Operating a dive shop is far from your typical retail experience. Along with selling specialized gear, you’re responsible for managing dive classes, equipment rentals, and servicing — all while providing unforgettable underwater adventures for your customers.
Your dive shop has unique operational needs, such as managing instructors, tracking customer dive histories and certification levels, and maintaining a dive trip calendar. That’s why you need a point of sale (POS) system designed to meet those needs.
Don’t settle for a generic solution — look for these top five features of dive shop POS systems and discover the top three software programs to invest in to support your store’s success.
With so many POS programs and software solutions available, searching through the options to find the right fit for your scuba shop can feel overwhelming. Instead of sifting through every POS system function, focus on these must-have features to streamline your search.
Your dive shop’s inventory management needs are more complex than those of a traditional retail outlet. Dive equipment is specialized, ranging from masks, fins, and dive suits to more expensive products like regulators, tanks, and diving computers. A dive shop POS system must track and categorize each item accurately. It should let you add new products without manually entering item categories.
The best dive shop POS programs also need to track real-time stock levels, letting you know how many of each product you have in the showroom, store room, or warehouse at any moment.
Because your shop must also handle classes and trips, it should let you manage rentals as easily as sales. This should help you easily identify what gear each customer is renting at a glance.
Dive shops typically offer a range of dive training courses and guided dive trips to customers of all skill levels. They make up revenue streams your business relies on to thrive. So why not adopt a POS system that allows you to manage trips and classes from the same dashboard as your inventory?
A dedicated dive shop POS system lets you manage bookings and assign instructors to classes and students. With these features, you can provide registration in-store and online through your e-commerce platform, reducing the risk of overbooking and eliminating the need for manual tracking.
You need to track not only your customers’ details and shopping habits but also their certification levels, diving experience, and when their gear requires servicing.
A dedicated POS system with an integrated CRM function allows you to monitor all of this information so you can provide personalized customer service and take advantage of automated marketing opportunities.
On top of standard CRM features, you should also try running a customer loyalty program. This is a great incentive for customers to return to your store — more points, more perks!
No dive shop services are complete without tracking certification and training processes. Advanced POS systems integrate directly with organizations like the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) and Scuba Schools International (SSI).
These integrations allow you to view and manage student records, register new divers with the certification organization of their choice, and provide access to training materials. You can even track instructor credentials so you can assign each class to a teacher with the correct background and certifications.
A secure payment processing system is convenient for both you and your customers. It helps establish trust and speeds up the purchasing process.
The best POS systems integrate their own payment processor, so you don’t have to rely on a potentially insecure external solution. They protect your customer data and process payments, whether from in-store purchases or online orders.
For maximum convenience, look for systems that accept as many payment options as possible, including contactless payments and mobile wallets. The more payment options you offer, the easier it is to accommodate your customers and boost your sales.
Now that you know what features are most valuable in a dive shop POS system, where should you begin?
We’ve saved you some time by curating a shortlist of top dive point of sale providers. Here are three of the best dive shop POS systems on the market — and why they are worth considering for your small business.
Dive Shop 360 is a top-rated POS solution specifically designed for the diving industry (with input from over 1,000 diving professionals). This software stands out from others on the market with its easy-to-use interface and wide range of customization options.
Dive Shop 360 has all the advanced features you expect from a POS system for dive shops — and none of the extras you don’t need. Track and manage dive equipment, view real-time stock levels at any moment, manage customer details, and organize classes and dive trips all from the same system.
Dive Shop 360 comes with all of the must-have features highlighted above at no extra cost. Plus, there’s an in-house e-commerce solution and support for integrations like Shopify, allowing you to sell online.
Rain POS is an all-in-one retail POS system designed for retailers by retailers. It is a highly configurable, easily customized solution that can adapt to the needs of your dive shop.
Rain POS integrates your dive shop’s inventory management, marketing tools, e-commerce website, and payment processing into a single, easy-to-navigate platform! It also supports useful software integrations such as QuickBooks Online for accounting or Clientbook for CRM.
Three pricing plans are available for Rain POS. The entry-level Startup plan is available from $99/month and includes a wide range of features. For higher plans or custom options, contact a sales representative.
Divery is a POS software solution for dive shops that is a hybrid of a locally managed program and cloud-based software. While it does use cloud-based features, Divery will continue functioning even if your internet connection goes down and then re-synchronize once it returns, keeping your shop safe from data loss.
Divery includes a full range of features to make your customers’ in-store experience easy and enjoyable. It contains an intuitive customer management tool, a dive class and appointment scheduler, and a feature-filled inventory and rental equipment manager.
A 60-day demo allows you to experience everything Divery offers for free. After the demo period ends, you can contact a representative to discuss pricing options.
Managing a dive shop means balancing your time between the shop, warehouse, online store, and customers. With so much to juggle, you need the best POS system — with all of the necessary features baked in — to help you work smarter, not harder!
Of all of the systems on the market, Dive Shop 360 is the top solution because it was designed by dive industry professionals who understand your unique needs. Schedule a demo today and receive a personalized walkthrough to see how it can streamline your workflow, strengthen customer relationships, and increase sales.