Shopify POS: the point of sale system for modern brands

What you need to know about Shopify POS right now

Shopify POS is the point of sale system that brings physical shops, pop-ups and online sales together on one platform. The POS software runs on iOS and Android, connects directly to your Shopify store and supports both in-person selling and omnichannel selling. A point of sale is the moment and the place where a customer pays. For fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands in the Netherlands and Belgium, that stopped being just a counter a long time ago; it's also your showroom, your market stall and your Instagram checkout.

According to Capterra, more than 200 users rate Shopify POS 4.6 out of 5 stars. What makes this point of sale system so popular?

• Inventory, customer data and payments are synced between your online store and your shop, so you never sell the same item twice

• Detailed customer profiles let staff on the shop floor see past purchases and preferences right away

• Customers can pay by debit card, credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or cash

• One back office is enough for selling on several platforms and in different locations

At Design by Karina, we help brands connect their online store and Shopify Point of Sale in a smart way. Curious what that means for your brand? Book a free intro call.

What is Shopify POS and how does it work in practice?

Shopify POS is point of sale software and a hardware ecosystem that connects your physical point of sale to your Shopify store. Everything runs from one Shopify admin: products, inventory, customer profiles, discounts and transactions.

The POS app runs on iPad, iPhone and selected Android devices. You need a smartphone or tablet to get started. Shopify POS can be connected to receipt printers and barcode scanners, and you can download the app from the App Store or Google Play.

Say you run a clothing boutique in Rotterdam with one shop and an online store. A customer buys a coat online but wants to exchange it in the shop for a different size. Your staff member opens the POS app, sees the same customer profiles and discounts as online, processes the exchange, and the inventory updates automatically.

This is how a sale works, step by step:

• Scan the product with the barcode scanner or select it in the product grid

• Select or create a customer profile (name, email, purchase history)

• Pay through Shopify Payments; debit card, contactless or mobile payment

• Inventory updates in real time, both online and in the shop

• Send the receipt by email or print it on the receipt printer

Omnichannel selling: one system for online and in-person sales

Brands that sell both online and in person, in a shop, a showroom or at events, need a system that connects all those channels. Shopify POS syncs your online and offline sales channels, so your shoppers get the same experience at every touchpoint.

Shopify POS connects your online store, Instagram Shopping, marketplaces and the point of sale on the shop floor. Shopify POS supports selling at pop-up shops and markets, from a sample sale in Amsterdam to a winter market in Bruges. Customers can return online purchases in the physical shop without anyone having to process it by hand.

Concrete omnichannel features:

• Click & collect (in-store pickup): the customer orders online and picks up the package in the shop

• Ship-from-store: a shop employee ships an online order from the nearest location

• Endless aisle: a customer tries on shoes in the shop and the right size isn't in stock; the employee orders the size through the POS app and the customer receives the order at home

• Gift cards that work both online and in the shop

• Occasional in-person selling at a trade fair, festival or seasonal market with a mobile card reader

Shopify builds customer profiles across all channels. That means quick access to past purchases, preferences and contact details, whether shoppers bought online or in the shop.

Shopify POS features: from point of sale software to customer profiles

Shopify POS is more than a cash register. It's POS software that combines inventory management, customer management, analytics and staff management in one central place.

• Product management: an unlimited number of products, up to 2,048 variants per product; organize them in collections or smart collections based on vendor, price or stock level

• Discounts and promotions: manual discounts (in euros or as a percentage), automatic discount codes and bundle deals

• Returns and exchanges: accepted at the original location; with POS Pro, at other locations too

• Gift cards: digital and physical, usable across all channels

• Customer profiles: customer profiles are stored centrally; with every transaction (online or in the shop) the profile grows with name, email, purchase history and shop visits; you can use this data later for email marketing and retention

• Retail analytics: Shopify POS offers reports and analytics for business insights, from best sellers and revenue per location to the busiest hours and performance per staff member; sales data from physical and online channels is combined in one dashboard

• Staff management: staff management with unique PINs and role assignments, so you can set permissions per staff member and managers can approve everyday actions such as discounts or payouts

Design by Karina takes these features into account in the UX design of your online store, so the checkout and the customer view in the shop match the online experience.

Shopify Payments and payments in the shop

Shopify Payments is the built-in payment solution for both online and in-person payments. Shopify Payments and integrated Shopify POS hardware together form the payment system you use in the shop, at markets or at events.

• You can accept popular payment methods: debit card, credit card, contactless, Apple Pay, Google Pay and cash

• The system supports payments through Shopify Payments and other methods, depending on the country and the hardware

• Every transaction is automatically linked to the order and the reports, both for online sales and at the physical point of sale

• With Tap to Pay on iPhone, all you need for payments is a smartphone; handy when you're at a pop-up in Antwerp and don't want to bring a separate card reader

• Transaction fees differ by country and payment method; check the current rates at Shopify for your own situation

• Centralized payments make bookkeeping simpler: all transactions, payouts and revenue are visible in one dashboard; connections with accounting software are possible through the app marketplace

Shopify POS Lite vs POS Pro: which version suits you?

Shopify POS Lite is included in every Shopify plan. POS Pro is a paid add-on with an extra monthly cost per location (guide price: about €79 a month per location, billed yearly).

POS Lite suits:

• Brands with one location or occasional in-person selling at pop-ups and markets

• Simple returns at the original place of purchase

• Basic product management, customer profiles and Shopify Payments

POS Pro suits:

• Retailers with several locations or more complex workflows

• Advanced inventory management across different locations

• Omnichannel selling including exchanges at another location, ship-from-store and endless aisle

• Extended staff permissions, manager approvals and detailed reports per sale, location and staff member

• Free POS hardware with a year of POS Pro (a Shopify offer, worth €2,100 together)

Example scenarios:

• A small beauty brand that runs one pop-up a month starts with a Grow plan and POS Lite. Minimal hardware (smartphone + mobile card reader), limited staff roles.

• A growing lifestyle brand with three shops in Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Ghent chooses POS Pro at every location. What it needs: inventory management across several locations, staff management and full omnichannel flows.

During an intro call, we decide together which license fits your growth plans. Also compare the pros and cons of Shopify against other platforms.

Shopify POS hardware: from iPad register to mobile reader

Shopify POS can run without dedicated POS hardware (just your smartphone) or with a complete shop setup. Shopify offers a range of hardware that works with the POS app.

• POS Terminal: a card reader with a customer display for the counter

• Mobile card readers: card readers like the WisePad 3 for mobile payments on the shop floor or on location

• Accessories and supplies: cash drawer, receipt printer, barcode scanners, label printer, iPad stand

• Integrated Shopify POS hardware forms one point of sale together with the POS software, connected directly to inventory and reports

Example setups:

• Pop-up in 2026: iPhone + Tap to Pay. No extra hardware needed. Mobile POS software lets sellers take payments anywhere in the shop or on location.

• Full shop counter: iPad on a stand, POS Terminal, cash drawer, receipt printer and barcode scanner. Set up hardware per location, so each branch can run on its own.

Design by Karina advises on choosing and arranging hardware, so the UX on the shop floor matches your online brand experience.

Inventory management and multiple locations: one source of truth for your stock

Shopify POS syncs inventory and orders in real time. As soon as something sells online or in the shop, the stock levels at every location are updated. Central inventory management prevents double-stock problems between online and offline. With Shopify POS, you manage inventory across different locations: shops, warehouses, pop-up locations.

Benefits:

• No double selling; inventory is always in sync

• Insight into which products sell best where, with alerts for low stock

• Click & collect, ship-from-store and exchanges in another shop only work if you manage inventory centrally

Example: a jewelry brand sells from a studio in Ghent and through an online store. With Shopify POS, the team always knows where each item is, without counting by hand. Orders are picked at the right location, and stock transfers between locations run through the app.

Design by Karina helps think through how you set up locations, naming, and processes for purchasing and reporting, so your retail runs smoothly.

Getting started with Shopify POS (and how Design by Karina helps)

Getting started with Shopify POS is easier than you think. You choose a Shopify plan, install the POS app on your smartphone or tablet, add products and tax settings, set up payment methods and run test transactions to check the system. Shopify POS helps reduce admin work by managing everything centrally: from running analytics to setting up staff and inventory.

You can start quickly with a simple setup (smartphone + Shopify POS + Shopify Payments) and scale up later with extra hardware, more locations and POS Pro. Shopify and its partners offer documentation and support. You can easily add products to your cart and manage them directly from the Shopify admin.

Design by Karina supports you with the strategic choice of plan and structure, the UX design of your online store and checkout, the technical setup of Shopify POS and connections with your existing tools. Our studio focuses on fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands that want to strengthen their brand story, both online and in person on the shop floor.

Want to know which Shopify POS strategy fits your brand? Book a free intro call and we'll talk through your online store, point of sale system and omnichannel selling together.