Quilt stores are a unique retail business. You need tools to assemble kits, make precuts, organize classes, sell online, and much more.
Luckily, you can find all of these features in a robust point of sale (POS) system — but you need one tailor-made for quilt stores. A generic POS won’t cut it. If you have to spend your time reconfiguring your off-the-shelf POS, it will be more hassle than you need.
Let’s consider the top features to look for in a quilt store POS.
What Is a Quilt Store POS System?
If you need a system to simply ring up one item for a standard price, there are plenty of POS systems you can choose from. However, quilt stores have specific needs — you’re running a complex business with sophisticated data tracking and reporting needs.
The best POS systems give you insight into the performance of your quilt store. Understanding how individual products and marketing initiatives perform allows you to fine-tune where you spend your time and effort.
Your complete quilt store POS system is a combination of software and hardware, designed to help you manage your quilt store business operations.
Selecting the ideal POS has a significant influence on your business. Beyond merely facilitating transactions, a well-chosen POS system can streamline quilt store operations, enhance customer experiences, and provide invaluable insights into business performance.
This article explores the critical factors to consider when choosing a POS system to manage your quilt store, enabling you to complete the unique functions of your quilt store and make informed decisions that help you achieve your business goals.
There are some functions that any modern cloud-based POS system must have. It must be able to:
- Improve inventory management.
- Track inventory levels in real time.
- Send integrated marketing messages.
- Synchronize online and in-store inventory.
- Manage loyalty and rewards programs.
- Request online reviews.
- Integrate sales and accounting reports.
- Include payment hardware and processing.
But beyond the standard POS functions, quilt store POS systems need to help you with some of the distinctive business processes of your business. Let’s look at a few.
Manage Fractional Yards and Precuts
One unique feature of fabric and quilt stores is the practice of selling precut and fractional yards. Quilt shops must be able to cut and sell fat quarters, fat eighths, and custom yardage. This may be done at the cutting table, but many shops cut bolts of fabric down to packaged precuts.
Some POS systems have built-in functions to make it easy to assemble precuts. Modern POS systems adjust your quilt store’s inventory to reflect the new product in your system.
Streamline the Cutting Table and Checkout
Another special feature necessary for quilt stores is coordination between the cutting table and the checkout counter. Quilt store POS systems are able to start a transaction at the cutting table and hold that transaction while a customer shops and gathers other items to purchase. These transactions may be input on a computer or on a mobile device.
Register Customers for Classes
Classes play an important role in acquiring new customers and engaging customers more deeply with your quilt store. Whether you teach beginner classes or provide a space for more advanced quilters to gather and share equipment, you need the tools necessary to simplify the promotion, sign-up, organization, and communication process of running classes.
Your quilt store POS system should help you present classes online, bundle products for purchase to use in the class, and automate the registration process.
Related Read: Effective Class Management Strategies for Sewing Classes in Your Store
Create Block-of-the-Month or Box Subscriptions
A popular marketing and loyalty program for quilt stores is monthly subscriptions. These often take the form of a block-of-the-month kit or a collection of a monthly quilt project. Each of these may be a part of a larger project or a standalone piece.
When your POS has built-in functions for assembling kits and communicating with your subscription members, this can be a useful strategy for growing your business.
Stock Your Quilt Store From Integrated Catalogs
Many modern POS platforms have integrated top-selling product catalogs from manufacturers and distributors. Simply choose the products you want to add to your quilt store’s inventory. Easily upload product descriptions and images to your online store and to your purchase order.
POS system providers have created partnerships with vendors to make adding products to your store convenient and easy.
Standard POS Features That Benefit Your Quilt Store
Implementing a point of sale system is crucial for any type of business, regardless of the products you sell. Let’s explore the more generic benefits of adopting a POS system in your quilt store.
Targeted Customer Marketing
POS systems with integrated marketing can help your quilt store better understand your customers and create more effective marketing campaigns to grow your business. These systems allow you to track customer behavior, purchase history, and preferences to create personalized marketing campaigns.
You can send targeted email campaigns, promotions, and coupons to customers based on their interests and purchase history and bring customers back to your store. Create a text message campaign to your block-of-the-month subscribers announcing the arrival of new fabrics that just arrived.
Additionally, integrated marketing tools help you streamline your marketing efforts and save time by managing everything from one system.
Streamlined Inventory Management
POS systems help manage inventory efficiently. Using a cloud-based POS system saves time that would otherwise be spent manually tracking inventory.
Improved inventory management optimizes your quilt store supply chain operations and enhances business efficiency. It reduces inventory costs, increases inventory accuracy, improves customer service, reduces lead times, and optimizes cash flow.
Your POS system helps forecast demand, implement just-in-time (JIT) inventory management, and optimize inventory turnover. Use the data in your POS system to establish minimum stock levels, collaborate with suppliers, implement inventory control measures, and generate regular inventory audits.
Automated Reordering
Avoid stockouts and make sure you have the products you need to meet customer demand. POS systems track inventory levels and automatically place orders when inventory levels reach a predetermined threshold — reducing costs and increasing efficiency.
Enhanced Customer Experience
POS systems help quilt stores serve customers swiftly, minimizing long lines and reducing wait times. Streamlined transactions contribute to higher customer satisfaction and a positive shopping experience.
Plus, your quilt store POS system allows you to accept diverse payment methods, manage loyalty programs, track rewards, and apply discounts automatically.
Round-the-Clock Access to Data
Unlike traditional systems that limit data access to a physical location, cloud-based POS systems securely store information on remote servers accessible through the internet.
24/7 access empowers you to stay connected to your operations regardless of where you are. You can make informed decisions, improve efficiency, and enhance customer experiences. Access sales dashboards, inventory turn, marketing, and class reports anytime, anywhere and take the time to dig into what is working in your quilt store.
Simplified Sales Anytime, Anywhere
Your online POS system revolutionizes your business transactions and operational management — enabling convenience, accessibility, and enhanced control.
You can accept multiple payment types, process transactions from multiple locations, and sell products or services both in store and online.
Reduced Errors
Cloud-based POS systems help minimize errors in daily operations by integrating business processes. With integrations from kit building to payments, the system automatically calculates charges at checkout, adjusts inventory after sales or returns, and generates reports for accounting, sales, and marketing.
Cost Reduction and Increased Revenue
POS systems contribute to cost reduction by enhancing business management efficiency and minimizing errors. Break down bolts accurately and increase value from every yard of fabric.
A POS system can also boost revenue by improving customer service, reducing waiting times, and generating more sales. Integrated POS systems streamline quilt store operations and handle transfers from the cutting table to the register.
Now, let’s look at some of the top quilt store POS system providers.
Top 5 Quilt Store POS Systems
With these features in mind, let’s look at how five POS systems help you manage your quilt store.
POSIM
This on-premise POS system is made for small to mid-sized retailers, including general retail and quilt stores. If you're a retail business seeking more than a basic POS system, POSIM could be a good fit for your needs.
With POSIM, you can:
- Integrate POSIM POS with Shopify and select from customizable templates.
- Create layaway orders and make incremental payments.
- Design customer promotions and email marketing campaigns.
POSIM can be customized for most clients.
Pricing: POSIM offers three plans requiring a custom quote.
Shopify
Shopify has a flexible POS solution. It can be configured to meet most needs and extended to meet the needs of any retail business from the Shopify App Store.
With Shopify, you can:
- Choose from hundreds of add-on apps.
- Design an e-commerce website for any retail store.
- Gather information and data while managing inventory.
Shopify enables you to add features and functions to your online store.
Pricing: Shopify starts at $29 per month with a 2.9% processing fee, plus an additional 30 cent processing charge per transaction. Advanced plans start at $2,300 per month.
Rain POS
Rain focuses on unique retail businesses. It aims to simplify the difficulties associated with managing a specialty retail business. It’s tailor-made for independent specialty stores.
With Rain POS, you can:
- Track related parts and serialized products in inventory.
- Send text message service reminders from the POS.
- Manage class registration and communication.
Rain POS serves the unique needs of specialty retailers.
Pricing: Receive a custom quote with a demo.
Square
Square is a popular POS system used by numerous small businesses worldwide. It offers thousands of features and options, making it highly versatile for various types of businesses.
With Square, you can:
- Accepts almost all forms of payment.
- Quickly check out customers at the counter or on mobile devices.
- Adapt to the particular needs of your retail business.
Square can be configured to meet your unique needs.
Pricing: Square provides a no-cost POS system with a 2.9% processing fee, plus an additional 30 cent processing charge per transaction. Custom plans require a quote.
Like Sew
Like Sew is specifically designed to suit the unique needs of quilt and fabric stores. This fabric store POS works with quilt and fabric vendors to integrate fabric store services and data.
With Like Sew, you can:
- Integrate vendor product catalogs quickly and easily.
- Sell fractional yards and synchronize inventory online and in store.
- Assemble block-of-the-month kits and other quilt projects in your POS.
Like Sew is an easy-to-use fabric and quilt store POS.
Pricing: Get a custom quote for your fabric store.
Get Started With a Tailor-Made Quilt Store POS System
Once you’ve considered the features your quilt store needs, you’ll see the advantages of a POS system that caters to your quilt store requirements. Starting a new business or expanding existing processes can be challenging, and you don't need additional risks.
Like Sew enables quilting stores to streamline operations and improve profitability. When you choose a quilt store POS system such as Like Sew, you’re ready for success.
Schedule a demo to learn more about Like Sew today.
