Retail POS System

A point of sale, or POS, is the system that allows you to sell products in person. Retailers use POS systems to add items to the cart, check customers out, and take in-person payments.

However, not all retail POS systems are created equal. In addition to making in-person sales, Shopify POS also helps retailers build customer relationships and simplify daily operations. With every sale, Shopify POS captures customer data and updates orders and inventory levels. This makes it easier for you to know your customers, build lasting relationships, and create impactful digital marketing campaigns. It also makes it easier to manage your business, when you don’t have to reconcile payment data from a third-party payment processor. You also can skip manually updating inventory levels, or managing inventory across multiple systems.

In addition to helping you manage your retail store, Shopify POS can help you sell online too. As a part of Shopify, Shopify POS is always in sync with your online business. That means you have one source of truth for customers, orders, inventory, and more. It makes it easier to manage everything when it’s all in one place. Not to mention, when everything’s connected it’s simpler for you to take advantage of omnichannel opportunities such as letting customers pick up online orders in store.

The best retail POS system for your business will depend on your needs. Shopify POS is best for retailers who sell (or want to sell) both in person and online.

As a complete commerce solution for retail businesses, Shopify brings together all aspects of your business. With Shopify POS you can manage customers, inventory, payments, and orders everywhere you sell: in store, on your websites, on social media, and through digital marketplaces.

Businesses choose to use retail POS software to make running their business easier so they can focus efforts on high-value activities.

Using a retail POS system makes it easier for you to do everyday retail tasks like receiving products, reconciling inventory levels, tracking orders, calculating profit, and managing customer lists. When operational activities are simpler, it enables you and your staff to focus on activities that increase sales, like building customer relationships.

In addition to finding in-store efficiencies, Shopify POS helps you find efficiencies for your whole business. Shopify POS is completely integrated with Shopify where you can manage your website, online sales, digital marketing campaigns, and more. For this reason, Shopify POS is well suited to retail businesses who are selling (or are looking to start selling) in store and online.

The cost of your retail POS system will depend on which one you choose. Typically, a POS system has a few costs you should be aware of.

First, the cost to use the software. This is a recurring cost you’ll incur regularly. Typically companies offer POS software as a subscription which you’ll pay monthly. Some POS providers also charge you an additional amount for every location where you use their software or every register you use in your store.

Next, the cost to purchase the retail POS hardware. This is a one-time cost you’ll incur when you purchase the hardware for your store. The cost of the hardware will vary based on what you purchase.

Finally, the fees on each transaction. This is a recurring cost you’ll incur every time you use your retail POS hardware. It’s typically a small percentage of the total order value.

It’s not uncommon for retail businesses to have to pay a series of fees to different providers—if for example they’re using one company for their point of sale but another to take payments.

That’s not the case with Shopify POS. Shopify is a complete retail POS system, meaning it comes with POS software and retail POS hardware. It also means you only have one bill to deal with, instead of a series of bills. Learn more about Shopify POS pricing.

Retail businesses use POS systems to check out customers and take in-person payments.

Here’s how you can use Shopify’s retail POS system:

1. You scan the products to add them to the customer’s cart.
2. The POS calculates the order total, including sales tax.
3. You select Checkout and Shopify’s integrated retail POS hardware is instantly ready to take payment.
4. The customer pays using their preferred payment method. Shopify POS accepts all major credit cards, debit cards, and digital wallets.
5. The POS generates a receipt which you can print or email to the customer.
6. The POS captures order and customer data and automatically updates your inventory levels.

The advantages of using a retail POS system are faster checkouts, better customer experiences, and simpler back office management.

A retail POS system is the home for all your business data, from products to customers, inventory, and more. That means you can quickly add products to the cart and check out customers in a flash. It also means that with every sale you’ll capture important customer data, and inventory levels will update automatically behind the scenes. This will help you target existing customers with digital marketing campaigns as well as save you time managing your back office.

Additionally, since Shopify POS is part of Shopify, the retail POS system is already integrated with online sales. That means you have one place to manage all your products, inventory levels, customers, sales, making payments, making it easier for you to run your business. It also allows you to take advantage of omnichannel opportunities and sell seamlessly across in store and online. You can offer features like browse in store, buy online—and buy online, pickup in store.

Shopify POS is available everywhere that Shopify is. However, to get the full benefits of Shopify POS we recommend using Shopify Payments and integrated Shopify POS hardware, both of which are available only in select regions. To learn if Shopify Payments and Shopify POS hardware is available where you are, check out the supported countries and regions on the Shopify Help Center.