How to Choose the Right POS
A Practical Guide to POS System for Retailers
Selecting a new POS - otherwise known as a unified commerce checkout solution - is one of the most consequential decisions a retailer can make. The Point of Sale (POS) sits at the heart of customer experience, store operations, payments and data. When the POS works seamlessly, checkout is fast, flexible and friction-free. When it doesn’t, it creates frustration for shoppers and staff, negatively impacting business performance and sales.
For many retailers, POS selection feels overwhelming, operationally risky, or difficult to justify from an ROI perspective.
This blog is designed to remove those barriers. It breaks down how to choose the right POS into ten practical steps, highlights common pitfalls in POS system selection and helps you evaluate solutions based on your unique business challenges - so you can make a confident, informed POS selection.
1. Start With the Checkout Problems You’re Trying to Solve
Before looking at vendors or features, get clear on what isn’t working in your checkout processes. Long queues, inconsistent pricing, slow returns, or limited inventory visibility? These are common checkout symptoms, but they often point to deeper issues around integration, workflow design or data.
Define what success would look like for your POS project. That might mean reducing average transaction time, improving conversion at checkout or enabling seamless cross-channel returns. These outcomes should be your “north star” that guide every evaluation decision that follows.
Watch out for: Letting vendors define your problems for you. If you start with demos instead of business challenges, the solution will be shaped by what’s being sold, not what you need.
2. Think Long-Term for Your POS System Selection
A POS is a core part of your commerce model. Choosing the right POS means understanding where your retail strategy is headed over the next three to five years.
Are you moving from omnichannel operations to unified commerce? Will mobile POS, self-checkout, or click and collect play a role? How do rewards and customer loyalty feed into this?
Watch out for: Choosing a POS that patches up today’s problems but isn’t flexible enough for your future plans. You don’t want to be running a POS replacement project in 2 years when the system becomes redundant.
3. Involve Store Operations & Frontline Teams from the Get-Go
In-store staff experience the POS first-hand and know what it’s like to work under real pressure. They live the reality of peak season trading, complex returns and impatient customers. Their input is critical to understanding usability, training needs and workflow friction.
A POS that looks sophisticated in a demo but is actually too complicated for staff to use may actually increase queue times and hurt conversion. Early involvement from store stakeholders also boosts buy-in, which directly impacts adoption and performance.
Watch out for: Designing POS ‘wishlists’ entirely from a head office or IT perspective. Poor UX at checkout translates directly into longer queues and lower conversion.
Case Study
Global grocery retailer Auchan Retail
By implementing Extenda Retail's In-Store & Checkout solutions, Auchan revolutionized their in-store experience.
“For a person that is new as a cashier, the training is quick. It’s practical and easy to use.”
- Auchan Retail cashier
4. Map Your Existing IT Ecosystem
A modern POS must communicate with your retail tech stack, including eCommerce platforms, ERPs, inventory management, payment processors and CRM systems. Understanding these connections is critical to selecting a POS that will slot seamlessly into your current ecosystem.
Critical real-time integrations for POS include:
- Inventory and stock levels
- Pricing, promotions and discounts
- Customer and loyalty data
- Payment processing
- Order and fulfillment updates
Want to spot the signs of a robust integration (with a focus on real-time data, clean master data management and synchronization)? Read our other blog: ERP and POS integration.
Watch out for: Assuming “out-of-the-box integration” means zero effort. Integration complexity is one of the most common reasons POS projects run over time and budget. Ask POS vendors to demonstrate integrations using your actual data and workflows if possible.
5. Define Clear, Non-Negotiable POS Features & Requirements
Effective POS system selection requires discipline. Instead of a long wishlist, define a small set of non-negotiable requirements tied directly to business outcomes.
These could be features such as real-time inventory visibility, offline resilience, unified customer profiles, flexible promotions or robust returns handling. Edge cases scenarios that occur outside of normal or expected usage (such as split payments or network outages) should be documented early.
Watch out for: Being dazzled by fancy features or treating every requirement the same. Focus on what actually solves your business problems.
6. Define What Success & ROI Looks Like
Choosing the right POS means knowing how success will be measured after go-live. Too many retailers see implementation as the end game, rather than focusing on operational impact.
Success metrics should relate directly to checkout performance and store efficiency. Common metrics include:
- Average transaction time
- Transactions per associate / per hour
- Return and exchange handling speed
- System uptime / downtime
- Customer satisfaction
- Average transaction value (ATV)
- Promotion and discount accuracy
- Training time per staff member
Watch out for: declaring success when the system has just been taken live - instead of when it delivers measurable improvements.
7. Make Sure Choose Vendor Specialists, Not Generalists
POS system selection should be driven by relevance, not reputation. A vendor that performs well in one retail segment may be a poor fit in another.
Focus on vendors with proven experience in your store formats, transaction volumes and operational setup. Unified commerce capabilities should be validated through real examples, not by big marketing claims.
Watch out for: Choosing a POS because it’s popular or widely used, without validating fit for your specific retail model.
8. Test the POS Using Real-World Checkout Scenarios
Scripted demos rarely reflect the realities of retail. To choose the right POS, retailers must test how the system performs under pressure.
Vendors should demonstrate peak trading volumes, promotion stacking, cross-channel returns, offline mode and recovery from failures. Where possible, a pilot in a live store environment provides vital insight.
Watch out for: Overly polished, scripted or pre-recorded demos that avoid complex or failure scenarios.
Build your custom Hii Retail demo
Share your business type and challenges, and we’ll create a walkthrough tailored to your stores, setup and operations.
9. Evaluate POS Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) & Long-Term Risk
The true cost of a POS goes far beyond licensing. Hardware, implementation, integration, training, support, transaction fees and future upgrades can all contribute to total cost of ownership.
Retailers should also assess long-term risk - including vendor stability, roadmap alignment, contract flexibility and exit options.
These rules apply for a legacy POS too - while it may seem more economical to stick with an old solution, they often carry significant hidden risks that impact security, operational continuity, scalability, and customer experience. Read more about this on our blog: The Hidden Risks of Staying on a Legacy POS System.
Watch out for: POS offers that look unbelievably cheap upfront but come with hidden long-term restrictions, costly maintenance fees or integration limits.
10. Plan for Implementation, Training & Change Management
Even the best POS can fall flat without a strong rollout plan. Implementation should be treated as a vital business-wide change initiative.
Phased deployments, hands-on training and strong store-level support are essential. Post-launch, performance should be reviewed continuously to ensure the POS delivers ongoing value.
Watch out for: Underinvesting in training and change management. Adoption at the store level determines success
Choosing the Right POS: What Retail Leaders Should Do Next
Knowing how to choose the right POS means recognizing the checkout as a critical touchpoint that affects operations, staff efficiency and the customer experience. A well-chosen POS supports your current business needs while giving you the flexibility to scale, innovate and deliver a unified shopping experience.
This blog highlights the importance of defining your real business problems, prioritizing essential requirements, testing edge cases, and evaluating integrations, costs, and adoption risks. By following a structured, business-first approach to POS system selection, retailers can avoid common pitfalls, make confident decisions, and choose a checkout solution that will stand the test of time.
