Shopify is primarily known for e-commerce. But as soon as you open a physical store, a pop-up shop, participate in trade shows, or offer click and collect, a crucial question arises: how do you maintain the same inventory, customers, promotions, and orders across all channels, digital and physical, while processing payments quickly and efficiently? This is precisely the role of Shopify POS , Shopify's point-of-sale (POS) system, designed to seamlessly connect the physical and online worlds.
In this guide, we'll get down to specifics: what Shopify POS does on a daily basis, how it's deployed, what the hardware and network prerequisites are, how to choose between POS Lite and POS Pro , and above all how to use it to create a seamless omnichannel experience (reservation, in-store pickup, shipping from the store, in-store returns , etc.).
What exactly is Shopify POS (and why isn't it "just a cash register")?
A traditional point of sale takes payments. Period. Shopify POS goes further: it's designed to be an in-store extension of your Shopify store . In practice, this means that your catalog, product variations, prices, taxes, inventory , customers, promotions, and order history all reside in the same place, and the store doesn't become a "parallel world" impossible to reconcile at the end of the month.
This also enables customer journeys that seem obvious to a customer… but are often frustrating in the back office when the systems don't communicate: buying online and picking up in store, buying in store and having it delivered, returning an online purchase to the store, or even resuming a shopping cart started in-store to complete it later online. Shopify actually highlights these journeys directly in its Shopify POS presentation.
Shopify POS Lite vs. Shopify POS Pro: The difference that changes your organization
A common mistake is to compare POS Lite and POS Pro solely on a list of features. The real question is: how much does your physical activity require in terms of rules, reporting , team management, and processes?
Shopify POS Lite: the essentials for taking payments and syncing
POS Lite is included with Shopify plans and provides the necessary foundation for selling in physical stores. On the official app page, Shopify describes POS Lite as included , and POS Pro as a monthly subscription per location .
POS Lite is particularly suitable if you make one-off sales (pop-ups, markets, trade shows), if you have few salespeople, or if your store is a “showcase” that takes payments without complex operational logic.
Shopify POS Pro: the retail tool when the store becomes a true channel
POS Pro is designed for permanent stores, with teams, procedures, management needs, and often multiple locations. Shopify states that POS Pro provides additional retail features (transactions, inventory, reports, staff management) and is activated with an additional monthly cost per location .
On the Shopify POS app page, Shopify displays POS Pro at 79 euros per month per location (price shown on the listing).
There is also an annual option with a discounted monthly price on a 12-month commitment , displayed at 69 euros/month/location on the dedicated page.
Simple landmark (very field-based)
If you start thinking “each salesperson needs to have specific rights”, “I want reliable store reports”, “I want to industrialize returns, exchanges, order preparation”, “I want identical workflows across multiple points of sale”, you are already in POS Pro logic.
Quick reading chart (no jargon)
| Subject | POS Lite | POS Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Cashiering & in-store sales | Yes | Yes |
| Additional subscription | Not included | Yes, by location |
| Careful management of teams (roles) | Basic | Advanced (POS roles and permissions) |
| Advanced retail functions (as applicable) | Limit |
More complete (pickup, workflows, etc.) |
Technical foundations: locations, application, and unified inventory
Before discussing hardware, it's essential to understand the foundation of Shopify POS: your locations . Shopify structures physical sales around locations (stores, warehouses, pop-ups), and the POS subscription (Lite or Pro) is chosen per location in the admin.
This detail is crucial, because it determines:
- Stock availability by location;
- Order preparation (collection, shipping from the store);
- Performance per point of sale;
- The rights of the teams (who works where);
- And accounting consistency.
In short: if your store stock is not properly linked to a location, you can have a till that takes payments… and a customer experience that deteriorates (surprise stockouts, impossible click and collect, false delivery promises).
Shopify POS hardware: what you really need (and what's optional)
Shopify POS fonctionne sur iOS et Android , mais tout appareil n'est pas compatible. Shopify publie une FAQ de compatibilité, avec des exigences précises de versions et de modèles (par exemple iPhone 7 ou plus récent sous iOS 15.1 ou plus, iPad selon génération, etc.).
The bare minimum: a device + a way to collect payment
In its documentation, Shopify recommends starting by choosing the hardware according to your needs (cards, cash, or both), then possibly adding retail hardware (scanner, printer, cash drawer).
If you sell simple products, with a moderate average order value, and low customer traffic, an iPad or iPhone with a card reader is often sufficient to get started properly.
When the store speeds up: scanner, printer, cash drawer
Once you have volume, speed and reliability matter more than aesthetics. A scanner reduces variant errors, a printer streamlines checkout, and a cash drawer becomes relevant if you regularly accept cash. Shopify details these hardware categories (readers, scanners, printers, etc.) in its hardware guides.
POS Go: the “mobile salesperson” option (very retail-oriented)
Shopify also offers POS Go , an all-in-one mobile device (POS station + scanner + card reader) designed for brick-and-mortar sales without the need for multiple accessories. Shopify describes POS Go as a device dedicated to fast and reliable sales.
This is particularly useful in a store when you want to collect payments anywhere (for example in a queue, in a pop-up store, or at an event), while maintaining Shopify traceability.
In-store payments: Shopify Payments, readers, Tap to Pay… and the real issue of the network
A successful POS experience relies on a three-pronged approach: payment methods , network stability , and backup processes .
Shopify Payments and availability by country
Many payment features (and some hardware) rely on Shopify Payments, which is only available in certain countries. Shopify maintains an official list of supported countries. Rest assured, it is available in France.
If you are in another country, before even ordering equipment, this is an essential check: the right player and options vary depending on the region.
Tap to Pay: collect payments without a card reader (when available)
Shopify POS allows contactless payments via Tap to Pay on iPhone (and, depending on the model, Tap to Pay on Android). On iPhone, Shopify specifies the activation in the POS app and reminds users of security features (such as preventing screenshots while entering the code, depending on the model).
Apple also publishes an official page listing the countries and regions where Tap to Pay on iPhone is available (and the compatible providers).
Network: The underestimated factor that's costing you money
In several troubleshooting pages, Shopify reminds users that under normal conditions, Shopify POS needs to connect to the internet (Wi-Fi or cellular data) to process payments.
And when a store is on a corporate network (firewall, filtering), Shopify recommends specific settings, particularly related to the network requirements of Stripe (the processor of Shopify Payments).
What if the internet goes down?
Shopify has a feature called offline payments , which can be activated in the admin, that allows you to continue accepting certain card transactions when the internet connection is lost, within specific limits (limits per device, Wi-Fi conditions, reduced functionality).
It's not "magic": the idea is to maintain activity during an outage, then synchronize/capture data when the connection returns, with operational limitations. This is exactly the kind of detail that differentiates a "desktop setup" from a system ready for a Saturday afternoon in a shop.
Omnichannel in practice with Shopify POS: what you can really orchestrate
This is where Shopify POS can make a difference compared to a disconnected checkout: you no longer manage “two businesses”, but a single business with multiple points of contact .
Click and collect: manage in-store pickup from the checkout
Shopify documents the management of “pickup in store” orders from Shopify POS, via smart grid tiles and a dedicated workflow.
The business benefit is immediate: your store teams see, prepare, notify and hand over the order without juggling between tools, which reduces delays and errors (and improves customer satisfaction).
Ship from store: sell in store, ship from available stock
Shopify highlights “ship from store” features to process orders and print labels, directly within the POS ecosystem.
This is a powerful lever when your store has stock sitting idle: instead of refusing a sale because "the size is no longer available", you can offer delivery from another location, or ship from the store to the customer.
Email cart: converting in-store hesitations into online sales
A very real scenario: the customer hesitates, lacks time, or the product isn't available in-store. Shopify POS offers "Email cart," which sends the customer a pre-filled shopping cart and a link to online checkout; Shopify specifies that this feature is available for POS Pro locations.
This mechanism is excellent for “saving” sales without forcing the purchase, while maintaining cleaner retail attribution.
Smart grid: personalization that transforms speed into cash register
Shopify POS is often referred to as a cash register. In reality, the in-store experience depends heavily on the operator interface: how to find a product, how to apply a discount, how to initiate a return, how to open a pickup, etc.
Shopify calls the home screen a smart grid, and allows you to create and manage smart grid templates from the admin, especially to maintain consistency between multiple points of sale.
Shopify also describes an “in-store experience editor”, a centralized tool to customize smart grid, lock screen, customer screen and receipts, without having to configure everything on each device.
In practice, it's an anti-error weapon: you highlight the actions actually used by your salespeople, you reduce training time, and you standardize processes (which is vital as soon as you have revenue or several stores).
Team management: clear rights, traceability, and less friction
As soon as there are multiple sellers, the question is no longer "can it process payments?", but "is it controllable?". Shopify explains that each POS staff member can have a unique PIN to log in to the application, and that on POS Pro you can create custom POS roles with permissions (refunds, discounts, checkout tracking, etc.).
This level of detail is a real advantage: it prevents new salespeople from applying overly broad discounts, processing returns without approval, or accessing sensitive settings. In retail, it's rarely a matter of distrust; it's primarily a way to make the organization more robust.
Stock and inventory: the blind spot that causes 80% of "omnichannel" projects to fail
You can have the most beautiful store and the most impressive till. If the inventory is wrong, the omnichannel strategy collapses.
Shopify offers Stocky , an inventory management app included with Shopify POS Pro subscriptions, which helps track stock levels, forecast needs, and suggest restocks.
Shopify also indicates that Stocky can be used directly from Shopify POS via interface extensions, so that teams can perform inventory tasks without leaving the field (checking stock, receiving a supplier order, transferring, etc.).
The business impact is very concrete: when inventory is “alive” and maintained, you reduce lost sales, limit overstocking, and gain reliability in customer promises (collection, delivery, availability).
Shopify POS deployment: the clean method (without overcomplicating things)
A successful Shopify POS implementation is more like an organizational project than an “application installation”.
You start by clarifying your locations, as all inventory and reporting logic depends on it. Then, you install Shopify POS on compatible devices, checking the iOS/Android prerequisites and supported versions.
You choose your payment strategy (Shopify Payments, compatible readers, possibly Tap to Pay if available), validating country eligibility and store network robustness.
Finally, you customize the smart grid to match real workflows, and you define staff roles consistent with your processes (discounts, returns, cash register closing, settings).
And above all, you test complete scenarios: a withdrawal, a return of a web order, a contactless payment, an internet outage, a product exchange.
Limitations to be aware of (to avoid unpleasant surprises)
Shopify POS is very robust when you operate within the Shopify ecosystem. Its limitations become apparent mainly when you try to replicate the practices of older systems.
The first point is network dependency: Shopify clearly documents that some functions are limited offline, and that offline sales follow strict rules.
Furthermore, the multi-store organization requires discipline regarding locations, transfers and inventories: it is rarely a software problem, it is a process problem.
Shopify POS FAQs
Does Shopify POS work on iPhone and Android?
Yes. Shopify POS is an app available on iOS and Android. Compatibility depends on the OS model and version, which Shopify lists in its FAQ.
What is the price of Shopify POS Pro?
On the official Shopify POS application page, Shopify displays POS Pro at 7.9 euros/month/location (and POS Lite included).
Shopify also offers an annual plan with a discounted monthly rate indicated at 69 euros/month/slot for 12 months .
Can Shopify POS process payments if the internet connection drops?
Shopify offers offline payments that can be activated from the admin, with limits and restrictions (Wi-Fi conditions, caps, reduced functions).
In practice, your contingency plan must also include alternative means (cash, personalized methods), and above all, a properly configured store network.
Does Shopify POS support click and collect?
Yes, Shopify documents the management of “pickup in store” orders directly in Shopify POS via a dedicated workflow.
Can we send a shopping cart to the customer so they can buy online later?
Yes, with the “Email cart” feature, which allows you to send a shopping cart and a checkout link. Shopify specifies that this feature is available for POS Pro locations.
Conclusion: Shopify POS is the right choice when you want an omnichannel brand (not two separate businesses).
Shopify POS is not just a payment tool. It's a unified commerce building block that makes perfect sense when you're looking to offer a consistent experience between your website and store: aligned inventory, recognized customers, seamless ordering, omnichannel journeys, and location-based management.
If your retail business is occasional, POS Lite may be sufficient for quick sales and synchronization. If your store becomes a strategic channel, with teams, processes, and performance objectives, POS Pro and a proper implementation (hardware, network, smart grid, roles, inventory) transform Shopify POS into the store's "operating system."
