Retail hardware, software, and Shopify Point of Sale
Hey, I was wondering if anybody has had any success with finding a solution of running your POS system on desktop. I do not want to buy an iPad, and then be tied down by the product limits.
If a Shopify guru sees this, can we get an update on if there is any desktop plans in the works or if there is a timeline for its release?
Can Shopify POS run successfully on a desktop?
Thanks.
I would be curious as well. We will have backoffice staff who will process special orders. These items will have a dummy placeholder SKU in Shopify POS. They will order the item, and replace the dummy SKU with the real Shopify item that's created once it arrives. This would presumably need to take place in Shopify POS. Since the majority of backoffice work takes place using a Windows PC, having an extra iPad at their desk is a waste. I have read where Shopify POS works on an Android tablet, so there is some app portability there. Having it run as a web app on a computer would really be great...
Thinking about it a little more after I originally posted, that's where I was heading in terms of handling special orders. The sales staff would add the dummy SKU in Shopify POS, defining its attributes (vendor, vendor item number, etc.) a bit more by using an Admin+ app template once the dummy SKU is added to cart. Then the backoffice staff would refund the dummy SKU, and add the real item once it arrives. Using the Shopify web-based admin. Then when the customer comes in to pay off and pickup their special order, the salesperson just completes the transaction using Shopify POS.
Those are all great ideas! For us it would be quite a load on the front-end, in terms of Shopify products appearing in POS to search and select. I think there are loading issues on the iPads once the stock listing surpasses certain limits. We have jewelry vendors who have product catalogs each consisting of tens of thousands of SKU's. While I have experience importing into Shopify using the API, I don't want to introduce too much of a load into the stock listing.
For us, we plan to just have the sales staff pop up an Admin+ template for our dummy special order SKU that's sitting in the Shopify POS cart. The salesperson provides the vendor name, the vendor's style number, and then any specific custom attributes that might not be cookie cutter. We have online vendor catalogs to help guide the salesperson through the item selection process. Once the order has been partially paid (i.e. - an initial deposit has been laid down), then the backoffice staff can "flip" the order so it has the real Shopify item is in there by refunding the dummy SKU and replacing it with the real one that's defined when the special order item arrives.
Well said in all respects. There is no magic bullet retail solution that fulfills 100% of the out-of-the-box requirements. We have found that to be all too true over the years. As long as the solution is flexible enough where viable workarounds can be created for the outliers and the 1%'ers that don't affect each and every transaction set. With Shopify POS we have found this to be the case. The Shopify API allows us to extend some functionality, there are good add-on apps that likewise extend functionality without requiring us to reinvent the wheel, and it truly pushes us toward an omni-channel presence.
One of our holding's companies uses Lightspeed Retail. While the API is nice for extensibility, there aren't a plethora of third-party plug ins, they aren't inherently integrated even with their own e-com platform, and overall we felt the workarounds to be cost and time prohibitive.
Hi Greg, Great input. I hope you can give some advise... we have been running shopify for past 7+ years for our online b2b and b2c channels... works great! In the past we have used POS for b2b trade-shows... again all great!... BUT we are about to open a new showroom in Australia and want to use the POS system for in-store checkouts. I am familiar with the POS solution (from prior b2b trade-shows)... but for trade shows we only took PO's... not full payments at checkout. I am wondering if we should use barcodes with scanner at sales checkout, or use the catalog feature within POS to add items to cart?? If we used a barcode scanner... how do they sync with more than one iPad?... and I'd like to use a larger screen Mac at checkout for other sales actions (emails) - can you run the shopify app on iMac?? I know this was impossibloe years ago - but thought id ask a pro user!!!... We are based in Australia - so some of the hardware options available from Shopify are not supported here yet... so need to find a suitable card reader and barcode scanner. many thanks for your help??
We too have this basic question, how do we get Shopify POS to work on a PC, The requests go back to 2016. There must be a solution by now
Any update on this? We really need Shopify POS to run on desktop
Old post but still watching.
Speaking as someone who’s worked in both retail and retail tech for the last 15 years or so, what I see you want as as POS is:
1) definitely touchscreen.
2) stable.
3) reasonably priced.
Given that you can buy a brand new iPad for $379 or so and given how stable it is as a platform, how could any other option compete except for outlying use cases which Shopify isn’t designed for.
Hi,
2023 is there any update on POS for PC?
we have a big touchscreen desktop and it is easier for us to work on a bigger screen.
Would love to have it on a PC.
This really should be a basic feature of the product.
Dear @JoseH,
Retailers are really fond of having a POS system on desktop since it will guarantee a more consistent connection between online and offline platforms (as better Internet connection).
It's really unfortunate that Shopify POS hasn't support POS system on the PC. However, Shopify App store features lots of supportive POS software that are compatible with PC. You can check out ConnectPOS since the app is suitable for both PC (Windows & Mac OS) and mobile devices (iOS & Android). This will support the best performance for your store.
Hope this will help you.
Even though I already had a USB Star Micronics receipt printer for my previous POS system (Lightspeed) I purchased the recommended Star Micronics Bluetooth receipt printer and an iPad and a card reader and a card reader stand. The receipt printer didn’t work and now Shopify says they no longer recommend this printer even though it is still listed on their “supported printers” list. I now have two Star Micronics printers and neither of them work with Shopify. If Shopify had a desktop app, I could use either printer. So frustrating.
on top of that, the expensive card reader stand was designed so that you cannot access the restart button on the reader. This means you have to pry the reader off the stand every time you start up the system or if it loses connection. That piece of hardware had to be to tossed aside. Very frustrating.
Windows 11 now has "Windows Subsystem for Android" which allows running Android apps native, but only from the Amazon app store. If Shopify would simply release their existing app on the platform, in theory you could use a Windows machine for your POS.
I think it's also possible to sideload Android Packages with WSA, though I haven't tested it and Shopify probably wouldn't like it.
Also, lol:
You can technically run Shopify POS on Bluestacks, a desktop program that allows you to run apps on the google play store. I tested this very briefly and it seems to work for the most part. the layout is kind of off though. I haven't tested hardware like scanners and cash registers. I would much rather use POS on a desktop computer rather than a tablet if Shopify made one. Tablets can be limited in what they can do.
Hello there, this is the way to do that go to your account at shopify.com and login and go to products and then purchase orders then click create purchase order and you will be good to go.
student*325
shopify.com
Shopify POS is currently limited to tablets. While some might try workarounds, desktops aren't officially supported.
Don't fret! QueueBuster POS is a cloud-based solution that works great on desktops. It integrates with Shopify, so you can manage inventory, sales, and customers in one place.
Here's why QueueBuster is a good fit for desktops:
Explore third-party options like QueueBuster to enjoy a desktop POS that integrates with Shopify, freeing you from tablet limitations.
Currently, Shopify POS is primarily designed for iOS and Android devices, and there isn't an official desktop version available. Many users have been looking for alternatives for running POS on a desktop without relying on iPads.
If you're considering a desktop solution, you might find our LamaPOS app useful. LamaPOS is tailored for Windows and macOS, integrating seamlessly with Shopify for managing in-store sales directly from your desktop or laptop.
For those interested, we offer a demo version of LamaPOS to explore its features. Feel free to reach out to us at support@lamapos.com if you'd like to learn more or try it out.
Hope this helps!
2024 July, is there a solution for this now? can we use shopify pos on desktop yet?
has anyone found a solution/is shopify working on this, cheers
Hi @quachie,
It is not possible to use Shopify POS on desktop as it is built for mobile and tablet devices. It is available on both iOS and Android devices.
Victor | Social Care @ Shopify
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