POS systems for shops: what they are and how to choose

A POS terminal is a bank's device for taking cards. It processes the payment and knows nothing about what you sold: to it, that is just an amount.

A POS system is the software that runs the sale: it finds the product by barcode, calculates the total and the discount, reduces stock, records the customer and produces reports. A terminal may sit beside it taking cards, but the system is what counts stock and revenue.

The practical consequence: you probably already have a terminal from your bank, while the system is a separate choice — and it is the one that decides whether you know your stock.

At minimum: fast selling with a scanner, returns and exchanges, a cash shift with X and Z reports, and working without internet, because the connection does drop.

Beyond that is what people actually buy a system for: stock per location, receiving and stocktakes, a customer base, customer debt tracking, and reports that show margin rather than only turnover.

And the questions people forget to ask: what language the staff will work in, what currency cost is held in, and what happens when there are two shops instead of one.

Refresh runs in a browser and in a mobile app, so a phone, tablet or laptop becomes the till — there is no need to buy a dedicated POS terminal.

A barcode scanner, receipt printer and label-printing scales connect to that. You can start with a phone and add hardware later.