Shopify is a leading e-commerce company that offers a point-of-sale (POS) system that integrates with its online store platform. Whether you sell online through Shopify or not, you’ll have the same intuitive interface for managing orders, inventory, and staff. Using Shopify hardware makes it easy to accept payments, while the POS app works on iPad and Android and can be customized to your needs.
Pros
- Easy to get started and intuitive.
- Integrates with your Shopify online store.
- Comprehensive inventory management tools.
Cons
- High monthly costs if you operate from multiple locations.
- Only accepts cash payments offline.
Ideal For
- Small to medium-sized businesses looking for an easy-to-use POS system.
- Shopify customers who want to sell both in-person and online.
- Businesses that want to adopt an omnichannel approach to customer service.
Why Go With Shopify POS
Shopify’s POS system is designed for a variety of businesses, offering a personalized experience, whether you’re managing multiple stores, a single online store, or selling at events. Shopify POS is built on the Shopify eCommerce platform, which means you’ll have access to an intuitive dashboard and all the tools used by millions of online stores. Shopify POS offers a customizable mobile app that’s compatible with a variety of devices, including iPad, iPhone, and Android.
With a wide range of pricing plans, you can choose the one that best suits your immediate business needs, while still having the flexibility to upgrade or downgrade your plan if needed. While the main reason to choose Shopify is for its integration with its online platform, there’s also a Lite plan for those who are simply looking for a POS solution. Regardless of the plan you choose, you’ll need to purchase a point-of-sale terminal. You can purchase it directly from Shopify, ensuring compatibility with your tablet and the Shopify POS app.
Shopify’s customer support is excellent. Its tutorials, knowledge base, and community forums make it easy to learn the platform. So, even if a problem arises, you’ll have a solution at your fingertips.
What’s On Offer
- Omnichannel sales ensure a consistent experience for your customers, both online and offline. The platform offers integrated tools for digital marketing, shipping solutions, and more, providing a comprehensive solution for businesses.
- Product and inventory management to keep everything organized and reduce errors.
- Includes support for discounts, returns, refunds, and exchanges.
- Reports and analytics so you can make informed business decisions.
- Customer profiles to track their purchase and spending history.
- Monthly pricing plans with no hidden costs.
- Integrated one-stop checkout process.
- 24/7 support via chat, phone, and email.
Ease of Use
Shopify POS offers a powerful multi-store experience, ensuring that businesses can effectively manage sales across multiple locations.
One of the most notable features of Shopify POS is its ease of use. There’s no complicated application process; all you need to sign up is an email address. If you’re already familiar with Shopify POS or want to explore its features, you can get started right away. Otherwise, a few prompts will guide you through the setup process.
When completing the setup process or contacting customer support, you’ll need to provide your name and phone number.
If you run into any issues, Shopify offers a variety of support options. Its knowledge base and community forum will help you resolve most issues, while email and live chat support are available for more complex issues.
If you’re new to Shopify, you’ll find:
- A simple sign-up process
- A setup guide that makes it easy to get started
- A comprehensive knowledge base, active community forum, and YouTube channel that answer most questions and help you get the most out of the platform.
- A clean and intuitive interface
What’s Unique About Shopify POS?
Naturally, Shopify POS integrates seamlessly with your online sales platform. Millions of businesses use Shopify to power their e-commerce sites. It’s a well-established and reputable option. Shopify has applied its online experience to its point-of-sale systems. If you’re looking for a comprehensive solution to manage your inventory and sell products both online and in-person, Shopify is an option worth serious consideration.
Even if you only want to use a point-of-sale system, you’ll benefit from features designed for online retailers. For example:
- Easy-to-use product and inventory management tools.
- Analytics and reports that provide a wealth of data that you can use to make future business decisions.
- Payment options that allow you to set special discounts and automatically calculate taxes based on your store location.
- A customizable mobile app compatible with iPad, iPhone, and Android devices.
For those who are making a big investment, the most advanced features include:
- Multichannel sales to provide a better customer experience. This enables options such as paying in store and having your order delivered, shopping online and picking up in store, and online returns and exchanges for items purchased in person.
- Smart inventory tools to predict demand, notify you of out-of-stock items, and offer discounted items.
- Staff management with the ability to assign sales to employees to earn commissions.
You can purchase point-of-sale hardware, such as card readers and barcode scanners, directly from Shopify, with free shipping and a 30-day return policy. Direct purchases ensure that the plug-and-play hardware is compatible with the Shopify POS app. The app has a customizable smart grid interface that lets you configure tiles to display the features you need.
Shopify offers an excellent support ecosystem, with guides and tutorials on how to easily use its platform. You can also find free business tools and additional educational materials on YouTube and Shopify Learn. Shopify Experts lets you get recommended quotes from recommended freelancers and agencies, allowing you to hire additional support to get the most out of the platform.
Customer Support
Shopify’s customer support is generally very good, although you can usually find the answers you need without waiting for a callback. The Help Center is a knowledge base with guides that offer solutions to common issues. The Community Support area is a comprehensive forum that answers almost any question. These answers come from other users who have had the same issues as you.
If you don’t find a helpful answer in the Help Center, you’ll receive an email with a form to contact the support team. Shopify’s support team is available 24/7 via email, live chat, and phone.
Pricing (Software and Hardware)
Shopify POS lets you sign up for a free 3-day trial with no credit card required. After that, you can get a three-month Shopify subscription for $1 per month, regardless of the plan you choose. It’s worth noting that you can get the best deal by paying annually, as this guarantees a 25% discount.
Shopify POS hardware is ready to use, with no contracts or credit checks.
If you want to use Shopify for your online sales and Shopify POS system, plans are available starting at $39, $105, and $399 per month. Each of these plans includes Shopify POS Lite for accepting in-person payments.
You can also choose more specific plans for your industry, such as the Starter plan for $5 per month if you sell exclusively on social media, or the Retail plan for $89 per month if you have a brick-and-mortar store and need a simple online presence.
Contract Terms
Shopify’s 3-day free trial lets you test out the point-of-sale system before you provide your information and make a payment. Shopify plans are monthly unless you sign up for a long-term plan. When you sign up, you’ll be offered discounts on one-, two-, and three-year plans with lower monthly fees.
If you use Shopify’s online services, you must use the same payment processor when using their point-of-sale service. If you decide that Shopify POS isn’t the right solution for your business, you can cancel at any time and keep your online services active.
Bottom Line
Shopify’s point-of-sale system integrates seamlessly with its popular e-commerce platform, providing businesses with a unified online and brick-and-mortar sales solution. It’s designed for small and medium-sized merchants, with features like omnichannel sales, comprehensive inventory management, and excellent customer service. While price may be a major factor for some, the value it offers, especially for those who already use Shopify to sell online, makes it an attractive option. Shopify is undoubtedly a valuable point-of-sale (POS) system for businesses looking to grow and optimize their operations.
About Shopify
Founded in 2006, Shopify is one of the leading online retail platforms. This Canadian company offers a variety of e-commerce services, including payment, shipping, and customer support tools. Since 2013, Shopify has been providing POS systems that allow online retailers to use the same platform for in-store sales.
This comprehensive e-commerce platform is used in over 175 countries. Shopify is used by over 3.7 million websites, including major brands like Gymshark, Heinz, Tupperware, and Netflix.
