Shopify POS: Selling In Person with Shopify

How Shopify POS Works

Shopify POS is an iPad and iPhone app that connects to your existing Shopify store. When you make a sale through the POS app at a farmers market, pop-up shop, or retail store, the order appears in the same order management system as your online orders. Inventory deducts from the same pool. Customer profiles merge. Revenue from all channels appears in the same reports.

This unified approach solves the biggest pain point of selling both online and in person: inventory sync. Without a connected system, you sell the last unit of a product in your store, but it still shows as available online, leading to an oversold order, a cancellation, and a disappointed customer. With Shopify POS, the moment that last unit sells in person, the online listing updates to "Sold Out" within seconds.

The POS app runs on iPad (recommended for permanent retail locations) or iPhone (recommended for pop-ups, markets, and mobile selling). It connects to Shopify's card readers, receipt printers, cash drawers, and barcode scanners through Bluetooth and USB. The app works offline for cash transactions when internet is unavailable, syncing the data when connectivity returns.

POS Lite vs POS Pro

POS Lite (included free with all Shopify plans): Everything you need for basic in-person selling. Product browsing and search, barcode scanning, cart management, discount application, cash and card payments (through Shopify's card reader), email and SMS receipts, customer creation at checkout, and basic reporting. POS Lite supports unlimited products and transactions. It does not include staff permissions, daily cash tracking, or advanced inventory features.

POS Pro ($89/month per location): Adds the features needed for a full retail operation. Staff permissions and individual PINs (so you can see which staff member processed each sale), daily cash tracking (register opens and closes with a counted drawer), advanced inventory management (receiving inventory, stock transfers, low stock reports through the Stocky app), unlimited POS-only staff accounts, store analytics (sales per staff member, sales by hour, and product performance), customer profiles with purchase history visible at checkout, and the ability to process exchanges.

For occasional in-person selling (pop-ups, farmers markets, craft fairs), POS Lite is sufficient. For a permanent retail store with staff, POS Pro is worth the investment because the staff management, cash tracking, and inventory receiving features prevent the kinds of errors and shrinkage that cost more than $89/month in lost revenue.

Shopify POS Hardware

Shopify sells its own branded hardware designed to work seamlessly with the POS app. You can also use compatible third-party hardware.

Shopify Tap and Chip Card Reader ($49): A portable Bluetooth card reader that accepts tap (NFC), chip (EMV), and swipe transactions. This is the minimum hardware for accepting card payments in person. It pairs with your iPhone or iPad via Bluetooth, charges via USB-C, and processes payments at your Shopify Payments in-person rate (2.4% to 2.7% depending on plan). Battery lasts a full day of moderate use. This is all you need for markets, pop-ups, and mobile selling.

Shopify POS Terminal ($459): A countertop device with a built-in card reader, customer-facing display (where customers can see items and confirm the total), and dock for the included iPad stand. Designed for permanent retail counters. The customer-facing display shows the cart, total, and a signature or PIN entry screen, creating a professional checkout experience. The terminal connects via wifi and includes a staff-facing iPad mount.

Receipt Printer ($399): A thermal receipt printer for paper receipts. Connects via USB or Bluetooth. Necessary for retail stores where some customers expect paper receipts. Most pop-up and market sellers skip the receipt printer and offer email or SMS receipts through the POS app instead.

Barcode Scanner ($199 to $329): A Bluetooth barcode scanner for fast product lookup. Essential for stores with large inventories where scrolling through the product list is impractical. Scan a barcode, the product appears in the cart. Significantly speeds up checkout for multi-item transactions.

Cash Drawer ($139): Connects to the receipt printer and opens automatically when a cash sale is processed. Necessary for retail stores that accept cash. The POS app tracks cash in the drawer and shows the expected balance at close of day.

A minimal setup for occasional selling costs $49 (card reader only). A full retail counter setup costs approximately $1,000 to $1,200 (terminal + receipt printer + cash drawer). Compare this to competing POS systems: Square's hardware ranges from $49 to $799, and Clover's ranges from $599 to $1,799. Shopify's pricing is competitive, and the major advantage over standalone POS systems is the unified connection to your online store.

In-Person Payment Processing Rates

Shopify Payments charges lower rates for in-person transactions than online transactions because the fraud risk is lower when the card is physically present:

• Basic plan: 2.7% + $0.00 in person (vs 2.9% + $0.30 online)
• Shopify plan: 2.5% + $0.00 in person (vs 2.6% + $0.30 online)
• Advanced plan: 2.4% + $0.00 in person (vs 2.4% + $0.30 online)

Notice there is no per-transaction flat fee on in-person sales. On a $10 transaction, the in-person rate on Basic is $0.27 versus $0.59 online ($0.29 percentage + $0.30 flat fee). For stores that process many small transactions in person (coffee shops, bakeries, accessory stores), the elimination of the per-transaction fee is a meaningful savings.

Common Use Cases

Pop-Up Shops and Markets

The most common entry point for Shopify sellers going from online-only to in-person. You need only the $49 card reader and your phone. Set up a table at a farmers market, craft fair, or temporary retail space. Use the POS app to browse your product catalog, add items to the cart, apply discounts, and process payments. Inventory deducts from your Shopify store in real time, so products that sell at the market immediately reflect as reduced stock online.

Permanent Retail Store

Shopify POS Pro with full hardware setup (terminal, receipt printer, cash drawer, scanner). Staff members log in with PINs to track individual performance. Inventory is received through the POS app when shipments arrive (scan barcodes to count and confirm). Daily cash tracking ensures the drawer reconciles at close. Customer profiles visible at checkout allow staff to see purchase history and make personalized recommendations.

Hybrid Fulfillment

Shopify POS enables "buy online, pick up in store" (BOPIS) and "ship from store" workflows. A customer places an order online and selects in-store pickup. The store staff receives a notification, prepares the order, and marks it as ready. The customer picks up at their convenience. This reduces shipping costs and gives customers a faster fulfillment option. Ship-from-store allows you to fulfill online orders from your retail inventory when your warehouse is out of stock, reducing stockouts and improving delivery speed for local customers.

Inventory Sync Between Online and In-Store

Inventory synchronization happens in near real-time (within seconds). When a product sells online, the POS app reflects the updated quantity within moments. When a product sells in store, the online listing updates equally fast. This bidirectional sync uses Shopify's multi-location inventory system: your retail store is one inventory location, your warehouse or home office is another.

Set fulfillment priority under Settings, then Locations. If a product is available at both your warehouse and your retail store, Shopify fulfills online orders from the higher-priority location first. This prevents your retail floor stock from being depleted by online orders when you have warehouse inventory available.

For stores using POS Pro, the Stocky app (included) adds purchase orders, stock receiving, and low-stock alerts specifically for your retail location. When stock at the store drops below a threshold, Stocky alerts you to reorder or transfer inventory from your warehouse. This prevents the frustrating scenario where a customer visits your store and the product they want is out of stock at the store despite being available in your warehouse.