If your WooCommerce store powers both your online store and a physical retail location (using WooCommerce POS, Square for WooCommerce, or a third-party integration), migrating to Shopify gives you one of the best unified online + in-store platforms available. Shopify POS is built into the platform — not a plugin — which eliminates much of the inventory sync complexity that plagues WooCommerce POS setups.

WooCommerce POS landscape

WooCommerce doesn't have a first-party POS system. Common setups include:

WooCommerce Point of Sale by Kilbot: The most popular WooCommerce-native POS plugin, runs in browser, syncs with WooCommerce inventory
Square for WooCommerce: Square POS hardware with WooCommerce online store, syncing via plugin
Vend by Lightspeed: Dedicated retail POS connected to WooCommerce via integration
AccuPOS, Revel Systems, or EPOS Now: Third-party POS systems with WooCommerce connectors
Manual sync: Separate POS and WooCommerce with manual inventory reconciliation

The most common pain points with WooCommerce POS setups: inventory sync delays, product data going out of sync, and the complexity of maintaining a WordPress plugin stack for retail operations.

Shopify POS overview

Shopify POS is built directly into Shopify — not a plugin. Features:

iOS and Android app for in-store sales
Unified inventory across online and in-store (real-time)
Dedicated Shopify hardware (card readers, barcode scanners, receipt printers)
Staff accounts with POS permissions (no separate logins)
Customer profiles shared between online and in-store purchases
In-store pickup for online orders
Multi-location inventory management

Shopify POS Lite vs Pro

Feature	POS Lite (included free)	POS Pro ($89/location/month)
Basic checkout (card + cash)	Yes	Yes
Inventory management	Basic	Full (receive, transfer, adjust)
Staff roles and permissions	Limited	Full (open/close registers, void, etc.)
Omnichannel returns (online order returned in-store)	No	Yes
Cash tracking (open/close register)	No	Yes
Daily sales reports per location	No	Yes
Buy in-store, ship to customer	No	Yes
Retail analytics	Basic	Full

For stores replacing a proper retail POS system, POS Pro is typically required. For a simple single-location store accepting cards, POS Lite may be sufficient.

Hardware compatibility

If you're using Square or Stripe Terminal hardware with WooCommerce, that hardware is typically not compatible with Shopify POS. Shopify has its own hardware ecosystem:

Shopify Card Reader: Bluetooth card reader, $49
Shopify Tap & Chip Card Reader: Tap, chip, swipe, $49
Shopify POS Go: All-in-one handheld device with built-in scanner and card reader, $399
Shopify Dock: Stand for iPad POS setup, $149
Shopify Receipt Printer: Compatible Star Micronics printers ($300–400)
Barcode Scanners: Any Bluetooth or USB HID barcode scanner compatible with iPad/Android
Cash Drawer: Any RJ11 cash drawer compatible with Star printers

If using Square hardware: Square card readers don't work with Shopify. You'll need to purchase Shopify's card reader or third-party Shopify-compatible hardware. Budget $100–500 for hardware replacement per location.

If using a barcode scanner for WooCommerce: Most USB/Bluetooth barcode scanners are compatible with Shopify POS — test yours before migration day.

Payment processing for in-store

WooCommerce POS typically uses a separate payment terminal or Square/Stripe integration. On Shopify POS:

Shopify Payments (US, CA, UK, AU, NZ, IE, and more): Integrated card processing with Shopify hardware. No third-party fees. Rates: 2.4% + 10¢ on Basic, 2.2% on Regular, 2.0% on Advanced.
Third-party card processor: You can use any card terminal as a "custom payment type" in Shopify POS (records the sale but doesn't integrate the payment). Useful for keeping existing hardware.
Stripe Terminal: Stripe Terminal can be integrated with Shopify POS via a third-party app, but it's complex and not officially supported.

The cleanest setup: use Shopify Payments for both online and in-store — unified reporting, no manual reconciliation between payment processor and POS.

Product catalog migration for POS

Migrating your product catalog (titles, prices, SKUs, variants) works the same way as a pure online store migration — use k-sync or another migration tool to transfer products. For POS-specific considerations:

Barcodes: WooCommerce products typically store barcodes (UPC/EAN) in a custom meta field. Shopify has a dedicated "Barcode" field per variant. Ensure barcodes migrate to the correct Shopify field (this requires field mapping — k-sync can handle this).
SKUs: Critical for in-store scanning. Verify all SKUs are present and correct after migration.
Inventory counts: See inventory management migration guide. Ensure stock levels match before opening on the new system.
Product photos: In-store staff use product photos in the POS app to identify items. Verify all product images migrated correctly.

Inventory management after migration

This is where Shopify POS shines over WooCommerce POS. With Shopify:

When a sale is made in-store, inventory updates in real-time on your online store
When an online order is placed, inventory reduces for the in-store count
No sync job needed — it's unified from day one
Multiple locations each have their own inventory counts
You can transfer stock between locations within Shopify Admin

Day-1 setup: after migrating products, set your in-store location as a Shopify location (Settings → Locations) and verify each product's inventory is assigned to that location correctly.

Staff accounts and POS access

WooCommerce POS typically required a WordPress account for each staff member. Shopify POS uses Shopify's staff account system:

Settings → Users and permissions → Add staff
Staff receive login credentials and can access the POS app on their device
Set permissions: what they can do in the POS (apply discounts, issue refunds, view reports)

POS Pro includes dedicated "POS PIN" access — staff enter a 4-digit PIN on the shared POS device instead of a full login. Much better for shared retail iPads.

Customer purchase history in-store

One of Shopify POS's best features for migrating stores: customer profiles are shared between online and in-store. If you migrate customer records from WooCommerce (with email addresses and purchase history), in-store staff can look up customers by email, see their online order history, and apply loyalty points.

For stores running a loyalty program: apps like Smile.io work with both Shopify online and Shopify POS — points earned in-store accrue to the customer's online account.

Migration timeline for POS stores

POS stores need more planning than online-only stores:

2 weeks before migration: Order Shopify hardware. Shopify card readers take 2–5 business days to ship.
1 week before: Set up Shopify POS app on store devices. Test hardware. Train staff.
Migration day: Migrate product catalog, inventory counts, customer data. Reconcile inventory between WooCommerce and Shopify before going live.
Go-live: Switch online store + POS simultaneously. Brief staff on new POS workflow.

POS migration checklist

Order Shopify hardware 2 weeks before migration
Verify Shopify Payments is available in your country
Migrate products with barcodes mapped to Shopify's Barcode field
Migrate inventory counts to the correct Shopify location
Set up store location in Settings → Locations
Create staff accounts with appropriate POS permissions
Install Shopify POS app on all devices (iPad, Android tablet, or POS Go)
Pair card reader and test payment processing with a real card (refund after)
Test barcode scanning with existing product barcodes
Test in-store pickup flow for online orders (if using)
Verify inventory updates in real-time when a test sale is made
Train staff on new POS workflow
Plan cutover: final inventory count on WooCommerce, enter initial counts in Shopify

For retail stores, the POS setup is as important as the online migration. Don't rush it — a seamless in-store experience on launch day requires hardware, staff training, and inventory setup to be completed days before the switch, not the morning of.

Migrating WooCommerce + WooCommerce pos to Shopify pos (2026)