Everything you need to sell in-store, manage stock, keep the books straight, and reach customers online. These picks are built for independent retailers who need things simple, reliable, and affordable.
The easiest POS to set up and start selling with. Free software, pay only transaction fees, and the hardware is affordable. Handles payments, receipts, basic inventory, and sales reporting out of the box.
Purpose-built for retail with deep inventory management: variants, reorder points, supplier catalogues, and multi-location support. More powerful than Square for stock-heavy shops. Also includes a capable POS.
Connects directly to Square and Lightspeed so your sales data flows into your books automatically. Bank feeds, GST/BAS reporting, and invoicing are all built in. The go-to for small retail accounting in Australia, UK, and NZ.
Visual-first social media scheduler built around Instagram but supports all major platforms. Drag-and-drop calendar, link-in-bio tool, and basic analytics. The free plan covers one social set with limited posts.
Simple, clean scheduling for Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and more. Less visual than Later but easier to use if you're not design-focused. The free plan covers three channels with limited scheduling.
The gold standard for small business e-commerce. Beautiful themes, built-in payments, shipping label printing, and an app ecosystem for everything else. Syncs inventory with your in-store POS if you use Shopify POS too.
If you're already using Square POS, this is the easiest way to add an online store. Inventory syncs automatically between in-store and online. Less customisable than Shopify but far simpler to set up.
Running a small retail shop means you're wearing every hat: buyer, seller, marketer, accountant. Your software needs to be simple enough that you can set it up between customers and reliable enough that it never lets you down on a busy Saturday.
Square gets you taking payments on day one with zero monthly fees. Lightspeed steps in when your inventory complexity outgrows Square's built-in tracking. Xero connects to both and keeps your accounting clean. Later or Buffer handle your social media presence without requiring a marketing degree, and Shopify gives you a proper online storefront when you're ready to sell beyond your four walls.
The key principle: start with Square's free tier and add tools only as your shop demands them.