CPA_Practice_Advisor_July_2020 - 16

REVIEW: POINT OF SALE SYSTEMS
Cumulus Retail Point of Sale	
Cumulus Retail from Celerant is designed for small
retail businesses. Ideal for businesses that manage
both brick and mortar as well
STRENGTHS:
* Ideal for smaller retailers
as online stores, Cumulus Retail
* 'Always On' feature keeps
merges the two, offering the same
product working even if
Internet goes down
promotions, coupons, and pricing
*Offers complete e-commerce for each. Available as a SaaS appliwebsite
cation, Cumulus Retail offers an
POTENTIAL LIMITATIONS:
In-Store edition, an Online edition,
* Pricing may be prohibitive
for smaller businesses
and a combination.
* Support is not available 24/7
Cumulus Retail offers an addon feature called 'Always On' which ensures that point

www.cumulusretail.com
of sale functionality will remain operational, even
when an Internet connection is lost. All data entered
using the Always On feature will automatically sync
with the online application once connectivity has
been restored.
Cumulus Retail provides complete eCommerce
website design for those who wish to combine their
brick and mortar store with an online store, with each
design supporting unlimited products, the ability to
offer discounts and process refunds, and a centralized
database where all customers can be managed.
Cumulus Retail is available in three editions: an In

Keystroke Advanced POS	
Keystroke Advanced from Specialized Business
Solutions is one of three point of sale applications
offered with Keystroke Express
STRENGTHS:
* Offers three plans
best suited for smaller retailers,
* Highly customizable
Keystroke Point of Sale is best
* Suitable for high-volume
retailers
suited for growing retail busi* Calculates sales tax in
ness, and Keystroke Advanced
multiple jurisdictions
is best suited for larger retail
POTENTIAL LIMITATIONS:
businesses that manage multiple
* Not available on the cloud
* Support only available during locations that are also looking
weekday business hours
for e-commerce integration. All

www.keystrokepos.com
Keystroke applications can be downloaded directly
from Specialized Business Solutions and installed
on a local computer or workstation. Only Keystroke
Advanced is reviewed here.
Keystroke Advanced offers an easily navigated
interface where all system modules can be accessed.
Along with the point of sale module, Keystroke
Advanced also includes receivables, purchasing, and
reporting modules.
Keystroke currently offers three plans: Keystroke
Express, for smaller businesses; Keystroke POS, which

QuickBooks Desktop Point of Sale	
STRENGTHS:
* Seamless integration
with QuickBooks Desktop
applications
* Intuitive user interface
* Extended hours and
weekend support available
POTENTIAL LIMITATIONS:
* Works with a limit of 20
workstations or locations
* Not well suited for highvolume retailers
* No cloud option

QuickBooks Desktop Point of Sale
is best suited for small to mid-sized
retailers that are using QuickBooks
Desktop financial applications.
Designed to be installed online,
QuickBooks Desktop Point of Sale
is available in three editions: Basic,
Pro, and Multi-Store.
QuickBooks Desktop Point of
Sale's Navigator offers easy access

www.quickbooks.com
to point of sale, purchasing, and employee features.
To the left of the screen is a vertical menu with tabs
for accessing frequently used point of sale features
such as Make a Sale, Receive Items, Item List, and
Department List. Users can easily customize the vertical menu bar to reflect only the features they desire.
QuickBooks Desktop Point of Sale is an excellent
point of sale solution that is best suited for brick and
mortar retailers that are already using QuickBooks
Desktop applications, although the product can also

Vend Point of Sale	

www.vendhq.com

Vend is an online point of sale application designed
to work on iPad, Mac, and PC platforms. Along with
complete point of sale capability,
STRENGTHS:
* Suitable for retailers of all
Vend includes e-commerce mansizes
* Works with brick and mortar agement, flexible payment accepand online platforms
tance, inventory management
* Integrates with accounting
capability, and flexible reporting
applications
options. Though designed to
* 24/7 support is available
be used online, in the event an
POTENTIAL LIMITATIONS:
* No dedicated mobile app
Internet connection is lost, Vend
will continue to work offline, with data synching with

16

JULY 2020 ■

the application once a connection is available.
Vend offers an intuitive user interface, that can
be customized to suit user needs. A vertical menu bar
to the left of the screen provides access to all Vend
functions, while point of sale activity is completed in
the center of the screen.
Vend offers a modern take on point of sale
systems, emphasizing speed, convenience, and an
all-in-one solution. Scalable, Vend currently offers
three plans: Lite which supports a single location and
costs $99 per month; Pro, which can be used in single

www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com

2020 OVERALL RATING

4.75

Read the full review for
this product online at:

www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com/
21143998

Store edition, which is designed for a single store and
supports up to five users, starting at $125 per month;
the Online edition, which is designed for online retailers, starting at $250 per month, or Both, which is a
perfect solution for brick and mortar retail businesses
that also have an online store, with Both starting at
$350 per month. All plans are completely customizable,
with users able to choose the modules they desire.

2020 OVERALL RATING

4.25

Read the full review for
this product online at:

www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com/
21143991

is well suited for mid-sized retailers; and Keystroke
Advanced; designed for larger retailers with multiple
locations. All Keystroke systems are sold through
authorized dealers throughout the U.S. Those interested in Keystroke can also download a demo to try
out prior to purchasing.

2020 OVERALL RATING

4.5

Read the full review for
this product online at:

www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com/
21143995

be used as a stand-alone point of sale application as
well. Pricing for the Basic edition starts at $1,200, with
the Pro edition running $1,700, and the Multi-Store
edition $1,900.

5

2020 OVERALL RATING
Read the full review for
this product online at:

www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com/
21143993

and multiple locations and costs $129 per month; and
Enterprise, which supports six or more locations, and
is best suited for larger or multi-store retailers, with
pricing available upon request. All editions of Vend
include real time inventory management capability,
24/7 phone and online support, and small business
reporting capability.
http://www.cumulusretail.com http://www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com/21143998 http://www.keystrokepos.com http://www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com/21143991 http://www.quickbooks.com http://www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com/21143995 http://www.vendhq.com http://www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com/21143993 http://www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com
CPA_Practice_Advisor_July_2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CPA_Practice_Advisor_July_2020
