How Much Does a Cannabis Retail POS System Cost?

Introduction

Whether you have just set foot in the cannabis industry or are looking to expand your business model, you will need a new point of sale (POS) system. The success of a dispensary no longer relies on pen and paper or Excel spreadsheets but on more advanced methods that guarantee all sales are properly recorded, customers are satisfied and, most of all, ensure the dispensary remains compliant with government regulations.

Purchasing a new POS may not be an easy task. Some high-end software comes with various features, while others are more low-tiered and easier to use with a single register. Read on to learn more about how POS systems can highly benefit the success of a cannabis business, how much POS costs, and what considerations you should keep in mind when budgeting for a cannabis software solution.

What is Cannabis Retail POS?

Point of sale systems, often abbreviated “POS,” are programs allowing customers to make payments for products and services sold at a specific store. The purpose of POS is not only to track inventory and product sales but also to organize and retain customer data, sales patterns, taxation records and implement customer retention initiatives through gift cards or loyalty programs.

A cannabis retail point of sale (POS) includes most of the features of traditional retail software, but with one main difference: it focuses on marijuana users. Cannabis POS does not simply track inventory and product sales, but it is set up to help businesses and their transactions stay compliant with government laws. Through age and ID verification scanners, taxation reporting, and seed-to-sale product tracking, they do so.

If you are looking to enter the cannabis industry, you should only invest in a POS designed for dispensaries. This will not only keep your business legit and compliant but will also help budtenders process transactions and record all sales properly.

Cannabis POS System: Main Features

The success of cannabis dispensaries relies on the cooperation between POS systems and other solutions such as accounting software or retail management systems. While most point-of-sales share common characteristics, a few distinguishing features pertain to the marijuana business.

To be included in Dispensary POS Systems, a product must do the following:

• Provide POS features in line with cannabis retail platforms
• Meet the cannabis industry’s needs by complying with state regulations
• Track marijuana products on a seed-to-sale basis, from plantation to final sale

The most significant qualities of a dispensary POS system have to do with compliance:

• POS systems should follow each state’s approved seed-to-sale tracking protocol (e.g., Metrc). 
• POS providers must ensure that inventory management, taxation, and any state-specific reporting procedures and requirements are properly followed.
• The main goal of cannabis point-of-sales is to ensure fast and secure payments at your business. To do so, using ID scanners to verify each customer’s age and buying patterns is crucial. 
• Since every state has different purchase limits, POS prevents cannabis owners from exceeding quantity limits and selling too much marijuana to one customer.

Aside from maintaining compliance, POS systems may include built-in analytics that monitors successful employees, tracks product performance, and evaluates sales data. This, in turn, helps dispensary owners make sound business decisions to expand their location and increase their customer base.

Lastly, many POS systems offer additional features that can make a dispensary stand out against the competition: in-app queuing, cannabis delivery tracking, digital menus, or SMS texting alerts.

What Is the Average POS System?

POS systems are crucial to the success of dispensary operations. From sales reporting to menu management to tracking your shops’ performance, this software ensures that cannabis retailers remain compliant with federal and state regulations while selling their products. Compared to traditional retail POS software, cannabis retail POS requires additional functionalities explicitly designed to fulfill the needs of dispensaries. This includes back-office tasks, inventory tracking, payment collection, and tax records.

If you are budgeting for your point-of-sale solution, remember that there is no fixed POS pricing. The average cost of POS systems will depend on sales volume, business size, and the overall needs of each dispensary. According to Merchant Maverick, single-register businesses should expect an initial investment of roughly $1,250, which will be added to an extra $1,000 per year to use the POS. Costs will be much higher for more than one register or multiple business locations.

To figure out how much money business owners may end up paying, a few factors will need to be considered.

What Factors Affect POS System Costs?

Sales

One thing to remember about POS is that providers may charge a fee based on your sales as well as the terms of the agreement between you and the vendor. For instance, a vendor may charge an extra 30 cents per transaction in addition to the standard POS subscription. Therefore, it’s very important to estimate your monthly sales accurately and calculate how much will need to be paid at the end of the month.

Registers

Registers are essential to run all the point-of-sale operations. Most POS pricing plans consider a set amount to be paid per register.

Customers

While it is highly recommended to collect customer information for all dispensary sales, be mindful that the CRM software needed to store your customer profiles can only be obtained by paying an extra fee.

Inventory Catalogue

Some POS systems take your product catalog into account and determine a fee that must be paid regularly. If your dispensary has several SKUs, you may want to consider a POS system with a high SKU threshold that allows you to sell and record unlimited products. In this way, you won’t need to pay extra fees for having multiple SKUs in your inventory catalog.

Features

If you are looking for more advanced capabilities such as e-commerce, advanced reporting, or gift cards, your system’s cost will be much higher than a low-tiered one, which usually includes basic reporting and a simple sell screen.

Stores and Locations

If you are managing multiple dispensaries, you will need a high-tier plan that will support all your operations, so the cost of your POS system will be higher. If your plan does not support unlimited outlets, some vendors may charge a fee for each additional location you have.

What Is The Price Of Cannabis POS Systems?

The POS system cost depends on its functionalities and what each dispensary needs to record its operations while remaining compliant. Point-Of-Sales have become more advanced than ever, slowly replacing traditional registers and turning into real computers.

One of the priciest components of a POS system is the tablet. After integrating the POS software into the tablet and adding a receipt printer and a card reader, you will have created a basic payment system to sustain most business operations.

Overall, with the software, hardware, merchant account fees, and installation fees, you may end up investing between $1000-$1300, to which you will need to add the yearly fee to maintain and use the POS system. If you own multiple dispensaries or your sales volume is higher, your business needs will differ, and so will its POS cost.

If you are wondering what the cheapest POS system is, five dispensary software solutions are worth mentioning for their great quality-price ratio:

Indica Online

Key features include:

• Offline sales mode
• Physician and patient verification
• Remote dispensary control
• Dispatcher mode
• Purchase limit alerts
• Inventory Management

Price point:

• Software costs: $249-$429/month
• Hardware costs: Quote based

Greenbits

Key features include:

• Inventory Management
• Compliance System Verification
• Reporting Features
• Sales Information

Price point:

• Software costs: Quote based
• Hardware costs: Quote based

Cova

Key features include:

• Integrated ID and age verification
• Mobile Queue Texting System 
• Inventory Management
• Cashless Payments

Price point:

• Software costs: $200-$1000/month
• Hardware costs: $1000-$3000

BioTrackTHC

Key features include:

• Automated ID Scanning and Data Entry 
• Customer Insights and Sales Reports
• CRM for targeted marketing campaigns
• Online ordering system

Price point:

• Software costs: $200-$500/month
• Hardware costs: $1000-$1500 to set up

MJ Freeway

Key features include:

• Data reporting
• CRM integrations
• Easy-to-use platform
• Supply chain tracking

Price point:

• Software costs: Quote based/Customizable
• Hardware costs: Quote based/Customizable

Conclusion

Finding a well-priced POS system can be time-consuming, yet it is crucial for all cannabis dispensary businesses. It is important to evaluate the store’s daily operations, its potential for expansion, and the overall shopping experience. For instance, a small shop with only one register does not need the same advanced features as a large chain with ten or more terminals. POS systems can help address these needs and even more, provided that you choose your product wisely and remain compliant along the way.