A customer finds the perfect item in your store but can’t carry it. Instead, they want it shipped to their home.
For many retailers, this scenario can mean juggling separate systems, manual data entry, and inventory headaches. But with point-of-sale (POS) shipping, they can do away with the need for multiple platforms and create a unified customer experience.
Ahead, learn how Shopify POS’s shipping features can solve common retail challenges, boost your sales, and help you keep pace with what today’s shoppers expect.
Why ship orders from a POS system?
Shipping orders from your POS is simpler than you might think, and the benefits are huge. The process can help you:
Simplify your shipping process
Adding shipping capabilities to your POS system makes life easier for both you and your customers.
- For businesses: It allows you to seamlessly process in-store and online orders through a single platform. No more juggling different systems or manually entering shipping details.
- For customers: It gives them a smooth experience when they decide to have items shipped instead of carrying them out. They can complete their purchase in one transaction, even if some items must be shipped while others are taken home immediately.
This approach saves time and reduces errors. Your staff can quickly add customer information, select shipping addresses, and choose delivery methods, without leaving the POS screen. It’s all about making the sales process smoother and more efficient.
Stay on top of inventory
When an item is sold for shipping, the POS automatically deducts it from your inventory based on your fulfillment priority settings. This is particularly useful if you have multiple locations.
For example, if a customer orders a shirt to ship from your retail store, but one of your warehouses has a higher fulfillment priority, the system will deduct the inventory from that warehouse first. This smart allocation helps maintain stock levels across all your locations.
Plus, fulfilling orders from any location gives you more flexibility in managing your inventory and reduces the need for large stockpiles of merchandise at each site.
Give your customers that wow factor
Imagine a customer who falls in love with a product but doesn’t want to carry it around all day. Maybe they’re tourists who don’t want to lug around heavy bags or local customers buying bulky items. With POS shipping, you can easily arrange to deliver the product to their home.
Accessing customer profiles directly in the POS helps you customize the shipping experience. You can quickly pull up saved addresses, or create new ones on the fly. The system also presents applicable shipping rates based on the order, so there are no surprise charges at checkout.
If the customer is part of your POS loyalty program, you can automatically attribute the sale to their account and offer a discount.
📚 Learn: How Much Does a POS System Cost? (Price Guide)
Key features of a POS shipping system
Ever wonder what makes a POS shipping system really shine? Look for the following features to make your work life easier:
- Ship from store
- Order tracking and notifications
- Label printing
- Automated shipping calculations
- Integration with shipping carriers
Ship from store
A good POS shipping system will turn your store into a small fulfillment center. With Shopify’s Ship from Store feature, retail staff can process and ship orders right from the checkout counter.
It also allows for:
- Easy order processing: Staff can handle online orders assigned to their store directly through the POS terminal. This removes the need for admin access and simplifies operations.
- Better use of inventory: By using in-store stock to fulfill online orders, you can use your inventory more efficiently and reduce the chances of running out of items.
Ship from Store in Shopify creates a straightforward process that guides employees through fulfillment:
- Staff can find and pack items using barcode scanners or the POS camera.
- Packing slips can be printed from your POS hardware using a regular printer.
- Shipping labels can be bought and printed through Shopify Shipping, which works smoothly with your existing methods.
One of the most useful aspects of Ship from Store is its flexibility in managing orders. If a store can’t complete an order, staff can easily transfer the remaining items to another location.
Overall, offering customers ship from store fulfillment helps you build a more flexible retail operation that can adapt to modern shoppers. That way, you can better serve customers, no matter whether they buy, online or in-person.
Order tracking and notifications
A POS shipping system with order tracking and automated notifications keeps customers informed about their purchases from the moment they leave your store until delivery. This feature lets you:
- Provide customers with real-time updates on their order status
- Automatically send notifications at key stages of the shipping process
- Reduce customer service inquiries about order whereabouts
Imagine a customer purchases a designer lamp from your boutique home décor store. As soon as the sale is completed, Shopify’s POS system springs into action. It generates an order confirmation, complete with itemized details and total cost, which can instantly be emailed to the customer.
As you prepare the lamp for shipping, Shopify’s system allows you to easily add tracking information:
- Enter the tracking number directly into the POS interface.
- Choose from a list of supported carriers, or add a custom tracking URL.
- Opt to send an automated shipping notification to the customer.
Shopify adapts to your workflow whether you’re fulfilling orders in real-time or adding tracking information later. You can even handle multiple tracking numbers for a single order, perfect for when a customer’s purchase requires separate shipments.
Shopify’s POS integrations with major carriers mean your customers receive real-time updates on their order status. They can track their precious lamp’s journey from your store to their living room, reducing anxiety and minimizing “Where’s my order?” inquiries to your customer service team.
Label printing
Label printing in a POS shipping system allows retailers to create shipping labels directly from their point-of-sale interface.
For example, a customer browsing in a boutique clothing store decides to purchase a dress but wants it shipped to her home address. The retail store associate can complete the sale, generate a shipping label, and prepare the package for shipment, all from the same POS terminal, without interrupting the checkout process or switching systems.
Here’s how it works with Shopify POS:
- Select the shipping service from available carrier options.
- Confirm package details, which often are auto-populated from the order.
- Print the label using either a standard desktop printer or a thermal label printer.
By integrating label printing into the POS workflow, Shopify helps streamline the shipping process for retail stores. It reduces the time spent on order fulfillment and provides flexibility in handling various shipping scenarios directly from the point of sale.
Automated shipping calculations
This POS shipping feature provides accurate, real-time shipping quotes for customers. By connecting with major carriers, your POS system can quickly calculate shipping rates based on package dimensions, weight, and destination.
Shopify POS lets you set up various types of shipping rates:
- Free shipping for certain order values or specific products
- Flat rates for simple, predictable pricing
- Weight-based rates for heavier items
- Price-based rates that change depending on the order total
For more complex needs, you can even use carrier-calculated rates. These pull real-time quotes from shipping carriers based on the order’s details. It’s particularly useful for businesses with a wide range of products or those shipping to diverse locations.
With Shopify, you can also create shipping profiles. These let you set up different rates for specific products or locations, giving you more control over your shipping costs.
Integration with shipping carriers
An effective POS shipping system will seamlessly integrate with multiple shipping carriers. For instance, with Shopify POS you can instantly compare prices and delivery times from carriers like UPS, USPS, FedEx, and DHL.
By integrating carrier services, you can offer customers flexible shipping options on the spot. This capability is particularly useful for stores that handle both in-person and online orders. You can easily process ship-from-store requests or arrange deliveries for bulky items purchased in-store.
How do I ship a POS order on Shopify?
Shopify POS lets you ship orders directly to customers during the checkout process. Here’s how to do it:
1. Prepare your settings
Make sure your shipping settings are complete in your Shopify admin. When training your employees on the POS, set the following permissions for staff members to “Allowed” in their POS role:
- Checkout > Ship to customer
- Customers > Add customers > Manage customers
2. Create the order
Add items to the cart in Shopify POS, then tap “Ship all items.”
3. Add customer information
Tap “Add customer” in the POS cart. Either create a new customer or search for an existing one.
4. Add a shipping address
Tap “Add shipping address” in the POS cart. Select an existing address or add a new one for the customer.
5. Choose a shipping method
Tap “Shipping method” to select or confirm the shipping option. Choose from available shipping rates or enter a custom rate if needed.
6. Complete the transaction
Tap “Checkout” and select the payment method. Process the payment, choose how to provide the receipt to the customer, and tap “Done” to complete the order.
💡Important notes:
- The order will be marked as unfulfilled initially.
- You can’t mix items to be shipped with items for in-store pickup in the same transaction.
- Inventory is deducted based on your set fulfillment priority.
- Shipping orders require an online connection and can’t be completed offline.
Deliver orders faster with Shopify POS
Shopify POS makes order fulfillment simple by connecting in-store and online sales.
With powerful features like Ship from Store, automated shipping rate calculations, and integrated carrier options, businesses can manage inventory efficiently and elevate the in-store shopping experience.
By unifying sales channels and simplifying shipping, Shopify POS equips retailers to meet modern shopping demands effortlessly. That way, you can deliver orders faster and smarter than ever before.
POS shipping FAQ
What is POS shipping?
POS shipping is the process of sending out items purchased through a point-of-sale system, typically for in-store sales. This method ensures that products bought at physical retail locations reach customers efficiently.
What is a POS order?
A POS order is a purchase made directly at a store using a point-of-sale system. It represents a purchase made by a customer at a physical retail location instead of an online order.
How does Shopify POS work?
Shopify POS is a point-of-sale system that integrates with the Shopify ecommerce platform. It allows retailers to manage both their online and in-store sales from a single dashboard, syncing inventory, customer, and product data, and transactions across channels.
