Everything you need to run your till, day to day

Signing in

When you open SmarterPOS, you'll see your branch name and a list of cashiers on the right.

• Tap your name (or tap "Switch" if someone else is shown), then enter your 4-digit PIN on the keypad.
• New cashier not showing up yet? Press F9 to sync the terminal and pull the latest account list, then try again.
• Some terminals support fingerprint sign-in if the hardware is available.

The till screen

Across the top of the screen you'll always see your business name, branch, terminal label, and connection status.

• A green "Online" / amber "Offline" badge — tap it to see sync details or force a reconnect attempt.
• Your name and initials open a menu: Lock Screen, View Sales, Stock Intake, Log Expense, Catalog Management, and End Shift.
• Two layouts are available — Cashier Layout for fast barcode scanning, and Catalog Layout for a visual grid of product cards grouped by category. Any manager can switch between them.
• An offline warning banner and an update-ready banner can appear beneath the top bar when relevant.

Making a sale

In Cashier Layout, scan a barcode or search by name, then check out with a payment method.

• Scan a barcode, or type a product name/barcode and press Enter. Scanning the same item again increases its quantity.
• Tap a cart row to select it, then use the quantity keypad to adjust it or remove it.
• Check out with F1 (Cash), F2 (MTN MoMo — opens a confirmation dialog), or F3 (Airtel Money).
• F4 clears the current barcode/search box. Esc voids the whole cart.
• Split (part cash, part mobile money) and Credit are also available from the payment screen for customers you extend credit to.
• Tick "Auto-print receipt" to print automatically after every sale without an extra prompt.
• A physical barcode scanner works anywhere you'd type a barcode — just make sure the scan/search box is focused first.

Parking a sale for later

Press F8 to save the current basket as a sales order — a printable slip a customer can carry to any till in the business and pay when they're ready.

• A sales order prints with a unique code instead of a receipt — nothing is charged yet.
• Any cashier at the business, not just the one who created it, can look it up by its code and settle it, editing the basket first if needed.
• Unpaid sales orders expire automatically after 24 hours.
• Stock isn't reserved when a sales order is created — availability is checked again at the moment it's paid.

Browsing products by category

In Catalog Layout, products are shown as cards grouped under category pills across the top.

• Tap a category pill to narrow the grid — a product in more than one category appears under each.
• Each card shows price, current stock, and its primary category as a colored label.
• Pharmacy-type products also show expiry warnings and low-stock flags directly on the card.
• Tap a card to add it to the cart, the same as scanning.

Receiving stock deliveries

Open "Stock Intake" from the menu when a delivery arrives.

• Scan each item's barcode, or type its name if it doesn't have one. A line appears showing current stock and the new level.
• Use the − / + buttons to correct a quantity, or ✕ to remove a line. The scan box automatically regains focus so you can keep scanning.
• If a product's details need correcting, tap Edit on that line — this asks for a manager PIN first.
• Add an optional note for the batch (e.g. supplier or invoice reference), then tap Confirm Intake.
• A barcode that isn't in your catalog at all will tell you so — new products are added via Catalog Management, not Stock Intake.

Logging an expense

Use "Log Expense" to record cash paid out of the drawer — rent, transport, small supplies — as it happens, not from memory at the end of the day.

• Pick a category, enter the amount and a short description, choose how it was paid, and confirm with a manager PIN.
• Attach a photo of the receipt if you have one — it's optional but helps at reconciliation time.
• Every logged expense is subtracted from expected cash automatically when you reach End Shift.

Managing your product catalog

Catalog Management (manager PIN required) is where products and categories are created and maintained.

• Categories (left panel): type a name and tap Add. Use the arrows to reorder, or ✕ to remove. Categories are shared across the whole business.
• Products (middle list): search by name or barcode. Tap Edit on any row to change details, or ✕ to remove it.
• Adding or editing a product (right panel): scan a barcode to load or start a new product, fill in name, price, cost, unit of measure, and reorder level, and tick which categories it belongs to.
• Everything syncs up to the cloud and down to every other terminal at your business, usually within about a minute.

Looking up past sales

"View Sales" lets you search receipts already recorded on this terminal — useful for reprinting a receipt or checking a previous sale.

Ending your shift

"End Shift" walks you through counting your cash drawer and closing out your session.

• If another cashier is taking over the till right after you, hand over directly to them so they land on the PIN pad with their name ready.

Working offline

SmarterPOS is built to keep working when the internet isn't — selling, receiving stock, and managing the catalog all work offline.

• Everything is saved locally and pushed to the cloud automatically once the connection returns, roughly every minute.
• Press F9 any time to force an immediate sync instead of waiting.
• If a terminal stays offline too long without checking its license, a lock screen appears asking to retry, sign out, or exit — a safety measure, not a sign your sale data is at risk. It stays safely stored locally either way.

Manager PIN prompts

Some actions need a manager to confirm with their own PIN, even if a cashier is already signed in.

• Opening Catalog Management.
• Editing a product from Stock Intake.
• Switching between Cashier Layout and Catalog Layout.
• Logging an expense, or applying a discount if the cashier doesn't have permission to.
• When prompted, select the manager's name from the dropdown and enter their PIN — not the cashier's.

Getting help

If something looks wrong or a screen won't load, try pressing F9 to sync first — many odd states clear up once the terminal has fresh data.

• If the problem continues, contact your business admin or SmarterPOS support with what screen you were on and what you were trying to do.