What is a POS terminal?

Point of Sale (POS) Glossary

A POS terminal is a digital cash register where customers pay for their retail purchases. Cashiers and patrons may conduct other store business at a point of sale (POS) terminal, such as placing orders, checking gift card or point balances, and other non-transactional interactions if the system supports them.

POS terminals may include cash drawers, barcode scanners, printers, dual displays, and more. A POS terminal could also be a tablet or smartphone enabled to process transactions. The mobile POS terminals are handy for checkout around a store, curbside, and even remote locations if they are equipped with cellular connections.

Point of sale terminals may be networked throughout the store, across stores, and have connectivity with online websites. They are used to collect a variety of data and integrated into accounting and management systems.