand.
3. Heartland: A Cost-Effective Option for Continued Growth
Heartland is a reliable choice for midsize retailers looking for a scalable, cost-effective way to unify their operations.
With no need for complicated technical setups or subscription fees, this modern POS software consolidates data from both physical and digital channels into a centralized sales dashboard, allowing staff to track sales, manage transfers, and fulfill special orders in real-time.
It also comes with advanced inventory tools like automatic reordering and item grid visualization, which simplify stock oversight. As retailers grow their operations, built-in integrations for accounting, reporting, and e-commerce make it easy to add new capabilities without switching systems.
4. Shift4: A Unified System to Streamline Operations
Shift4’s POS platform combines key operational functions like customer relationship management, employee scheduling, and performance tracking into one centralized system.
Features like gift card programs, shopping cart integrations, and secure card-not-present and contactless payment processing support online growth, while advanced security protocols like EMV compliance and point-to-point encryption (P2PE) keep customer data protected at every touchpoint, making it ideal for multi-location retailers looking to oversee operations, enforce security standards, and deliver a seamless experience across all stores.
5. eHopper: A Simple Option for Lean Teams
eHopper is a lightweight option designed for single-store retailers with small teams. Its intuitive interface requires minimal staff training and works seamlessly across a variety of devices, including countertop PCs, tablets, and eHopper’s POYNT smart terminal, allowing quick, in-person payments with automatic syncing and no need for manual updates.
Retailers can also add custom notes to orders, quickly access customer profiles, and manage staff scheduling, inventory tracking, and loyalty programs all in one place with eHopper.
6. IT Retail: Tailor-Made for Grocers
IT Retail’s POS is a purpose-built solution for grocery stores and specialty food retailers handling high-volume sales and complex product catalogs.
It combines fast checkout tools like scanner scale integration and electronic benefit transfer (EBT) payment support with tailored reporting on store performance to help reduce shrinkage and protect profit margins.
Designed specifically for stores managing perishable and packaged goods, IT Retail delivers a streamlined setup that prioritizes both speed and accuracy.
Making Retail Faster, Simpler, and Smarter
From small shops to enterprise chains, today’s POS systems are no longer just about payments—they’re about connecting channels, data, and customer experiences in real time. Modern solutions make retail operations faster and simpler while enabling new ways to engage customers across stores and digital channels.
Of the options available, Manhattan Active® Point of Sale has emerged as the benchmark for enterprise retailers. With its unified commerce design, AI-powered extensions, and proven results in high-volume environments, it represents the gold standard for retailers who want to future-proof their operations.
Other systems highlighted here each bring unique strengths to specific business models, from SMB flexibility to grocery-specific innovation. But for global brands looking for a POS that scales with complexity while driving agility, Manhattan Active POS sets the bar.
