What is Shopify's POS feature?
POS stands for "Point of Sales" and refers to a system that manages sales information offline.
If you have experience working in convenience stores, supermarkets, or restaurants, you may be more familiar with the term "POS register." A POS register refers to a terminal equipped with a POS system.
In other words, "When you download the Shopify POS app on your iPad or iPhone, it functions as a POS register (similar to that) linked to your e-commerce."
Event Overview
This time, our company participated in the POPUP event organized by Shopify Japan at COMMUNE2nd.
Shopify POPUP FESTIVAL
Location: COMMUNE2nd
Date and Time: October 13 (Saturday) 12:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Since the venue is in Omotesando, a popular spot, there were many visitors.
Shopify Japan's reception booth.
Each shop participating in the Shopify POPUP gathers in the central area.
Introducing the surrounding stores that were open for business
I think many of you would like to know which shops are actually participating in the event, so I would like to introduce some of them.
*We have obtained permission from the person in charge of the listed shop.
Asakusa Farm
Asakusa Farm sells Japanese-style products such as bottle covers made from bonito flakes and kimono fabric. On this day, they were selling amazake.
We have a physical store in Asakusa, and our sales power at the storefront is strong, attracting many people to stop by.
https://asakusafarm.tokyo/
Halno
浮遊写真を世界で撮り続けている有名クリエイターHalno様。
Both Japanese customers and tourists from abroad stopped several times to ask questions about the product when they saw this photo.
https://halnoworld.com/
Call Moon
Beautifully expressing curves with exquisite volume, we present the handmade jewelry of Call Moon.
“With Shopify POS, you can put products in a suitcase and participate in various events, while also managing online orders at the same time,” said someone who is already using Shopify POS in their business.”
https://call-moon.com/
Ciaolink
Ciaolink expresses the streets and buildings of Japan with an original texture using a material called Pachika paper.
This shop is filled with the passion to create souvenirs that represent Japan through art.
It is recommended as a gift or souvenir for friends overseas.
https://ciaolink-jp.com/
Okayama Denim
Okayama Denim, which sells Okayama denim made in Okayama, a representative production area of high-quality denim in Japan, globally.
This shop has a very high compatibility with Shopify from a global perspective.
https://www.okayamadenim.com/
GOOD COFFEE
Good Coffee allows you to purchase a variety of coffee beans from various famous roasters all in one place.
The shop, which also has a physical store called THE LOCAL COFFEE STAND, is active both online and offline.
https://store.goodcoffee.me/
Koala Mattress
Australia's mattress brand, Koala Mattress.
It is famous for the promotion where a glass of wine is placed on a mattress, and even if a person jumps next to it, the glass does not tip over. Even if a koala of this size sits on it, the other side of the mattress does not shake at all.
https://jp.koala.com/
One-point advice for using Shopify POS
It is better to have external assistance for payment.
Currently, Shopify POS does not have the functionality for credit card payments, QR code payments, or IC payments implemented.
Many of the shops that were open used mobile payment services such as Rakuten Pay, Square, and AirPay in conjunction with Shopify POS.
What is mobile device payment?
Mobile device payment refers to an electronic payment service that allows payment for goods and services using devices such as smartphones and tablets.
There are various types of mobile payment methods, and new forms of services are continuously emerging, so many people may feel like they know about them but actually do not.
The current mobile payment devices available in the market can be categorized into the following types.
- Type that reads credit cards and processes payments with a card reader
- IC chip-equipped cards, Apple Pay, and mobile wallet payment types that can be used by tapping.
- A type that allows payment by scanning QR codes or barcodes with an app.
Rakuten Pay, which is compatible with all of the above types in Japan, is very popular.
*Please note one point regarding the type that allows payment by holding it up. In Japan, the technology used is "Felica," while overseas, "NFC (Near Field Communication)" is the mainstream technology. Please be aware that payment can only be processed when the technology installed on the paying device and the reading device match.
Actual Operation
By implementing the following operations, you will be able to support payment methods other than cash while managing inventory and customer management centrally on Shopify.
- Select the desired product and check the amount in the Shopify POS (mobile app).
- Enter the amount confirmed via Rakuten Pay, Square, etc. (mobile device payment) and proceed with the payment.
- Confirm the order and complete the payment using Shopify POS (mobile app) after the payment is completed.
*Since the payment has been completed, the next step is to enter the same amount as the invoice amount on the Shopify POS side to formally complete the order.
Credit card payment is essential for accommodating foreign visitors to Japan.
In recent times, with the increase of foreign visitors to Japan, it has become essential to accommodate payment methods such as credit card transactions. E-commerce businesses considering event participation or physical store sales using Shopify POS should also consider the introduction of mobile payment services.
The impression of actually using POS at an event booth
The results of Shopify POS varied among shops that have been using it regularly and those that tried it for the first time at this event. However, based on the feedback and actual experiences, we have come to understand several things.
それは、「使い方がシンプルすぎて経験値があまり関係ない」ということ。
And the biggest advantage is that the user-friendly UI allows you to maximize the time spent communicating with customers, switch between apps to use social media, or conduct regular e-commerce operations with Shopify apps, thereby increasing the time available for activities other than operating the POS terminal.
On the other hand, if I were to mention the disadvantages at this point, it would be that, as mentioned above, there is currently no direct method to process credit card payments or IC payments from Shopify POS.
In the United States and Canada, related hardware such as dedicated card readers for Shopify POS has been released, but localization for Japan has not yet been done. We look forward to future developments.
