While OnSite and Retail both bear the name Lightspeed, they are completely distinct and separate point of sale programs, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Migrating from OnSite to Retail will come with some growing pains and may require you to change the way you work in certain cases, but for the most part, you'll still be able to accomplish everything you do with OnSite, even if you have to go about it in a different way in Retail.
That said, while there are certain features that are lost in the transition from OnSite to Retail, there are also many features gained.
Feature comparison
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Module
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Gained with Lightspeed Retail |
Not available in Lightspeed Retail
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General
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- Cloud-based system can be accessed from anywhere, from any device
- iPad point of sale application
- Automatic software updates
- Data stored, backed up and protected by Lightspeed
- No OS/computer compatibility requirements
- Integrations available for accounting, loyalty, rentals, employee scheduling, etc.
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| Sales |
- Layaways
- Special orders
- Customer facing display
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- Multi-currency
- Images on Quotes (email or printed)*
- Receipt translations
- Fractional quantity *
- Customizable barcodes on Gift Cards*
- Invoicing*
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| Product |
- Matrices with 1, 2, or 3 attributes: Add style, size, and color variants to a single product or categorize your items with relevant custom labels.
- Integrated vendor catalogs
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- Multi-currency (product cost)*
- Set Selling Price tool
- Set Product Info tool
- Smart Finds
- Live Rules
- Related Products and auto-add Products
- Virtual Warehouses*
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| Reports |
- Interactive reporting (hyperlinks in reports)
- Report on voided transactions
- Margin calculations
- Sales by hour
- Lightspeed Analytics, which includes custom reports
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- Commission calculations *
- Accounts Receivable reporting (Net 30, 60, 90 days)*
- Customizable reports*
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| Multi-store |
- Simply add store locations to your POS as you grow
- No networking required to set up multi-store connection
- Access all shops from any device
- Report on individual stores or entire business
- Centralized inventory and customer database (including sales history from all locations)
- Centralized purchasing - create a master order of inventory required for all locations
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* Custom workflows or partner apps are available for these functions and features. Please contact your Account Manager for more details.
Many of the features in OnSite that do not exist in Retail are absent because Retail meets certain business needs differently, so while there may be a period of adjustment depending on how many of these features you've become accustomed to, you'll find Retail is more than up to the task of running your business, and in fact provides you with many impactful tools that OnSite simply does not have (such as layaways and special orders, for example).