01 — Counter speed
How fast is the basic till flow?
A POS demo always looks fast. The real question is whether it stays fast on a Saturday at peak with a queue. The questions below are the ones you can ask in a demo to test the everyday flow.
- How many taps from “next customer” to taking payment?
- How does staff search for a product when they do not know the barcode?
- Can a basket be held, named and recalled without losing context?
- What happens on the rare event the screen freezes mid-sale?
02 — Products & variants
Can the catalogue handle the way you actually sell?
Most POS systems handle simple products well. The interesting test is the products that are not simple — variants, packs, bundles, modifiers and add-ons. If those are awkward in a demo, they will be awkward forever.
- How are size, colour, shade or pack variants grouped under one product?
- Can packs split into units cleanly? Can units roll up into packs?
- How are modifiers (allergens, milk choice, doneness) presented?
- Can bundles, gift wrap and add-ons be prompted automatically?
03 — Payments
How are card payments handled end-to-end?
Card payment integration is where many systems quietly fall short. The question is not just “can it take a card?” but “is the payment tied to the order, the customer and the report — automatically?”
- Which card processors are supported (Stripe Connect, Stripe Terminal, others)?
- How is reader assignment handled across multiple tills?
- How are refunds, partial refunds and chargebacks tracked against the original sale?
- How are settlements reconciled — automatically against sales, or manually?
04 — Offline resilience
What happens when the internet goes down?
Internet goes down. Power flickers. The question is how the POS behaves when it does — and whether the data syncs cleanly when service comes back. A POS that simply stops working when the network drops is a POS that will cost you a service day at some point.
- Does the till continue to take sales offline?
- How long can it run offline before it needs to sync?
- How are offline transactions reconciled when the connection comes back?
- What about offline card payments — accepted, declined, queued?
05 — Stock sync
Does the till move stock — automatically?
A till that sells a product but does not reduce stock leaves the buyer working from yesterday’s numbers. Stock sync should be immediate, accurate and visible — including for returns, voids and refunds.
- Does every sale, return, void and refund move stock immediately?
- Can you set stock at branch level and have the till respect it?
- How are damages, write-offs and adjustments recorded?
- Can the till show stock from other branches at the point of sale?
06 — Customer record
Does the till build a customer record?
A till that captures a customer turns transactions into relationships. The interesting question is how it captures them — without slowing the queue, without forcing a long form, and without creating duplicate records.
- How is a customer captured at the till — by phone, email, card, loyalty?
- How are duplicates avoided (same person, two records)?
- How is order history surfaced when a customer returns?
- How is loyalty (visits, basket size) tied to behaviour you want to encourage?
07 — Kitchen routing (hospitality)
Does the till route orders to the right station?
For hospitality, the till is upstream of the kitchen. The question is whether orders route to the right station, with the right priority, every time. A till that requires staff to manually shout orders to the kitchen is a till that will cost you tickets at peak.
- How are items routed to KDS stations — by product, by service type, by both?
- How are dine-in, takeaway and delivery orders prioritised differently?
- How is order timing surfaced to the kitchen (fire-on-main, manual fire, all-day)?
- How is bumping a course updated across floor, kitchen and customer?
08 — Reporting
What can an owner see, and when?
A POS that reports yesterday’s numbers tomorrow is a POS that does not help today’s decisions. The questions below are about what an owner can read on the go, in the back office, or at month-end — and whether they can drill into the numbers.
- Which five numbers can an owner see in the first minute of opening the app?
- How are today’s numbers compared against last week, last month?
- Can reports be drilled to the order, customer or staff member?
- How are exports and accounting integrations handled (QuickBooks, Xero, manual)?
09 — Multi-site
Will it grow with a second venue?
Even if you only run one venue today, ask the multi-site questions. A POS that cannot handle a second venue cleanly is a POS you will outgrow. Better to ask the question now than to migrate again later.
- How is the catalogue split between central and local?
- How are branch stock and transfers handled?
- How is group reporting built — and is it comparison-friendly?
- How are franchise or royalty models handled, if relevant?
10 — Hardware & support
Hardware compatibility and support model.
The POS software is one part. The hardware it runs on, the readers it talks to, and the support you can call when something goes wrong are the other parts. Ask about all three.
- Which terminals, printers, scanners, cash drawers and card readers are supported?
- What happens when hardware fails — replacement, repair, loan?
- What is the support model — chat, phone, on-site, response times?
- What is the cost beyond the licence — hardware, payments, support, integrations?
SUMMARY
The shape of it.
A POS is not a brochure feature. It is a daily relationship with staff, customers and stock. If the system you are evaluating cannot answer most of these questions clearly — including ours — keep looking. The cost of choosing badly compounds every shift.