Everything You Need to Know About Shopify POS in the UK
Due to all of the tools they offer and how convenient they are for management tasks, retail stores are more likely than ever to use digital platforms to process in-store purchase orders. And what better way to use these features than right into your point of sale device?
This is why in this article you will learn everything there is to know about implementing Shopify POS in your retail store in the UK. No matter if you're starting in the brick and mortar industry or if you've been part of it for a long time, these tips will help you get a better understanding of adapting this service to your business.
How do I get started with Shopify POS?
Shopify POS app is one of the leading mobile apps of its category currently available out there. If you already have a Shopify store, you must first download the Shopify POS app, then you'll need to log into Shopify. After that, the app will automatically fill in your products' inventory based on your Shopify store data, which improves the inventory management experience.
If you want to join the POS community, you must have a Shopify account, even if you don't have an online store business model. However, if you don't have one yet, you can easily register and start adding your physical store's products at any given time. Shopify POS proves its value and convenience not only to brick and mortar stores, but also to pop-up shops, markets, online stores that offer local pickup or delivery service, and basically any face-to-face purchase. Having the ability to pay at the moment of the pickup increases the confidence customers have in the service since they won't be charged until the product is in their hands.
Shopify POS app can be both implemented into Apple or Android devices, which gives you the freedom to choose whatever operating system/device suits your store and budget better. As a retail business owner, you might benefit a lot from adopting a platform like this to your processes
After you have all the previous steps covered, it'll be time to start looking for the proper hardware equipment your store is going to need for the POS app implementation.
Pricing & Subscriptions
Let's start by saying that no matter your Shopify subscription plan, you can try the POS PRO features thanks to the 14-day free trial. This way you'll see the best of the POS system before actually subscribing to it. Having that said, Shopify offers a different pricing structure for your main Shopify Store and for the POS system. These costs are calculated in USD as the main currency regardless of the country your store is located in. The POS app is included in every subscription plan a Shopify user may have, even the Basic Shopify plan.
As an eCommerce platform, the main subscription plans offered by Shopify, as current users may be aware of, are Advanced, Shopify, and Basic. Here's a more detailed cost description (including the Shopify transaction fee):
On the other hand, the Shopify POS app has its own subscription prices. The plans are Shopify POS Lite and Shopify POS Pro. The differences between them are displayed in the following table:
The next thing you need to think about is whether or not to acquire POS Hardware from Shopify. Even though the only thing you need to actually start selling is a mobile device with the Shopify POS app installed, it will only let you process cash payment purchases. To provide your business with more flexibility, you'll need to buy a Shopify card reader so you can process both debit and credit card payments.
If you already own certain hardware like cash drawers, barcode scanners, receipt printers, or more from your previous shopping processing system, you can check if they're compatible with the Shopify POS. But if you're just starting, it is recommended to begin with a Shopify package like a hardware bundle with the essential tools a retail store needs.
Does Shopify POS work in the UK?
For both online and retail stores based in the UK, the Shopify POS system can be really useful for giving the best personal shopping experience possible to customers, and at the same time, facilitating daily tasks for employees by offering a single tool to manage the entire shopping process.
At this moment, there are thousands of retail businesses around the world that have implemented the Shopify POS classic app to their everyday tasks. Retailers in the UK have been joining the Shopify POS community in increasing numbers for the past few years.
Top 5 UK Retailers Using Shopify POS
It is no secret that Shopify has made some genuine efforts to extend its POS system's territory to European and American countries, including the UK. As a result, both newly established and long-standing businesses can implement digital systems and integrate all of their shopping processes in one place.
Clean and Shiny
Clean and Shiny is a reseller and distributor of automotive car care products for car enthusiasts, as well as professional users. They operate from their headquarters and walk-in shop in Aldershot, Hampshire. With over 15 years of experience in the automotive car care industry, Clean and Shiny is committed to sourcing high-end car care products from all over the globe including Gyeon, Labocosmetica, Rupes, and The Rag Company products, with a total of over 50 brands they can bring to your door.
Dofos Pet Center
Self-acclaimed as the oldest pet store of Edinburgh, Dofos Pet Centre is a Pet Shop specialized in Dogs and Cats but also offers some products for small animals (such as hamsters) and birds. They offer in-store grooming services, a wide variety of food products (dry, wet, and raw) treats, toys, beds, health and treatments, supplements, accessories, and many more. Most of their products are natural and vegan.
Kate's Clothing
A clothing, accessories, homeware, and hair dye shop specialized in goth style. It was designed for those who don't want to wear the same thing as everyone else. They've become a trusted UK stockist by offering stunning, exceptional gothic fashion and alternative clothing, footwear, and accessories at a fair price with considerate customer service. Female owned and operated. Established in 2004.
Thirsty Meeples
This is a place where family and friends can gather to play board games and enjoy a glass, cup, or mug of their favorite tipple. Additionally, it's also an online store that sells a huge variety of board games, dividing them into genres, collections, quick picks, and role-playing games.
Wood Workers Workshop
This progressive tool shop is located in Worcestershire in the heart of England. Peter Sefton, a master craftsman, and furniture designer owns and operates the workshop with his family. Wood Workers Workshop sells any type of tools and workshop equipment you can imagine, from table saw systems to dust extraction. Their page also provides free "how-to" videos to help their audience learn certain processes that might be difficult for most people at first.
Selling in person using the Shopify POS in the UK
Brick and mortar duties might get a bit cumbersome after some hours, however, POS systems' main goal is to provide an easier and quicker experience for both employees and clients. Some features are even helpful for store management tasks and allow staff to optimize the time spent on them.
Fully synced customer profiles are one of the top features included with Shopify's service since it's capable of registering every purchase a specific person makes, saving it to their profile, and even determining their in-store favorites. Besides providing you with a wide database for analytics, this feature is particularly convenient if you're planning to reward customers with a loyalty/referral program or discount. By doing so, in-store sales will be gradually enhanced and one-time customers might be converted into loyal buyers.
In addition, Shopify integrates native staff management, which means you're allowed to check your employees' performance and control their permissions by assigning them a unique PIN to log in on the POS system. Admins can also sync inventory data with each purchase. This feature allows them to transfer stock based on the changes made to the inventory after the last purchase has finished.
What Payment Methods Can Customers Use?
As mentioned before, depending on the hardware devices you may have in your store, the payment methods may vary. Cash payments will be always available, but if you have integrated a card reader into your POS system, you'll be able to process credit and debit card purchases. Currently, the UK is one of the countries that support Shopify Payments, which adds a layer of trust and convenience to the shopping experience and in-person sales.
Retailers also have the option to accept both Apple pay and Google pay, they just need to fulfill some requirements.
For Apple Pay: to enable the Apple Pay button for your store, you must be using one of the following credit card payment providers: Shopify Payments, Stripe, First Data Payeezy, Authorize.net, CyberSource, Braintree.
For Google Pay: all you need to enable Google Pay for your store is to be using Shopify Payments.
Can you use Shopify POS without a card reader?
Of course, you can! Having a Shopify card reader only adds extra value and convenience for your customers, however, it's not the only payment method available. You can process cash payments right through the POS app without the need for any additional hardware device.
Being that said, the more payment methods available you have, the less probable it'll be to lose a sale because a certain customer isn't able to pay with the methods available in your store. This will increase in-store sales and enhance your customers' experience.
Tips & Tricks for Shopify POS System
Regularly update the system
Shopify is constantly fixing bugs and adding new functionalities to its software, so every now and then a new version of the POS app is released. It's recommended to enable automatic updates or to regularly check for any new updates. Additionally, Shopify's social media uploads content that teaches new functionalities very often.
Notify customers when their in-store favorites are available
Getting to know your customers' profiles and favorite items gives you the necessary information to start popping up on their notifications with reminders, back-in-stock notifications, special promotions, etc. This is a very common strategy applied by thousands of businesses nowadays.
Create personalized marketing campaigns
Since the POS system gathers all of your customers' past purchases information, you can easily use it for a very specific targeted marketing campaign based on accurate analytics from your actual client base. This can be combined with the notifications previously mentioned to make it even more powerful and engaging.
Train your staff
Some people might not be as tech knowledgeable as others, but it is your duty to make sure everyone is aware of the main features of the Shopify point of sale, as well as basic problem-solving abilities. In order to achieve a better understanding of the POS interface and features, along with new updates as well, employees should be familiar with Shopify's social media content and study the material they provide if needed.
Benefit from the omnichannel feature
One of the most popular and strong features the POS app has to offer is its omnichannel nature. If your business has two or more sales channels to promote itself, this is a very convenient thing to take advantage of. Let's say your store already has an existing website for online sales, social media accounts where you can promote your content, or even its own mobile app, Shopify POS integrates them all.
The idea of integrating all channels with each other is to create a seamless customer experience and make it easier for users to switch between platforms depending on their needs. Making the experience as effortless as possible creates a smoother process for both customers and employees at the time of check out, and if your store is a physical and online Shopify store hybrid, this feature will benefit both modalities at the same time.
Explore Shopify's app store
With this section, you will be able to navigate into a series of apps that offer tons of new features for almost any aspect of your retail operation. Once there, you'll be able to see the most popular apps available as well as their respective reviews from current POS users. However, you will find lots of apps for Shopify as a platform, so you need to verify if the app is compatible with the POS system. The following image is what you should be looking for on the app's description:
Customize your Smart Grid
Once you have some apps installed, you'll get more opportunities for customization of your smart grid. The dashboard lets you add new tiles, and by clicking this button the interface will show a series of options you can choose depending on the needs of your staff/store.
You'll be able to add a new action, app shortcut, collection, discount, link, and product to the new tile you clicked on. If you have any app installed, this is the way to create
Best Reviewed apps for Shopify POS
As mentioned before, there are several apps that can give you all the tools needed to improve your business' both personnel and customer experience. Here you have 4 of the Shopify POS community's most acclaimed apps.
EasyTeam
This is one of the leading apps for store management tasks. EasyTeam integrates an intuitive interface along with exportable timesheets to facilitate payroll tasks, staff time tracking, sales commissions calculation, staff scheduling, and more. All these features combine together to make both managers' and employees' routines smoother, quicker, and more accurate. With an average rating of 4.9 stars, its current users have added a layer of trust to its legitimacy. You can try this feature for yourself at no cost thanks to the free plan available.
LoyaltyLion
With a 4.4 stars average ranking based on the opinion of 391 of their current users, this app has proven how beneficial it can be to enhancing sales. It offers loyalty points for purchases, sign-ups, subscriptions, birthdays, reviews, and social media interactions. This is a convenient way to reward customers for their appreciation and at the same time, encourage engagement and interaction with the brand. In addition, this app offers a free plan for new users to try its features.
Sufio
Everyone knows how important yet time-consuming is the creation of invoices. This app is here to automate the creation and sending of professional invoices and documents. It's also capable of designing custom workflows that are tailored to your business needs. These invoices are validated by certified accountants ensuring your documents meet worldwide regulations for both B2C and B2B. You can try all these benefits with the 14-day free trial offered by Sufio.
Stocky
Given how much time inventory management tasks can take from you and your team members, the implementation of apps like Stocky might be truly beneficial for your business. After all, who doesn't want to finish tasks quickly without lowering the work's quality?
This app can give you better visibility into what products you should order and when based on product performance and seasonality. It allows you to track what you’ve received and what’s leaving your store with each purchase without the need to create spreadsheets or use multiple systems. In addition, it lets you know when stock runs low so you can create purchase orders or transfer items from your locations.
