In a Nutshell
pros
- No monthly fee, users pay a flat rate on swiped transactions
- Highly-mobile, can be plugged into a device and taken anywhere
cons
- Customer support is lacking
- Not an ideal system for larger, enterprise level businesses
Square Point of Sale at a Glance
Products
Features
Integrations
Versatility
Customer Support
With Square simplicity is key. The POS platform is a simple plug-in card swipe that can be inserted into the headphone jack of a variety of mobile devices without any additional hardware needed. The mobile jack can sync with a Square register and all systems are automatically updated simultaneously.
Users can also take advantage of a long list of features that can help improve their inventory tracking, sales and manpower expenses, and manage customer outreach, and that’s just the beginning.
What’s on Offer
Can run offline if internet service fails
Flat pricing fees based on transactions—no monthly rates
Very lengthy list of integrations
Can be accessed on a mobile device from any location
Inventory tracking
Payment processing
Customer database tracks data for large number of individual customers to help guide sales
Email marketing service for $15/month
Digital receipts can be sent by email or text message
Square Stand
The Square Stand is a versatile and efficient iPad-based POS system designed for seamless business operations. It features a quick and easy setup, allowing users to slide in their iPad, download the Square POS app, and start transacting immediately. The stand consolidates various business functions, including payments and reporting, on a single device.
Square Stand features:
- Quick and Easy Setup: Slide in the iPad, download the free Square POS app, and it's ready to start transacting—no costly setups required.
- All-in-One Capability: The stand consolidates business operations, from payments to daily reporting, all on one device.
- Seamless Payments: Built-in options for contactless and chip payments, plus a swivel feature for customer interaction at checkout.
- Dependable and Efficient: Operates even offline and continues to function during power disruptions using the iPad’s battery.
Square Kiosk
Square Kiosk, a self-serve ordering and payment solution tailored for restaurant businesses. With Square Kiosk, sellers can maintain labor costs while enhancing the dining experience.
Square Kiosk features:
- Proprietary Payment-Processing Hardware and Software: Includes an iOS app for diner orders and backend desktop controls and reporting.
- POS Compatibility: Must be used with a POS and is compatible with Square Point of Sale and all tiers of Square for Restaurants.
- Built for Food-and-Beverage Sellers: Designed specifically for the needs of restaurant operators.
- Simple Setup: Easy for operators to install and configure.
- Fast Ordering and Payment: Provides a seamless 60-second ordering and payment experience with menu visuals for both items and modifiers.
As an early adopter, sellers can add a backup cashier to their existing staff at no additional cost through the end of the year.
Why Go With Square?
Square has built itself around an easy-to-use interface that any novice should be able to set up and navigate on their own and can be plugged into mobile devices and taken anywhere. Square crunches large amounts of data, giving you an overview of your business down to month, week, and hour. The software also gives you access to extensive data on individual employees, to help you better target where your strengths and weaknesses are.
In addition, it can integrate with dozens of Ecommerce and accounting apps that can help increase a business’ efficiency.
Another big draw is the price. There is no monthly fee for Square, rather, it charges you per transaction. If you run a large company with massive monthly sales this can be a real bite, but for a small business, it can be cheaper than paying the monthly fees of other POS providers.
Who Uses Square
Due to its easy-to-use interface and extensive features and integrations, it’s a favorite with those running high-pressure, fast-paced businesses like restaurants and pubs, and who don’t have time to get stuck in the weeds figuring out a complicated POS system or an analog cash register that can’t help out where needed.
The system is also highly popular with independent contractors who don’t have an office, such as landscapers and plumbers. Square provides them with a portable, all-in-one digital register that they can take with them anywhere, ensuring that they have backup wherever their business takes them.
For the back office, Square includes features that can help even a small business get on top of its inventory and expenses without hiring outside assistance.
Ease of Use
Doesn’t require users to buy or use a tablet
Can be simply plugged into a phone and within minutes you’re online
Does not require the purchase of additional hardware besides the card reader
Register and dashboard are synced—changes made to one are automatically updated on the other simultaneously
You will need a tablet if you want to run receipt printing or full register
Can accept Apple Pay and Android Pay
Ease of use is one of the hallmarks of Square. Users can open an account within minutes without any sort of extensive tutorial process
With extensive features and integrations, you can easily load your platform up with all the tools you need to make things that much easier.
The setup process is simple: all you need to do is go online and register with your name and email, and add information about your business as well as the bank account and routing number for Square to use to send the money from transactions. You will receive a free card reader in the mail and you can also purchase a chip card reader for an additional cost. Setting up your bank account with Square can take up to a week.
What’s Unique About Square?
Easy, no headaches: What makes Square special and a big part of what the company focuses on is ease of use. Everything is geared toward users who need a no-brainer platform to run a small or mid-size business where speed and simplification are key. The site combines the ease of use with an extensive list of features and integrations that can match up with anyone in the industry.
The headphone jack swipe: The headphone jack credit card charger for transactions has become the symbol of the company and how consumers know it. It’s exactly the sort of simple, easily recognizable product feature that is perfect for the smartphone age, in which our mobile devices have become a sort of extension of our appendages.
Pay as you charge: Square has simplified the payment process through their system of charging users just based on what they charge. This eliminates monthly charges and is another way that the company keeps things simple and straightforward.
Customer Support
Square has a very extensive, searchable online knowledge base that should be able to answer most questions. You can also make use of a users-only forum to answer queries.
If you’re still stuck, you can email the company or call their service line during regular office hours.
It should be noted that Square doesn’t have a live chat customer service option and the company has received poor reviews for their response time to customer emails.
Pricing (Software and Hardware)
Tailored pricing for high-volume businesses with 5+ locations, additional support
Every Square account includes next-business-day fund transfers, end-to-end encrypted payments, active fraud prevention, account takeover protection, live phone support, offline payment capability, dispute management, and fast online signup. All three Square for Restaurants plans include fast order entry, menu manager, order manager, table management, open checks, auto gratuity, remote device management, multi-location management, the Square Team Management free plan, and 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT support.
Processing rates per transaction, for both the Free and Plus plans, are:
- In-person: 2.6% + 10 cents
- Online: 2.9% + 30 cents
- Invoices: 3.3% + 30 cents
- Manually entered and card on file: 3.5% + 15 cents
Square offers compatible hardware for their POS system, including the Square Stand/iPad POS for $149 (iPad 10.2" not included), and the Square Terminal for $299, which works with limited features or with the Square for Restaurants mobile POS app for an additional $50/month per location. The Restaurant Mobile POS Kit costs $259/kit, also requiring an additional $50/month per location. The Square Register is available for $799. Kitchen display screens are offered in two sizes: 21.5" for $699 and 15.6" for $599, each with an added $20/month per device to the subscription.
Contract Terms
After registering with Square you agree to not allow your account to be used by an outside user and consent to the company’s E-sign, allowing them to send you electronic communications in a number of methods.
You are not allowed to reverse engineer or customize the Square software or hardware beyond what is expressed on the company website. You must agree to not use the system in a way that harms anyone or violates the law.
By signing up with Square you give the company the consent to use, reproduce, and publish your content through their system and promote their services through it.
When it comes to Security, Square says the company has put a number of measures into place to protect user information from loss or unauthorized access but Square provides no guarantee that the security measures will not or cannot be breached. You provide your details at your own risk and are responsible for safeguarding your password and restricting access to your devices where Square is used.
Bottom Line
Square offers one of the best POS solutions for small and mid-size businesses looking to kick their operations up a notch and boost efficiency, expense management, customer outreach, and more. It’s a great way to implement a system that puts customer and store data to use for the business in ways that would be much more difficult to do on your own.
Mostly though, Square is known for the top-notch design of the easy-to-use headphone jack card swipe and a user interface that just about anybody can master. The platform has a long list of features and integrations that can answer just about any business management need and makes them one of the best options in the industry.
About Square
Square is part of Square, Inc., based out of San Francisco, California.
The company was founded in 2009 by Jack Dorsey, the CEO and co-founder of Twitter, along with entrepreneur Jim McKelvey. It offers a number of products that handle business transactions and financial management, not limited to just the Square POS platform. The company has a wide range of business services, including financing and person-to-person payment services in addition to POS products.
Physical Address
1455 Market Street
Suite 600
San Francisco, CA 94103
United States
