Store Master for iOS

If you've been to a small shop or corner store lately, you might have seen a manager or owner toting around an iPad. There's good reason for this, as the compact devices make perfect mobile computers to track inventory, ring up sales, and manage staff and resources. Store Master is designed to make this process even simpler; but with so many tools and features, it might profit from more user guidance.

Store Master, at first glance, is overwhelming. The developers have crammed so many features into the app that the learning curve can be pretty steep upon first use. With no upfront tutorial and limited Help menus, it is lacking the newcomer-friendly tools that most business apps need, to be immediately useful. However, if you power through the rough learning phase, there is a lot here to like. With product recording, inventory tracking, sales orders, cash reports, and system menus, you can run almost every component of your business from Store Master. If a customer or staff member has a question, your iPad will have almost every answer available with a few taps of the button. The free version only supports up to 10 products, so serious entrepreneurs will need to opt for the $15 Pro version; but it is well worth it for those that use the app often.

Store Master is a trusted companion for many store owners -- both online and off. It contains a huge range of features at a price well below what you would pay for similar desktop or Web-based software, and it is conveniently accessible on your iPad. Its one big obstacle is the learning curve, so if you can get past that, you'll have a powerful tool at your side for years to come.