What Is Point of Sale on Shopify? Shopify POS Explained

If you sell products through Shopify and are thinking about selling in person, you may have come across the term Shopify POS. But what exactly does point of sale mean on Shopify, and how does it work with an online store?

Shopify Point of Sale (POS) is Shopify’s system for selling products in person. It lets you use a phone or tablet to create orders, accept payments, manage customers, and keep your in-person sales connected with your Shopify store.

In this guide, you’ll learn what Shopify POS is, how it works, what you need to use it, how it differs from Shopify’s online store, and whether it is right for your business.

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Shopify POS system for in-person retail sales

In This Guide

What Is Point of Sale on Shopify?

Point of sale on Shopify refers to Shopify’s system for processing in-person sales. Shopify POS combines software for managing a checkout with payment options, inventory, orders, customers, and other retail operations.

In simple terms, Shopify POS lets you use Shopify to sell products face to face, rather than only through your online store.

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For example, if you run a Shopify clothing store online but also sell at a physical shop or weekend market, Shopify POS can handle those in-person transactions while keeping your sales and inventory connected to your Shopify account.

What Does POS Mean?

POS stands for Point of Sale. It refers to the place and system where a customer completes a purchase.

A traditional point of sale might be a cash register at a store checkout. A modern POS system does much more than accept payment. It can also manage products, inventory, orders, customer information, receipts, discounts, and sales data.

With Shopify, the POS system is connected to the same commerce platform you use to manage your online business.

What Is Shopify POS?

Shopify POS is the point-of-sale app and system Shopify provides for in-person selling. It is designed for businesses that want to sell products at physical locations while keeping their retail and ecommerce operations connected.

You can use Shopify POS in places such as:

Physical retail stores
Pop-up shops
Markets and events
Trade shows
Temporary retail locations
Other places where you sell products in person

Shopify POS is available on supported iOS and Android devices. You can select products, build a customer’s cart, apply discounts, accept payment, issue a receipt, and record the transaction.

The important difference from a standalone cash register is the connection to your Shopify store. Your in-person sales can work alongside your online orders, product catalog, inventory, and customer information.

How Does Shopify POS Work?

Shopify POS works by turning a supported mobile device into an in-person checkout system. You use the POS app to select products, create an order, take payment, and complete the sale.

A typical Shopify POS transaction works like this:

Select the products: Find products in your catalog or scan their barcodes.
Create the cart: Add products, quantities, discounts, or other applicable adjustments.
Review the order: Check the products, prices, discounts, taxes, and total.
Accept payment: Let the customer pay using an available payment method.
Complete the sale: Confirm the transaction and provide a printed or digital receipt when applicable.
Update your records: The order is recorded and relevant inventory and customer information can be updated in Shopify.

This means you do not have to treat your physical store as a completely separate business from your Shopify website.

What Can You Do With Shopify POS?

Shopify POS is more than a way to take card payments. It provides tools that help merchants manage the day-to-day parts of selling in person.

Accept In-Person Payments

You can use Shopify POS to accept available payment methods for in-person purchases. Depending on your location and setup, this can include card payments, contactless payments, cash, and other supported payment methods.

Manage Products and Orders

Your POS can use the products already managed through Shopify. This means staff can search for products, add them to a customer’s cart, and create an order without maintaining a separate product catalog for the physical store.

Track Inventory

Inventory is one of the biggest advantages of connecting your POS to Shopify. When products are sold in person, the transaction can update inventory so your stock information stays connected across your sales channels.

Manage Customers

Shopify POS can also be used to collect and manage customer information during the checkout process. This can help you maintain a more complete view of customer purchases across online and in-person sales.

Process Returns and Exchanges

Retail businesses regularly need to handle returns and exchanges. Shopify POS includes tools for managing POS orders, refunds, and exchanges as part of the retail workflow.

Manage Retail Staff

Businesses with employees can use Shopify POS features to control staff access and permissions. This can help owners give employees the access they need without giving everyone the same level of control.

View Sales Information

POS data can help you understand what is selling, where sales are happening, and how your retail operation is performing. This gives you more useful information than a basic cash register that only records transactions.

Shopify POS vs Shopify: What’s the Difference?

Shopify and Shopify POS are connected, but they are not the same thing.

Shopify is the broader commerce platform you use to manage your business. Shopify POS is the part designed specifically for selling in person.

Shopify	Shopify POS
Manages your overall commerce business	Handles in-person selling
Supports your online store	Provides an in-person checkout
Manages products and orders	Uses those products and orders at checkout
Manages business data across channels	Connects physical sales with that data
Supports ecommerce and other sales channels	Supports retail and other in-person selling locations

Think of Shopify as the central system for your commerce business and Shopify POS as the checkout system for selling in person.

Does Shopify POS Sync With Your Online Store?

Yes. One of the main reasons merchants use Shopify POS is to connect their physical and online sales.

Instead of maintaining completely separate systems, you can manage your products, orders, and inventory through Shopify while using POS for in-person transactions.

This is particularly useful if you sell through multiple channels. For example, a customer could buy an item from your website while another customer purchases the same product in your physical store.

Keeping these sales connected can make it easier to maintain accurate inventory and manage orders across your business.

What Hardware Do You Need for Shopify POS?

You do not necessarily need a large traditional cash register setup to start using Shopify POS. A supported device running the Shopify POS app can be the foundation of your setup.

Depending on how you sell, you can add retail hardware such as:

Card readers for accepting card and contactless payments
Barcode scanners for quickly adding products to carts
Receipt printers for customers who want printed receipts
Cash drawers for businesses accepting cash
Device stands for countertop checkout setups
POS terminals for more dedicated retail checkout environments

The right hardware depends on your business. A seller at a weekend market may only need a mobile device and payment solution, while a permanent retail store may benefit from a complete countertop POS setup.

Can You Use Shopify POS Without a Physical Store?

Yes. Shopify POS is not limited to permanent retail stores.

You can use it for temporary or mobile selling situations such as pop-up shops, markets, events, and other locations where you meet customers in person.

This makes Shopify POS useful for online businesses that want to test physical retail without immediately opening a permanent store.

Shopify POS for Online and In-Person Selling

Shopify POS becomes especially useful when your business operates both online and offline.

For example, imagine you sell skincare products through a Shopify website and also have a weekend pop-up shop. Your website and POS can use the same product catalog, while your in-person transactions are recorded alongside your online activity.

This connected approach can help reduce the need to manually reconcile information between separate systems.

Examples of Omnichannel Selling

A customer buys online and picks up the order in store.
A customer buys in store and has the product shipped to their home.
A customer visits your store but orders an out-of-stock product online.
A customer shops online and later returns the product in person.
A customer buys from you at a pop-up event and later shops through your website.

The goal is to make your business feel like one connected store, even when customers interact with you through different channels.

Shopify POS Pricing and Costs

The cost of using Shopify POS depends on your Shopify plan, POS features, payment setup, and hardware requirements.

Shopify provides basic POS functionality with its Shopify plans, while POS Pro is an additional option for businesses that need more advanced retail capabilities.

You may also need to consider the cost of payment processing and retail hardware such as card readers, barcode scanners, receipt printers, or cash drawers.

Because Shopify pricing and available features can change, check the current Shopify pricing information before making a purchasing decision.

Shopify POS Lite vs POS Pro

Shopify offers different levels of POS functionality to accommodate different types of retailers.

POS Lite provides the basic functionality needed to sell in person, while POS Pro adds more advanced retail features for businesses with more complex needs.

Feature Area	POS Lite	POS Pro
In-person checkout	Yes	Yes
Product and inventory management	Yes	Advanced capabilities
Customer management	Yes	More advanced retail capabilities
Staff management	Basic	Advanced
Advanced retail features	Limited	Yes

For a small business with straightforward in-person sales, the basic POS functionality may be enough. Larger or more operationally complex retailers may benefit from the additional capabilities available with POS Pro.

Who Should Use Shopify POS?

Shopify POS is a good fit for businesses that sell both online and in person.

It can be particularly useful for:

Retail stores that already use Shopify
Online businesses expanding into physical retail
Pop-up shops that need mobile checkout
Market vendors selling products at events
Multi-location retailers managing several sales locations
Growing brands that want online and offline sales connected

If you only sell online and have no plans to accept in-person payments, you may not need POS functionality yet.

What Are the Benefits of Shopify POS?

One Connected Commerce System

Shopify POS connects your physical sales with the broader Shopify platform. This can reduce the need to maintain separate systems for your online and offline business.

Connected Inventory

When your online and physical sales use connected inventory data, it becomes easier to see what products are available across your sales locations.

Flexible Selling

You can sell from a permanent store, pop-up shop, market, or other in-person location without building an entirely separate ecommerce system.

Customer Information in One Place

Connecting customer information across channels can give your team a better understanding of previous purchases and customer relationships.

Better Retail Management

A modern POS system can help with more than checkout. It can support inventory, orders, staff, customers, reporting, and other parts of your retail operation.

Shopify POS vs a Traditional Cash Register

A traditional cash register mainly helps you calculate purchases, accept cash, and provide change. A modern POS system combines checkout with software that can manage additional business information.

Capability	Traditional Cash Register	Shopify POS
Process sales	Yes	Yes
Accept digital payments	Depends on setup	Supported payment options available
Track inventory	Limited	Yes
Manage customer information	Limited	Yes
Connect with an online store	No	Yes
Sales reporting	Basic	Yes

The key difference is that Shopify POS is designed to be part of a broader commerce system rather than simply replacing a cash register.

Can Shopify POS Help Increase Sales?

Shopify POS can help create a more connected customer experience, but having a POS system alone does not guarantee more sales.

The bigger opportunity comes from using the information and customer journey created by your connected online and offline channels.

For example, you can use customer purchase information to support follow-up marketing, recommend relevant products, encourage repeat purchases, and create a smoother transition between your physical and online store.

For Shopify merchants, social proof, urgency, personalized offers, and recent purchase notifications can also complement the broader sales strategy on the online side of the business.

How to Get Started With Shopify POS

If you already have a Shopify store, getting started with Shopify POS generally involves setting up your retail location, products, payment methods, staff access, and any hardware you plan to use.

Set up your Shopify store. Make sure your products and inventory are organized.
Install Shopify POS. Use the supported POS app on your device.
Configure your retail location. Set up the location where you will sell in person.
Set up payments. Choose the payment methods available for your business and location.
Connect hardware. Add a card reader, scanner, receipt printer, cash drawer, or other hardware if needed.
Set up staff access. Give employees the permissions they need.
Test a transaction. Run through the checkout process before serving customers.
Start selling. Use Shopify POS to process your in-person orders and manage your retail activity.

Is Shopify POS Right for Your Business?

Shopify POS is worth considering if you want to sell online and in person using a connected system.

It can make particular sense when you already use Shopify and want to expand into physical retail, pop-ups, markets, or multiple selling locations.

If you only sell online, you may not need POS yet. If you already sell in person but use separate systems for your website, inventory, and retail checkout, a connected POS system may help simplify your operations.

Key Takeaways

Shopify POS means Shopify Point of Sale, a system for selling products in person.
POS stands for Point of Sale, the place and system where a customer completes a purchase.
Shopify POS works with your Shopify store, helping connect online and in-person commerce.
You can use Shopify POS for retail stores, pop-ups, markets, events, and other in-person selling situations.
Shopify POS can support payments, orders, inventory, customers, staff, refunds, and retail reporting.
You can add hardware such as card readers, barcode scanners, receipt printers, and cash drawers depending on your setup.
POS Lite provides basic in-person selling functionality, while POS Pro adds more advanced retail capabilities.
Shopify POS is most useful for businesses that want to connect their online and offline sales.