Draft:X-Cart:POS system for X-Cart
Contents
Overview
POS system for X-Cart is a module that allows you to use your X-Cart store both as an interface for web sales and a Point of Sale system. With this module, you can sell offline and online using the same software, which means you get a single inventory tracking and order management system for both your online and retail stores. Update inventory and product properties by using a barcode scanner that finds the product instantly. Got a new product? Add it to the database and decide if it should be available in the online storefront, or if you want to sell it in your retail store only. Scan the barcodes, accept payments, print receipts and barcode labels via X-Cart. It has never been so easy!
System requirements and installation
See POS system module: system requirements and installation
Getting started
To start using the X-Cart POS module on your system, do the following:
- Ensure that your system meets the software and hardware requirements, then install and enable the module.
- Configure the module. First, connect the module with the printers that you intend to use for printing barcodes and receipts and set up your printing preferences in the module's configuration settings:
- X-Cart:POS_system_for_X-Cart#POS system module configuration settings
If you experience Java security warnings related to QZ Print applet, follow the recommendations in this section: - X-Cart:POS_system_for_X-Cart#QZ Print applet related configuration
For more information on QZ Print and its use by the module, see: - X-Cart:POS_system_for_X-Cart#Notes on the QZ Print applet
- X-Cart:POS_system_for_X-Cart#POS system module configuration settings
- If POS-related tasks in your store will be performed by a staff member other than the store's Administrator with Root access permissions, set up an admin account for them and provide this account with POS operator permissions.
- To get a feel of how your X-Cart store operates at POS, log in to the store as POS operator and try doing the tasks your POS operator will need to perform. To begin with, add some products to your store's catalog (or edit your existing products) and add UPC codes for them. You can provide your own UPC codes or scan the existing barcode labels of your products so the UPC codes are "scanned" into the system from these barcodes. In the long run, all the products that you are going to sell via POS will need unique UPC codes.
- Make sure that all the product items that you are going to sell via POS have barcode labels attached to them. For product items that do not yet have barcode labels, print your own barcode labels based on UPC codes.
- While still being logged in to the POS operator account, go to the Customer area. Edit your user profile to add the POS location address to your address book (This address will be used by default as the address of the customer checking out via POS). Then try adding some products to cart via the "Checkout POS" section (Make sure you can add products to cart both by scanning their barcodes and by entering their UPC codes manually).
- Try creating a POS order by checking out with the products contained in your shopping cart. The first time you do it, go to checkout using X-Cart's standard Go to checkout button and finish creating the order using X-Cart's regular checkout flow. During checkout, use the address you configured in your POS operator user profile and select the payment method that you want to be used in future for all POS orders created using this POS operator account. Your payment method selection will be saved as default, and, later on, when creating POS orders using this account, you will be able to use the simplified order creation flow (via the Process order button) where you will not have to select a payment method again. If at some point in the future you will need to switch to a different payment method for orders of this POS operator, simply use the Go to checkout button again and select a different payment method.
- Try printing a receipt for the order that has been created.
Once you've made sure everything works as expected, you should be ready to go live with your POS-enabled X-Cart store.