Choosing a POS system for your shop: the eight-point check-list

A shop till has to last the day, not just the sale

POS software for a shop is not just about totalling a sale. It has to track an item from delivery to sale, handle its variants, weigh what needs weighing, print a label, keep stock up to date, take back a return, and sometimes sell online as well as in the shop. Here are eight points to check before choosing your till, with what ZP POS does on each of them.

These eight points do not carry the same weight in every trade. A grocery shop lives on fast scanning and its scales; a fashion boutique lives on its size and colour variants; a home or gift shop lives on its catalogue and its labels. The check-list stays the same, but its weight shifts from one shop to another, and that is what your reseller needs to understand before proposing a configuration.

1. Barcodes, EAN and in-house codes

Every scanned item must be recognised instantly, whether its code is a standard EAN or an in-house shop code. ZP POS reads barcodes at the counter, and the till sells the right item straight away, with no re-entry.

2. Size and colour variants

In a fashion boutique, every combination of size and colour is a different variant, with its own barcode and its own stock. The till has to sell the right variant, and move the right stock with it. That is how ZP POS works, just as useful for a fashion boutique as for a home, gift or leisure shop.

3. Scales, linked to the till

For a grocery or convenience store, fruit and vegetables, like loose coffee, are sold by weight. The till has to read the weight directly from a connected scale, and recognise weight-price labels, with no figure typed in by hand. ZP POS does this, with Epelsa or Adam scales linked to the till.

4. Labels, in keeping with the shop

Prices change, promotions arrive, a markdown is needed for a short window: the till has to print a label in moments, with its own barcode if needed. A graphic editor built into ZP POS designs price labels and posters, printed on Zebra or Brother printers, or on A4 sheets.

5. Stock, tracked on a terminal on the shop floor

Counting stock, receiving a delivery or dispatching an order should not mean going back behind the till every time. With ZP Stock, receiving, dispatching, stocktaking and label lists happen directly in the storeroom or on the shop floor, on an Android terminal, and feed back to the till automatically.

6. Returns and exchanges

A return has to work from the original receipt, with the item going back into stock and, where needed, a credit note or exchange to follow. That is how ZP POS works, in a grocery shop just as in a fashion boutique.

7. Loyalty and gift cards

Points, loyalty pots, stamp cards, gift cards and gift vouchers: a shop till has to be able to build loyalty without a separate piece of software alongside it. ZP POS builds these features directly into the sale.

8. Selling online, with Shopify

More and more shops also sell online. The till then has to share the same catalogue, the same prices and the same stock as the online shop, so an in-store sale and an online order never clash. ZP POS syncs catalogue, prices and stock with a Shopify shop.

What about small baskets?

At busy times, a queue can build up in front of a single till. A ZP selfCheckout kiosk takes the strain for small baskets: the customer scans their own items and pays by card unassisted, on the same catalogue as the till. It's worth considering if your shop, like a grocery or convenience store, sees busy spikes at certain times.

Two extra points, often overlooked

The payment terminal matters too when choosing a till. On ZP POS, the amount due goes straight to the terminal with no re-entry, which avoids discrepancies to chase down at the end of the day: that's how it works with Worldline, Nexi, Paytec and Wallee / PostFinance terminals, controlled directly by the till.

If your customers include tourists, the till also needs to be able to take payment in another currency. ZP POS takes payment in CHF and EUR, with exchange rates updated automatically, as shown by the home, gifts and leisure sector, where tourists sometimes pay in euros at the till.

A check-list to go through with your reseller

Barcodes and variants, scales, labels, stock on a terminal, returns, loyalty, online sales, plus the payment terminal and accepted currencies where relevant: go through these points with your authorised reseller. They will size the installation, meaning the number of tills, the scale model, the label printer and the payment terminal, for your shop, whether that is a grocery shop, a fashion boutique or a home, gifts and leisure shop.

Licence prices, in CHF excl. VAT and paid once, are listed on the Pricing page. Your reseller adds hardware and installation on top, to put together a complete quote.