Set up the Point of Sale channel in Shopify
The Point of Sale channel turns a tablet into a till that shares stock, customers and orders with the online store. This tutorial adds the channel, sets the Main Street location and staff, and prices the example hardware for one till.
Written · Shopify admin, desktop steps · 6 minutes read
The worked example
| Channel | Point of Sale |
| Selling app | Shopify POS, iOS and Android |
| Location | Main Street store |
| Hardware items | 4 |
| Hardware total | $586.00 |
Download the checklist: pos-setup-checklist.csv (115 bytes).
A POS setup checklist for the worked example till. The four hardware prices sum to $586.00, and the prices are the worked example budget, not Shopify list prices.
1Add the Point of Sale channel
From your Shopify admin, go to Sales channels then Point of Sale. The Point of Sale overview shows your retail sales performance, and from it you can open the POS editor, manage your locations and staff.
2Add the location
From the overview, click Manage locations to add or edit your retail locations. Add the Main Street store address, so the till pulls stock from the right place.
3Manage the staff
From the overview, click Manage staff to manage the staff who use Shopify POS. POS roles and POS only staff are available for stores with the Point of Sale channel and at least one location with a Shopify POS Pro subscription.
4Install the Shopify POS app
If you have not set up a POS device yet, the overview displays an onboarding banner with a QR code that you can scan to download the Shopify POS app. Log in with your Shopify account, select the store, and set a PIN for the till.
5Set up the hardware
In the POS app, open Settings then Set up hardware and pair the Tap and Chip card reader by Bluetooth. Connect the receipt printer and the cash drawer the same way, and check each one prints and opens before the first customer.
6Customize the in-store experience
From the overview, open the POS editor to customize your POS app, customer display and receipts. Set the receipt header to the store name and address, and check the change on a test print.
7Take a test sale
Take a test sale and a test refund through the till before you open. Check that the sale appears in the retail sales reports and that the stock count drops by one.
The arithmetic
| Hardware | Price | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Tap and Chip card reader | $49.00 | 8.36% |
| Receipt printer | $229.00 | 39.08% |
| Cash drawer | $119.00 | 20.31% |
| iPad stand | $189.00 | 32.25% |
| Total | $586.00 | 100.00% |
The hardware total is $49.00 plus $229.00 plus $119.00 plus $189.00, which is $586.00. The prices are the worked example budget for one till, not Shopify list prices.
Held at the counter
POS roles need a POS Pro subscription. POS roles and POS only staff are available only for stores with the Point of Sale channel and at least one location with a Shopify POS Pro subscription. If the staff options are missing, the subscription is the reason.
What you can do depends on your device and permissions. The actions and sections on the Point of Sale overview depend on your staff permissions and whether you have set up a POS device. An owner sees more than a till-only staff member.
The QR code appears only before the first device. If you have not set up a POS device yet, the overview displays an onboarding banner with a QR code to download the app. Once a device is set up, the banner goes away and the app must be found in the app store instead.
Sources
- Point of Sale overview — Shopify's help pages: the overview page, Manage locations and Manage staff, the onboarding QR code, and the POS editor.