As a result, business owners need to constantly update their public-facing profiles and ads, which can take up valuable time when you’re also managing a store. With the reveal of its new Google integrations, Lightspeed POS is helping its retailers further streamline their relationship with Google, from running local ads to updating their Google My Business account.
The New Integrations
Don’t have a Google Ads account? It’s easily the best advertising service to dabble in if you’re hoping to drum up local business, and if you’re launching a new Google Ads account, you’re also eligible for up to $150 in ad credits as a one-time offer. Plus, you’ll get these Lightspeed benefits: three new Google-centric updates.
Google Local Inventory Ads
This feature pairs up retailers on Lightspeed with local customers in their area, via Google-powered local inventory ads, now available directly within the POS interface for the first time. This update is still on the way — Lightspeed says it’ll arrive “in the coming months,” while the other two updates are available now for retail POS users.
Google My Business
Another Google offering that’s now integrated within the Lightspeed interface for the first time: Google My Business. Lightspeed users can now sign up for and manage their professional listing straight from Lightspeed’s commerce platform. Google My Business launched in 2011 to provide a free and easy way for business owners to ensure their essential information (think location and business hours) has been made available for potential customers searching Google. It’s a mutually beneficial program, as Google wants to ensure it stays helpful by providing customers with the information they want. With the Lightspeed integration, retailers can quickly update everything from their COVID-19 safety protocols to their holiday store hours, all without leaving the Lightspeed dashboard.
Is Lightspeed for you?
The Lightspeed Point of Sale system is a solid option, particularly for certain types of businesses. It’s a great fit for retail operations with large inventories of barcoded items, like jewelry, clothing, furniture, or pet supplies. It’s not the only option, though — we’ve ranked Vend POS and Square POS as our top picks when it comes to retail POS systems specifically. Granted, these new Google integrations are definitely a nice perk that Lightspeed has going in its favor. If Lightspeed isn’t a fit for your needs, you’ll have to check out your other POS options. We do offer comparison tools to help you save some time: Try this one for restaurant-specific POS systems and this one for retail-oriented options. Or, just skim through the differentiating factors to consider with this quick comparison table:
