There are a number of different well-known industries which make heavy use of POS systems. Though most noticeable in restaurants and retail outlets (where you have a cashier placing orders with a computer touch-screen) POS systems can be found in many businesses. In addition to allowing restaurant cashiers take an order with ease, POS systems also permit warehouse managers to easily update their inventories and let factory employees clock in and out with an ID card while the time is recorded on a central computer on the network.

Most POS systems are installed to increase productivity by streamlining processes and consolidating tasks. The following industries are most likely to make use of a POS system instead of using separate systems for inventory, order taking, and time management. This does not mean that these businesses will all use the same systems or use them with the same frequency.

Restaurants

The usage of POS systems in restaurants has become all but universal, with it being much more likely for a restaurant to use some form of POS system than for them to do everything manually. Restaurant POS systems range from simple order-taking systems to complex multi-restaurant networks, with everything in between as well. The average restaurant POS system will integrate the taking of orders, displaying or printing the orders for the kitchen, keeping track of inventory based on what has been ordered, and a time clock into the same system that can be accessed from any POS terminal. Each employee will have their own identification number and password, which in many cases will be kept securely on an ID card that they can swipe to log in.

Retail Outlets

Much like restaurants, retail outlets have wholeheartedly embraced POS systems. Many stores have even taken the systems to the next level, having self-check lanes available for customers with an easy-to-use POS interface that allows them to scan their own items and then make payment by cash or credit card. Inventory and time clock features will often be integrated into the POS system as well to help keep all functions of the store running from the same central computer system.

Factories and Warehouses

An ever-increasing number of factories and warehouses use POS systems as a means to operate both their time clocks and inventory systems, taking advantage of the ease of use those touch-screen POS systems provide. In addition to making inventory control and time management much easier since the entire system is contained within a single network, many factory POS systems also integrate incoming orders and outgoing shipments so as to assist in determining whether the current inventory and rate of production are sufficient to meet customer needs. Some factory and warehouse POS systems may also integrate into a larger network, allowing managers to tell whether needed items are available in the inventories of other warehouses that are owned by the same company.

Financial Services

Though not as common as restaurants, shopping outlets, and factories, a number of financial

service providers have begun using POS systems as a means of streamlining the work that they do. The touch-screen interface that is used by most POS systems can make accessing specific functions much easier, reducing the amount of typing that will have to be done and eliminating the need for a separate mouse. Searches for customer records become much easier as a result of this, as does the establishment of new accounts. Financial services providers who operate within a larger corporate entity can also benefit from being able to access the linked systems of every provider within the network. Time clock functions may also be integrated into the system, though in many cases this function can only be accessed from specified terminals designated for that purpose.

Corporations

Much like factories, many corporations have begun using POS systems as a means to manage orders and keep track of inventory. The systems that are used by many corporations focus more on managing data from other businesses that are owned by the corporation than they do on manipulating that data themselves. The POS systems that are used by the factories and stores that are owned by these corporations generally issue a daily report to the central corporate network, allowing the corporation to not only check sales and determine inventory needs but also to more easily process payroll functions through the integrated time clocks that the smaller POS systems often use. As a result of this, many corporations will also feature an integrated time clock for non-salary employees so that the same payroll system can be used by everyone within the corporation. This is a more passive use of POS systems than the other entries on this list, but as more active POS systems are being developed for corporations this is beginning to change.