Building The Ideal POS Setup for a New Retail Location: A Step-by-Step Guide

Opening a new retail store means having to consider various aspects, such as location, staff, inventory, etc. However, one aspect which cannot be forgotten is your point of sale (POS) system. It is not just a cash register, it is a sales engine, inventory tracker and insight generator in one system. 

Launching your new store with confidence means setting up your POS system to match your business, and here’s how: 

1. Identify Your Retail Needs

Since every store has a unique aim and purpose, you need to identify what it is you will be selling, how you will be selling them, and who will manage the system. 

Will your goods be sold based on a barcode price, or weight?

Is your store higher traffic, or do you require one to one client consultations?

Will all staff be trained in the POS system, or will you have a dedicated team?

Such questions must be considered in order to find the POS system with the most useful features for you. 

2. Hardware To Match Your Workflow 

Hardware doesn’t necessarily mean a traditional till, it could mean a touchscreen terminal, barcode scanner, customer display screen, or even a combination of different hardware. The choice is yours, but it is crucial to consider store layout, practicality and efficiency. 

If you find it difficult to decide on your own or are unsure, discuss with your software solution provider on what they think is best for your business. 

3. The Right Software

Consider inventory tracking, sales reports and analytics, access controls and cloud backup when researching software solutions. This would be another point where advice from a software solution provider would be helpful. 

4. Payment Integrations

With the various payment methods available, it is important to ensure your POS can support different options. Contactless payments, chip and pin payments and gift cards/store credit are just a few payments methods, it is important to consider your demographic’s preferred payment method and business style. 

5. Staff Permissions and Training 

Assign roles (ex. Cashier, manager, admin, etc.) with relevant accessibility. This is then followed by training via live demos, or even providing reference guides for common tasks. Allowing sufficient time for staff to become accustomed to the system leads to more confidence when serving customers. 

6. Carry Out Test Runs 

It is important to have a smooth launch before going live for clients. Dedicating a day or two to ring up test sales, process refunds, generate reports and experiment with internet speed, power supply and cloud backups could prevent many issues in the future. 

7. Generate Feedback 

After going live and operating for some time, it is a good time to utilise your POS system to identify popular products and peak hours, as well as use such insight to adjust staff rosters, promotions, or inventory. It is imp

ortant to ensure your POS system is regularly updated to benefit from new features or bug fixes.

XtraPOS Cloud’s versatile set up makes it a great choice for many retailers opening a new store. If you’re interested or want to know more, contact us today.