Product Focus: Tasting Room Point-of-Sale Systems

Credit: Ryan Grant

Your tasting room cash register should be doing more than just ringing up sales. The point-of-sale (POS) systems available today can be utilized through a terminal or mobile device and offer myriad other functions that range from marketing to inventory management. Several suppliers offer POS systems that are fully integrated with wine club management, e-commerce, warehouse and shipping as well as bookkeeping. The price of a POS service varies from supplier to supplier and typically involves a monthly service fee as well as one-time fees for hardware and software.

NEXTERNAL Nexternal recently released an iPad mobile device called Engage, which is integrated with the Nexternal POS system but can also work with other providers. Winery staff can manage tasting room sales, off-site event sales and a wine club with the device. The device can cover multiple types of inventory at different locations and offers multiple access levels for flexibility and security. nexternal.com

ORION Orion added a Salesforce customer-relationship management (CRM) application to its integrated POS system and sales suite WiMS. All of a winery’s DtC customers, club members and sales are synchronized from WiMS to the cloud-based CRM platform. Staff can use the system for contact management, telemarketing, email and other sales and marketing initiatives. orionwinesoftware.com

VINTEGRATE Vintegrate’s POS system is part of the company’s sales and marketing suite called Vintegrate 360. The POS system is accessible through a touchscreen or keyboard and also supports barcode scanning and card-swipe functions. A “fast collect” feature ensures customer information is collected during the sale. The POS system also has features for tasting room management such as employee scheduling, inventory, product management and key performance metrics. vintegrate.com

VIN65 Vin65 added a new “customer capture” element to its mobile POS system. Whenever a credit card is processed, the system searches through all of the winery’s databases for that customer’s name and email address to make any necessary updates or add new information. The Vin65 system also now has a function to alter the amount paid, payment type and split orders. The POS also identifies wine club members and prompts staff to offer incentives, upsell and mention any discounts or special offers. vin65.com

ORDERPORT Orderport’s POS system now offers a tab function with credit card pre-authorization. Customers can order more items or close out the tab without staff needing to run the card a second time. Other new features include a split ticket function, sales tax removal for visitors from states with no sales tax and a driver’s license-scanning function to populate pertinent details for a wine club membership. The new system also enables customers to modify orders when picking up at the winery, and the company developed its own process for handling gift card purchases so wineries aren’t charged a processing fee. orderport.net

ACTIVE CLUB SOLUTIONS Active Club Solutions’ POS system is one element of what the company calls its “truly integrated” direct-to-consumer system. The POS system is a native app on an Apple iPad (downloadable through the App Store) and features encryption at entry or card swipe. All sales are tied to a central database that automatically adjusts inventory and collects real-time shipping rates. The POS system also can be used to manage and update a wine club membership, and all member updates are emailed directly to the club manager. Winery staff can change club allotments with the “swap” button, and the POS also handles split bills, tips and open tabs. The system can be expanded as needed and fully integrated with QuickBooks. activeclubsolutions.com

XÜDLE Xüdle offers a mobile and desktop POS solution powered by the company’s cloud-based system. The POS system offers a simple interface as well as inventory management and administrative functions for managing staff. The system can also be used with CRM software and MailChimp and complements Xüdle’s wine club and e-commerce functions. xudle.com

VINTERACTIVE VinterActive’s new SecureWineShop integrates a mobile tasting room POS system with e-commerce, wine club, wholesale and compliance functions. The mobile POS system is powered by PayPal Here and is compatible with any Android or iOS device. The system works with chip-enabled credit cards and swipe transactions as well as hardware such as cash drawers and receipt printers. vinteractive.com

EWINERY SOLUTIONS eWinery Solutions recently released its new vinSuite system, which features a full winery sales management system and POS system. The company reports its vinSuite system offers an administration panel with varying levels of user roles and permissions, order management and an improved system for managing a wine club. The vinSuite POS system can be managed through a desktop terminal or via tablet. New features of the POS system include a tip option, quick discounts and price adjustments and product search. The desktop POS system can now provide email receipts and Google address lookups as well as send food orders back to a kitchen printer. ewinerysolutions.com

VINESPRING VineSpring has specialized in providing systems for smaller wineries that produce fewer than 10,000 cases per year. The company just launched a new POS system that accepts “tap, chip and swipe transactions.” The POS system also offers a fulfillment screen that can be used by staff in the back of the house to fill orders while a salesperson entertains a client. The POS system is also “mobile friendly, totally portable” allowing for staff to process orders anywhere in the tasting room. VineSpring’s system can launch out of the box or be integrated with a custom web portal. Tasting room staff can access full customer profiles to review purchase habits, check if they qualify for promotions or need any information updated. vinespring.com

MICROWORKS Microworks’ system is available in several configurations including PC, laptop and tablet. The system features automatic pricing, discounting and shipping and is integrated with ShipCompliant and QuickBooks. In addition to providing customer purchase history, the system also recognizes wine club members and applies automatic discounts by customer type. The POS system also features, split ticket, open tab, tip and wine club pickup functions. Microworks’ POS system is integrated with the company’s other software modules for managing sales, marketing, e-commerce, fulfillment, inventory and other operations. winesoftware.com

PRACTICAL BUSINESS SOLUTIONS NCR Silver is an iOS-based retail app that provides multiple cloud-enabled functions and is available through Practical Business Solutions and RuPractical. The system works with chip-enabled credit cards and can be utilized through a mobile device or terminal on top of the tasting room bar. Sales and inventory tracking is automatically tied to “back-of-house functions,” and the system also features modules for customer-loyalty programs and email marketing. rupractical.com