Best POS Systems for Clothing Stores

The UK clothing industry is estimated to generate a total revenue of £66.01 billion in 2024, with an expected annual growth rate of 1.11%. 

With ever-changing trends and new collections, apparel businesses must streamline daily operations to keep up with this fast-paced sector.

One way to do this is by implementing an effective Point of Sale (POS) system to process payments, track inventory, manage staff and much more.

But, with all POS systems promising to save you time and, most importantly, increase your profit, how can you decide which is right for your business?

Why Do Clothing Businesses Need a POS System?

There are many reasons why apparel businesses need a POS system, including:

• Inventory Management: Track stock levels in real-time to prevent stockouts and overstocking.
• Size and Colour Variants: Easily manage different sizes, colours, and styles of clothing items within the system.
• Customer Management: Maintain customer profiles, purchase history, and preferences for personalised shopping experiences and targeted marketing.
• Sales Reporting: Generate detailed reports on sales trends, popular items, and customer buying habits to inform inventory decisions and marketing strategies.
• Promotions and Discounts: Implement promotional offers, discounts, and loyalty programs to incentivise repeat purchases and customer retention.
• Seasonal Trends Management: Anticipate seasonal demand and adjust inventory levels accordingly using historical data and trend analysis insights.
• Size and Fit Recommendations: Integrate features that offer size and fit recommendations based on customer measurements and purchase history to enhance satisfaction and reduce returns.
• Gift Card Management: Manage gift cards seamlessly within the POS system to encourage gift purchases and enhance customer loyalty.
• Order Management: Facilitate special orders, backorders, and pre-orders efficiently within the system to manage customer expectations and fulfil requests promptly.

Best POS for Apparel: My Verdict

Deciding which is the best apparel POS system for your business depends on your circumstances. 

You won’t get better than Square POS if you’re a market trader, pop-up clothes shop, or don’t process payments regularly. With no contracts or monthly fees, it’s a flexible choice for those who want to avoid long-term commitments.

While Square’s fixed transaction fee of 1.75% may work well for casual sellers, apparel businesses with an annual card turnover rate of more than £50,000 would find a longer contract with YumaPOS or Takepayments more cost-effective. 

Lightspeed POS is perfect for larger or multi-location apparel shops, offering advanced features you won’t find anywhere else. Although it can be used for single-location businesses, the system’s complexity will be too much for small clothing retailers. 

Comparison of the Best POS for Apparel

Top 7 Best POS Systems for Apparel Businesses

YumaPOS

From inventory management to loyalty programs tailored for fashion enthusiasts, YumaPOS is one of the most affordable POS solutions for small to medium apparel businesses.

Software and hardware bundles are available for just £49.99 per month, with no upfront cost, making it convenient and cost-effective.  

The clean and simple design facilitates easy navigation, whether users are tech enthusiasts or POS system newcomers.

The system supports a variety of payment methods, including contactless, debit cards, credit cards, cash, and mobile payments, providing flexibility for customers. 

Whilst most POS systems make you use their payment processor, YumaPOS allows you to choose your own, finding the best rates and reducing your costs. 

The inventory management features help manage a diverse range of products stress-free, with easy stock updates, precise product movement tracking, and real-time reporting.

Encourage brand loyalty and repeat purchases through loyalty programmes, automated customer notifications, and push messaging.  

You can access over 100 reports, helping you track popular products, forecast stock counts, and launch targeted marketing campaigns based on customer insights.

Besides improving your sales processes, YumaPOS simplifies staff management, including motivating employees with a points-based scheme similar to a customer loyalty programme.

However, businesses who want to integrate other 3rd party software with their YumaPOS system will be disappointed, as there are no retail-specific integrations, limiting the system’s capabilities.

Although the system includes many features, large businesses will find a more comprehensive solution such as Lightspeed or Epos more effective. 

YumaPOS Summary

• Accepted Payments: Apple Pay, Google Pay, Visa, Mastercard and American Express
• Transaction Rates: Custom
• Key Features: Payments, inventory management, purchase orders, marketing, loyalty schemes, customer management, employee management and reporting
• Integrations: No retail-related 3rd party software
• Hardware: Till, printer, cash drawer and payment system bundle available for £49.99 per month with no upfront cost
• Support: 24/7 technical support by telephone, help setting up and ongoing training

Price

• Get YumaPOS software, a till, a printer and a cash drawer for £49.99 per month, with no upfront cost.

Lightspeed Retail

Lightspeed offers many advanced features, perfect for large, multi-location apparel businesses. 

Whilst medium-sized single-location clothes shops can use Lightspeed, the system’s complexity may be unnecessary. 

Accepting payments is effortless with Lightspeed’s fast and secure integrated payment system. You’ll also be able to seamlessly sell across multiple channels and fulfil orders through click-and-collect or post. 

Unlike YumaPOS, you must use Lightspeed’s payment processor, which could be a disadvantage if you have a high transaction volume. 

Whether you are tracking sizes, colours, or unique attributes, the platform’s inventory management tools will reduce eros and save you hours of admin time. 

Lightspeed B2B catalogue allows you to add products from popular fashion suppliers directly to your ePOS. The integration with NuORDER streamlines the ordering workflow, enhancing the efficiency of your purchasing operations.

To help you create a personalised experience, Lightspeed creates detailed customer profiles based on checkout details and purchase history. 

For apparel businesses with employees, you can manage shifts and keep track of employee working hours with the integrated time clock system.

Real-time sales reports offer a detailed view of apparel sales and customer behaviour to make more informed business decisions. You’ll also be able to track staff performance and forecast trends.

Although Lightspeed does have some eCommerce features, these are less advanced than its inventory management tools. 

However, you can overcome this and expand the system’s capabilities by integrating it with popular e-commerce platforms such as Shopify, Bigcommerce and WooCommerce. 

The platform offers dedicated support, including one-on-one onboarding and ongoing support. Additionally, Lightspeed can create bespoke hardware bundles, including barcode scanners, cash drawers and more. 

Lightspeed Retail POS Summary

• Accepted Payments: Apple Pay, Google Pay, Mastercard, Visa, American Express and Maestro
• Transaction Rates: Custom rates based on business type and transaction volume
• Key Features: Payments, inventory management, e-commerce, customer management, supplier management, employee management, reporting
• Integrations: Marsello, Shopify, Bigcommerce, WooCommerce, Xero, Mailchimp and more.
• Hardware: Available to purchase individually or as a bespoke bundle
• Support: 24/7 support by web chat or telephone. 

Price

Square

With no long-term contracts and a free plan, Square is an excellent option for market traders, pop-up shops and new apparel businesses. 

Accept various payment options and access your funds the next working day with no additional charge, which is ideal for shops with restricted cash flow. 

Square POS makes managing your inventory simple, with alerts for restocking based on smart stock forecasts and automatically generated purchase orders to keep popular items in stock. 

Organise your clothing and accessories inventory easily by categorising items and customising the POS screen for quick and easy checkout. The Square Photo Studio in-app enhances the presentation with studio-quality images for a professional touch.

You can also generate and print barcode labels for newly added clothing items in various sizes directly from your Dashboard and POS, simplifying the stocking process for your apparel store.

Other advanced features perfect for the apparel industry include handling returns and exchanges seamlessly and creating product bundles for upselling and cross-selling to enhance the shopping experience.

Although all plans allow you to create customer profiles using checkout data, you’ll have to pay extra for the Square Marketing add-on to access e-mail marketing or the Square Loyalty add-on for loyalty programmes.

Staff management is effective, with quick training, role assignments, and specific passcodes. Accurate time tracking ensures efficient staffing and scheduling tools keep your team organised.

Access detailed reports, including insights into sell-through rates, sales performance, and vendor contributions to optimise your clothing and accessories inventory.

Conveniently manage your business from one platform by integrating your Square POS system with a wide range of 3rd party software, including Xero, WooCommerce, GoDaddy, Wix and more.

You can pause, upgrade or downgrade your account anytime, giving you flexibility.  

While there is support for multi-location businesses, large apparel shops will find the system’s capabilities more limited than Epos Now or Lightspeed. 

The more you pay for your plan, the more features and better transaction rate you have. 

The Free plan has no monthly fee and gives you access to basic inventory tools, exchanges and an online shop. It has a fixed rate of 1.75% for in-person transactions or 1.4% + 25p for online transactions made with a UK card. 

In contrast, with the Plus plan, you can use more advanced inventory tools, create automatic purchase orders, print barcode labels and more. Although it has a discounted in-person rate of 1.6%, online transaction rates are the same as the Free plan. 

The fixed fee for the Free and Plus plans will be a drawback for businesses with high transaction volumes, as there’s no room to negotiate a better rate.

Businesses that process more than £200,000 per year can request custom rates for the Premium Plan. 

In addition to being able to negotiate more favourite transaction rates, you’ll get Square Shifts, Square Loyalty, Square marketing and one-on-one onboarding included in your plan.

However, even with these extra features, large businesses will still find Square’s POS system more limited than alternatives such as Lightspeed or Epos Now. 

Hardware includes registers, terminals and card readers, with prices starting at £19 + VAT. 

Square POS Summary

• Accepted Payments: Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, Clear Pay, VPay, Mastercard, Visa, Visa Electron, American Express and Maestro
• Transaction Rates: Dependent on the plan. In-person payment processing rates range between 1.6% and 1.75%, and online transaction rates range between 1.4% to 2.5% + 25p
• Key Features: Payments, order management, inventory management, e-commerce, customer management, supplier management, employee management, reporting
• Integrations: GoDaddy, Xero, Ecwid, WooCommerce, Wix, BigCommerce and more
• Hardware: Sold individually and includes card readers, terminals and registers. 
• Support: Available by telephone between 9 am and 5 pm Monday – Friday.

Price

Epos Now

Epos Now’s POS system is highly customisable, making it an excellent choice for large apparel businesses with more complex needs.

Epos Now Payments integrates with every major payment provider, and the blended processing rate simplifies transactions, making checkout quick and friction-free. 

However, you will have to use Epos Now’s payment processor, which is a disadvantage if you have a high transaction volume. 

Transform your apparel store into a global fashion hub by seamlessly integrating with leading eCommerce platforms such as Shopify and offering Click & Collect services. 

With smart inventory tools, you can manage your apparel inventory efficiently, enabling quick stocktakes and automatic purchase orders. The product matrix categorises items by colour and size while tracking margin data identifies top sellers.

Build customer loyalty effortlessly by understanding your fashion-conscious customers through detailed customer profiles, enabling smarter marketing campaigns, loyalty schemes, and personalised promotions. 

You can also integrate with Loyalzoo, which is claimed to boost customer loyalty, resulting in an average 13% revenue increase.

It’s worth noting that integrating your POS system with 3rd party software may incur an additional cost. 

Epos Now allows businesses to streamline employee schedules, track working hours, and manage payroll seamlessly. 

An intuitive interface enables easy assignment of roles and responsibilities, ensuring staff members are aligned with specific tasks, from managing inventory to providing exceptional customer service. 

Identify best-selling items, optimise promotions, and simplify scheduling with detailed reports that can be accessed anywhere through cloud technology.

While Epos Now gives users access to a wide range of advanced features, smaller businesses will find it unnecessarily complex for their needs.

Hardware can be purchased individually or as part of a convenient bundle. 

The retail starter kit includes a Duo Countertop POS terminal, Epos Now Retail POS Software, a secure all-metal cash drawer, installation, configuration, and training. 

Customise your package with additional accessories to suit the unique needs of your apparel business.

Enjoy 24/7 dedicated phone support, unlimited 1-on-1 coaching, and training. On-site engineers are available throughout the UK for further assistance. 

Epos Now Summary

• Accepted Payments: Apple Pay, Google Pay, Mastercard, Visa and American Express
• Transaction Rates: Bespoke rates based on several factors, including annual card turnover
• Key Features: Payments, purchase orders, inventory management, e-commerce, marketing, customer management, loyalty programmes, employee management and reporting
• Integrations: Mailchimp, BigCommerce, Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix and more
• Hardware: Bespoke bundles or purchase individually
• Support: Web chat is available between 9 am and 6 pm, or call for 24/7 support

Price

Shopify

Shopify Retail POS works best for apparel businesses using Shopify to process transactions. 

Used by leading brands such as Allbirds, Kotn and Alo, I found it to be more of a website CRM with a few extra features, suitable for online-only clothes shops.

Whilst it can be used for in-person payments, transaction rates are much higher than other POS systems and would not be cost-effective. 

At first glance, the Start plan looks attractive, giving you access to Shopify’s basic features for just £5 per month. However, with a huge 5% transaction rate for in-person purchases, you’d be better off using Square’s Free plan. 

The transaction rates get better the more you pay for your plan, with the £25 per month Basic plan having a more competitive in-person rate of 1.7%

Unlike most POS systems, Shopify’s premium plan also has a fixed rate, preventing you from negotiating a low fee based on your card turnover. 

With a transaction rate of 1.5%, the Advanced plan costs £344 per month, nearly three times more than Lightspeed’s Advanced plan. 

It’s also worth pointing out that Basic, Shopify and Advanced plan customers will also have to pay £69 per month for each POS Pro location, which could increase your costs if you have many stores. 

Despite the high cost, Shopify does have some helpful features for clothes stores.

Shopify Payments offers seamless payment features like Shop Pay Installments and Tap to Pay on iPhone. 

Apparel businesses can accept popular payment methods, sell and accept gift cards, and offer custom payment options, providing the flexibility needed in the fashion retail space.

From creating an online store with a drag-and-drop website builder to selling on social media and through digital marketplaces, apparel businesses can build and grow their online presence effortlessly.

Automatic stock updates for every sale, transfer, return, and exchange ensure that your inventory is tracked seamlessly across various locations, in-store, online, or at the warehouse.

You’ll need a POS Pro membership to access its more advanced features, such as ‘buy online, exchanging and returning in-store’, purchasing orders and demand forecasting. 

Shopify POS has several marketing tools, including reminders for customers to leave product reviews, social media integration, and email marketing. 

Regarding employee management, the system offers customisable staff permissions, roles, and PINs to control access, ensuring that staff members are well-equipped to provide expert assistance in the fashion retail environment.

Shopify’s App Store offers a great range of 3rd party software integrations to enhance the POS system’s capabilities, including Quickbooks, CedCommerce Amazon Channel, MailChimp and Zapiet.  

There are a range of flexible hardware options to choose from to suit all business models. 

From showcasing clothing collections on the countertop system to using mobile POS devices like POS Go for on-the-floor sales, the hardware is designed to enhance the apparel retail experience.

While Shopify offers 24/7 support, a low Trustpilot rating of 1.5 out of 5 highlights customer service issues.

Shopify Retail POS Summary

• Accepted Payments: Apple Pay, Google Pay, Mastercard, Visa and American Express
• Transaction Rates: Between 1.5% and 5%. The fixed-rate varies depending on your plan and transaction location. 
• Key Features: Payments, inventory management, e-commerce, purchase orders, order management, employee management, customer management, marketing and reporting
• Integrations: Mailchimp, Zapier, Klaviyo, DHL eCommerce, Quickbooks, Xero, Marsello and more
• Hardware: Choose from POS devices, barcode scanners, card readers and more.
• Support: 24/7 support is available by email, web chat or telephone.

Price

Takepayments

Takepayments’s POS system, known as tPOS, is a great middle-market solution suitable for small to medium-sized apparel businesses that want to simplify their operations.

The system seamlessly integrates with your card machine, allowing quick and efficient transactions. The total amount is automatically transferred to your card machine, streamlining the payment process for you and your customers. 

Each transaction is recorded for cash payments, allowing for easy end-of-day reconciliation.

With a next-working-day payment schedule, you can access your money quickly, improving cash flow and supporting your business operations.

Stock containers and automatic reports help businesses stay on top of inventory and prevent stockouts or overstock situations. 

You can also conveniently manage and report on your suppliers from the platform.

Although the system includes all the essential features you would expect from a POS solution, large appeal businesses will find this system too limited for their needs.

There are two systems to suit a range of business models and needs. 

tPOS counter is a tablet-sized system with a powerful quad-core processor and a 12.5-inch display. 

tPOS complete is a more advanced system with a larger 15.6-inch display.

Both tPOS counter and tPOS complete come with a portable card machine fully integrated with the tPOS software. 

The systems are user-friendly and compatible with various extras designed for apparel businesses, such as additional mobile card machines, cash drawers, kitchen printers, barcode scanners, and more, available at an extra cost.

Takepayments offers full training and support from an award-winning Customer Service Team seven days a week. 

Takepayments POS Summary

• Accepted Payments: Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, Mastercard, Visa, Maestro and American Expres
• Transaction Rates: Bespoke rate based on various factors, including annual card transaction volume
• Key Features: Payments, cash management, inventory management, supplier management, staff management, customer management, reporting
• Hardware: Countertop, mobile POS devices, and various accessories, including card readers and printers.
• Support: Customer service is available seven days a week by phone

Price

SumUP

SumUP has two different POS solutions to suit small apparel businesses, whatever their business model. 

The SumUP Point of Sale Lite is an out-of-the-box solution that can be set up within minutes, minimising downtime for your business. 

It allows businesses to accept various card payments, organise items with a customisable catalogue, track cash earnings, control sales, and issue payment receipts. 

The system helps keep accounts in order by providing access to sales and payout reports for efficient bookkeeping.

You will receive a POS Lite tablet and the Solo card reader for a one-time hardware and software cost of £349 + VAT. No monthly expenses make it a great option for casual sellers or those with fluctuating cash flow. 

Although attractively priced, it has a fixed transaction rate of 1.69%, which could make this system unsuitable for businesses with a high card payment turnover. 

However, SumUP One members can access a discounted rate of 0.99%, which makes the Lite plan more affordable. 

Alternatively, SumUP POS Pro offers a more comprehensive solution, giving you access to more advanced features. 

Speed up your checkout process with a user-friendly interface that neatly organises your products for quick orders. 

The system allows you to track stock effortlessly, providing real-time insights into your inventory levels and bestselling products.  

You can create customer profiles, enabling personalised interactions and targeted marketing efforts. 

Reward customer loyalty with special promotions or discounts, fostering a solid and loyal customer base.

Onboarding your team is quick and easy, taking only seconds to familiarise them with the intuitive interface. 

The system also facilitates the creation of personalised staff logins, enhancing security and individualised access. 

Stay informed and make informed decisions with one-click reports providing real-time sales, stock, customers, and staff data. 

SumUp POS Pro offers over 15 easy-to-read reports, ensuring you have all the numbers you need at your fingertips.

You can further increase your POS system’s capabilities by exploring a range of add-ons and extensions, from delivery and Click & Collect partners to accounting and customer loyalty tools, to simplify your day-to-day tasks.

Although SumUP’s POS system can be integrated with Xero and Shopify, this is considerably more limited than other systems, which could be inconvenient if you want to manage all of your business from one platform. 

Unlike the SumUP POS Lite, the POS Pro has a monthly fee of £49.99 + VAT, and hardware is sold separately in bespoke packages. 

However, you can negotiate better transaction rates, which could be an advantage if you accept a high volume of card payments. 

SumUP POS Summary

• Accepted Payments: Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, American Express, Discover, Union Pay, JCB, Diners Club, Google Pay, Apple Pay, VPay
• Transaction Rates: Depends on plan. Lite plans have a fixed rate of 1.69%, with SumUp One members receiving a discounted rate of 0.99%
• Key Features: Payments, inventory management, e-commerce, employee management, customer management, loyalty schemes and reporting. 
• Integrations: Limited integrations, including Shopify and Xero
• Hardware: Device including in Lite packages. Bespoke packages are available for Pro plan customers, with additional devices such as printers and cash drawers available to purchase separately. 
• Support: Varies depending on the package. Lite customers can receive support six days a week, whilst Pro plan customers can access support seven days a week.

Price

Key Features of an Apparel POS

Certainly! Here’s the information presented in a table format: