Many small shops, marts and general stores in Pakistan still run on a register and a calculator. It works when sales are low, but as the shop grows, mistakes start to cost money: wrong totals at the counter, stock that runs out without warning, and customers’ credit that nobody can track properly.
POS (point of sale) software solves these problems by recording every sale, purchase and payment in one place. This guide explains what a small shop should look for in POS software and how to get started.
Signs your shop needs POS software
- Customers wait at the counter while bills are added up by hand
- You find out an item is out of stock only when a customer asks for it
- You are not sure what your real profit was last month
- Credit (udhaar) customers’ balances are kept in a notebook that is hard to check
- More than one person handles the counter and you cannot see who sold what
1. Fast billing at the counter
The main job of POS software is a quick, accurate bill. Look for a billing screen where you can search a product, enter the quantity and print the bill in a few seconds. A barcode scanner makes this even faster, but good software should also let you bill without one, so you can start today and add a scanner later.
2. Barcodes for products that do not have one
Loose items, local products and repacked goods often have no barcode. Software that can generate barcodes and print labels lets you put your own barcode on these items, so every product can be scanned at the counter.
3. Stock that updates itself
When every sale and purchase is entered in the software, stock levels update automatically. Instead of counting shelves to know what to reorder, you open a stock report. Entering purchases properly is the key: if stock comes in without being recorded, the report will be wrong.
4. Cash sale and credit sale
Most Pakistani shops sell both on cash and on credit. Your software should handle both, keep a ledger for each customer, and record cash recovered from them, so you always know who owes how much.
5. Printing the right bill
Small shops usually use a thermal printer for quick receipts. Some customers also ask for a bigger printed invoice. Check that the software supports the printer you have.
6. Control who can do what
If staff use the counter, give each person their own login and limit what they can access. This protects your data and makes it clear who made each sale.
7. Backups
Your sales and customer records are valuable. Make sure the software has a simple backup and restore option, and take a backup regularly, especially before reinstalling Windows.
SoftBiller POS Barcode Billing Software
SoftBiller’s POS Barcode Billing Software is made for super stores, marts, book shops and other shops that want barcode billing. Based on its product features, it includes:
- Barcode generating and label printing, and billing with or without a barcode scanner
- Sale and sale return, purchase and purchase return, with discount and bonus
- Cash and credit sale, cash recovery from customers and payments to suppliers
- Automatic product, customer, staff and supplier ledgers
- Single-click profit report, automatic stock report and outstanding report
- Expense records and a complete double-entry account system
- Multi-user login with user privileges and password change
- Easy backup and restore
- Lifetime licence with no monthly or annual fee
Getting started in one week
- Enter your products with their sale and purchase prices.
- Print barcode labels for items that do not have one.
- Enter your current stock and your credit customers’ opening balances.
- Start billing every sale through the software.
- At the end of the week, check the stock and profit reports.
Want to see it in action? Visit the POS Software page for screenshots and the overview video, or message us on WhatsApp at 0333-7454059.
