How to Choose a Salon POS System: 10 Questions to Ask
Your front desk uses the POS dozens of times a day. Pick the wrong one and you notice it on every bill: slow screens, wrong commission, stock that never adds up. Pick the right one and nobody gives it a second thought.
Ask these ten questions during any demo or free trial.
1. Does it understand services, not just products?
A retail POS sells items. A salon POS sells time and skill, which involves a staff member, a duration and products used during the service. If a haircut is just another "item", everything downstream will be wrong.
2. Can commission be split and set per person?
Check whether you can assign different staff to different lines, split one service between two people, and set separate rates for services and retail. Commission should be calculated before tax.
3. Does it track products used in services?
Ask specifically: "If I bill a hair wash, can it deduct 12 ml of shampoo?" Most can't. The ones that can will show you your real margins.
4. What happens when the internet drops?
Unplug the router during the trial and try to make a bill. Cloud-only systems stop dead.
5. What hardware does it need?
Some systems require their own terminal or iPad. Others run on any Android tablet, Windows PC or browser. Check whether your existing thermal printer works.
6. Which payment methods can it record?
Cash, card, bank transfer and your local mobile wallets should all be recordable, with part payments and balances. That's what makes the end-of-day close add up.
7. How are receipts delivered?
Thermal (58 or 80 mm), A4 and a WhatsApp or PDF invoice are the three formats clients actually use.
8. Can staff use it without seeing everything?
Receptionists need billing; they don't need your profit report. Look for per-person PINs and role permissions.
9. Can you get your data out?
Ask how to export clients, sales and products as CSV. If there is no clear answer, walk away.
10. What does it really cost per year?
| Cost | Question to ask |
|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly or yearly? Is there a lifetime option? |
| Per staff fee | Does the price rise when I hire? |
| Hardware | Do I have to buy their terminal? |
| Messages | Are SMS or message credits extra? |
| Payment processing | Am I forced to use their card processor? |
| Setup & support | Any onboarding or support fees? |
Multiply everything out for your team size over twelve months before comparing. The cheapest headline price is often the most expensive system.
Run the trial properly
Let your receptionist make twenty real bills during the trial without your help. If they struggle, no feature list will fix it.
Where Salonipy fits
Salonipy's salon POS is built for services: staff on every line with split commission, consumable stock by recipe, offline billing, Android and Windows apps, thermal and WhatsApp receipts, staff PINs and CSV export. It is priced for the whole salon with no per-staff fee.
Related: Salon POS software · Best salon management software · Salon invoice checklist