| Point of sale is a term used readily to describe a | | | | - Order processing |
| transaction being processed. There are several types | | | | - Accept payments |
| of POS solutions, because transactions are processed | | | | - Discount, gift certificate and tax configuration |
| differently for different industries or types of business. | | | | - Generate sales receipts |
| An e-commerce business for instance will use a retail | | | | - Automatic inventory adjustments |
| POS solution, because it deals with the buying and | | | | A POS solution will work in the same way offline as it |
| selling of products online. A good point of sale system | | | | does online, but there are a few more devices that |
| must be able to handle all of the intricate details | | | | are needed in order to complete the transaction. A |
| involved in placing an order online. | | | | product that is added to a shopping cart through an |
| The most common POS solution used by | | | | online store must be scanned using a barcode scanner |
| e-commerce business owners is QuickBooks. Even | | | | in a physical store. The product details and price are |
| though it is a financial software with an emphasis on | | | | then recorded for a final tally. Credit card payments |
| accounting, it includes so many other features that help | | | | are processed differently as well, customers simply |
| manage and track the different aspects of an online | | | | enter their credit card number during checkout online |
| store from order processing to inventory and | | | | whereas the actual card must be swiped through a |
| customer data handling. If your e-commerce solution | | | | credit card reader to capture all the necessary |
| has QuickBooks integration, you will be able to enjoy | | | | information in a real store. The final step comes in the |
| managing your entire business in one central location. It | | | | form of an invoice that is emailed to the customer on |
| is the perfect solution for anyone with no formal | | | | the web or a sales receipt that is printed on a sales |
| accounting background and makes running a business | | | | receipt printer in a store. All of these devices work |
| a lot simpler. | | | | together in the same way as an e-commerce |
| A retail POS solution should be able to process orders | | | | checkout process, simply plug them into your computer |
| for both online stores and brick and mortar shops. A | | | | through a USB port and orders can be processed |
| business with both an online and offline presence will | | | | simultaneously. |
| need to be able to synchronize the two for their | | | | The best part about using a POS solution like this is the |
| business to run smoothly. Whether you have a | | | | time and money that it saves. Combining the task of |
| physical store in addition to the one on the web or | | | | managing your online and offline stores makes running |
| attend trade shows and other live events to sell your | | | | the business as a whole that much easier. Not to |
| products, it's important to be able to simultaneously | | | | mention the fact that if you currently only support one |
| keep track of all of your orders. Many of the offline | | | | type of store, you can scale your business by including |
| POS solution features are exactly the same as the | | | | the other type sometime in the future without having to |
| online one, they include: | | | | completely restructure your entire business. |