The questions to ask
- 1What happens in an outage?Ask whether the till keeps taking sales with no internet, and what happens to those sales when the connection returns. For many shops this is the deciding question.
- 2How many tills and branches?Check how several tills share products and stock, whether each keeps working if the link between them fails, and whether branches can keep separate stock.
- 3How much stock control?Decide whether you need purchasing, deliveries, transfers and stock takes, or only a count that falls with each sale.
- 4What about the books?Some POS systems export sales to accounting software; some keep double-entry books themselves. Choose based on how you or your accountant work.
- 5Which hardware and payments?Confirm support for your receipt printer, barcode scanner and cash drawer, and for the payment provider you use or intend to use.
- 6Where is the data?Cloud POS keeps sales on the provider's servers; local POS keeps them on your computer. Consider backups, privacy and what happens if you leave the provider.
- 7What is the total cost?Add licence or subscription, per-till fees, hardware and card processing over three to five years.
Cloud POS compared with local POS
Cloud POS systems are quick to set up, often come with a free or low-cost starting plan, and let owners check sales from anywhere. Their trade-offs are dependence on the connection and the provider, and ongoing fees. Local POS keeps the business on a computer in the shop, keeps working offline and is often bought outright, but remote access and backups need more planning.
Controls a good POS should have
- Staff sign-in, with permissions for discounts, refunds and price changes.
- An audit trail of who did what.
- Shift opening and closing with cash counts.
- Corrections by refund or reversal, not by editing past sales.
- Regular, verified backups.
Common mistakes
Choosing on the headline monthly price alone and missing card fees or per-till charges; not testing what happens in an outage; buying hardware before confirming it is supported; and not checking how to get your data out if you change system later.
When a simple setup is enough
A market stall with a handful of products may need only a card reader and a notebook. Once stock lines, staff or tills grow, a POS system pays for itself in accuracy and time.
Aevornix POS
Aevornix POS is a local-first system for small shops on a one-time licence. It keeps selling with no internet, shares one business between several tills through a Local Hub or Sync Bridge, keeps stock as a movement ledger, posts double-entry books, prints to 58 and 80 mm receipt printers, and makes encrypted backups. Compare it with Square POS, or read about POS software without monthly fees.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most important feature in POS software?
It depends on the shop, but reliable selling during an internet outage and accurate stock are the two most often underestimated.
Should I choose cloud or local POS?
Cloud suits owners who value remote access and quick setup. Local suits shops that need to keep selling offline and want to own their data and avoid monthly fees.
Are card fees included in POS pricing?
Usually not. Card processing is normally charged by the payment provider on each transaction.
