Trade Show Ready: Best POS Features to Look For

Planning for a trade show might involve hours of creating an eye-catching booth, curating the perfect product lineup, and preparing your team to engage with attendees. While these elements are essential, you also need the right Point of Sale (POS) system to really make an impact.

However, trade shows present a unique set of challenges. The temporary and mobile nature of your booth means your POS system needs to be lightweight and portable. It should also be able to accept various payment methods, including cash, credit cards, and mobile wallets, and keep track of your stock in real time. Plus, the sheer number of attendees at a trade show can create long lines and frustrating wait times. That’s why your POS system needs to be fast, efficient, and capable of handling the influx of customers.

In this article, we’ll highlight all the essential features to look for in a trade show POS system and share our top three POS recommendations to make your next trade show successful!

What to look for in a trade show POS

Mobility

As we’ve mentioned, trade show POS systems need to be ready to go at a moment’s notice. Look for a system that minimizes the need for bulky hardware, supports wireless connectivity, and can operate efficiently on tablets or phones. The system should also be quick to set up and offer a user-friendly interface so your team can use it without extensive training.

Payment support

Jovvie’s payment options displayed on a mobile phone screen.

One of the biggest challenges of selling in person at trade shows is accommodating all the different payment preferences. From cash and credit cards to digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay, your POS system needs to be able to handle it all.

Real-time inventory management

With sales and orders coming in quickly, you need a POS solution that can keep up. Look for a system with real-time inventory tracking capabilities so you always know exactly what you have in stock.

Customer satisfaction

At the end of the day, your POS system should be designed to make your customers’ lives easier. Look for features like self-checkout options and the ability to handle high transaction volumes. The smoother and faster the checkout process, the happier your customers will be!

Choosing the best POS solution for a trade show

1. Jovvie

Jovvie by BizSwoop is the ideal POS system for businesses looking to improve their sales and deliver an incredible customer experience at trade shows. It offers native integration with WooCommerce, which means you can access multiple integrations and extensions to add any functionality you want. If you don’t use WooCommerce, no problem! Jovvie also offers an all-in-one POS platform through their Jovvie One plan. Some features of Jovvie include:

Easy setup: Whether you’re using a laptop, iOS, or Android mobile device or tablet, Jovvie is compatible with all your gear. That means you don’t have to lug around heavy hardware or worry about compatibility issues. Just set Jovvie up on your existing devices and get started! Plus, with support for unlimited cashiers and locations, you can easily add new staff members or devices to your setup without any extra costs.
Flexible payment options: Jovvie is an official Stripe partner, which means it supports various payment options, including cash, all major credit and debit cards, Google Pay, Apple Pay, bank transfers, QR payments, and more. If you prefer not to use Stripe, Jovvie also works with all WooCommerce-compatible payment gateways.
Real-time inventory tracking: With Jovvie’s real-time sync, your inventory is automatically updated whenever you make a sale, whether in-person or online, so you always know exactly what you have in stock. This feature is especially valuable if you plan to take orders at the trade show and ship them later. And, if you do bring inventory with you, Jovvie will keep track of what you sell so you can reorder as needed.
Streamlined checkout: There’s nothing worse than long lines and slow checkout processes at a busy trade show. That’s why Jovvie offers a kiosk mode with self-checkout capabilities. Jovvie also makes it easy to accommodate an international audience with support for 36 languages.

2. ConnectPOS

ConnectPOS is a cloud-based POS platform that allows retailers to deliver an omnichannel shopping experience. The solution is designed to streamline in-store operations and unify online and offline sales channels. Some features are:

Customizable interface: The ConnectPOS interface can be easily customized to match your company’s branding and aesthetics.
Ticket selling and management: You can create, sell, and track tickets directly from the ConnectPOS system, ensuring a hassle-free experience for organizers and attendees.
Real-time analytics: ConnectPOS delivers real-time analytics, so you can gain insights into event performance and make data-driven decisions on the spot. Monitor sales, track popular products, and identify trends to optimize your trade show strategy.

Drawbacks

While ConnectPOS offers many of the same benefits as Jovvie, such as real-time inventory tracking and flexible payment methods, its setup process can be challenging, especially for non-technical users. Some users have reported that they often need to rely on the ConnectPOS support team due to the complex configuration settings.

3. Clover

Clover is a comprehensive POS system designed specifically for retail businesses. With its intuitive interface and functionality, Clover can help you manage inventory, process transactions, and gain insights into your business performance. Its features include:

Mobile and portable: Clover’s mobile devices, like the Clover Flex, let you accept payments, print receipts, and process transactions directly from the trade show floor.
Offline mode: Clover’s POS system has a 7-day offline mode, which lets you process transactions even if you don’t have access to an internet connection.
Extensive app marketplace: You can access over 300 apps that integrate with Clover POS. This allows you to extend the system’s functionality to meet your specific needs, whether it’s loyalty programs, accounting integrations, or advanced reporting.

Drawbacks

Clover only works with its own proprietary hardware. That means you won’t be able to use your existing mobile devices or POS equipment. Clover does offer its own mobile POS devices, but they come at a higher price point compared to other options on the market.

Take your trade show performance to the next level with Jovvie

Trade shows are exciting opportunities, but they’re also challenging. One of the main things to get right is your POS system, which manages sales, processes payments, and keeps track of your inventory. That’s why it’s so important to choose a POS system like Jovvie, which is packed with features to streamline your operations.

Jovvie’s main advantage is that it’s super easy to set up. Unlike some other POS systems, Jovvie works with the devices you already have, so you don’t need to purchase any special hardware. You can even use your existing tablets or phones to take advantage of Jovvie’s self-checkout feature and speed up your customers’ checkout process. Plus, its real-time inventory management keeps your online and in-person sales perfectly in sync, so you always know what’s in stock.

Ready to see how Jovvie can help make your next trade show successful? Download Jovvie today to get started!

POS systems

Trade Show Ready: Best POS Features to Look For