What is a retail software app?

Retail software helps those working in the retail industry run their business and improve their day-to-day processes. Often fulfilling multiple purposes at a time, retail systems include backend planning like inventory management and customer accounts through to point of sale solutions and payment solutions that integrate with your accounting software. 

What are the benefits of retail apps?

• Improved customer service: Improve relationships with customers by using data to personalise and customise interactions online and in person. Avoid long checkouts and ecommerce delays with optimised processes and inventory management. 

• Multi-channel management: Take information from multiple store locations and digital channels and combine it into one centralised source of truth. Get a full picture of your business, no matter how many avenues you use to sell your products. 

• Secure payments and returns: Offer a wide selection of major payment types for both in-store and online purchases, including tap to pay. Make returns easy and reconcile every transaction in your accounting platform with data syncing to Xero. 

What are the typical features I can use with retail management apps?

• Inventory management: Track all of your inventory and know when certain products are running low to mitigate lost sales or frustrated customers. Avoid inventory waste and stay on top of your ordering.

• Customer order management: Monitor customer orders and have insights into ordering and shipping processes all from your retail management system. Send reminders when orders are shipped to increase customer satisfaction, or look up orders in seconds to answer customer concerns.

• Supply chain management: Take ownership of your supply chain and monitor the purchase orders you send to suppliers. Evaluate your supplier relationships and purchase new products quickly when inventory levels run low. 

• Integrated payment solutions: Expedite sales and increase customer satisfaction by accepting multiple forms of payment for online and in-store purchases. Use your retail software to expand what type of payments you can accept, so your customers can pay you in their preferred way. 

How retail management apps work with Xero

Streamline daily operations and cut down on admin work with retail management apps that integrate with your Xero account so you can focus on driving sales and customer experience. 

When you have to manage multiple areas of a retail business, you need software that can handle the juggling for you. Connecting a retail app with Xero can allow you to: 

• Offer more popular payment solutions that securely accept customer payments both online and in-store, knowing they are reconciled in your Xero account

• Save time creating and managing reports across your sales channels with the option to maintain full ledgers per channel or consolidate and reconcile your settlement payouts 

• Manage your inventory across multiple stores and locations with real-time updates of stock movements and inventory value

• Set up integrated point of sale solutions that automatically sync your COGs, register closures, petty cash and liabilities each day so you can shut up shop at the end of the day faster

Find your fit

Every retail app’s integration with Xero can be different. To learn more, browse through the retail management apps in this category. Click on an app to find detailed information on how it works and integrates with your Xero account, and see ratings and reviews by other Xero users. Want to try an app? You can then get started directly from the app listing page in just a few clicks.