Shopify POS - New Look, New Features

Shopify has had a makeover that rolled out recently, making all apps and sites more consistent with one another. That makes it easier for merchants to navigate through everything they use in conjunction with Shopify - and it’s just been extended to Shopify Point of Sale (POS). Including a POS aspect to your store means you can attend markets, trade fairs, pop-ups and make sales in person. Just download the app on your phone or tablet, get a credit card swiper, and start making sales right away using Shopify Payments.

The new Shopify update is called Polaris and includes both design and functionality features. Here’s what’s new about POS with the Polaris update.

New Features with Shopify POS

You look pretty familiar

This update was no surprise - Shopify’s trying to integrate the navigation, look and feel of all of their products. Now your POS will use the same buttons, navigation and colour schemes as your Shopify Admin, making it all the more easy to pick up and go.

Toggle between tasks superfast

Opening up an order, getting a signature for a credit card swipe, selecting items into a cart -- they’re all different processes that open up multiple screens. You can now easily switch between them without losing any data and saving a ton of time. That means you have an easier time getting through your queue quickly and keeping customers waiting less.

New phone, who dis?

Gathering customer data including email addresses and any demographic info helps massively later on with marketing. While someone who makes a purchase online already gives you much of that data, in-person you’re only really able to make sales.

Not anymore! You can now record customer contact info for people making orders and for people milling about your store who seem interested but aren’t ready to buy yet. Basically, the new POS feature lets you add potential customers straight into your mailing list without any consolidation needed afterward.

Refund online purchases in store

One of my bigger pet hates is when I go talk to a customer sales rep and they tell me to go online to sort out my problem. There’s a reason I came to a person instead of my computer, and I prefer if they can understand my problem and fix it right away.

With this new update, merchants can pull up and refund orders that were placed elsewhere or online, instead of just being able to refund ones done on the same POS. This improved integration means you can help your customers wherever and whenever, improving your level of customer service and one on one interaction.

How can I do more with my Shopify POS?

Being able to place orders right on your phone isn’t enough? Nah, there’s always more you can do. Here are some apps that you can use to improve your in-person sales with POS.

Start a rewards program

Rewards and targeted incentives are an excellent way to get your customers to come back for more. There are a few programs you can use to easily start a rewards program that works for in-person sales.

Try Smile.io for a free program where you set up points systems, referral programs and VIP tiers. You can set up incentives for basically any kind of interaction, including repeat purchases, social shares or account registration. They have paid plans with pricing based on how many people are using their rewards, rather than on the size of your company.

Pretty similar is Swell which sets up similar loyalty programs based on points, referrals and VIP membership. You can use Swell for ten kinds of interactions, and their plan is free until you hit 100 orders per month.

A bit different is a gift registry app called Reggie. Gift Reggie is one of the only apps that lets customers design a registry and open an account with your store. This can be useful with POS, as customers browse through your store and check items off their wish list.

Manage your inventory directly with POS

SKU Labs is an inventory management feature (and currently the only inventory management app that integrates with POS). It lets you generate barcodes for all of your products, which helps reduce errors in packaging your orders. SKU Labs also lets you see which shipping provider gives you the best deal for your order, and print shipping labels right away.

Veequo is another inventory management application that includes shipping and fulfillment features. Veequo is useful especially for merchants who sell on channels outside of Shopify as a way to integrate a large and complex inventory. With the new POS features, you can set up unlimited registers and have a whole team making fast sales.

Trade Gecko helps you manage inventory from multiple channels like Shopify and Amazon, but it also includes its own payment gateway if Shopify’s isn’t right for you. Trade Gecko is especially helpful for those that are managing both B2B and B2C stocks with different wholesale prices and changing taxes.

Ready to sell with POS?

Reading this on your phone or tablet? Click right here to update your app with the new Shopify POS features.

We’re here to help ecommerce merchants make the most of their Shopify store. If you’re interested in growing your business with POS, get in touch with Elkfox.