Clover’s sleek hardware and app marketplace make it a familiar sight at retail counters. It handles everyday checkout well, but pet stores tend to run into the same walls: proprietary hardware, long processing contracts, and pet features that only arrive through paid apps. Retailers searching for Clover POS alternatives for pet stores usually hit one of those walls first.
Below are five options built closer to how pet stores sell, with current pricing for each.
Five platforms come up most often when independent pet stores move off Clover. Each solves a different piece of what Clover leaves open. Pricing ranges from a free base plan to a custom enterprise quote.
Starting price rarely settles the decision. A cheaper plan often needs a separate loyalty subscription, a booking app, and a pet catalog. That stack can cost more than a pet-specific platform that bundles them. The sections below break down what each provider offers a pet store.
Clover is a point of sale (POS) system from Fiserv, one of the largest payment processing companies in the world. It has earned its popularity honestly. The hardware is polished, the interface is easy to learn, and the app marketplace lets a store add functions over time.
For general retail, Clover covers the basics well: real-time inventory, barcode scanning, employee management, and integrated payments. A store with standard products and simple needs can get set up quickly. Clover also supports service businesses and restaurants, so a shop that adds grooming can find apps for scheduling.
The strengths are real, but the platform is built for general retail, not pet retail. That gap is where pet stores start to feel the friction.
Pet retail runs on things a general system doesn’t account for: manufacturer loyalty programs, deep vendor catalogs, grooming records tied to an animal, and food sold by weight. Here’s where Clover tends to fall short for pet stores.
None of this makes Clover a bad system. It makes it a general one. A store that leans on loyalty, grooming, or a large pet catalog ends up paying for apps and workarounds. A pet-specific platform includes those from the start.
eTailPet leads this list because it serves pet retail exclusively. The other four each cover a different gap Clover leaves open.
Clover asks a pet store to bolt on what it doesn’t do. You add a loyalty app, a booking app, and a catalog you build by hand.
eTailPet is the one platform on this list built only for independent pet stores. Point of sale, inventory, e-commerce, and customer tracking come in every plan. Grooming and loyalty unlock as you move up.
These are the pet-specific features that set it apart:
A few questions come up again and again when pet retailers consider switching away from Clover. Here are the ones worth answering before a demo call.
Is Clover POS a good choice for pet stores?
Clover works if you sell standard products and just need a clean checkout. It handles inventory, payments, and reporting well. Where it stalls is the pet-specific stuff: no native Astro Loyalty, no prebuilt pet catalog, and grooming only through paid apps. Once you add those apps up, a pet-specific platform often costs less.
What POS system works best for a pet store with grooming services?
For a store that sells products and grooms on the side, eTailPet is the strongest fit. You can customize it to tie grooming appointments to the same customer record as purchases, so the pet’s history and the owner’s buying history sit together. Lightspeed and Square book appointments too, but through add-on apps rather than a built-in record.
How hard is it to switch from Clover to another POS?
The switch to another POS is easier than most owners expect. The timeline mostly comes down to your data: Moving inventory, customers, and loyalty history takes longer when the new system can’t match your products to an existing catalog. A pet catalog speeds that up a lot. One Clover catch — its hardware is locked to Fiserv, so plan on replacing terminals when you go.
Can I keep my Clover hardware if I switch?
If you switch platforms, you’ll most likely have to change your hardware too. Clover terminals are tied to Fiserv and can’t move to another processor, so they stay behind. Your barcode scanners, receipt printers, and cash drawers on USB often carry over, though. Check compatibility before you buy anything new.
Related Read: The Complete Guide to Migrating POS Systems
Clover works when checkout is the main job. Pet retail asks more of the system, from manufacturer loyalty to grooming records to food sold by weight.
eTailPet brings the catalog, Astro Loyalty, grooming, inventory, and e-commerce into one platform. The tools your store depends on stay connected instead of piling up around the register. And because it’s built only for pet stores, the features fit the way you sell.
Use the Build and Price tool to choose the features your store needs and customize your eTailPet package.