As a merchant and / or e-merchant, you have had to face many hardships to carry out your project. Regardless of the sector of activity in which you wish to prosper, your business needs special care. if you hope it grows. Between stock tracking, invoicing, restocking, creating monthly reports of your activity, etc., you have plenty to do. But rest assured, current technological means can allow you to optimize your time and energy as much as possible . Thanks to a new tool called point of sale system (POS or POS - Point of Sales in English), all these tasks will be simplified for you . We explain all the particularities of this new system , which will make your life easier.
The point of sale system, quesaco?
A POS system is an application that you can install on a smartphone or tablet , and which will give you the possibility of making payments for products and services purchased in your store. Like a cash register, it will calculate the price of items, with the addition of VAT - specific to each of these items - will record your transactions and issue a receipt (paper or digital). But beyond a simple payment tool that will allow your organization to accept various means of payment , this interface gives you access to detailed monitoring of your sales . Explanation !
A veritable toolbox, the POS will combine software and hardware to best optimize the financial and administrative management of your business . In other words, it will help you with your most complex tasks . Therefore, the POS turns out to be a major asset for your company.
The brain of your business
The POS is at the heart of your business and acts as the engine of operations . It manages a multitude of things in one place : sales, inventory, information about your customers, accounting, payments and many other things. It will then provide you with quality reports on your turnover , purchasing trends , the state of your stocks , etc. And essential point, it will allow you to offer the most qualitative customer experience to your buyers . Everything is integrated into your POS. Thus, you save time and can concentrate on the commercial aspects of your organization.
A tailor-made system
Depending on your needs - and the needs related to your sector of activity - you will be able to compose your own point of sale system . There are various features that you can acquire and add to your system . For example, a “use by date” system is essential for companies in the agri-food sector, but useless, with some exceptions, for retail companies. Each sector has its own needs and you will need to coordinate your POS around these.
If you already have certain commercial platforms (in particular for accounting), you can always integrate them so that your system works in perfect symbiosis and always in a single point , to simplify your task .
In the end, you can see this system as a tree structure that intervenes at several points , simultaneously, and in real time on the different functionalities that you have selected.
Multiple benefits
POS systems have many advantages to grow your business and optimize its management. Here are the main ones:
- greater precision of information : by eliminating the manual entry of information with the scanning of articles and the calculation of transactions with integration of VAT , you will avoid a good number of human errors.
- management of your stocks : your POS software allows you to manage your stocks , monitor your sales and can even, for certain versions, warn you that an article replenishment is necessary.
- detailed point of sale reports: the reports that will be produced will allow you to have an overview of what you sell and what you earn . Thus, you will be able to make informed business decisions to increase your sales.
- more efficient services : consumers are more than ever fond of fast services adapted to their needs. The POS system will allow you to meet these expectations by reducing manual services and accelerating transactions.
- a varied range of payment methods : it is essential in the digital age to offer several payment methods . Your customers have their preferences for paying for their purchases (CB, Apple Pay, Paypal, payment in installments, etc.) and they appreciate being able to use it, anywhere and anytime.
- a management tool for your employees : the management of your employees can help you to know their availability as well as their performance . You can even complete this tool with badge software to register your employees when they arrive and when they leave . Thus, they will be paid according to their actual attendance time.
- managing your customer relationship : a POS system can revolutionize the shopping experience. Its integration with the online store eliminates manual entries, tracks inventory in real time, launches cross-channel promotions, offers customer benefits and facilitates returns and in-store withdrawals.
How it works ?
Your POS will work with the hardware and software you need , depending on the type of item you're selling. Note that every POS system will require the use of software, but not necessarily hardware .
In fact, a point of sale system follows the following timeline:
- a customer buys one of your products or services. To verify the item and the price assigned to it, you can scan the product or service barcode with a barcode reader . This limits human error and ensures you have the fairest stock.
- the point of sale system will calculate the total price of the items , with the VAT specific to each of these - if applicable. You can also use a cash register to perform this calculation. Therefore, your inventory management system will be automatically updated , and will guarantee you the number of items you have left to sell.
- you can then finalize the transaction by checking out your customer . The latter will present you with his payment card (credit, debit, gift card, loyalty point, etc.) or his cash to proceed with the payment . Therefore, in the case of a payment by card, your customer's bank will organize the transaction.
- “Payment Accepted” appears , your sale is complete, and all information has been saved to your POS system . You can print a receipt via a receipt printer , or send the invoice directly by digital voice (mail or SMS).
The different materials
As you will have understood, a POS system may require hardware elements. The most common are:
- the cash register , for processing and calculating transactions.
- a portable device , such as a smartphone or a tablet , which can compensate for the use of a stand-alone monitor and allow you to move around the store on the go.
- the card reader , to make payments to your customers in complete security.
- a cash drawer , to store your cash and other physical items such as vouchers or gift vouchers.
- a receipt printer , which will detail the transaction and which will serve as proof for your customers, in the event of return or dispute.
- a barcode scanner , to know all the details of the scanned item (price, size, color, stock…).
It's simple, whether you're looking for the best POS solution or just an e-commerce platform that offers a point of sale system (for e-merchants), then we highly recommend the Shopify solution.
Shopify POS
Originally, Shopify is one of the most popular e-commerce platforms (CMS) globally, being number 2 in 2021 with 15.8% market share, behind WordPress with 44%( source Wappalyzer ) .
If you want a point-of-sale solution that lets you build and market a digital store, or even if you already have an e-commerce site - Shopify or Shopify Plus - then Shopify POS is THE right solution to make getting organized easier. of your business . Thanks to this system, all your management will be shared (store and e-store) in a single point and will allow you to sell from anywhere and anytime .
The benefits of Shopify POS
If you have a physical store and a Shopify e-store, then switching to Shopify POS will literally make your life easier . Here are some of those benefits:
- An intuitive and very easy to use tool , which stands out in terms of design. Even if you are new to this , you can get by with the basic features. If you have neither the knowledge nor the time to train yourself, then this system will seduce you with its ease of use .
- An advanced checkout system , which accepts major credit and debit cards, in addition to gift cards. Thus, your customer will be able to pay with several payment methods during a transaction and will allow you to offer a smoother customer experience during the payment process.
- An inventory updated in real time . Whether you only have one online location (your merchant site , digital marketplaces, social media, etc.), or whether you also have a physical store or multiple online locations, your inventory automatically syncs in time. real .
- daily statements , which allow you to monitor your results every day.
- In the digital age, the security of your customers' data is essential. Between the GDPR and the various European directives (DSP2 and 3DS), we can only see the turmoil this has produced to guarantee data security.
- Multiple coverage to hit your target everywhere. By offering entrepreneurs the possibility of selling on many physical and digital sites (e-commerce, social networks, etc.), Shopify POS allows you to cover a wider scope . Thus, if you have a physical store and an e-store, this allows you to sell anywhere and anytime , always using the same interface.
- User support available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, which allows you to have a quick response .
- a flexible offer : with Shopify POS, you can choose from their five offers to obtain the most functional point of sale solution adapted to your business.
If you are already an avid user of the Shopify e-commerce platform, then you should be doubly impressed by the Shopify point of sale. Built for e-commerce, Shopify POS syncs seamlessly and remains affordable .
Shopify meets all the expectations of merchants with its point-of-sale system that takes care of managing your stocks and creating powerful reports , via a simple and aesthetic interface . You can even perfect your solution with all the optional integrations offered, but which can quickly become expensive.
As you will have understood, a POS system consists of grouping all of your daily management tasks into a single point . It allows you to significantly reduce handling and make your job easier.
Between pooled stock, unified accounting, automatic calculation of receipts and editions of detailed reports, this system is a real gem for merchants who wish to optimize their organization .
Pikka, your Shopify POS ally
At Pikka, our experts are committed to supporting you in your various missions as merchants and e-merchants. If you want to grow your organization while optimizing your time , they can advise and help you with the installation and testing of these different Shopify materials . So don't hesitate any longer, and ask our Shopify consultants for advice .
