Having covered ShopKeep numerous times in our news feed, it is pretty clear what the company is and isn’t in relation to the service industry. Namely, it is simple and refined software capable of doing great things for merchants who access its service. It is designed specifically with SMBs in mind, so if you’re a local mom and pop shop looking to make transactions easier, you’ll want to listen in to what PaymentWeek has to say about ShopKeep.

Like many of the current POS offerings for smaller merchant storefronts, ShopKeep operates primarily via iPad. Most recently, ShopKeep released its most current operating system, version 2.13.0, featuring a sleek new design that offers more to merchants in terms of usage, features, and its overall efficiency. The company advertises its speed and ease-of-use, and we must submit its validity—although not completely without blemishes and minor drawbacks here and there. As you will read further along in the review, ShopKeep is often revered for its accessibility and pricing structure, which has garnered it a few awards to boot. Small business owners should definitely look into ShopKeep for your POS needs.

Let’s talk pricing, since we previously mentioned ShopKeep’s overtly simple pricing model. To start with, if you’re still unsure of ShopKeep’s operating system, one of their sales representatives will walk you through a thorough demo of how the system works. ShopKeep also operates on a no-contract basis, meaning it is pay-as-you-go-monthly. This is a nice detail for those small business owners who are typically weary of entering into a new contract. No need here, ShopKeep prefers to keep things simple. What’s more, ShopKeep offers full tech support with every monthly subscription.

Here’s the breakdown, $69 per month, per register gets you:

• 24/7 Support Service: via text, email and chat. For an additional fee merchants receive 24/7 phone support
• Free ShopKeep Pocket iOS App
• 60 days of Free Support from a ShopKeep Expert

So as far as we can see, the only drawback about the ShopKeep pricing method is their additional pricing for two or more registers. Obviously, depending on the volume of registers you have, you can count on a higher rate to match.

To start, ShopKeep has published a nifty little video that quickly summarizes its fantastic features suited for the small business owner.

The company boasts its ease of use, so we did our research to find out if that claim holds water. Based on our findings, we detail the iPad app design to be engaging and smooth-with all you would expect from a service platform in app format circa 2017. Once your account is set up and you log in to the Back Office, you are brought through the setup process. During this time you are given the tall and skinny regarding the features involved. After you clear this process, you are instructed on how to add inventory—done by either an item-by-item basis or by CSV mass import. Also, you learn how to add buttons on your iPad register. After this rather tedious yet important set of steps, you’re basically ready to go. So in terms of ease of use, I’d say that this claim holds up to its self-proclaimed standards. The latest of ShopKeep’s software, version 2.0 also has upped the company’s abilities and is perfect pairing for the latest in iOS software. Evidently, the 2.0 editions are exponentially user-friendlier than its previous installment.

ShopKeep has a plethora of features that make it one of the top POS options for the retail and QSR industries and we have made note of them all. To begin with, ShopKeep leverages a hybrid infrastructure. Meaning that the app runs locally from an iPad and has the ability to sync data to the cloud directly in the off-times when an internet signal found cannot be found.

There is also a feature that acts as a lifeline in the event of an outage. The app continues to run as it always does minus the integrated credit card transactions. Depending on your establishment, and the level of concern you have for the connection in your building, this is a nice added feature for small business owners.

The software provided by ShopKeep is specifically designed for small specialty shops like mall kiosks, mini-cafés, bakeries, and gift shops. In addition, it also perfect for ice cream parlors, coffee shops, and food trucks which are all the rage at the present time.

The major limitation that we would maybe place on ShopKeep overall is the fact that it is not necessarily appropriate as a solution for large retail locations. But in actuality, this is by design as per the ethos of the company. They have excelled in the market they are currently in, serving the SMB owners faithfully since 2008 has definitely put them high up on our list if restaurant POS solutions.