Systems
POS system for shops and restaurants in Egypt: ready-made or custom?
What a POS system should do for a shop or restaurant in Egypt, the features that matter, e-receipts, ready-made versus custom, and what each option costs over time.
A POS system is the screen your cashier uses all day, and it holds the numbers your business runs on: sales, stock, shifts and cash. A good one makes closing the day a matter of minutes. A bad one leaves you counting cash against a printout that never matches. This guide covers what a POS should do in Egypt, and when to buy one ready-made or have it built.
What a POS system does
At the counter it rings up sales, takes payment and prints or sends the receipt. Behind the counter it updates stock with every sale, tracks each cashier’s shift and cash drawer, and gives the owner a live view of sales by product, branch and hour. In restaurants it also sends orders to the kitchen and manages tables and delivery orders.
The features that matter
| Feature | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Fast checkout with barcode and search | A queue at the counter costs sales. Common items should take one tap. |
| Stock that updates with every sale | You know what is running out before a customer asks for it. |
| Shifts and cash drawer control | Each cashier opens and closes a shift, and the system shows the cash expected. |
| Several payment methods | Cash, cards and wallets, each counted separately at closing. |
| Branches in one dashboard | Prices, products and reports for every branch from one place. |
| Works when the internet drops | Sales continue offline and sync when the connection returns. |
| Customer records and loyalty | Phone numbers, purchase history and points, so customers come back. |
| Permissions | Discounts, refunds and price changes limited to the people you choose. |
Restaurants need more
- Orders sent to the kitchen screen or printer, by station.
- Tables, split bills and orders moved between tables.
- Dine-in, takeaway and delivery in one queue, including orders from your own site.
- Recipes linked to stock, so selling a burger deducts the bread, the meat and the sauce.
E-receipts and taxes
Egypt’s Tax Authority is moving sales to consumers onto its electronic receipt system in phases. Check whether your business is required to issue e-receipts, and choose a POS that can connect to the system now or later. The same applies to e-invoices for sales to other companies, which usually go through your accounting or ERP system.
Ready-made or custom?
A ready-made POS is the fast start: you subscribe, add your products and start selling. It suits a single shop with standard needs. Its limits appear as you grow: a monthly fee per branch or per device, reports you can’t change, and a workflow that doesn’t match how your business actually runs.
A custom POS is built around your process: your pricing rules, your branches, your kitchen, your loyalty program and the reports you actually read. It connects to your online store, your inventory system and your accounting, so a sale in the shop and a sale on the site come off the same stock. The code and data are registered to you, and adding a branch doesn’t add a subscription.
What a custom POS costs
A focused business system such as a POS or an inventory module starts from $1,900 with us, and a larger system that connects POS, inventory, accounting and an online store is priced after a paid discovery phase. It is delivered module by module, so your cashiers start using the first part early.
How to choose
- Write down a normal day. How a sale, a refund, a shift and a stock count happen today.
- Count your branches and devices. Compare the cost of each option over three years, not one month.
- Test it offline. Ask what happens when the internet drops in the middle of a sale.
- Ask about your data. Who owns it, and can you export it if you change systems?
- Check the connections. Online store, delivery apps, accounting and e-receipts.
Questions about POS systems
Can the POS run on a tablet or a phone?
Yes. A web-based POS runs on tablets, touch screens and laptops, and a phone can be used for stock counts or as a waiter’s order pad.
Can it connect to my online store?
A custom POS can share one stock and one product list with your store, so an item sold in the shop disappears from the site at the same moment.
What happens to my old data?
Products, customers and stock balances can be moved over from your current system or spreadsheets, and checked against the old records before launch.
See our business systems service for POS, inventory and ERP projects, or read ERP or CRM: which one first.