A scuba shop is more than just a place to buy diving gear — it’s a hub for local scuba enthusiasts, from beginners seeking classes to experienced divers hunting for the latest equipment.
As a scuba shop owner, you need a point of sale (POS) system that helps you serve divers of all skill levels and deliver the best shopping experience. Check out the top four scuba POS systems and take your inventory, customer, and store management to the next level.
1. Dive Shop 360
Dive Shop 360 is an all-in-one scuba POS system made for divers by divers. It provides your scuba shop with powerful store management tools and an easy-to-use interface. It integrates everything you need to manage your shop and nothing you don’t.
Pros:
- Complete management features: Dive Shop 360 includes inventory management software, an e-commerce platform (and several third-party integrations), credit card and contactless payment processing, and a responsive website designer. There’s no need to use different disconnected tools! Use the same interface to manage your store’s stock levels, customer relationships, e-commerce sales data, and scuba diving classes.
- Easy to use: While Dive Shop 360 has tons of features to offer your scuba shop, its user-friendly interface makes it easy to access them all. Take advantage of the intuitive design to easily manage daily operations and train new employees faster.
- Accessible anytime, anywhere: As a cloud-based POS solution, Dive Shop 360 lets you manage your scuba business from any internet-connected device. You don’t need to use dedicated, expensive hardware to manage your store — simply connect to your account with a computer or mobile device instead.
- Automated inventory management: Sort your inventory, configure stock level updates, and set up automatic reorders with Dive Shop 360’s powerful inventory management software. Stay in control of your product supply and minimize stockouts or costly overstocking expenses.
Cons:
- Internet-dependent: Dive Shop 360 is a cloud-based device, meaning you need a reliable internet connection to access all of its features. If your standard internet connection drops, you can use Dive Shop 360 over a cellular network as needed.
- Limits to customization: While Dive Shop 360 comes preloaded with many features, integrating custom elements or a new vendor can take time.
Pricing: You can schedule a demo to experience the benefits and key features of Dive Shop 360 for yourself. Then, contact a sales rep for a custom pricing plan for your store.
Dive Shop 360 simplifies scuba shop operations with its integrated tools and user-friendly design despite some limitations in customization and reliance on a stable internet connection.
2. EVE Diving
EVE Diving is a modular POS solution for scuba shops and dive centers that want to maximize profits and improve the customer experience.
Pros:
- Powerful management tools: EVE includes a wide range of tools to manage your scuba shop. The search wizard allows you to find precise customer data, generate sales and class reports, and monitor your business’ performance with the integrated analytics engine.
- Modular design: EVE Diving keeps you in control of the information you want to see. Use and arrange each module so you can focus on managing your dive shop’s sales, customers, courses, dive trips, rentals, inventory, and services.
- Marketing software integrations: EVE Online integrates with marketing tools like MailChimp. Use the built-in templates to create persuasive marketing campaigns and reach out to your customers through email or text messaging.
Cons:
- Complex feature set: EVE comes with many essential features and modules that your staff need to learn, but this increases training times and expenses.
- PADI only: EVE Diving is designed for Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) dive centers. If your scuba shop is affiliated with another dive training organization, you may not be able to use all of its features.
- Features in extra apps: Certain features, such as detailed marketing campaign managers or offline mode, are only available in separate apps like EVE Agent or EVE Pro. Subscribing to these additional tools increases operational costs.
Pricing: EVE Diving recommends contacting customer support to discuss your scuba shop’s specific requirements and get a custom quote.
EVE Diving offers a customizable and feature-rich POS system ideal for managing PADI dive centers. However, the steeper learning curve and potential additional costs may pose challenges for some users.
3. DiverDash
DiverDash is a leading management and point of sale system that helps scuba shop owners engage more customers and organize trips or training courses with ease.
Pros:
- Streamlined business operations: With DiverDash, you can cut down the time spent managing your shop’s day-to-day operations. They claim you can save at least 20 hours per month and spend more time serving customers or hosting diving classes and activities.
- Track student progress: The built-in class management tools let you track and monitor each student’s progress in real time. Get all the data you need to provide quality dive onboarding, training, and instruction.
- Minimize manual data handling: Use DiverDash to automate processes like onboarding, accepting payments, or assigning courses. These automation features do more than save time and money — they also reduce the risk of errors from manual data entry.
Cons:
- Advanced features cost more: Lower pricing plans may not include everything you need to manage your scuba shop. For example, the Starter plan only supports up to three team members and does not include student progress tracking.
- High learning curve: DiverDash includes many automated features that require time to learn and get used to, increasing staff training requirements.
Pricing: Starts from $39/month for the Starter Plan, with additional plans reaching up to $89/month.
DiverDash is a good choice for scuba shops looking to boost customer engagement with its automation and class management tools. However, small businesses should be prepared for higher costs and extensive training with its advanced features.
4. RetailEdge
RetailEdge is a retail store point of sale system with features focusing on the specialized needs of the dive shop market. It comes with essential functions for managing equipment services, tracking open order deposits for dive activities, and supporting loyalty programs to improve customer experiences.
Pros:
- Dive shop features: The system includes features specifically tailored for dive shop operations, such as managing equipment servicing and dive trip deposits.
- Varied support options: Users benefit from 90 days of free support, with additional support plans available, ensuring assistance is always accessible.
- Cost efficiency: This POS system offers a one-time purchase option with no mandatory ongoing fees, making it an economical choice for business owners.
Cons:
- Hardware compatibility: RetailEdge only supports Windows-based systems. Users of other operating systems will need to use alternative POS solutions.
- No cloud functionality: RetalEdge is not a cloud-based solution; it works only on local systems. This can limit scuba shops that rely on remote access or need multiple locations synchronized.
Pricing: One-time payment of $495 for your primary workstation. Installing RetailEdge on additional devices costs $225 per client device.
RetailEdge is perfect for dive shops looking for an affordable POS system with features like equipment management and dive trip deposits. However, there are better choices if you require cloud access or operate on a non-Windows system.
Streamline Your Scuba Shop With Dive Shop 360
Although the POS market offers several excellent options for managing your scuba diving shop, only Dive Shop 360 combines the industry-specific functionality and user-friendly features in an all-in-one system.
The challenges of running a dive shop, such as managing specialized inventory, dive trips, and equipment servicing, require a system tailored specifically to the industry. Generic POS systems often lack the necessary tools to handle these unique demands, leading to inefficiencies and missed opportunities.
Our software focuses on meeting the needs of scuba divers and dive retailers. It simplifies everything from inventory management to customer interactions, resulting in increased sales and better workflow.
Ready to see Dive Shop 360 in action? Book a demo today and see how the top-rated scuba POS system can simplify your daily operations and help you connect with your diving community.
