Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Online POS




Point of sale is an entire system used for processing transactions. There are several different kinds of POS solutions, because different industries or types of businesses have their own unique way of processing transactions. An e-commerce business for example will generally use a retail POS system, because it deals with the buying and selling of products on the web. A good POS solution must have the ability to handle the various details required for placing an online order.

The most common POS solution used by e-commerce businesses is QuickBooks. Although it is a financial software that is primarily used for accounting, it actually has so many other features that help manage and track multiple aspects of an online store from order processing to handling inventory and customer information. If your e-commerce solution includes QuickBooks integration, you will have the ability to manage your entire business in one central location. It's the perfect solution for people with no formal accounting background and makes running a business a lot simpler.

A retail POS system should be able to process orders for both online stores and brick and mortar stores. A business with both an online and offline presence will need to be able to combine the two in order for the business to run smoothly. Whether you have a physical store in addition to the one online or attend trade shows and other live events to sell your products, you need to be able to track and manage all orders at the same time. Most of the offline POS functions are identical to the online ones, they include:
  • Order processing
  • Accept payments
  • Discount, gift certificate and tax configuration
  • Generate sales receipts
  • Automatic inventory adjustments
A POS solution should work in the same way offline as it does online, but there are a few more devices that are needed to be able to complete the transaction. Products that are placed in an online shopping cart has to be scanned with a barcode scanner in a physical store. The product id and cost are then recorded for a final tally. Credit card payments are processed differently as well, customers must type in their credit card number in the online checkout area whereas the the card itself is swiped through a credit card reader to gather all the required information offline. The last step is either an invoice that is emailed to the customer online or a printed sales receipt using a sales receipt printer in an actual store. These three devices work together in the same way as an online store checkout process, simply connect them to your computer with a USB port and orders can be processed simultaneously.

The biggest benefit for using a point of sale system like this is it saves both time and money. Combining the management of both your online and offline stores makes running your entire business that much easier. Not to mention the fact that if you currently only support one type of store, you can scale your business by including the other type in the future without having to completely restructure your whole business.





To have a fully functional online POSsystem, you need a point of sales software with a full range of features can really grow your business both online and off. Choosing one that grows with your business is key. You will need an e-commerce solution capable of providing all the necessary online tools to easily synchronize every aspect of your business.

What you need is a full service all-in-one hosting, design, and marketing software made specifically for e-commerce businesses. One that lets you set up your store in minutes, and provides powerful tools to help with not only your POS solution, but also SEO, product marketing and mobile commerce. Check out the best possible e-commerce solutions available at http://www.makeanonlinestore.com and try them out yourself absolutely free, no credit card required!