Best POS software for wineries in 2024
Ah, the intricate world of wineries - a blend of online sales, tasting room traffic, dining experiences, and wholesale operations. And what ties them all together? The point-of-sale (POS) system, of course!
We’ve handled finances for many wineries over the years and have a good idea about the pros and cons of using various POS software. So, we thought we’d pull together a quick guide to break down our favorite POS software for wineries in 2024.
Note: Please use this review as a guide and do your own research. We’re winery accountants, not operations managers!
#1 Winery POS: Orderport
This lesser-known point-of-sale system lands #1 on our list for two good reasons: it has a robust set of features including inventory management, integrates well with other solutions, and handles wholesale orders well.
We’ll admit, as your winery accountant, that we probably care about what a POS can do on the backend more than how it feels to use it as a user. And on the backend, Orderport shines. The backend reporting is very accessible and open, making it easy to download CSVs, pull reports, and get whatever you need financially out of it.
Why does this matter to you?
This means fewer manual entries, more accurate data, and streamlined integration between the POS and other software. Additionally, Orderport can handle all of your sales channels in one place—your website, restaurant, tasting room, and wholesale orders. Consolidating all of your sales data is one of the most important aspects of inventory management, and it’s easiest when you’re using a single system for all of your sales.
Want another nerdy fact? OrderPort is the only POS we’ve found that can handle the sales tax district codes in Washington State. This is cause for any winery accountant to celebrate.
All this said, OrderPort isn’t without its faults. Orderport has a less modern front-end than some other systems and is missing some of the wine club subscription functionality that Commerce7 is rolling out.
However, OrderPort does continually update its system with new features. They’ve recently rolled out a restaurant module that includes reservations, tips, and more, replacing the need to use Toast for your restaurant channels. The jury is still out on how effective this new module is.
#2 Winery POS: Commerce7
As a winery owner, you may be more familiar with Commerce7. It’s a popular winery POS option and probably the most visually appealing POS on the market.
Commerce7 has put a lot of work into making its front-end more modern, which leads to a better shopping experience for customers. Additionally, Commerce7 has wide functionality. You can easily sign up or recognize club members, and manage tastings, member benefits, reservations, and more within one system. They’ve also put a lot of focus (and money) into improving the wine subscription and wine club functionality. So, if this is your focus too, you may prefer this software.
However, as accountants who handle the financials, we aren’t huge fans of the backend. It’s harder to get the detailed financial information we need out of it. Additionally, there are weird workarounds in Commerce7 for wholesale orders. This system has potential, but our team rates it below Orderport.
#3 Winery POS: WineDirect
If you’re a winery in California, you may be most familiar with WineDirect. It’s the most established POS in the wine industry and is used most prevalently in California.
Simply because most of our clients are in the Northwest, this is the POS we are least familiar with. However, our clients that do use WineDirect have been happy with it.
It is the most robust POS system of the bunch, handling all your DTC sales needs from end-to-end, including the online store, tasting room, wine club, and fulfillment. And it comes with a really good team behind it to help with intricate setups and troubleshooting issues.
The only downside we’ve seen is just the price. But hey, you get what you pay for.
#4 Winery POS: Square
Square is a great, basic POS if you’re just getting started. It does not have any winery-specific features and you can’t use it to manage a wine club or inventory, so we don’t recommend it as your primary POS.
However, if you want to keep things super simple, this is a good place to start. It can also be useful as a temporary POS for pop-ups or off-site events.
Have a winery point-of-sale software that we didn’t mention on our list that you recommend? We’d love to hear about it! You can get in touch with our team via email here. Until next time.
