POS systems - what would be the best for a footwear store

[NYCK]

Hi,

I'm currently transitioning from using a dedicated inventory management system to making Shopify my primary inventory and POS solution.

Previously, I was using a high-end POS system, but about six years ago I switched to a more integrated inventory platform that pushed products to all my sales channels. During that time, I used Lightspeed POS primarily just for recording in-store sales.

In January, I switched to a new system that included POS functionality and promised a lot, but it ended up being a NIGHMAER—so now I'm going to use Shopify as my main inventory system. While Shopify works well for my website,  it lacks many features I relied on from a traditional POS system.

Some of the key challenges I'm facing:

• Omnichannel integration: I'm looking for a solid app to connect Shopify with Amazon, eBay, and Walmart. I’m considering Marketplace Connect, but so far it's been slow and hard to set up. I like the layout of Sellbrite, but it doesn't support creating new ASINs on Amazon. I’m wondering if using both might be a workaround.

• Footwear-specific reporting: I need detailed reporting by size, color, and width (matrix view), which Shopify POS doesn’t currently offer natively.

• Purchasing & receiving: I'm also looking for a robust solution for creating purchase orders and managing receiving. we get alot of shoes that need to be scanned in, i do not know if shopify can handel it 

• POS costs & features: I'm unsure about how well Shopify POS will perform long term, and I’ve noticed that credit card fees are higher compared to my current processor. Lightspeed offers lower rates, so I’m weighing the options.

• Third-party card processors: I’m also wondering if I can continue using my current credit card processor outside of Shopify without disrupting my sales workflow.

I’ve also been in discussions with Linnworks, which looks not  bad (still dont do everything i need)  but heard online that they have frequent price increases, making me hesitant.

For anyone considering it: AVOID AVOID AVOID AGILIRON—NIGHTMAER.

---

So here are my main questions:

1. If I stick with Shopify POS, what apps or integrations can improve:

   • Reporting (especially for apparel/footwear matrix-style data)

   • Purchase order creation

   • Receiving processes

2. Can I use my current credit card processor separately from Shopify, and just record the sales manually or through another method?

3. If I decide not to use Shopify POS, what alternative POS systems would you recommend that integrate well with Shopify?

4. Does anyone have a recommendation for a multi-channel app that works with Shopify and can also create new ASINs on Amazon?

[ES1 · Accepted solution]

Hi @NYCK 

Here’s how you can shore up the gaps in Shopify’s native POS/inventory and get closer to the full “all-in-one” solution you had before:

---

1. Matrix-Style Reporting (Size, Color, Width)

App / Tool Key Features

Better Reports	Fully customizable dashboards and matrix-style pivot tables. You can slice by size, color, width—even combine with sales channel data.
EZ Exporter	Automate CSV/Google Sheets exports with your own matrix layouts.
Matrixify (formerly Excelify)	Import/export multi-dimensional inventory; build template spreadsheets to view your matrix in Excel or Google Sheets.

Recommendation: Start with Better Reports—it hooks directly into Shopify’s data model and will let you build exactly the size/color/width pivot you need, on-demand or on a schedule.

---

2. Purchase Orders & Receiving

App Highlights

Stocky (Shopify POS Pro)	Built-in to Shopify POS Pro: purchase orders, receiving, stock takes, vendor management—plus barcode scanning.
Purchase Order & Inventory by ByteStand	PO creation, email to vendors, receiving workflows, FIFO costing, barcode scanning.
Katana MRP	Lightweight manufacturing focus, but strong PO/receiving and barcode scanning.

Recommendation: If you can swing Shopify POS Pro, you’ll get Stocky at no extra license cost. Otherwise, ByteStand is a solid standalone for POs + scan-in receiving.

---

3. Omnichannel Integration (Amazon, eBay, Walmart)

App ASIN Creation? Ease of Setup

Codisto LINQ	Yes (bulk ASIN creation & mapping)	Medium (once set up, very reliable)
ChannelAdvisor	Yes	Complex / Enterprise level
Sellbrite	No new ASINs	Very easy
Marketplace Connect	Yes, but setup can be slow	Slower / support-heavy

Recommendation: Codisto strikes the best balance: it’ll create new ASINs on Amazon, push inventory realtime to all channels, and stays “in Shopify” without a separate dashboard.

---

4. POS Costs & Third-Party Card Processors

• Shopify Payments: Built-in, fraud protection, unified dashboard—but credit-card fees are typically ~2.7–2.9% + 30¢ (US).

• External Processors: Shopify only lets external gateways on Shopify POS if you’re on Shopify Advanced or Shopify Plus, and you’ll pay a 0.5–2% “gateway fee” on top.

• Manual Recording Workaround: You could ring transactions through your existing processor outside Shopify, then use an app like Order Printer Pro or EZ Exporter to import a “manual order” CSV daily—but this breaks client experience (no receipts from Shopify) and reporting integrity.

Bottom Line: If credit-card fees are a show-stopper, you’ll either need to

1. Upgrade to Shopify Advanced/Plus and integrate your gateway directly (paying the gateway fee but keeping unified reporting), or

2. Use a third-party POS (see below) that lets you keep your existing processor and syncs back to Shopify by API.

---

5. Alternative POS Systems

POS System Shopify Integration Pros Cons

Lightspeed	Native (via app)	Your existing rates, rich retail features	Sync cadence can lag ~5–15 min
Vend (Revel)	Via Zapier or middleware	Strong retail workflows, offline mode	Extra middleware adds cost
Square for Retail	Third-party app	Can keep your Square rates	Sync only goes one way (sales → Shopify)
Clover	Via Connex for QuickBooks	Flexible hardware bundles	Setup + middleware costs

Recommendation: Stick with Lightspeed, since you know their fees and feature set—and use the official Lightspeed↔Shopify app. It will keep your in-store processor but push sales/inventory back to Shopify (with a short delay).

---

Quick Path Forward

1. Install Better Reports and build your footwear matrix dashboards.

2. Enable Shopify POS Pro (to get Stocky) or add ByteStand if you want standalone POs + barcode-based receiving.

3. Swap Marketplace Connect for Codisto LINQ for Amazon ASIN creation and multi-channel sync.

4. Evaluate upgrading to Shopify Advanced/Plus if you want to keep your existing processor inside Shopify without gateway fees. Otherwise continue Lightspeed POS with the Shopify integration.

That combination will give you near-parity with your old “all-in-one” system, but with Shopify as your single source of truth. Please reach out to us via our website below if you need help in configuring any of those. Also, please like the answer if it was useful to you in anyways and mark it as a solution if it helped you.

Thanks

[NYCK]

Thank You for the detailed reply i really appreciated, i decided to use Linnworks as my main inventory system, using shopify as my inventory system i would not a lot of apps which may not work together and create many more issues , and for POS i probably will use  Shopify 

[NYCK]

One more question i see you listed Codisto LINQ and Also Marketplace connect as 2 separate apps 

i was under the impression that Codisto is Marketplace Connect , and i was tyring to lookup Codisto LINQ on shopify marketplace , but could not find it , can you please clarify if its a separate app and if yes where can i locate it  

[ES1]

Hi @NYCK 

Apologies for the confusion—Codisto has in fact consolidated their offerings, so there’s only one Shopify app listing now.