Find the best Hardware Store Software

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Iridium Retail Manager

Iridium Retail Manager is scalable to fit the needs of retailers of all sizes, from single-user stores to national chains with hundreds of users. Because of the depth and quality of the service and history features within this app...Read more about Iridium Retail Manager

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MultiFlex RMS

MultiFlex RMS General Merchandise is a cloud-based retail management solution for single and multi-location retail stores. Key features include point of sale management, accounting, inventory, staff management, CRM and marketing. ...Read more about MultiFlex RMS

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NCR Counterpoint

The NCR Counterpoint solution includes an e-mail marketing tool, integrated e-commerce, mobile alerting, built-in gift card and customer loyalty programs and hardware specifically designed for the retail environment. The NCR ...Read more about NCR Counterpoint

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S2K Enterprise for Retail

Combining an intuitive, user-friendly retail application with powerful enterprise functionality, VAI’s S2K Retail Point-of-Sale (POS) software is the ideal solution for taking both walk-in and on-account sales. For quick cash tran...Read more about S2K Enterprise for Retail

4.2 (3 reviews)

RetailEdge

RetailEdge is an on-premise, retail POS solution designed for small and midsize businesses. It offers mobile POS, multi-location support, website integration, credit card processing and gift card management functionalities within ...Read more about RetailEdge

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GoldTech Retail Manager

GoldTech Retail Manager is a retail management and point of sale system designed for small and midsize retail businesses. It offers inventory management, work order management, purchasing, receiving and CRM within a suite. The pro...Read more about GoldTech Retail Manager

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AmberPOS

Pacific Amber’s AmberPOS offers a point of sale software solutions to a variety of retail specialties, ranging from small to midsized, in the United States and Canada. In addition to point of sale functionality, AmberPOS incl...Read more about AmberPOS

4.1 (53 reviews)

35 recommendations

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NetSuite

With an integrated system that includes ERP, financials, commerce, inventory management, HR, PSA, supply chain management, CRM and more – NetSuite enables fast-growing businesses across all industries to work more effectively by a...Read more about NetSuite

4.1 (1454 reviews)

27 recommendations

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Fishbowl

Fishbowl is the #1 manufacturing and warehouse inventory management software! Its powerful inventory control system gives your small or midsize business the exact tools needed to transform your inventory management and scale your ...Read more about Fishbowl

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iVend Retail

iVend Retail by CitiXsys is an integrated POS software application delivered on cloud. Our SaaS platform empowers retailers to provide exceptional customer experiences throughout the entire shopper journey. iVend Retail includes c...Read more about iVend Retail

3.9 (15 reviews)

1 recommendations

Profit Premier

Profit Premier by Edge Technologies is a point of sale solution developed to meet the needs of small and midsize retailers. Profit Premier features various functionality of the retail environment including point of sale, inve...Read more about Profit Premier

3.0 (1 reviews)

AIM

AIM is a secure end-to-end point of sale (POS) business solution that can be used in any retail environment. This retail management solution features customizable menus and screens, inventory management, complete POS activity and ...Read more about AIM

4.1 (200 reviews)

7 recommendations

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ReliaSale

ReliaSale is a hybrid point of sale solution that helps high-end retailers control their business operations. The solution can operate as a mobile-ready solution that runs on iPhone, iPad and Android devices. It also supports both...Read more about ReliaSale

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Lightning Online

Lightning Retail POS is a cloud-based point of sale (POS) solution that caters to a variety of retail segments such as wine and spirits retailers, pet stores, toy shops, Convenience stores and nutrition supplements outlets. Key fe...Read more about Lightning Online

4.9 (8 reviews)

Heartland Retail

Heartland Retail, formerly Springboard Retail, is a web-based retail solution designed for multi-channel and multi-store retailers. Heartland's point of sale system is fully accessible through any modern web browser on any de...Read more about Heartland Retail

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Aralco

Aralco is a provider of cloud-based POS and inventory management solutions with integrated eCommerce, CRM and payment processing capabilities. Designed primarily to cater the needs of small and midsize retailers across apparel, au...Read more about Aralco

Bindo POS

Bindo POS is a cloud-based point of sale (POS) system that offers inventory management, customer management and e-commerce within a suite. The solution integrates with online marketplaces so that shoppers can purchase products dir...Read more about Bindo POS

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GiftLogic

GiftLogic is a retail management solution for small businesses. In addition to Point of Sale, the solution includes inventory management, customer management, and e-commerce integrations. GiftLogic is an on-premise solution, and c...Read more about GiftLogic

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Unified Commerce Platform

enVista offers cloud-based retail management solutions that help users manage the daily operations of a single store or multiple locations in real-time. enVista's unified commerce software solutions are delivered as an integrated ...Read more about Unified Commerce Platform

Pronto Xi

Pronto Xi is an integrated enterprise resource planning (ERP) suite that provides core applications, such as financial accounting and business intelligence, alongside sales and marketing modules, supply chain management and distri...Read more about Pronto Xi

3.7 (7 reviews)

Buyers Guide

Last Updated: March 16, 2023

Hardware stores specialize in the retail of household goods and materials, including:

  • Tools

  • Lawn and garden equipment

  • Plumbing and electrical

  • Cleaning supplies

Specialty hardware stores may also sell items such as farm or ranch equipment and even hunting supplies.

POS software for hardware and building materials stores helps business owners automate nearly every aspect of their business, from managing inventory to customer checkout and balancing the books.

These systems offer increased visibility into business operations, allowing owners to track trends and relationships that impact profitability. As such, these systems play an integral role in the success of retail stores of all size, from mom-and-pop hardware shops to enterprise-level home improvement retail chains.

With the emergence of new digital technologies such as iPads, credit card processors and electronic barcoding solutions it’s easier than ever for hardware and building materials stores to maintain accurate shop records.

We’ve created this guide to help business owners evaluate and compare the various solutions on the market and make a more informed purchase decision.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

What is Hardware POS software?

Common Features and Capabilities of Hardware POS Software

Expected Benefits of Using Hardware POS Software

What is Hardware POS software?

Hardware POS software supports the business processes unique to hardware stores, such as:

  • Unified point of sale (POS) dashboard: Track sales made in both brick-and-mortar and online stores

  • Inventory management: Know the status of every piece of merchandise, whether it’s in stock or on backorder, and be able to pull up the price and available discounts upon request

  • Physical inventory counting process: Some of the products sold by a hardware store must be accompanied by a material safety data sheet (MSDS)

  • Reporting and trends analysis: Create customized dashboards to track sales and profitability, customer trends and more or export data as a report to take a snapshot of current standing.

Point-of-sale-dashboard-in-RetailSTAR

Point of sale dashboard in RetailSTAR

Additional “back office” or administration requirements include:

There are some peculiarities for the customer relationship management (CRM) and POS. These are primarily in the areas of job costing and estimating. They affect both contractors and do-it-yourselfers.

Common Features and Capabilities of Hardware POS Software

When evaluating POS software, hardware store owners should keep the following functions in mind to ensure the new system meets their unique business and industry requirements.

Common Hardware POS Features

Integrated parts database and UPC catalog

Because of the large number of hardware items, the system needs to provide a catalog of products and UPCs. The catalog must be updated frequently or better yet, available online.

Sell by measure

Hardware stores sell many bulk items that are sold in cut portions. Examples include lumber, chain, rope and wire. The system should handle selling by measure for these items. The inventory should be accurately tracked, including accounting for all scrap.

Shelf and bin location

The inventory and POS systems should support locating products by shelf and bin location. In addition to providing better customer support, having inventory location assists with the physical inventory process.

Estimating

The POS and inventory system should allow estimates to be prepared. If the customer accepts the estimate, the system should be able to generate a customer order easily. It should generate orders for stock not on hand and special orders as necessary.

Contractor sales

The system should support contractor sales. It should calculate discounts, track terms and provide billing. It should also track lines of credit and notify the customer and back office staff when credit thresholds are reached.

Job costing

The system should be able to track multiple jobs, for both contractors and do-it-yourselfers. The job costing should be part of the POS. A single transaction should be able to be split over multiple jobs. The job should include the customer’s job number. Each customer should be able to have multiple jobs concurrently.

Seasonal orders

The system should recommend or order seasonal merchandise; for example, salt and holiday decorations for the winter and barbecue grills in the summer. The system should also support inventory sell-versus-store decisions at the end of each season.

Kit sales

Hardware stores often sell plans and materials as single kits; for example, to build a storage shed or a play set. The system should correctly decrease the individual parts inventory counts when a kit is sold.

Special orders

The system should handle special orders. It should track deposits, integrate with order entry to place orders and notify the customer when the order is received.

Work orders

Many hardware stores offer special services. Examples include rescreening and engraving. The system needs to track the work orders, post deposits and notify the customer when the work is complete.

Material safety data sheet (MSDS) handling

OSHA requires that the required MSDS for a product to be delivered by the seller, but only for certain customers. The systems should have a repository of MSDS The POS and CRM systems should printout required data sheets at the time of sale.

Common Hardware POS Capabilities

Gift registry

For a variety of reasons, hardware stores are starting to maintain gift registries. Customers should be able to register for desired merchandise by name and event. The system should track which items have been purchased and what is still on the list.

Rental management

The system should have a rental management module. It should track costs, billing, maintenance and equipment lifecycle management.

Lookup by description

Since many hardware items are similar, the POS needs a look up by description, which can narrow the range of items. The the clerk or customer then can select from a limited list.

Inventory images

The system must show pictures of the items. The images should be available during ordering, receiving, selling and physical inventory.

Case/unit breakdown

Many hardware parts are ordered in cases and sold in as cases, boxes or singles. The POS system should decrease the inventory properly how ever the items are sold.

Physical inventory system

The system should support physical inventory. It should interface with handheld devices to record the count. It should create physical inventory sheets by location as well as item number. The count sheets should have the option to display the image.

Expected Benefits of Using Hardware POS Software

Investing in POS software can benefit your business in several ways, including:

Improved workflows: Prior to POS software, sales associates had to physically check the stockroom and sales floor to answer customer inquiries about pricing or inventory levels. Now, associates can respond to questions about product levels, cost and more simply by checking their POS dashboard. This not only creates a smoother customer experience, but employees can special order a part for a customer or check inventory levels at other store locations on the spot.

Better employee management: Using your POS for scheduling can help ensure proper staffing levels so employees are neither over or under worked. Use historical staffing data to anticipate increased staffing needs around holidays to ensure you have enough people scheduled to work at that time.

Enhanced customer service: Create a customer database to provide a more personalized shopping experience. Sales associates can use purchase history to help with current sales. For example, if the customer is looking for a lawn mower part, the associate can look up what model lawn mower they bought to help locate the part more easily.