A point-of-sale or POS system is the combination of hardware and software that allows businesses that sell goods and services to accept payment from customers. Customers are at the point of sale when they’ve selected an item or items to buy and are ready to pay.
A basic POS system is used by businesses to automatically calculate price, determine sales tax, accept payment, print or email (or both) a receipt of the transaction, and handle banking needs. When software based, a POS system can be a traditional cash register or utilized as a mobile device.