WHAT IS A POINT OF SALE (POS) SYSTEM

WHAT IS A POINT OF SALE (POS) SYSTEM?
The point of sale at any business is the actual place where the final exchange of value
happens between the business and the customer. In many brick and mortar stores this is the
cashier’s stand, while at an online store it is the website’s purchasing pages. It is generally
the final places that a customer goes through before the product or service has officially been
bought and paid for.
If this is what a point of sale (POS) is, than a POS system must be recognized as the
mechanical, electrical, computerized, or other system responsible for completing the sale.
POS systems can include a wide variety of things, depending on what the business is selling
to their customers. Those selling services generally have very straightforward POS systems,
whereas stores which sell goods might have more complex systems that involve scales,
inventory management systems, etc.
HISTORY OF POS SYSTEMS
POS systems have been around for as long as business has existed, but the interconnected
systems have only been recorded in use since around 1973. IBM started selling what
amounted to a local area network cash register system that was linked together by one main
unit. The main unit was essentially a host computer, but a very early form. These registers
found their way into a few large department stores in the US.
Shortly afterwards in 1974, McDonald’s restaurants installed a system created by William
Brobeck and Associates that used a micro-processing chip. This early POS systems had the
ability to display items that a customer ordered on a screen for both them and the employees
to view, calculate the totals, allow for easy order placement in stores, and collect useful
information for the management such as amount of cash that should be in the drawers at the
end of the day.
The early microprocessor POS systems were linked two multiple computers to keep them up
and running all the time, even if one computer went down. They also employed a backup
system that saved data to at least 3 different locations, keeping it safe from loss.
POS systems have evolved since then to include touch screens, in depth menu selections,
in-built managerial tools, graphical interfaces for customers, and more. Recently this market
has witnessed a rise in cloud-based POS systems.
MODERN CLOUD-BASED POS SYSTEMS
Cloud-based POS systems are an easy way for vendors to access this capability and service
without necessarily owning the equipment setup required for most hardwired POS systems.
Because all of the customer data will be stored via cloud storage, vendors of any size can
take advantage of cloud POS systems to get the information and services they need in a
convenient way.
All that’s needed to access a cloud-based POS is a connection to the internet and a
subscription or account with the particular service the vendor is interested in. It is generally

an economically efficient, easy to use solution for many modern vendors the help them stay
competitive in an advanced market.
Vend is point of sale and gives you total control over every part of your retail
business – it is the only point of sale system you need. If your retail business is
looking to upgrade your pos or purchasing your fist one, you can get a free 30 day
trial of the Vend pos system here.