Point of Sale

The point of sale (POS) is the location and time where a retail transaction is completed.. Customers bring items to the POS, more commonly called a check-out, where the merchant totals the customer's purchases, and the customer makes a payment.

The equipment used by brick-and-mortar merchants at the point-of-sale can be as simple as a cash register, but most modern retailers use sophisticated terminals and software to handle the entire process. This can include a range of services:

• Identifying items to be purchased
• Calculating a total price, including applying discounts and adding taxes
• Processing the customer’s payment
• Printing or texting a transaction receipt

The point of sale is sometimes called the point of service, as it is not only the place where sales take place but also returns, complaints, or order pickups can happen. More advanced POS terminal software may also connect to other financial systems such as inventory management, bookkeeping, sales reporting, and more.

For eCommerce, the customer checkout page is typically considered the point-of-sale.