How to Launch Shopify POS

In the business world of today, the order of operations has shifted. Where brick-and-mortar businesses used to launch online as an extension of their business, the reverse is now much more common.

If you're an ecommerce business looking to launch a brick-and-mortar location or take your offering to pop-up shops and markets, you'll need a bit more than just a cash tin to reliably accept payments. This is where payment processing technologies come into play. There's a litany of options to choose from, but for businesses already trading on Shopify, Shopify's own point of sale system emerges as the most natural option.

In this blog, we're going to run through everything you need to know about launching on Shopify POS.

What is Shopify POS?

Shopify POS (Point of Sale) is an application that allows merchants to process in-person sales and accept payments. Although not exclusive to businesses running their ecommerce store on Shopify (although you will need an active Shopify plan), Shopify POS is specifically built to link physical retail to an online store, which allows for a holistic view of inventory management, customer profiles, and sales data.

There are several different paths to launching on Shopify POS. Whether you're migrating to the platform from another system or it's your first venture into the physical retail world, let's cover what you need to know.

Step 0 - Data Migration

If you've been using another point of sale system at your brick-and-mortar locations and now want to transition to Shopify POS, you'll first have to undergo a data migration if you want to keep your historical sales and customer data.

If you don't have any historical data to migrate to Shopify POS, you can get started straight away with Step 1.

A data migration isn't the most glamorous step in launching Shopify POS for your business, but it's certainly one of the most important. Your customers, your product information, your past sales records - all of that valuable business information needs to come with you into your new system. A smooth Shopify migration sets the stage for running your business efficiently and lets you get right back to selling without any delays.

There are a few migration options available when you're transitioning to Shopify POS:

• Manual migration via CSV uploads: Best for small businesses with simple data needs.
• Migration apps: Best for businesses looking for a more efficient process while minimising manual errors.
• Migrating with the help of a Shopify Service Partner: This option employs a team of Shopify POS experts who offer personalised onboarding and can handle complex migrations, such as transferring past orders or historical analytics. Best if your migration is complex, involves historical data, or if you don't have a Shopify agency partner to help you on the transition already.
• Custom integration: Build a custom migration solution using Shopify's API. Best if you have a large migration and are supported by a third-party Shopify Development agency or have a large internal development team.

You can also use a combination of these options. The best pathway depends on the complexity of your business's data and your proficiency with technical tasks.

Prep work: data clean-up and data mapping

Once you've chosen your migration path, there are two key phases of prep work you'll need to complete: data clean-up and data mapping. It's no different from any other data migration; you essentially need to translate your existing data into Shopify's language.

Data clean-up

The legacy POS system you're migrating away from will have served you well, but it has its own set of quirks and data operations. Before migrating to Shopify POS, you need to fix any errors, standardise your entries, and declutter any redundant information so that all of your data can enter your new system smoothly. You may be completing a task you've been putting off for some time in the process.

This process ensures your data is accurate and ready to power your new system - preventing issues with reporting, inventory, and customer management down the line. For example, inconsistencies in product naming - "trousers" in one record and "pants" in another - can cause real frustration. So, whilst data clean-up is a time-consuming, largely menial task, it's also an essential one. And for businesses with multiple locations, it's even more critical.

Data mapping

Every POS system has its own terminology. Data mapping is the process of translating your existing data into the language Shopify understands. Here's what to consider for each data type:

Products

Before you migrate, take some time to plan how your products will be organised in Shopify. If you've already moved the ecommerce side of your business, this will be easy. Think about which collections make sense for your product catalogue, and make sure any product variants - different colours, sizes, and so on - are accurately mapped so your inventory tracking stays precise.

If any of your products have fields that aren't part of Shopify's default product listing, like expiration dates, you can still bring that information across using metafields. It's also worth double-checking which sales channels each product should be available on, as some items might be in-store only, while others are only available online.

Finally, make sure every product has both a SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) and a barcode assigned to it. A SKU is a unique internal code your staff can search for in POS, though it can't be scanned from a label. A barcode works similarly but can also be physically scanned, which makes a real difference for the speed and accuracy of sales and inventory management.

Customers

The customer profile fields that can be imported into Shopify natively are: name, email, phone number, address, marketing preferences, and notes. Information not part of the default profile - such as date of birth for linking into loyalty programmes - can be added using metafields or manually in the notes section.

Orders

This is where things get a little more complicated. Shopify doesn't natively support bulk imports of historical order data, so if you need to bring that across, you'll want to use a third-party app like Matrixify to handle it.

It's also worth knowing that Shopify can't process refunds for orders that were originally paid through your old system. For handling returns on those past purchases, you've got two practical options:

• Keep a copy of your old order history somewhere accessible - a Google Drive spreadsheet works well - so your team can reference it when needed.
• Keep your previous POS system active, specifically for processing those refunds until your return policy window closes.

Gift cards

The good news here is that gift cards are supported across all Shopify subscription plans, and they work seamlessly for both in-person and online purchases. You can migrate your existing gift cards either manually or through a third-party app, whichever suits your setup. One thing to flag if you're bringing across physical third-party gift cards: their barcodes can't be scanned in Shopify POS, so staff will need to enter the numbers manually. Also, make sure each card has a unique number between 8 and 20 digits, as that's a requirement for them to process correctly.

Discounts

Shopify POS gives you flexibility when it comes to applying discounts - you can apply them to an entire order, to specific products, or to shipping. For migrating your existing discount codes, Matrixify can handle a bulk import. If you'd rather not use a third-party app, just make sure you save a full list of your active codes before you switch over, as you'll need to recreate them manually in your Shopify admin.

Loyalty points

Loyalty points require a bit of extra planning, as Shopify doesn't have a built-in loyalty programme. Most businesses run their loyalty scheme through a third-party app like Loyalty Lion or Nosto, so your migration approach will depend on whichever platform you're using - just make sure it's on your checklist, as it won't happen automatically.

Post-migration tasks

Once your basic historical data is in Shopify, here are some additional tasks to complete before you start selling:

• Organise your products: Use the product fields in your Shopify admin to organise your catalogue and optimise search and filtering - for example, by creating collections, using product tags, and defining product types.
• Give every product a barcode: Barcodes enable accurate inventory tracking, provide instant product information, simplify staff training, and are used and accepted worldwide.
• Set up inventory management: Effective inventory management lets you:
  
  • Avoid selling more stock than you have
  • Know when to order or produce more
  • Identify when you're overstocked
  • Track multi-location stock transfers between vendors, suppliers, and locations

If you're migrating a multi-location business, the steps are the exact same, but it's typically recommended to migrate in a phased fashion. This will let you test the approach at one location and refine the process to reduce errors for the remaining ones.

Step 1 - Installing Shopify POS

Now that all of your historical data is ready to go (or you don't have any to work with), you can start setting up Shopify POS in your brick-and-mortar locations.

The process is actually quite underwhelming, as the only thing you actually need is an iOS or Android device with the Shopify POS app downloaded. But there are a few extra things to keep in mind.

The Shopify POS app is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. It is designed for Android and iOS devices only - it's not available for desktop, and it won't work on beta or modified versions of the mobile operating systems. This is why it's common for brick-and-mortar stores to use a dedicated tablet - paired with a Tap and Chip Card Reader - for their POS transactions.

Before you begin, make sure your iOS or Android device is up to date and that automatic app updates are turned on. You'll also need to install the POS sales channel in your Shopify admin.

Initial sign-in requirements

For your initial sign-in, you must use a staff account with admin-level permissions that has the following enabled:

• Access Point of Sale
• Set up new or updated POS devices

Open the app on your device, sign in, and if you have multiple locations, you'll be prompted to choose one on login.

Inventory management apps

If you need more advanced inventory management, there are third-party apps that integrate directly with the POS app, which allow you to do things like accept multi-location stock transfers without leaving the till. Just bear in mind that what's available will vary from app to app, and for any issues with those features, you'll need to go to the app's own support team rather than Shopify.

Customer management

From the POS app, staff can create, edit, and delete individual customer profiles on the spot, which is handy for capturing details at the point of sale. That said, if you ever need to make changes in bulk, you'll need to do that from the Shopify admin rather than the app itself.

Choosing a POS subscription

There are two tiers of Shopify POS available:

• Shopify POS Lite: Available to all retailers on all Shopify plans. Ideal for casual or new in-person sellers. POS Lite provides the essential tools for processing sales, managing basic customer profiles, and tracking inventory.
• Shopify POS Pro: A paid add-on for retail businesses that need more advanced tools. It unlocks unlimited POS-only staff with granular permissions, advanced inventory management, retail analytics, and custom receipts.

The right choice depends on your business's scale and operational needs. That said, if you have a permanent brick-and-mortar storefront, POS Pro is almost always the better route. It's also worth noting that Shopify Plus merchants get POS Pro included free across every location.

The costs of running Shopify POS (outside of any one-off costs for tech) start at £19 a month for Shopify's most basic plan. But if you use Shopify already, POS Lite is included for free. If you want to use POS Pro, you'll need to pay an additional £69 per location per month.

Step 2 - Admin Settings

Now that Shopify POS is set up as a sales channel in your Shopify admin and the POS app is installed on the device of your choice, the next step is to configure the core settings. This will connect your POS system to your daily business operations.

Make products available in the POS channel

Products aren't available to sell through POS by default. So, to actually sell your stock, you'll have to first make your product available to the Point of Sale channel within the Shopify admin.

1. From your Shopify admin, click Products
2. Select the product you want to make available in POS
3. Edit the Publishing section
4. Check the Point of Sale box
5. Click Done
6. Stock the product at your POS device's assigned location (manage locations at Settings > Locations)

Set up staff permissions with POS roles

Ultimately, your retail staff is the team that will be using your POS system daily (unless you're the only staff member). So you want to make sure that team members don't make errors and disrupt workflows by accessing business systems they shouldn't be privy to.

For this reason, Shopify gives you granular control over what your staff can and can't do in the POS app, and there are two ways to manage this:

Managing individual permissions (available on all plans)

All Shopify plans let you add staff and individually assign permissions from a predefined list. This works well for smaller teams or where each staff member has a unique set of responsibilities.

Example: Phil has two part-time retail staff at his small boutique store. With such a small team, it's not much work for him to edit each staff profile individually - giving them permission to process sales and returns, but not to edit products.

Creating and assigning POS Roles (POS Pro only)

If you have multiple retail locations or you're managing a lot of retail staff, POS roles allow for easier maintenance. POS roles let you assign the same set of permissions to multiple staff members. If you need to update their permissions in the future, you can simply change the permissions on the role itself. The process has two steps:

1. Within Shopify, create a list of roles with permission sets - common naming conventions are job titles such as "Sales Associate" or "Store Manager" - and select the relevant permissions.
2. Assign roles to staff - simply a case of ticking a box for those that apply.

Example: Zoe has 35 employees across her 3 retail locations. Instead of manually configuring permissions for each hire, she created two POS Roles: "Sales Advisor" and "Shift Lead." New advisors can be onboarded in seconds.

Configure other admin settings

Staff permissions are the most important thing to get right in your Shopify POS dashboard, but there are a few other settings worth configuring before you go live.

• Taxes - Make sure your tax settings accurately reflect every state and municipality where you do physical business. Getting this right from the start means you won't run into any nasty surprises with incorrect tax calculations at the till.
• Payments - Set up Shopify Payments (or whichever payment gateway you're using) so that in-person transactions can be processed from day one.
• Apps - If you're planning to use any third-party apps - whether that's for loyalty programmes, advanced inventory management, or customer marketing - get them downloaded and configured in your Shopify admin before you launch.
• Shipping and delivery - Configure your shipping, in-store pickup, and local delivery options here, including "buy online, pick up in store" if that's something your customers will want.
• Customer receipt settings - Head to Settings > Checkout to decide whether you want to require certain customer details - like an email address or phone number - before a purchase can be completed. It's a small setting, but useful if building your customer database matters to your business.

Customising the POS UI

Once your core settings are in place, you can personalise the interface of the POS app to speed up your checkout experience. The home screen features a smart grid of configurable tiles that give quick access to frequently used products, apps, and features. You can add, remove, and rearrange tiles across multiple pages to match your store's workflow. You can also use POS UI extensions to add extra functionality.

Step 3 - Troubleshooting & Support

Without getting into the finer details of hardware, this is everything you need to get set up with Shopify POS for your business. But if you are having issues, here are some troubleshooting steps recommended by Shopify:

• Make sure your software is up to date
• Check your firewall settings
• Resync Shopify POS with your Shopify admin
• Force close the Shopify POS app and reopen it
• Send a report directly from the Shopify POS app

If none of those resolve the issue, Shopify Support is available 24/7.

How to launch Shopify POS

Launching on Shopify POS is a straightforward process once you know the steps - but as with most things in retail, the work you put in upfront pays dividends later. Whether that's taking the time to clean your data before migrating, setting up the right staff permissions, or configuring your admin settings before your first transaction, getting the foundations right means you can focus on what actually matters: providing a great customer experience.

If you're already running your business on Shopify, the transition to in-person selling is more seamless than you might expect. And if you're new to Shopify altogether, POS is as good a reason as any to make the switch.

Want to talk to us about making the transition to Shopify? Contact our Shopify Agency Team, we'd love to hear from you.

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