Shopkeep vs. Vend

Shopkeep is extremely easy to use, and inexperienced retailers in particular will have no trouble managing their inventory and processing orders.

The register screen, which is designed to run on an iPad (although you can buy a stationary register from Clover which is compatible with Shopkeep) follows a standard format, with block item listings, a button for saving sales for later, and “cash” or “credit” options. Further functionality is available from a side menu. The back-office dashboard is also very intuitive. A left-hand sidebar displays tabs to dedicated areas for analytics, inventory (items), marketing tools, staff permissions, and settings. The home-page also provides a “birds-eye” view of your business and shows important metrics like sales and transactions.

The one downside on the usability front is that dedicated onboarding and one-on-one support isn’t available on all plans, although you may be able to add this to your package when you speak to Shopkeep (all subscriptions are on a custom basis). That said, user reviews tend to state that setting up was straightforward, despite the lack of tailored customer service.

"I know this sounds crazy but I really don't have any negatives with this system."

"It was fairly simple to set up and use and fairly easy to train people on the system."

"This software was very easy to set up, update and use. "

Vend scored very well for ease-of-use on all devices, including desktops, iPads, and mobiles. The central dashboard, which links to dedicated areas for reporting, sales, product management, and saved customer details, is minimal and intuitive. Vend integrates with multiple hardware and checkout providers and also provides a customer-facing interface (such as for entering email addresses).

“I love Vend. It’s one of the easiest platforms to use, and I have used a lot.”

“Absolutely love the ease of use of Vend.”

“Great easy to use systems on the front-end.”

Shopkeep offers more or less everything you would expect to find in a point-of-sale system. Features include inventory management, payment processing, barcode scanning, hardware packages, support for gift cards and loyalty programs, and discount options.

Both the browser-based back-office and iPad register dashboards are intuitive and easy-to-use, and set-up is generally very straightforward. This point has been confirmed by numerous user reviews online.

What’s more, Shopkeep offers in-depth analytics - though larger retailers may be looking for more advanced functionality - along with user permissions. There is no cap on the number of items or users that can be added to the system. Retailers can also take advantage of a “pocket” mobile app for keeping on top of sales.

Shopkeep is primarily an iPad system, so you will need to keep this in mind when thinking about your hardware set-up. That said, you can purchase a register kit from Clover, thus removing the need for an iPad, but this will incur additional costs.

The one big downside when it comes to features is the limited integrations library. Only three are provided - Quickbooks, Mailchimp, and BigCommerce. If you’re looking to build a fully-integrated tech stack, then you will have to look elsewhere.

Vend has an excellent set of features and, most store-owners and managers will find everything they need. Vend provides integrations with various payment processors, a simple, easy-to-use dashboard and sales interface, secure cloud back-ups, an outstanding customer service package, support for promotions, gift cards, and product variations, and in-depth analytics.

As a cloud-based solution, Vend will run on Windows, Android, iOS, and macOS. Vend also integrates with a wide variety of hardware suppliers. A dedicated app means that mobile devices and iPads can be used to create ePOS (electronic point of sale) stations in conjunction with a main register.

Centralized management of multiple retail outlets and advanced analytics are available on the “Pro” and “Enterprise” plans. Users on the “Lite” plan have access to a limited set of analytics tools.

It’s worth pointing out that while Vend brands itself as an “inventory management” app, its functionality in this area is only really suitable for brick-and-mortar stores. If you need to manage inventory and fulfillment for your ecommerce store, you should look for a dedicated inventory management solution. Vend is perfectly suitable, however, for managing in-store inventory. What’s more, it will integrate with many of your other retail channels, allowing for the seamless flow of data between platforms.

There isn’t a great deal to discuss when it comes to integrations. Shopkeep offers far fewer connectors than competing platforms. If you’re looking for a point-of-sale system that syncs seamlessly with your existing tech stack, then you will have to look elsewhere. For brick-and-mortar retailers (and restaurateurs) that operate mostly out of a single or multiple stores, this is unlikely to be a problem. If, however, you have a large online presence and rely on several apps, you won’t find the functionality you need.

Furthermore, no intermediary apps are supported, so you won’t be able to connect up your stack by using third-party tools like Zapier.

The one exception to this is if you run your store on BigCommerce, and are happy to use this platform as your primary hub for integrations. Still, some manual data input may be required.

In terms of the integrations on offer, Shopkeep syncs with Quickbooks, MailChimp, and BigCommerce. Shopkeep stipulates that users can build their own “ecommerce store”, but you will have to purchase a separate BigCommerce package in order to take advantage of this feature.

If you are looking for a slimmed-down solution, however, and only need access to accounting and mailing list functionality along with your own store, then Shopkeep provides a straightforward, high-quality solution.

Vend offers a good - but not mind-blowing - selection of integrations. Some users have complained that the integrations or “add-on” library could be more extensive. That said, small and medium retailers will likely find everything they need. Just be sure to check that any integrations you absolutely require are included before you subscribe to a paid plan. It was also a little unfortunate that Vend hasn’t built a connector for Zapier, which would have overcome many of the shortcomings of the current library (although a similar app, Workato, is supported).

So what does Vend offer? On the accounting front, users can link up to QuickBooks (online version), Xero, MYOB, and Accounts Portal.

Supported ecommerce platforms include BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Shopify, Ecwid, Pointy, Near St, and Magento (through Vortex HQ). You can also connect Vend with some ecommerce platforms using ShopIQ as an intermediary (if you have an account and want to take advantage of its omnichannel analytics tools). As Vend doesn’t offer direct integrations with third-party marketplaces (like Etsy, eBay, and Amazon), data must be processed by your ecommerce platform or your inventory management solution before syncing. Inventory management integrations include Unleashed, Ecomdash, and Orderhive.

Finally, Vend offers a handful of marketing, scheduling, and deep analytics (including Vonto and 9Spokes) integrations. For enterprises, NetSuite is supported. Link-ups with other leading ERPs are currently in development.

Shopkeep works on a custom pricing model and you will need to get in touch with the company to discuss your needs. From our own research, we found that plans begin at around $49/month, with additional costs for extra registers. Remember that this is a solution tailored to smaller businesses.

Shopkeep has an in-house payment processing solution which charges 2.5% per transaction and an additional ten-cent processing fee. This isn’t bad by any means, but we would have liked to have seen greater support for third-party services. A free terminal is included in all plans.

Shopkeep also offers an iPad-compatible hardware kit. Like the POS plans, pricing is unique to each customer.

Vend has a reasonably competitive pricing model. Smaller retailers with a low number of registers will find the pricing reasonable. For larger brands, however, with multiple locations and sales-points, expenses can quickly add up. It costs an extra $59/month to add cash registers. That said, the “Enterprise” plan, which is offered on a custom pricing model, is worth exploring.

There are three plans - Lite, Pro, and Enterprise. The Lite plan is suitable for stores with up to $20,000 in turnover a month. Pro and Enterprise allow for unlimited turnover.

Notably, Vend doesn’t charge any fees on top of those required by payment processing providers.

Shopkeep offers a streamlined but high-quality support package. Customer service is available 24/7, 365 days a year, via email. Extensive documentation and training materials are also offered to help users make the most of the platform.

While dedicated onboarding support isn’t advertised, it may be possible to purchase this when discussing your plan. No community support is provided.

Vend really shines when it comes to customer support. The Vend customer service team, which has won multiple awards and has offices around the world, is available via email or in-app live-chat. Phone support is also offered on all plans.

Dedicated onboarding assistance and a personal account manager are both included on the “Enterprise” plan. Users can also pay extra for one-on-one training, with several service packages available). There’s also the option to search for a local Vend specialist to help with hardware installation and account setup.

Finally, Vend offers a wide selection of training materials, including webinars, courses, and in-depth documentation.

Overall, we were very impressed with Shopkeep. It’s a compact, well-designed, and cost-effective platform that’s aimed squarely at the small business market. Dedicated solutions for restaurants, food trucks, bars, and coffee shops, along with an option for retailers, make it an attractive solution to companies in these sectors.

The options to create an ecommerce store and sync up with Quickbooks and MailChimp are also added bonuses.

The one downside was the limited number of integrations. If you’re not looking for an extensive integrations library, then Shopkeep is definitely worth considering. If, on the other hand, you want a solution that will sync with your existing tech stack, along with providing the ability to use third-party payment processors, then you should consider alternatives.

Overall, we were very impressed with Vend. As a POS system, it’s reasonably priced, has a good selection of features, and is very intuitive and easy to use.

It’s best for small and medium brick-and-mortar retailers. So if you fit into this category, it’s well worth taking advantage of the free trial. It’s also a good option for sellers that have an online presence and want a POS that will sync with their ecommerce stores and inventory management apps.

There are a small handful of downsides, including a somewhat limited integrations library, the absence of a native payment processor (although most popular third-party options are supported), and limited enterprise features, such employee permissions. Most retailers won’t find these drawbacks to be an issue, but they should be considered when evaluating the software.