As a winery owner, you want your tasting room experience to be seamless: a smooth, effortless process from each guest’s arrival to their final sip. But it takes more than an elegant winery, fantastic wine, and a strong team to set your winery apart. It takes the right winery POS system to keep your winery running flawlessly each and every day.
A good POS system is one of the most important tools you can have in your winery’s toolkit. Whether managing copious tastings, processing online sales, or tracking wine club memberships, every inch of your business can benefit from a solid POS system – and making the wrong choice is a decision with serious consequences.
So how do you choose the right winery POS system? What should you be looking for? And how can a good POS system ensure that the quality of your operations is as exceptional as your wine?
Keep reading to discover everything you need to know about choosing a POS system for your winery that streamlines operations, drives sales, and makes your customer experience one they’ll never forget.
Why Does My Winery Need a POS System?
The wine industry is one of history and legacy, built on time-honored traditions. But while your winery may still uphold century-old winemaking techniques, your backend systems should unquestionably be brought into the 21st century.
Gone are the days of leaning on analog systems to manage your winery operations or carrying over basic POS tools from the 90s. Modern customers require modern systems. In the age of overnight shipping, touchless transactions, and instant purchases, it’s crucial that your winery stays in sync as technology advances – and that begins with your POS system.
A modern POS system allows your winery to facilitate effortless sales, manage inventory with ease, and make data-driven decisions that allow your business to thrive. It’s not a luxury – it’s a necessity, and investing in the right POS system should be at the top of your priority list if you want to see your winery soar.
How to Choose the Right Winery POS System
You need a POS system that works – a system that makes checkouts a breeze, easily manages customer data, and provides valuable insights into your wine club members, customer relationships, and sales data.
But how do you choose a system that works well for winery customers and employees alike?
The Best POS System: What to Look For
Whether you’re new to the world of POS systems or just consider yourself a tech novice, shopping for the right system for your wine shop can be overwhelming. Luckily, there are a few key features to look for that will set you up for success.
Easy and Intuitive User Interface
As you begin working with a new POS, the last thing you want to have to deal with is a system that’s confusing, overly complicated, or outdated. Learning a new software is enough of a learning curve – you want to choose a system that works with you to make the process easier.
Additionally, as you onboard new employees, you want to have a POS system in place that makes training a breeze – not a system that leaves new hires wishing they’d applied for the winery with more modern systems down the street.
Choose a POS system that offers an easy, intuitive user interface – one that makes sense as soon as you begin working with it. You’ll be grateful when you’re focused on growing your business, not wrangling inventory.
Seamless Integrations
A great POS system invaluable to your business – but with integrations, your system’s power increases tenfold.
When you choose the right system, you’ll be able to integrate your point of sale with third-party tools that provide additional value to your business, making your processes simpler and your customer experience better. And as new features roll out, you’ll be the first to gain access.
At OrderPort, our POS system integrates with a vast number of essential applications, including Vinoshipper, Quickbooks, Mailchimp, ShipCompliant, Avalara, FedEx, UPS, GSO and fulfillment centers.
Advanced Metrics
The more you’re able to learn about your customers and their shopping patterns, the more accurately you’ll be able to target those customers for future sales – and learn how to reach customers in your ideal market who may not have yet discovered your winery.
Choose a point of sale system that provides performance dashboards, comprehensive standardized reporting, and custom reports that will empower you to learn how to reach new customers and keep past visitors coming back.
Adaptable Payment Options
Today’s customers don’t want to be confined to cash and card payment options – they’re using payment options like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal from their mobile devices or looking for buy now, pay later solutions like Affirm.
When you have the ability to offer multiple options for processing transactions, you’ll make it easy for customers to have a smooth shopping experience.
Why the Backend of Your Winery POS Matters
As easy as it is to prioritize a POS system that presents well to customers, it’s equally important to choose one that you love on the backend.
Nearly all of your winery operations are affected by the POS system that you choose, from your wine club management to your online store inventory. This single system is the backbone of your winery, and you want it to be a system that you can enjoy using – not one that’s a source of stress or frustration.
The right system will help you update inventory, manage split payments, maintain your eCommerce website and more. You’ll be able to rely on it throughout your daily operations, knowing that it will be there to keep you organized, supported, and on track.
Choosing a POS System With Great Support
The right POS system will be intuitive and easy to use – but no matter how simple, any large-scale transition in your business is bound to come with questions, and you want to be sure that you’re leaning on a system that comes with a support team that’s cares about your winery as much as you do and is ready to help you learn and troubleshoot your new system.
When you work with OrderPort, you can rest assured that our expert team is here to help you learn how to use your new POS system to its full advantage. Not only will you have access to OrderPort University, which offers clear, easy-to-understand training on your new software, but you’ll also have the ability to contact our team by phone or email seven days a week. We’ll help you fix any problem that may arise, and will be here to follow up and make sure that your winery is running smoothly.
FAQs: Choosing the Best POS for Your Winery
Still unsure about how to choose a point of sale system that’s right for your winery? Here are a few of our most frequently asked questions from customers ready to invest in their dream POS system.
Does OrderPort allow you to apply discounts within transactions?
Yes! OrderPort’s software makes it easy to apply loyalty points, wine club coupon codes, or tasting room discounts upon purchase.
How can a good POS system help you manage your wine club?
A good point of sale system has the power to effortlessly support your wine club, keeping track of members and their activity. It allows potential members to easily sign up, increasing member conversion rate, and seamlessly tracks shipping for out of state members.
Does my point of sale software only support in-person sales?
Definitely not! A good POS system is key to running an eCommerce wine shop that thrives, making website sales process smoothly and keeping the online market alive. With one system, you can manage both online and in-person sales – and see powerful results.
Streamline Your Sales With OrderPort
Choosing the right point of sale system is about more than just landing on any old system that’s capable of processing payments for your tasting room. It’s about discovering software that allows you to revolutionize your winery from the inside out – a tool that not only curates an exceptional customer experience for local guests and online shoppers alike, but makes running your business as easy as sipping your favorite glass of wine.
At OrderPort, we’re here to provide the tools wineries need for DTC success. Our newest generation POS system brings top-of-the-line technology to even the most traditional winery. Available in both iOS and Android versions, our software adapts to your service workflow, allowing your staff to provide the best customer experience, whether online or in multiple locations in-person.
Our mission is to help you deliver the best value to your customers. From your tasting room to your wine club, we’re here to help you streamline your sales and revolutionize your winery from the inside out.
Visit our website to learn more and request your demo today.
