Should I use a point of sale system in my establishment?

What benefits does using it brings me?

As we mentioned before, the objective of a point of sale is to add value by automating processes of your company, but it is not the only benefit that it can bring with it when implementing it. In your establishment, the points of sale will allow you quick access to the price list of the products and their availability.

It allows you to handle different payment methods such as cash, checks, credit and debit cards, it allows you to generate and print invoices for your business clients.
 

Some points of sales have accounting functions, allowing you to have the accounting data of your inventory in real time. In the subject of inventory control you can receive products from suppliers and register them, it allows you to do inventory controls and edit the available quantities of products.

You can use loyalty cards, have a database of your customers and register them to offer discounts, carrying out an individual sales follow-up. A point of sale is capable of managing different categories of your products and ordering them by product hierarchies or by popularity.
 

What are the essentials in a point of sale system?

You may wonder what basic aspects this software should cover. There are three aspects that are considered basic for a PoS, since not having them may not generate value for your establishment.

• Sales control and reports
  
  The most basic thing that a PoS must offer is a sales list or also called sales control, it must allow you to have control over what has been sold, you must also be able to review and obtain reports ordered by dates or by products, this serves to obtain a visibility of daily, weekly or monthly transactions.
   

• Inventory control
  
  You must provide inventory taking and adjustment so that you can know the daily availability of the products, the supply, be able to carry out an inventory control and if an adjustment is necessary in it.
  

• Electronic terminal
  
  In the modern era a very large number of people pay electronically, therefore a PoS system needs to be able to process payments of this type through an electronic terminal, which accepts debit, credit cards, and electronic wallets, facilitating convenience. Customer payment
  

And although these three aspects work to generate value in your establishment, there are PoS that offer much more advanced tools that can help you automate various processes of the purchasing process, increasing value to your establishment.

Is it for all companies? How do I know that I should already implement a PoS?

Sure, a point of sale may sound like something more robust, that is why you need to know how it would benefit me and if you really need it. A point of sale works for all those companies that generate direct sales with the customer through an establishment. The mandatory requirement is a physical position because it is useless to have a point of sale system if my sales are made only through eCommerce. Now, now that I know how it benefits me and what the objective of a PoS is, how do I know that I really need one in my establishment? Well, there are several indications that show you if your establishment needs a point of sale:

• If you have a large inventory of several products with different categories.
  

• If you need to provide your client with an electronic means to make their payment (Terminal).
  

• If you need to keep a more automated record of your sales.
  

• If you want to reduce the margin of error of the inventory record, sales record or purchase record.
  

• If you need a tool to help you measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns.
  

• If you have more than one box where you register the retail sale.
  

If your establishment shows any of these signs, it is time to consider implementing a PoS

Odoo PoS

If you are already sure that your establishment needs a PoS, Odoo offers a solution that, in addition to offering the basic aspects that all PoS must have, also includes other advantages:

1. Payments

• Different payment methods are available (Cash, checks, credit and debit cards).
  

• You can generate and print invoices for your business clients.
  

• Payments are directly integrated into Odoo Accounting.
  

• An order can be paid as a split payment in multiple payments, as well as with separate payment methods.
  

2. Inventory management

• View all past orders and search for them by customer, product or date.
  

• You will be able to monitor your stocks in real time and manage inventory in all locations.
  

• You will be able to organize the products with hierarchical product categories.
   

• Register product variations offering different sizes, colors or configurations of the same product.
  

3. Customer loyalty

• You can use loyalty cards to reward your customers with gifts or discounts.
  

• You can create price lists for groups of clients, or special discount programs such as Black Friday, Hot Sale, etc. configuring Odoo's own sales engine integrated with PoS.