Most spare-parts shops still run on a cash book and a phone calculator. It works — until stock goes missing, a cashier under-charges, or you can't tell which parts actually make money. The right point-of-sale (POS) system fixes all three. Here's what to look for.
1. It must work offline
Power and internet drop. If your POS freezes every time the connection does, your shop stops. Insist on software that keeps selling offline and syncs automatically when you're back online.
2. M-Pesa and split payments built in
Customers pay cash, M-Pesa, or both. Your POS should record each method on the receipt and in your daily totals — no separate notebook for M-Pesa codes.
3. Real-time inventory
Every sale should reduce stock instantly, warn you before you oversell, and flag parts that are running low so you reorder on time.
4. Customer credit tracking
Garages buy on credit. Good software tracks each customer's balance and limit so you always know who owes what.
5. Reports you'll actually use
Daily sales, best-sellers, dead stock and profit margins — at a glance, on your phone.