Garden Center POS Systems: 5 Best Providers [Features + Pricing]

Is your store ready for the fall planting rush… or are you woefully unprepared? 

Running a garden center is no walk in the park. With complex inventory, seasonal considerations, and perishable goods, you’ve got a lot on your plate. It might feel like trying to prune a hedge with a pair of kitchen scissors. But there is a better tool!

Point of sale (POS) systems can optimize your entire operation, from inventory to customer loyalty; this specialized tool streamlines your workflows so you can focus on providing a great customer experience.

But how do you choose the right provider?

In this article, we’ll spotlight five top garden center POS systems and their standout features, and help you choose the provider that’s right for your unique store. Let’s dive in!

Garden Center POS Systems: The Skinny

Garden center owners face unique challenges. Tracking SKUs across garden tools, various seeds, and soils is enough to make your head spin. With a living inventory that’s always growing, you need a robust tool to help you manage your store.

And that’s where a point of sale (POS) system comes in. The right POS system will elevate your store to new heights. The wrong one will set you back and leave you even more frustrated with your store’s operations.

Related Read: POS vs. CRM: Which Is Best for a Retail Store?

Many modern POS systems are cloud-based, offering real-time insights into inventory, sales, and customer preferences. Add automatic updates, data backup, and scalability, and you start to realize a POS system is a worthwhile investment.

How do you choose a POS system that will help your store thrive?

What To Look for In a Garden Center POS System

First, look at features. Your garden center is unique, but you’ll still want your system to have key features to effectively grow your business.

• Inventory management: Tracking all those SKUs is a challenge. But with inventory management software, you can ensure you’re on top of everything, from easy purchase ordering to granular inventory tracking. Matrix views are essential here; the ability to manage inventory that comes in multiple variants allows you to track plants by type, size, pot, and more.
• Integrated payment processing: When your customers reach the checkout with their oversized plants, the last thing they want to do is wait in a long line. Integrated payment processing speeds up checkout processes; staff won’t need to manually enter transactions.

• Customer database: When you can collect customer contact info, purchase history, and preferences in a POS customer database, you can communicate with them and nurture loyalty. For example, you could send a reminder — like when to fertilize, or personalized product suggestions.

• Loyalty programs: Tailored rewards for repeat purchases encourage customers to stick with you and spend more. Your POS system should have an integrated loyalty program to help you manage tiers, points, and purchases. Based on all the information you have in your customer database, you can offer personalized discounts on products you know your customers love.
• Handheld devices: With access to real-time inventory, your staff can assist customers anywhere in your store, check inventory levels in the greenhouse, process purchases curbside, handle deliveries, and enable checkout from anywhere. Think of the convenience!
• Label printing: From custom shelf labels and tree tags to plant identifiers with care instructions and weather-resistant barcodes, you need a POS system that lets you print custom labels on demand. 

Related Read: 5 Best Barcode Systems for Retail Shops

These are just some of the features to look for. Without a robust POS system, you risk losing track of your inventory, mismanaging your staff, and providing an inconsistent customer experience. With a POS system, your garden center will thrive.

1. RetailEdge POS

Features: RetailEdge POS is an on-premise POS solution, suitable for small and midsize stores. Retail is all they do, and they’ve been providing powerful POS software solutions since 1989, so they have a wealth of experience. Their garden center POS solution allows you to batch bill for maintenance management and manage inventory that grows, dies, and expires.

Key tools include:

• Integrated inventory management for living goods
• Plant libraries
• Custom label printing
• Purchase ordering
• Loyalty programs and discounts for regular customers
  
  

Pricing: Starts at $495

What customers say: “I like that this software is relatively inexpensive for the robust features that are provided. The customer support has been fantastic, and once the system is in place it is simple to add additional workstations as my business grows.” RetailEdge Customer

2. POS Nation

Features: With outdoor environment-resistant features and mobile solutions for helping customers, POS Nation is uniquely positioned to help landscape supply companies, garden centers, and nurseries thrive. Their POS system is powerful, yet has an intuitive interface that anyone on your team can use.

Key tools include:

• Custom reporting
• Living inventory management
• Weather-resistant barcodes
• Custom tree tags
  
  

Pricing: Starting at $149/month.

What customers say: “Back office is incredible. It’s so nice to have access to everything that we do, from purchasing, receiving, tagging, selling, reordering, customer history, discounts, and special sales — I could go on forever. I can't imagine what more could be needed.” POS Nation Customer

3. Shopify

Features: If your store has a thriving e-commerce element, Shopfy could be the POS solution for you. It supports online, in-person, and multi-channel selling and caters to businesses of all sizes. You can start for free, set up is easy, and you can personalize your POS with apps and create custom solutions with Shopify experts.

Key tools include:

• Staff management
• Omnichannel selling
• Camera barcode scanner
• Plug-and-play hardware
  
  

Pricing: Starts at $39/month (for POS Lite)

What customers say: “Shopify POS has a user-friendly interface that is easy to learn and use, even for new business owners. It integrates seamlessly with Shopify e-commerce, making it easy to manage both your online and in-store sales.” - Shopify Customer

4. Square

Features: Square doesn’t specialize in garden centers, but with its mobile POS, payment processing, basic inventory tracking, barcode scanning, and sales reporting, Square still makes it onto our list — especially for small businesses just starting out. It’s got a simple, intuitive interface, and you can add on services such as marketing, gift cards, and payroll.

Key tools include:

• Mobile POS for checkout
• Basic sales and inventory reporting
• Staff management (with Plus plans)
  
  

Pricing: Starts free, with per-transaction fees starting at 2.6%.

What customers say: “The POS integration with software like Quickbooks and Excel makes my business run like a breeze. I love the marketing aspects of the software and the interface is simple and pleasing.” - Square Customer

5. Comcash

Features: At Comcash, we pride ourselves on providing robust, integrated POS systems optimized for the unique needs of garden centers and nurseries. With our matrix capabilities, you can manage inventory items with multiple variants and streamline workflows for receiving, selling, and tracking items.

Key tools include:

• Cloud-based solution
• Custom barcode creation
• Multi-location management
• Mobile POS
  
  

Pricing: Custom — use our build & price tool for a free quote!

What customers say: "I have used ComCash for 16 years and I love the product. The tech staff is top of the line and always there to help you in situations that arise." - Comcash Customer

How to Choose the Right POS Provider

There are various options on the market, but the five above are excellent choices. At the end of the day, choosing the right POS provider goes beyond looking at features. Here are some other considerations.

• Fit with your business: Which system best aligns with your nursery's size, complexity, inventory needs, and budget? Choose software specialized for garden retail if possible.
• Ease of use: The POS system should have an intuitive interface and workflows to minimize employee training. Complex systems are hard to adopt and could have a negative impact on staff morale.
• Customer support: Stellar support is invaluable. Look for providers with garden retail experience ready to help optimize your store.
• Hardware needs: SaaS systems work on your existing hardware. Some on-premise options require proprietary equipment; which is the best option for you?
• Reporting and analytics: Robust data insights are essential. Ensure the POS provides detailed customizable reporting and analytics so you can make better decisions.
• Scalability: Can your POS system grow with your business? Check for tiered pricing, multi-location support, and modular add-ons.
  
  

Choose The Right POS to Grow a Thriving Garden Center

Managing a thriving garden center involves tackling unique challenges, from a wide variety of inventory to managing seasonality, employees, sales, and building relationships with your customers. But the right POS system helps you overcome these challenges.

When you prioritize a POS system with features like centralized inventory management, mobility, and custom label printing, you can ensure your garden center blossoms for seasons to come.

Comcash is proud to work with specialty retailers, and our POS system is designed to help you thrive in even the most challenging conditions. Don’t settle for outdated or generic technology. Instead, choose a POS system that helps you win.

You can build and price your tailored Comcash system today!