The ShopKeep point of sale system is a much more defined point of sale system than the old version cash register. This software is simple, straightforward and easy to conduct and track sales using the register and pocket app designed to operate on segments of retail, quick-service and full-service restaurants and bars. This point of sale system has three user interfaces (UI): iPad based UI for sales, web-based back office UI for desktop or mobile devices, real-time back office UI for android and iOS phones also known as Pocket App.
The ShopKeep app can be found for free download on the Apple Store on iPad and also at the iTunes app store, but incurs a monthly charge on it to use the POS.
Shopkeep Register App
The ShopKeep register app also known simply as register is compatible with an iPad or Mini by clover and comes inbuilt in the ShopKeep app. It’s an easy 3 step set up makes it efficient in running businesses as quick as it can possibly get. It includes:
- Opening the ShopKeep app and tapping on the “activate your register” button.
- Sign in by entering the store name and a manager code. The store name should have no spaces or punctuations in between while the manager code can be found in the welcome mail from ShopKeep as a 4-digit code.
- Click on the activate button and start ringing up payments.
To activate the register through the back office:
- Log in to back office on the iPad.
- Open the settings icon and tap on “register licenses”
- Click on “Activate your register”.
- Tap on the “Got it? Let’s do this” icon.
- Click on “Activate your register” and then open your register on ShopKeep.
When the register has been activated, it can start work immediately, but every time you switch off your device or sign out, one is required to sign in in order to open a shift. This enables staff who are supposed to use the system be able to use it by inputting their passwords for the register can be restricted according to seniority.
To sign in and start a register shift:
- Sign in by entering the 4-digit manager code.
- Enter the starting cash amount and open the shift. The starting cash is money that is in the cash register or is an input to give balance.
- Register can now ring up payments.
This app brings the full functionality of a POS to the iPad such as:
- Wireless connection and [popping to the cash drawer.]
- Wireless printing of receipts.
- Processing card, cash and check payments.
- Manage sales hour by hour per transaction.
- Inventory management.
Payment processing
The register can process PIN enabled cards, contactless payments by using the iDynamo Swiper that attaches to the POS to allow for card swiping. ShopKeep payments accept credit, debit, cash, check, EMV chip cards and mobile payments such as Google Pay and Apple Pay. The QuickBooks integrated accounting app, then accepts the information from the register to update sales and inventory in real-time.
This makes management of sales happen in real-time from the back office and can allow for exporting of the content into spreadsheets without interfering with data. Tips and discounts can be set through the backoffice, but requiring the approval of the customer in order to encourage business transparency.
Employee management
Employee management on the register is very easy on the management as it only requires registration in the back office by capturing details such as their name and security code. This allows for the system to categorize sales by employee’s name and area of the business that they were serving in. Shifts are more manageable for one has to sign in and out to start and end a work day. Through the back office, a business owner can manage employee access and sections considered private for the business.
Pay in and Payout
While running a business, it may be necessary to add or remove cash from the cash drawer while a shift is open. ShopKeep register offers options for pay ins and pay outs for the sake of documentation and keeping up with your accounting in an easy to understand format. A pay in is an action that is performed when one needs to add cash to the cash drawer while a payout is done when one needs to remove cash from the cash drawer. Once completed, a pay in and a payout cannot be edited or deleted.
There are several types of pay in and pay outs on the ShopKeep menu:
- Safe drop- a pay out where one removes money from the drawer into a safe or bank.
- Payout- removing cash from the drawer.
- Pay In- adding cash to the drawer.
- Buy inventory- removing cash from the drawer to buy supplies for the business.
- Non-cash gratuity- used when paying out employee credit card gratuity from the cash drawer.
As a business owner, view the Pay Ins and pay outs report to view details of each “No Sale” activity performed at the cash drawer. It shows the date and time of each action, staff name of the person who performed it, the amount added or removed and a comment showing the purpose of the action. The report is run from the backoffice and is grouped by category showing all details on the selected range in time. The report can be exported to spreadsheet software from the register.
Integrations and add-ons will increase your POS monthly budget so it is important to confirm how much each integration will cost so as to budget for your monthly subscription fee. Updates to the register app happen automatically wherever there’s Wi-Fi or a network connection.
ShopKeep Pocket App
The ShopKeep Pocket app is a free Android app developed as a complement to the ShopKeep Register app as a way of giving the owner the freedom to run and check with their business from anywhere in the world. It can be downloaded on Google play with the latest version being 4.40.0, released on 5th December, 2019, with android 4.1+ and iOS 10 for the android and iOS devices respectively. This reporting app does not let you add or remove anything from your business, but provides you with data from your business as of when it happens.
Pocket Reporting
The features of the ShopKeep Pocket app in reporting are:
- Real-time reporting to help with staffing and selling decisions.
- Key performance indicators.
- Total number of customers.
- Top selling items.
- Hourly sales data.
- Day-to-day daily sales comparison.
- Inventory report.
- Employee management in sales, register used, pay ins, pay outs, drops and working hours.
The pocket app analyses sales in terms of gross sales and net sales while indicating the percentage increase or decrease, sales count and average sales value. Returns, non-cash gratuity, sales tax and discounts can be indicated on the dashboard per store location or per cash register at the store. Tax rates indicated are dependent on how your tax rates are configured in the BackOffice and should not be filed before verifying the current local tax rates. One has to navigate different stores to see what is going on in each every hour of the day.
A date range helps in choosing which reports to see and also which to compare. The following terms may be encountered on the ShopKeep Pocket app dashboard:
- Gross sales- total sales before calculating discounts, returns and gratuity.
- Net Sales- total sales after deducting discounts and returns from gross sales.
- Sales count- total number of sales and returns done at the register.
- Average sale value- average value of each sale before tax.
- Returns- amount refunded to customers before tax, discounts and gratuity have been deducted.
- Discounts- total discounts on sales minus total discounts on returns.
- Net COGS- The cost of items sold, minus the cost of items returned.
- Gross margin- percentage of net sales left after accounting for cost.
- Non-Cash gratuity- total amount of tips left on credit sales.
- Sales tax- total tax amount charged on sales minus tax refunded on returns.
- Guest activity-total number of guests served depending on the guest count per sale.
- Average guest per sale- guests served divided by the total number of sales.
- Average sale per guest- total sales including tax, gratuity and discounts divided by guests served.
- Over or short- difference between expected cash and actual cash at close of shift.
A merchant with several registers in one location can monitor all of them from one pocket app in real time. Easy navigation among locations will give you the opportunity to monitor performance across multiple store locations under the same merchant name. The app has push notifications on your phone and keeps you updated as events happen.
Comparisons report may be given through a graph if required to see the highs and lows. To view the most preferred mode of payment by customers, one can click on the tenders by net amount on the dash board as it groups all payment types accrued. Top sale items are also indicated within a range of time according to the amount sold. Regular updates to the app are found for free on Google play and one has to keep it up-to-date to enjoy all that ShopKeep has to offer.
Other apps, similar to ShopKeep Pocket are:
- Orica Pocket Blast Guide from Orica.
- Pocket Inspections from Solve-Net.
- Pocket PEx from MedEdApps
- iMobile from iMobile LLC US
- iVUE AppSuite from the National Information Society.
- Motion Mobile from Motion Industries.
The ShopKeep app has become more versatile in delivering business flexibility for business owners, including very little time used in training the staff for effective use. It lives up to its description as “run your business quick and easy with no fuss”, it is power at the top of our fingertips.