Shopify Launches Merchant mPOS App​

The Shopify point of sale app has come to the iPhone.

The e-commerce software company announced this week that Shopify POS is now available for the Apple iPhone and iPad, and it is free for all Shopify merchants.

Like the existing Shopify POS system before it, the newly-released iOS app — in conjunction with a free credit card reader that Shopify provides — allows merchants to accept cash, credit, debit, and gift cards at locations beyond brick-and-mortar stores. The iPhone- and iPad-capable version requires iOS version 7 and above.

Shopify POS is targeted at merchants that sell at farmers markets, pop-up stores, or anywhere beyond store locations of their own, at any time. The product is designed to integrate seamlessly with merchants’ online stores and allow merchants to keep a holistic view of their products, whether transactions occur online or offline.

The iOS application replaces the “Accept Payment” option in Shopify Mobile, the current store management app.

The new app can be used, just as is the case with Shopify’s original POS system, at brick-and-mortar locations with the company’s Retail Package add-on. Offering brick-and-mortar merchants more advanced point of sale features such as staff management and hardware support, that add-on costs $40 a month. Merchants who already subscribe to the Retail Package and adopt the new iOS app will see no change in their costs.

The free credit card reader that Shopify provides to merchants in the U.S. and Canada is able to accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express and more.