Shopify POS (Point of Sale) is a powerful tool for businesses looking to unify their online and in-store operations, enabling seamless sales and inventory management across all retail locations. With the right Shopify POS setup, businesses can provide a cohesive shopping experience for customers, track inventory in real-time, and manage staff permissions effectively. In this article, we’ll walk you through the setup process for Shopify POS, cover the essential steps, and share tips for optimising the system to boost your retail operations.
1. Your Shopify POS setup starts by choosing the right plan
Before setting up Shopify POS app, it’s important to choose the right plan for your business needs. Shopify offers two plans: Lite and Pro.
- POS Lite is included in all Shopify subscription plans and provides basic in-store selling features, making it ideal for small businesses.
- POS Pro is available as an add-on for a monthly fee and offers advanced retail features, such as staff permissions, unlimited registers, and detailed sales reports.
For larger retailers or those with multiple locations, POS Pro is generally recommended as it provides a more comprehensive suite of tools for managing in-store sales. Determine your business needs, then select the best plan that aligns with your operations.
2. Install the Shopify POS for retail stores
Once you’ve chosen a plan, the next step is to install the Shopify POS app on your mobile device or tablet. The app is available for both iOS and Android devices and can be downloaded from the respective app stores. After installing, log in with your Shopify account credentials to access your store.
The app allows you to manage products, process sales, track inventory, and view customer information in one place. This setup provides a centralised solution for handling transactions and keeps you connected with your Shopify admin, where you can oversee all aspects of your business.
3. Shopify POS hardware setup
Shopify POS is compatible with various hardware options that enhance the in-store experience. Depending on your needs, you might consider adding items like:
- Card Readers: For accepting credit and debit card payments.
- Barcode Scanners: To speed up the checkout process and maintain accurate inventory records.
- Receipt Printers: To provide customers with physical receipts.
- Cash Drawers: For securely handling cash transactions.
Shopify provides its own line of hardware, which is fully compatible with Shopify POS, or you can choose third-party options. Shopify’s Retail Kit includes many of these components and is designed for seamless integration, helping to ensure quick setup and smooth operations.
4. Shopify POS app configuration
To configure your Shopify POS app, go to Settings to customise key aspects of your POS setup:
- Location Management: Ensure each retail location is properly set up within Shopify. This allows you to track sales and inventory by location, making it easier to monitor performance and optimize stock levels.
- Tax Settings: Configure tax rates based on your region to ensure compliance with local regulations.
- Payment Methods: Add the payment options you want to offer, such as credit cards, cash, or digital wallets. Shopify POS allows flexible payment processing, helping you to provide convenience for customers.
5. Add Your Products and Inventory
To streamline your in-store sales, you’ll need to ensure all products are added to Shopify with accurate details:
- Import Inventory: Use Shopify’s bulk import feature to add products and their associated information, such as prices, SKUs, and descriptions.
- Track Stock Levels: Shopify POS syncs inventory in real-time, so each sale automatically adjusts stock levels. This feature is especially beneficial for businesses with both online and physical stores, as it keeps inventory counts accurate across all channels.
- Low Stock Alerts: Set low stock thresholds for each product, and Shopify will notify you when it’s time to reorder, reducing the risk of running out of popular items.
6. Set Up Staff Accounts and Permissions
For businesses with multiple employees, Shopify POS allows you to create staff profiles with tailored permissions:
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Staff Profiles: Assign each staff member a unique profile and PIN for accessing the POS system. This enables you to track individual performance and assign specific roles.
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Permissions: Control access levels for different roles. For example, managers might have full permissions, while sales associates have restricted access to sensitive information. Shopify POS also supports custom roles, so you can set permissions based on your store’s needs.
7. Customise the Checkout Experience
To create a positive customer experience, you can customise the Shopify POS checkout screen:
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Smart Grid Layout: Organize frequently used functions and products for easy access during checkout. This grid-based layout can be customised to highlight best-selling items or common actions, making it quicker for staff to complete transactions.
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Discounts and Promotions: Shopify POS enables you to apply discounts and promotions directly at checkout. This is helpful for seasonal sales or loyalty rewards, giving customers an incentive to return.
8. Train Staff for a Smooth Launch
Training is crucial to ensure your team can use Shopify POS efficiently. A well-trained team can improve transaction times, provide better customer service, and reduce errors.
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Product Training: Make sure staff are familiar with the product catalog and POS features, such as adding discounts or applying taxes.
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Customer Handling: Shopify POS includes tools for managing customer information. Train staff on how to add customers to the database and access order histories for a more personalized service.
Shopify Academy offers free courses on POS setup and operations, which can be a valuable resource for new staff members.
9. Optimize Operations with Reports and Analytics
Shopify POS provides a wealth of analytics tools that allow you to track sales performance and make data-driven decisions:
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Sales Reports: View daily sales, top-performing products, and customer insights to identify trends.
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Inventory Reports: Monitor stock levels and determine when to reorder items to maintain a balanced inventory.
Use these reports to refine your inventory and sales strategies, ensuring that your store is always aligned with customer demand.
Conclusion: Setup Or Migrate Over To Shopify Point of Sale.
Setting up Shopify POS is a game-changer for businesses looking to merge online and in-store sales. From choosing the right hardware to configuring staff permissions and optimizing checkout, each step in this process contributes to a cohesive and efficient retail experience. By leveraging Shopify POS’s powerful tools and resources, you can improve customer satisfaction, streamline operations, and drive growth for your business.
For further guidance, please reach out to our team as we can assist with custom Shopify POS requests
FAQ: Common Questions About Setting Up Shopify POS
Can I migrate my old customer loyalty card barcodes over to the new Shopify POS system?
If you can export your current data in pretty much any format, our team will be able to format it in a way that is compatible and can be imported. We will use the Shopify App Barcodify in order to import the custom barcodes to your customer. Uing their Shopify POS tile, you will be able to scan and find your customers in one click saving you precious time.
For retail stores, are we able to issue digital member's cards to our customers with a barcode on it?
If you have uploaded your custom barcodes to the Barcodify app, then yes we would be able to customise the customer account's page to display the custom barcode so that you can scan it from their smartphone during their visit in store.
Do you provide in-person assistance for the Shopify POS hardware setup?
As we are based in central London, we can help brands and retail stores that are within a certain radius from that location. However, the Shopify POS hardware setup shouldn't be any different from any other ones. We mainly focus on helping with the integrations and ensuring a smooth operation on your side.
