Many online retailers also sell at physical locations — permanent retail shops, pop-up stores at markets and events, or seasonal temporary retail. WooCommerce stores typically handle this with plugins (WooCommerce POS, Square for WooCommerce, PayPal Here). One of Shopify's major advantages is its native, deeply integrated POS system — Shopify POS shares the same product catalogue and inventory as the online store, eliminating the sync issues common in plugin-based WooCommerce POS setups.

Shopify POS Lite vs Pro

Feature	POS Lite (included in all Shopify plans)	POS Pro (£69/mo per location)
Card payments	Yes	Yes
Cash tracking	Basic	Full cash management
Inventory management	Basic (view only)	Full: receive, transfer, count
Staff management	No role permissions	Staff PIN codes and permissions
Buy online, pick up in store	Yes	Yes
Multi-register	No	Yes
End-of-day reports	Basic	Detailed shift and register reports
Buy in store, ship to customer	No	Yes
Smart grid (customisable checkout screen)	No	Yes

For pop-up and market selling where a single device is used, POS Lite is usually sufficient. For permanent retail with multiple staff and registers, POS Pro is required.

Card readers and hardware

Shopify has its own card readers sold directly (compatible with Shopify Payments in the UK):

Shopify Tap & Chip: Bluetooth card reader. Accepts contactless and chip+PIN. Compatible with Shopify Payments UK.
Shopify POS Go: Standalone Android device with integrated card reader. No separate phone/tablet required.
Hardware bundles: Shopify retail kit (reader + stand + receipt printer + cash drawer)
Non-Shopify hardware: some compatible third-party receipt printers and cash drawers work via Shopify POS

Inventory sync between online and POS

Inventory is shared between Shopify Online Store and Shopify POS — when an item is sold in-store, the online stock count decreases automatically (and vice versa). This eliminates the double-selling and manual sync problems common with WooCommerce POS plugins:

Set up a separate "Retail store" location in Shopify (Settings → Locations)
Assign physical stock to the retail location; online stock to warehouse/main location
Orders placed online fulfil from warehouse; POS orders fulfil from retail location
Transfer stock between locations as needed (admin or POS app)

Pop-up and market selling

For temporary selling at markets, events, and craft fairs:

Shopify POS Lite on your phone is sufficient for most market sellers
Bring stock as a temporary "market" location or use your main location (less precise but simpler)
Offline mode: Shopify POS has limited offline capability — you can process cash sales offline, but card payments require connectivity
Mobile data backup: if venue WiFi is unreliable, use a mobile data connection as backup
Custom receipts: configure receipt header/footer with your store name and return policy before selling

Replacing WooCommerce POS plugins

WooCommerce plugin	Shopify equivalent
WooCommerce POS (Kilbot)	Shopify POS Lite or Pro
Square for WooCommerce	Shopify POS (Shopify Payments) — no Square needed
PayPal Here for WooCommerce	Shopify POS with Shopify Payments
YITH POS for WooCommerce	Shopify POS Pro
WooCommerce Bookings (for appointment in-store)	Sesami or Appointo (Shopify appointment apps)

Post-migration POS checklist

Shopify POS app installed on retail device (iOS or Android)
Shopify card reader ordered and paired
POS Lite or Pro chosen (upgrade if staff PIN codes or multi-register needed)
Retail location created in Shopify with correct address
Inventory assigned to retail location separately from online warehouse
Test transaction: sell an item in POS and verify inventory updates in online store
Receipt configured: store name, return policy, and contact details
Staff accounts set up with appropriate roles (POS Pro)
Cash drawer and receipt printer connected and tested (if using)

Shopify POS and pop-up stores after migrating from WooCommerce (2026)