❓ Frequently Asked Questions 💡

Shoppal POS comes packed with powerful features:

• 🌐 Offline Functionality: Process sales without internet
• 🖨️ Bluetooth Receipt Printing: Custom receipts with your branding
• 📊 Debtors & Payment Tracking: Comprehensive financial management
• 🔐 Admin & Cashier Accounts: Secure role-based access
• 🏬 Multiple Branch Support: Manage multiple locations
• 👥 Multiple Cashier Support: Track individual performance
• 🌗 Dark & Light Themes: Customize your interface
• 📈 Real-time Sales Tracking: Instant insights and reports
• 📦 Inventory Management: Real-time stock control
• 📢 Free Advertising: Built-in marketing tools
• 🤖 AI Sales Predictions: Machine learning insights
• 📊 Advanced Analytics: Comprehensive business intelligence

Yes! Shoppal POS is designed to work seamlessly offline.

When your internet connection is down, you can continue to:

• Process sales transactions
• Generate receipts
• Manage inventory
• Track cashier activities

All offline data automatically syncs when your connection is restored, ensuring you never lose any information.

Shoppal POS was designed with simplicity in mind:

• 🎯 Intuitive Interface: Clean, user-friendly design that requires minimal training
• 📱 Touch-Optimized: Designed for tablets and touchscreens
• ⚡ Quick Setup: Get started in minutes, not hours
• 📚 Built-in Help: Contextual guidance and tooltips
• 🎨 Visual Design: Clear icons and logical layout

Most staff members can start processing sales within 15 minutes of their first use!

Shoppal's inventory management is comprehensive and real-time:

• 📊 Real-time Updates: Stock levels update instantly with each sale
• 📈 Transaction History: Track every item's complete history
• ⚠️ Low Stock Alerts: Get notified when items need restocking
• 📋 Stock Aging Analysis: Identify slow-moving inventory
• 🔄 Restock Management: Easy restocking and adjustments
• 📊 Performance Analytics: See which items sell best

Never worry about overstocking or running out of popular items again!

Shoppal AI is your intelligent business assistant that transforms complex data into actionable insights:

• 💬 Natural Language Queries: Ask questions like "How are my sales this week?"
• 📊 Real-time Highlights: Automatic insights about your business performance
• 🔮 Sales Predictions: AI-powered forecasting for better planning
• 📦 Smart Stock Alerts: Prevent overstocking and stockouts
• 🌍 Market Intelligence: External factors affecting your business
• ⚡ Proactive Automation: Automated reports and alerts

Think of it as having a business consultant available 24/7!

You can ask Shoppal AI almost anything about your business:

• 📈 Performance Questions: "How are my sales this week?"
• 📦 Inventory Questions: "What should I restock?"
• 💰 Financial Questions: "How much profit did I make from bananas?"
• 👥 Customer Questions: "When will John Doe return?"
• 🔮 Predictive Questions: "What's my sales forecast for next week?"
• 💡 Improvement Questions: "What are three ways I can improve my business?"
• 📊 Analysis Questions: "Can you give my business a performance rating?"

Just ask naturally - no technical jargon required!

Shoppal AI seamlessly integrates with your POS system:

• 🔄 Real-time Sync: All POS data automatically feeds into AI analysis
• 📊 Unified Dashboard: View both POS and AI insights in one place
• 🤖 Smart Recommendations: AI suggests actions based on POS data
• 📱 Cross-platform Access: Use both apps on the same device
• 🔐 Secure Integration: Your data remains private and secure

It's like having two powerful tools that work together perfectly!

Welcome to the comprehensive Shoppal Handbook!

Shoppal is a robust retail management application designed to streamline your business operations through two distinct modes:

• 💳 Point of Sale (POS) Mode: For processing customer transactions at the counter
• 🏢 Back Office Mode: For managing inventory, finances, and analytics behind the scenes

This handbook serves as a detailed guide for creating a user-friendly document for your team, addressing specific queries such as switching from Back Office to POS without re-entering the account password.

Shoppal is a feature-rich platform tailored for retail businesses, offering tools for sales, inventory, cash flow, and more. Its dual-mode functionality ensures flexibility and efficiency.

Key Highlights:

• 💳 POS Mode: Fast, touch-driven checkout optimized for tablets and phones
• 🏢 Back Office: Comprehensive management of sales, inventory, finances, and settings
• 📊 Real-Time Analytics: Live sales and cashier metrics
• 📦 Inventory Health: Monitor stock performance with automated restock alerts
• 🏬 Multi-Branch & Currencies: Centralized control across locations
• 🌐 Offline Support: Work offline and sync later
• 🤖 Shoppal AI: Instant business insights and alerts

To set up Shoppal for your business, follow these steps:

• 👥 Add Cashiers:
  • Go to Shop → Manage Cashiers → Tap the "+" icon
  • Assign cashier codes for POS access
• 📦 Add Inventory:
  • Use the Inventory tab to manually add products or import a CSV file
  • Sample CSV available at shoppal.org/download-csv.html
• 📱 Set Up Devices:
  • Optional but recommended: Use one device for Back Office and another for POS
  • This avoids frequent mode-switching
• ⚙️ Customize Settings:
  • Go to Manage/Settings to set your preferred theme and configure other options
• 💳 Switch to POS Mode:
  • From the Home tab, tap the cashier's name, enter the access code, and start selling

Tip: Ensure cashiers are licensed and assigned to a branch for products to load in POS Mode.

Sales (Back Office)

The Sales tab provides live updates (when online) and detailed analytics.

Features:

• 📈 Charts: 7-day bar, hourly breakdowns, and cashier-in-hand metrics
• 🔍 Actions: View transactions, search receipts, generate/export reports
• 📊 Compare: Sales across branches and cashiers

How To:

• Tap the Sales tab
• Open the menu (⋮ or ☰)
• Select "View Sales," "Generate Reports," or "View Receipts"

Tip: Scroll to compare branch and cashier performance.

Inventory (Back Office)

Manage products efficiently with the Inventory tab.

Features:

• Add, edit, restock, or delete products
• Perform stocktakes, import/export via CSV, and view stock history

How To:

• Tap the Inventory tab
• Search for a product and tap it
• Use "Product Info" to edit, restock, view history, or delete
• From the menu, choose: "Add Product," "Stocktake," "Export Stock," or "Import Stock"

Tip: All inventory tools are accessible from this tab. CSV sample available at shoppal.org/download-csv.html

Shop Page (Back Office)

The Shop tab is a central hub for management and analytics.

Tools:

• 💳 Switch to POS Mode
• 📦 Suggested Reorders: Alerts for low-stock items
• 📊 Inventory Health: Monitor stock performance
• 🔮 Sales Forecast: Predict revenue trends
• 📈 Performance Stats: Key performance indicators (KPIs)
• 📋 Daily Summary: Available if Cash Flow is enabled
• 👥 Customers & Top Buyers: Manage profiles and track loyalty
• 🏢 Business Details: Manage cashiers, branches, and currencies
• 💰 Financials: Income, invoices, expenses, and tax reports
• 📢 Advertising: Promote your catalogue, locations, or ad profile

How To:

• Tap the Shop tab to access these tools
• Enable Cash Flow for full financial visibility

Shoppal's dual-mode structure is central to its functionality. Below, we detail the purpose of each mode and clarify the process of switching between them.

Two Distinct Modes:

• 🏢 Back Office: Administrative hub for owners/managers
• 💳 POS Mode: Frontline sales for cashiers

Each mode serves specific purposes and requires different access credentials for security.

The Back Office is the administrative hub of Shoppal, designed for owners or managers to oversee all business operations. Access requires the account password for security.

What the Back Office is for:

• 📊 Sales Management:
  • View real-time sales charts (7-day bar, hourly breakdowns, cashier-in-hand)
  • Search receipts, view transactions, and generate/export reports
  • Compare sales across branches and cashiers
• 📦 Inventory Management:
  • Add, edit, or delete products
  • Conduct stocktakes, import/export inventory via CSV
  • Restock items and review stock history
• 💰 Cash Flow Tracking:
  • Monitor expenses, purchases, and profit/deficit (enable in Shop settings)
  • Access daily summaries and financial reports
• 🏪 Shop Management:
  • Manage customers, cashiers, branches, and currencies
  • Access analytics, including sales forecasts, inventory health, and suggested reorders
  • Handle business details, invoices, and tax reports
• ⚙️ Settings:
  • Customize themes, configure Bluetooth printers, and manage account settings
  • Access help resources, privacy policies, and terms & conditions
• 🛠️ Additional Tools:
  • Enable advertising features (catalogue, locations, ad profile)
  • Generate Z Reports and tax summaries

The Back Office is ideal for strategic tasks, such as analyzing performance, updating inventory, or configuring the system.

The POS (Point of Sale) Mode is designed for frontline sales, enabling cashiers to process transactions quickly and efficiently. Access requires a cashier access code, ensuring role-based security.

What POS Mode is for:

• 💳 Sales Transactions:
  • Process sales via a touch-driven interface optimized for tablets and phones
  • Add products to the cart, adjust quantities, and search items using the top bar
  • Support multiple payment methods: Cash, Deferred, Card, Transfer
  • For cash payments, enter the received amount, and the system auto-calculates change
• 👥 Customer Tracking:
  • Optionally add customer names and phone numbers, saved automatically for future reference
• 🧾 Receipt Management:
  • View and edit receipts (on phones, tap the cart icon to display the receipt; tablets show it by default)
  • Print receipts via Bluetooth printers
• 📅 End-of-Day Tasks:
  • Perform reconciliations, view transactions, and generate Z Reports via the avatar menu (top right)
  • Note: Sales cancellations require Back Office access by the owner

POS Mode is perfect for cashiers or staff focused on serving customers and completing sales in real-time.

A key feature you asked about is switching from Back Office to POS without a password. Here's how it works:

• 🔐 Initial Login: When you open Shoppal, you log in with your account password to access the Back Office. This authenticates you as the user (typically the owner or admin).
• 💳 Switching to POS Mode:
  • Navigate to the Home tab or Shop tab
  • Tap the cashier's name
  • Enter the cashier access code
• ✅ No Account Password Required for Switching: Once logged into the Back Office with the account password, switching to POS Mode requires only the cashier access code—not the account password again. This streamlines the workflow, especially on a single device used for both modes.
• 🔒 Security Note: The cashier code ensures that only authorized staff can process sales, maintaining role-based access control (Owner vs. Cashier).

Recommendation: For optimal efficiency, use two devices—one dedicated to Back Office and another to POS—to minimize switching. However, the single-device workflow is seamless thanks to the cashier-code-only requirement for POS access.

Summary:

• Back Office Access: Requires the account password
• POS Mode Access: Requires the cashier access code
• Switching from Back Office to POS: No account password needed; just enter the cashier code

Shoppal's interface is tab-based, with the active tab highlighted in orange. The tabs, located at the bottom of the screen, serve as the control center.

Back Office Tabs:

• 📊 Sales: Real-time charts, reports, receipts, and exports
• 📦 Inventory: Add/edit products, perform stocktakes, import/export, restock, and view history
• 💰 Cash Flow: Track expenses, purchases, and profit/deficit (enable in Shop settings)
• 🏪 Shop: Switch to POS, manage customers, cashiers, branches, currencies, and analytics
• ⚙️ Manage/Settings: Change themes, access help resources, and manage account settings

POS Mode Tabs:

• 🏠 Home: Entry point for POS (requires cashier code)
• ⚙️ Settings (in POS): Configure store settings, switch to Back Office, and manage Bluetooth printers

Tip: Familiarize yourself with the tabs to navigate efficiently. The orange highlight indicates your current tab.

Selling in POS Mode is intuitive and optimized for speed.

Steps:

1. Switch to POS Mode via the Shop tab and log in with the cashier code
2. The product list appears (products load only if the cashier is licensed and assigned to a branch)
3. On phones, tap the cart icon to view the receipt; tablets show it by default
4. Tap a product to add it to the cart; adjust quantity with +/-
5. Search for products using the top bar
6. Tap "Complete" to open the checkout modal
7. Select the currency (if multiple currencies are enabled)
8. Choose a payment method: Cash, Deferred, Card, or Transfer
9. For Cash: Enter the received amount; the system calculates change
10. Optionally add the customer's name/phone (saved automatically)
11. Tap "Process Payment" to finalize the sale

Tip: Use a tablet for a larger, more visible receipt view.

Reconcile sales and close out the day.

Steps:

• Tap the avatar (top right)
• Choose from options: View transactions, generate Z Report, reconcile, manage expenses, or manage customers

Note: Sales cancellations are restricted to the Back Office and require owner access.

Customize and configure Shoppal via the Settings menu.

Actions:

• Toggle themes (light/dark)
• Add Bluetooth printers (configure in Printer Management)
• Access help resources and licensing details
• Switch between Owner and Cashier access
• Manage account: Change email/password, delete account, restore purchases, or verify email
• View Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

How To:

• In Back Office: Go to Manage/Settings
• In POS: Access Settings via the avatar menu

Security is our top priority. We implement enterprise-level security measures:

• 🔐 End-to-End Encryption: All data is encrypted in transit and at rest
• 🛡️ Role-Based Access: Separate admin and cashier accounts
• 🔑 Unique Access Codes: Secure authentication for each user
• ☁️ Cloud Security: Data stored on secure, redundant servers
• 📊 Regular Backups: Automatic daily backups
• 🔍 Audit Trails: Complete activity logging
• 🌐 GDPR Compliant: Meets international privacy standards

Your business data is as secure as online banking!

Shoppal offers a robust set of features to support both modes:

• 💳 POS Mode: Fast, touch-driven checkout
• 📊 Real-Time Analytics: Live sales and cashier metrics
• 📦 Inventory Health: Monitor stock performance
• 🔄 Suggested Reorders: Automated restock alerts
• 🔮 Sales Forecast: Predict revenue trends
• 📋 Stocktakes & CSV: Quick import/export of inventory
• 💰 Cash Flow: Track expenses, purchases, and profit/deficit
• 👥 Customer Management: Profiles and invoices
• 🏬 Multi-Branch & Currencies: Centralized control
• 📊 Z & Tax Reports: Daily and tax summaries
• 🔐 Role-Based Access: Owner vs. Cashier codes
• 🖨️ Bluetooth Printing: Seamless receipt printing
• 🌐 Offline Support: Work offline, sync later
• 🤖 Shoppal AI: Instant business insights and alerts

Shoppal provides solutions for common issues to keep your operations running smoothly.

Common printer problems and solutions:

• Check Power & Connection: Ensure the printer is powered on, paired via Bluetooth, and has paper
• Restart Devices: Restart the printer and device
• Test Connection: Go to Settings > Printer Management to test or reconnect
• Check Paper: Ensure there's enough paper and it's properly loaded
• Bluetooth Settings: Verify Bluetooth is enabled and printer is discoverable

If products aren't showing in POS Mode:

• Check Cashier Assignment: Products load only if the cashier is licensed and assigned to a branch
• Verify Settings: Confirm settings in the Back Office or contact your admin
• Check Branch Assignment: Ensure the cashier is assigned to the correct branch
• Inventory Status: Verify products are active and have stock

Password recovery options:

• Reset Password: Tap "Forgot Password" on the login screen to reset
• Reinstall App: If stuck on a logged-out screen, reinstall the app to return to login
• Contact Support: If you can't access your account, contact our support team

If sales aren't appearing:

• Check Sync: Sales may take time to sync; ensure both devices have internet
• Verify Transactions: Check Sales > Transactions in the Back Office
• Manual Sync: Use the "Sync Data" option from the menu
• Internet Connection: Ensure stable internet connection for real-time sync

If inventory data is missing:

• Manual Sync: Use the "Sync Data" option from the menu (data syncs automatically every hour)
• Check Internet: Ensure stable connection for data synchronization
• Refresh App: Close and reopen the app to refresh data

Performance optimization tips:

• Close Apps: Close unused apps to free up memory
• Restart Device: Restart your device regularly
• Check Internet: Ensure you have a stable internet connection
• Update App: Ensure you're using the latest app version
• Clear Cache: Clear app cache if available

If receipt isn't displaying:

• Phone Users: On phones, tap the cart icon to view/edit the receipt (hidden by default)
• Tablet Users: Tablets show receipts by default
• Check Settings: Verify receipt display settings

If cashier access code isn't working:

• Check Code: Codes may be changed or deactivated by an admin; confirm you're using the latest valid code
• Contact Admin: Ask your account administrator to verify the code
• Reset Code: Admin can reset the cashier access code if needed

If you need additional help:

• 📚 FAQ Page: Visit shoppal.org/faq.html
• 📧 Email Support: support@shoppal.org
• 💬 WhatsApp: +1 (518) 940-3904
• 📱 Phone Support: +1 (518) 940-3904

For support or additional resources, use the following channels:

• 📧 Email: contact@shoppal.org
• 🌐 Website: shoppal.org for guides and resources
• 💬 WhatsApp: +1 (518) 940-3904
• 📱 Social Media:
  • Facebook: facebook.com/shoppalzw
  • Instagram: instagram.com/shoppalorg
  • X (Twitter): x.com/ShoppalOrg
• 📄 Legal Links:
  • Privacy Policy: shoppal.org/privacy-policy.html
  • Terms & Conditions: shoppal.org/terms-and-conditions.html

Shoppal's two modes—Back Office for administrative control and POS Mode for efficient sales—make it a versatile solution for retail businesses.

• 🏢 Back Office: Accessed with an account password, empowers you to manage sales, inventory, cash flow, and settings
• 💳 POS Mode: Accessed with a cashier code, ensures fast and secure transactions
• 🔄 Seamless Switching: Switching from Back Office to POS requires only the cashier code, streamlining operations on a single device
• 📊 Real-time Analytics: Live insights and comprehensive reporting
• 🌐 Offline Support: Continue operations without internet connectivity
• 🤖 Shoppal AI: Instant business insights and intelligent recommendations

Use this handbook to:

• Train your team effectively
• Troubleshoot common issues
• Maximize Shoppal's potential for your business
• Ensure proper role-based access (Owner vs. Cashier)

Note: Ensure your team is familiar with role-based access (Owner vs. Cashier) and keeps cashier codes secure. For further assistance, reach out to Shoppal's support channels.

Shoppal offers flexible pricing to fit your business needs:

• 🎁 14-Day Free Trial: Full access to all features
• 💳 Shoppal POS: Affordable monthly subscription
• 🤖 Shoppal AI: Separate AI assistant subscription
• 📦 Bundle Deals: Save when you use both apps
• 🏢 Enterprise Plans: Custom pricing for large businesses

Contact us for detailed pricing information tailored to your business size!

Yes! We offer a generous 14-day free trial with some limitations:

• 📦 Inventory Limit: Up to 256 items during trial
• 👥 Cashier Limit: Up to 2 cashier accounts
• 📊 Full Features: Access to all core functionality
• 🔄 Easy Upgrade: Seamless transition to paid plan
• 📱 No Credit Card: Required for trial signup

Start your trial today and see how Shoppal can transform your business!

Absolutely! You have complete control over your subscription:

• 🚫 No Long-term Contracts: Month-to-month billing
• ⏰ Cancel Anytime: No cancellation fees
• 📊 Data Export: Download your data before canceling
• 🔄 Easy Reactivation: Resume service anytime
• 💬 Support Available: We're here to help with any issues

We want you to be happy with Shoppal, not locked into a contract!