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Shopify POS Launch Checklist
Shopify POS Launch Checklist
This list offers guidance and resources for important milestones when launching Shopify POS. Each topic includes additional context and resource references. You may find it helpful to print this checklist or download it as a PDF so you can refer to it during the setup process.
Before you launch Shopify POS, you need to transfer or add your data, organize your products, and set up Shopify POS.
Getting started
Before you can launch Shopify POS, you need to log in to your Shopify admin, the administrative part of your account. From your Shopify admin, you can manage your payment and subscription settings, edit bulk data, such as customers and products, and configure your omnichannel settings, including shipping options.
If you’re also opening an online store, check out the general checklist for opening a new store on Shopify.
Data transfer
Migrating your data or adding products to your Shopify admin is the first and most important step to start selling on Shopify. If you’re migrating data from another platform, you can import your orders, products, and customers. Before you migrate your data, review the data migration documentation.
If you are migrating data from Quickbooks, see the Migration Guide from Quickbooks Desktop POS.
Here are the options you can use to move or add your data:
| Transfer option | |
|---|---|
| Description | |
| Add separately | Add products and customers manually one by one. This option is best if you are creating data for the first time. |
| CSV import | Import products and customers using a CSV file directly from your Shopify admin. |
| Third-party transfer apps | Use a third-party data migration app to migrate your data and reduce the manual work of mapping fields with CSV import. |
The order in which you transfer your products, customers, and historical order data is important. To ensure that you have access to your customers’ complete transaction history in Shopify, you must follow the transfer order outlined on this page:
- Product transfer
- Customer transfer
- Transferring historical orders
- Transfer gift cards
If you want help migrating your store data, you might consider hiring a Shopify partner. Partners are trusted third-party agencies and freelancers who offer services to Shopify merchants and people getting started with Shopify.
1. Transfer of products
Migrating your product data creates all of your product listings, product categories, and product collections in Shopify. Before you migrate your products, consider planning your collections for your Shopify store so that you can assign your products to the correct collection during the migration.
After you add a product to Shopify, you also need to make it available to your POS sales channel so that you can find it in Shopify POS. You can include and exclude products from your sales channels manually or in bulk using a CSV file.
2. Customer transfer
Once you transfer your customer data, all customer records will be available in your Shopify admin. This includes information like customer contact information, addresses, and marketing preferences.
3. Transferring historical orders
Migrating order data ensures that information about product sales and customer purchase history is transferred to your Shopify store. Consider transferring all historical orders that fall within your business’s return policy so that customers can access their order history for any orders that are still open for return or exchange. However, it is a best practice to import orders from the last two to five years.
You receive new order notifications for every new order placed in your store. New order notifications also occur for every imported order.
If you are importing a large amount of historical orders into your store and want to avoid receiving notifications for each imported order, you can turn off new order notifications from your Shopify admin in Settings.> Messages . If you’re using a third-party app to import your orders, contact the app developer for instructions.
4. Transfer gift cards
If you’re transferring gift cards that can be used in your previous store, then you need to transfer your gift card data to Shopify right before you launch your Shopify store. Gift cards can’t be edited or deleted in Shopify, so if a gift card is used by a customer in your previous store after you import the gift card data, you won’t be able to update that gift card in Shopify.
Before you transfer your gift cards, review the following considerations:
- Gift card numbers are encrypted. Once you create a gift card, only the last 4 digits are displayed in your Shopify admin. If you need to maintain a list of gift card numbers, you will need to maintain an external database.
- Gift cards can only be canceled, and cannot be deleted. A gift card number cannot be used again in the future, even if the original gift card with that number has been canceled.
You can also use a third-party gift card transfer app to transfer any existing gift cards to Shopify.
Organizing your products
You can group your products into automatic collections and manual collections in your Shopify admin to make them easier to find by category.
Collections
You can group your products into automatic collections and manual collections to make them easier to find by category. You need to set up collections in your Shopify admin.
You can use the bulk editor tool to make changes to multiple products and product variants at the same time.
Barcodes
You can set up both barcodes and SKUs (stock keeping unit). Barcodes are used by your barcode scanner to help issue a product in Shopify POS. SKUs are used for internal purposes as a point of reference for a product.
You can buy barcode labels from the Shopify Hardware Store for supported regions or from a third-party vendor. Make sure you buy a label size that is accepted by your software and printer.
To print barcode labels for your products on Shopify, you need to use a supported printer and associated software.
Inventory management
Locations in Shopify represent apps or physical locations where you sell products, ship or fulfill orders, and store inventory. You can use the Locations feature and an inventory management app to manage your inventory.
With multiple locations, you’ll have better insight into your inventory across your entire business. As your inventory changes, inventory management helps you keep everything organized and up to date.
The number of locations you can set up depends on your Shopify plan.
You can use the bulk editor tool to make inventory changes to multiple products and variants at the same time.
Shopify POS setup
Once you’re familiar with your Shopify admin and have added data to your store, you can set up your Shopify POS.
Getting started with Shopify POS
Make sure your device is up to date and install the Shopify POS app.
Manage your POS app subscription
The POS app subscription you choose depends on the needs of your business and the needs of each of your retail locations. To choose a POS app subscription, log in to your Shopify admin and go to Point of Sale under Sales Channels .
Add employees to your POS
Open the POS app and sign in. If you have multiple locations, you’ll be prompted to select your location. You can add employees who have access to the POS app as well as Shopify Admin. If you’re on the Shopify Pro plan, you can also add employees who only have access to the POS.
Install apps
You can find and install apps from the Shopify App Store . Consider testing apps before you launch Shopify POS. To find apps that are compatible with Shopify POS, select Filter and check the Works with Shopify POS filter.
Make sure you check the app’s functions carefully before installing them. Some apps may have trial periods. Be sure to uninstall the apps before their trial period ends to avoid unwanted charges.
Order processing in Shopify POS
Set up payment methods, taxes, gift cards, and shipping in Shopify POS.
Payment Methods
You can process credit card payments using Shopify Payments or a third-party payment gateway. Shopify Payments can be set up by the store owner within the Shopify admin. To process payments using a third-party payment processor, you must use the manual credit card entry option in Shopify POS and set up any additional apps offered by your payment processor that make it easier to track credit card payments.
Cash payments are automatically enabled. If you no longer want to accept cash, you can disable cash payments in the POS app’s payment settings.
Taxes
Most common tax calculations can be set using default tax rates. If you plan to use the default tax rates, make sure you confirm that they are up-to-date and correct for your specific situation.
Gift cards
You can sell and redeem digital and physical gift cards in Shopify POS. Digital gift cards are an incentive for your customer when they are purchased. You can order branded physical gift cards that can be scanned with your device’s camera or barcode scanner.
Only physical gift cards that can be purchased from the Shopify Hardware Store can be scanned using your barcode scanner (2D) or device camera. Such cards contain a QR code that can read the card’s unique ID.
If you plan to use physical third-party gift cards, then you will need to manually enter the card’s unique ID each time. There are no scanning capabilities for third-party gift cards. The unique ID must be between 8 and 20 characters in order to register.
Deliveries and deliveries
Set up shipping methods, store pickup, and local drop-off for customers to receive their products. You can use Shopify’s shipping service to buy and print USPS shipping labels from your Shopify admin. Shipping directly from Shopify POS is only available in the POS Pro plan.
If you have complex shipping requirements, you can use third-party shipping apps from the Shopify App Store .
Setting up your POS hardware
The POS hardware you set up depends on the needs of your business. Consider needs such as whether you will scan barcodes, print receipts, and sell with cash to determine which hardware will be most useful.
Each hardware item has a set of instructions in the Shopify POS app itself. The hardware overview describes the hardware you receive.
POS hardware
Compare different options for each type of hardware so you can choose the best choice for your business.
Customizing your Shopify POS
Customize the settings and design of the POS app to suit your business needs.
Configure your Shopify POS settings
Set your POS to dark or light mode, and decide whether you want automatic locking methods enabled on your device.
If you want to change the default language for Shopify POS, then you’ll need to change the default language on your iOS or Android device. Shopify POS supports over 20 different languages.
Customizing your smart grid
You can customize the POS app’s smart grid. You can save features you use frequently, such as customized fees, as a smart grid view, and then quickly access those features from your smart grid.
Receipt matching
You can add a title, subtitle, and logo to your receipts. You can also adjust the default number of receipts that print after each transaction.
You can also send digital receipts via email or SMS to your customers. You can customize your digital receipts from your Shopify admin.
Preparing to launch on Shopify POS
Once you’ve customized your Shopify POS, prepare for launch by setting up discounts, trial transaction processing, and training your staff.
Discounts
In the POS app, you can apply discounts to an entire order, to individual products, or to the cost of shipping. You can also set discounted prices for individual products without using discount codes. You need to create discounts in your Shopify admin.
Automatic discounts and discount combinations are only available for POS locations in the POS Pro plan.
Transaction processing Nissi
Before you launch Shopify POS, process a test transaction to make sure your settings are correct. To process a test transaction, make a matched sale for $1.00. Make sure the matched sale value is low, as you will be charged the full amount without a refund.
After you complete the sale, confirm your bank deposit within 3 business days to make sure it has reached your bank account.
When you confirm that your payments are set up correctly, refund the $1.00 USD sale you attempted.
Preparing your employees to use Shopify POS
Team roles and their permissions determine what your team needs training on.
After launching Shopify POS
Once you’ve launched Shopify POS, make sure you understand order management and how to analyze your store’s performance using reports.
Manage your orders
When you make an order in the POS app, the order appears on the Orders page of your Shopify admin.
Analyze the data with reports
Once you’ve launched your store, analytics and reports help you understand your store’s performance and provide insights into your customers and transactions. The Point of Sale view in Manager provides an overview of how your retail business is performing. You can view more detailed analytics in the POS app itself and the Reports section in Manager.
Additional resources
To ensure your Shopify POS launch is smooth, here are some additional resources that can help:
- Shopify POS Launch Guide
- Getting started with Shopify POS
- Shopify POS FAQs
- Shopify Community – A great place to ask questions and get support from peers.
Good luck with your Shopify POS launch! If you have any further questions, feel free to contact Shopify Support.