Square is one of the most well-recognized Point of Sale systems, familiar to anyone who’s paid for an item from a small store by tapping on a white tablet.
Now, the company has debuted the next iteration of that classic POS hardware, Square Stand, with updated features to make sales and inventory tracking easier than ever.
Here’s what the new countertop device has to offer, and why Square’s updating now.
Square Stand
The new Stand looks relatively similar to the old one, with a white square appearance and familiar logo.
The two biggest new features in the Stand are built-in payments for both chip cards and contactless payments, and a “customer-driven” checkout process that’s designed to be simpler and more streamlined than past processes.
Part of that checkout process is an order summary screen included in the device, saving cashiers from a clunky secondary screen. Payment icons located on the face of the device will be illuminated, making payments easier to complete at a glance.
The new 2022 Square Stand will cost $149 or $14 per month across 12 months.
Evolving for the Future
So why is Square updating its hardware now? According to Alyssa Henry, head of Square, the new version will address the evolutions in the shopping industry since the Square Stand first arrived way back in 2013.
“The new Stand was built with the future of commerce in mind,” Henry said in a statement. “Marrying elegant design with powerful software, Square Stand provides sellers of any size, from boutique retailers to multi-location restaurants, with a versatile command center for their business. Square Stand offers sellers an integrated way to meet the purchasing preferences of today’s consumers.”
A lot of disparate needs and tech have all been blended into the new hardware system — from online and pick-up sales to deliveries to both contactless and chip card readers.
With this hardware upgrade, Square can remain a one-stop solution for modern retailers, rather than a collection of third-party add-ons.
Is Square POS Worth It?
Our Tech.co testers have ranked Square highly as a POS system — the prices are low, but you’ll get all the core features needed with a lot of flexibility.
Like the previous Stand, the new Stand can handle Square’s software for restaurants, retailers, and appointments, as well as employee management services like time tracking, tip management, and shift scheduling. Additional add-ons like payroll, inventory, marketing, loyalty, and omnichannel commerce can all be added as needed.
The new Stand also drops the prices — users previously needed to pay $169 for an iPad Square Stand package that included a contactless card reader, but they’ll now just pay $149 for a Stand with the contactless payments functionality built right into it.
You can check out our full page on Square POS pricing for more info on the costs for transaction fees, as well as the monthly fee for the full restaurant or retail-specific software offerings.
