A point of sale is a space where products are sold.
Point is a term with multiple meanings: in this case, we are interested in its meaning as a physical place or site . Sale , for its part, is the process and result of selling (delivering ownership of a good to another subject, who will pay a certain already agreed price to keep the product in question).
With these definitions clear, we can refer to the notion of point of sale. This is the commercial premises in which various products are offered for sale. A person who wants to buy something, therefore, can go to a point of sale of what they intend to purchase to complete the operation.
Usefulness of the notion of point of sale
The use of the point of sale concept is usually used when the seller has several stores. Suppose a shoe manufacturer offers its sneakers in ten different stores within the same city. It could be said, therefore, that your company has ten points of sale.
On the other hand, if a clothing brand has a single point of sale to offer its products, it is more likely to talk about the store or the firm's premises , and not its point of sale.
Payment processing
In any self-respecting point of sale there is a fundamental element that allows any customer to buy a product without any problems. We are referring to the so-called point of sale terminals , which are technological devices that automate the payment and collection process for the item in question.
These solutions are made up of software and hardware. Specifically, they have the scanner, the receipt printer, the touch-screen monitor or the magnetic stripe readers, which are what allow the customer to pay for their purchase using a credit card.
A virtual point of sale allows you to carry out transactions over the Internet.
Virtual points of sale
With the launch and development of the Internet, many companies have shaped their websites as a way to make themselves known and also so that all their products can reach a greater number of people, that is, potential customers. In this way, what the aforementioned companies do is post their catalogs in these spaces on the Internet and allow all their items to be sold through their own online store. However, they also include information on which physical points of sale where they can be purchased.
A clear example of this is the bus companies. These sell tickets online but, at the same time, they have physical points of sale, at the stations where they operate, so that those who wish can buy their tickets there.
Your relationship with the production plant
In some cases, the point of sale shares space with the production plant. This peculiarity usually occurs with bakeries, to cite an example. Typically, the point of sale is located in the same building where the oven is installed and where the bread is kneaded. For this same reason, it is logical that people refer to the bakery in general and not refer to the point of sale.