Heartland Retail Review

A full review of Heartland Retail’s POS system (which was formerly known as Springboard Retail).

Mark Hammersley

Mark Hammersley

Last updated 2o October 2020


Heartland Retail

3.9  Stackupp rating


Pricing from

$ 80.00 / month

Free Plan?

No


Best for

retailers of all sizes. A number of packages which cater to different business needs are available.

Heartland Retail is a comprehensive point-of-sale system that is suitable for retailers of all sizes, with cost-effective plans for smaller companies and custom packages for larger enterprises. Custom plans come with an array of high-level features like custom user interface branding, training accounts, and location access controls.

Heartland also puts a lot of emphasis on metrics. It has one of the most in-depth analytics platforms we’ve seen in a point-of-sale system, with real-time data and daily summaries.

Users can also take advantage of robust inventory management and customer relationship management tools, along with a dedicated package of features for retail buyers.

On the negative side, the integrations library is a little sparse and payment processing costs are worked out on a per-user basis.

Is Heartland Retail right for you?

you’re looking for a feature-rich, comprehensive point-of-sale solution, irrespective of the size of your business. In particular, users that are eager to take advantage of in-depth reporting functionality will find a lot to like in Heartland POS.

Advantages

  • Excellent reporting tools.
  • Feature-rich, robust POS system.
  • Suitable for retailers of all sizes.

Drawbacks

  • Limited integrations library.
  • A little pricey when compared to other options on the market.
  • Some features are only available on the higher-tier or custom plans.

Ease of Use

Rated 4/5 for Ease of Use

While the Heartland Retail user interface isn’t the most intuitive we’ve come across, it isn’t difficult-to-use by any means. The main POS dashboard is accessed via an iPad or Android app or via a browser (if you want to use a desktop computer to run your POS).

Both the tablet and desktop interfaces follow a fairly typical design. A top-of-the-screen menu links to dedicated areas for processing sales and payments, reporting, inventory management, customer relationship management, employee permissions, and so on.

Keep in mind that Heartland is best-suited to an iPad or Android tablet set-up. Alternatively, you can run the software using a computer browser. At the time of writing, we are not aware of an offline mode.

What customers are saying...

"It's mobile and in the cloud so we have access anywhere and anytime."
"Reports are entirely customizable and there are several metrics to choose from."
"It's easy for my seasonal employees to use, but not remarkably more or less than any other POS."

Features

Rated 4.5/5 for Features

Heartland doesn’t disappoint when it comes to features. It definitely ranks as one of the most feature-rich platforms we’ve reviewed, especially on the analytics and reporting front. It is recommended that Heartland be used with an iPad, but it’s also possible to run the software on an Android tablet (depending on the software version) or through a browser on a desktop computer.

Retailers will have access to an array of tools for managing inventory, organizing vendors and retail buyers, running advanced reports, storing customer details, setting employee permissions, and more.

In regards to the POS system itself, features include email receipts, gift cards and loyalty program discounts, a customer-facing display, and a mobile app.

Finally, enterprise users have access to price lists and customizable products, purchase order allocation, user interface training, training accounts, and the API.

As a slight negative, it’s also worth pointing out that advanced analytics are not available on the lowest-priced “Plus” plan, although limited reporting functionality is included.

Integrations

Rated 3/5 for Integrations

When it comes to integrations, Heartland doesn’t perform as well as some other solutions we reviewed. The integrations library isn’t terrible, but there could be a lot more on offer. What’s more, use of some integrations incurs extra costs.
We would like to point out, however, that if you are happy with the broader feature-set of the POS solution and the integrations library does meet your needs, then the limited number of options to sync with third-party apps is unlikely to be an issue. Judging from user reviews, Heartland also seems very responsive to requests for new integrations.

On the ecommerce front, BigCommerce, Shopify, Magento, and WooCommerce are all supported. Sales integrations include Salesforce, Mailchimp, and Annex Cloud. The main accounting integrations are Quickbooks and Oracle Netsuite. Unfortunately, a connector for Xero isn’t provided.

Another downside with the integrations library is that Heartland isn’t compatible with any “intermediary apps” like Zapier or Kosmos which would provide access to a large range of third-party tools.

How much does Heartland Retail cost?

Rated 4/5 for Pricing

A short introduction to pricing ~100 words Heartland offers three plans. The “Plus” plan is $80/month per register, the “Professional” plan is $160/month per register, and the “”Enterprise” plan is priced on a custom basis. Heartland stipulates that it integrates with a variety of payment processors but doesn’t publish payment fees on its website, so it’s likely that you will be able to use your preferred payment processor but may have to pay additional fees.

While Heartland isn’t as inexpensive as some other solutions we’ve reviewed, it’s important to keep in mind that users are getting access to a pretty extensive feature-set.

We were also pleased to see that most functionality is available on the entry-level plan, with the exception of API access. If you opt for Heartland, you won’t be compelled to move onto a higher plan because certain essential features are lacking.

Help and Support

Rated 4/5 for Help and Support

Heartland offers a solid support package with email and live-chat services available on the basic plan from 8 AM to 9 PM EST. The mid-tier plan also includes phone support, and the enterprise plan has an “Elite” customer service package with a faster response time guaranteed.

Onboarding packages are included on all plans with the option to upgrade for more one-on-one time.

The Bottom Line

Heartland Retail is one of those rare beasts - a point-of-sale solution that is genuinely suitable for retailers of all sizes, from mom-and-pop stores to enterprise chains.

It has an excellent set of features, one of the best analytics dashboards we’ve seen, and is reasonably priced. While there are cheaper alternatives available, it’s unlikely that you’ll have access to the same number of features.

The support package is also excellent, with onboarding and data-migration options for new users.

The one big downside is the limited integrations library, so be sure to check that you have access to all the connectors you require before subscribing.

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