Point of Sale in Odoo 18

Retail cashiers juggling separate systems for sales, inventory, and customer management create friction at checkout: wait while they check stock in another system, manually calculate discounts, re-enter customer information for loyalty programs, and reconcile cash drawers with handwritten logs at shift end. Product variants (size, color) require memorizing SKUs, combo meals need manual price calculation, and lot/serial tracking for warranties happens on paper. When the internet drops, sales stop completely.

Odoo 18's Point of Sale transforms checkout into a streamlined, unified experience. Cashiers tap products on an intuitive touchscreen interface that automatically updates inventory in real-time, links sales to customer profiles for loyalty tracking, applies configured discounts with one click, and works offline—syncing when connection returns. Product variants, combo meals, and lot/serial number tracking integrate seamlessly into the sales flow, while end-of-day reconciliation happens automatically with integrated accounting.

POS System Overview

Odoo's POS isn't just a cash register—it's a complete retail management system integrated with your entire business operations.

System Architecture

Step 1: Configure Products for POS

Products don't automatically appear in POS—you must explicitly enable them.

Enabling Products

1. Navigate to Product: Go to Point of Sale → Products → Products
2. Select/Create Product: Open existing product or click New
3. Enable POS: In product form, check "Available in POS" checkbox
4. Set Category: In Point of Sale tab, select product category
5. Save Product

Restrict by Category (Optional)

For multi-shop setups, restrict which product categories appear in each POS:

1. Go to Point of Sale → Configuration → Point of Sale
2. Select your POS shop
3. In "Product & POS Categories" section, enable "Restrict Categories"
4. Select allowed categories
5. Save—only products from selected categories appear in this shop

Step 2: Open POS Session

Each shift begins with opening a POS session to track cash and transactions.

Starting Session

1. Open Dashboard: Navigate to Point of Sale module dashboard
2. Select Shop: Click on your POS shop card
3. Opening Control Dialog: Popup appears with opening controls
   • Opening Cash: Enter starting cash amount in drawer
   • Notes: Optional notes about shift (e.g., "Morning shift - John")
4. Open Session: Click Open Session
5. POS Interface Loads: Touchscreen sales interface opens

Step 3: Sell Standard Products

The POS interface displays available products in a grid layout organized by categories.

Basic Sales Process

Payment Process

1. Payment Screen Opens: Shows order total and payment methods
2. Select Payment Method: Choose Cash, Card, or other configured methods
   • For split payments, enter partial amount before selecting method
   • Multiple payment methods can be applied to one order
3. Add Customer (Optional): Click customer field to link sale to customer profile
   • Required for invoices
   • Enables loyalty program tracking
   • Stores purchase history
4. Invoice (Optional): Enable invoice toggle if customer needs receipt for accounting
5. Validate: Click Validate to complete sale
6. Print/Email Receipt: Print paper receipt or email to customer

Step 4: Sell Products with Variants

Products with multiple options (size, color, material) require variant selection at checkout.

Variant Configuration

Before selling variants in POS, configure product attributes:

1. Go to Point of Sale → Configuration → Attributes
2. Create attributes (e.g., "Size" with values: Small, Medium, Large)
3. Open product, add attributes in Variants tab
4. System generates all variant combinations

Selling Variants

1. Select Product: Tap product with variants in POS
2. Variant Popup Appears: Shows all available variants
3. Choose Variant: Select specific option (e.g., "Large, Blue")
4. Add to Cart: Selected variant adds to order
5. Proceed as Normal: Adjust quantity, apply discounts, checkout

Step 5: Sell Combo Products

Combo products bundle multiple items at a package price (e.g., "Burger Meal" = burger + fries + drink).

Creating Combo Products

1. Create Combo Choices:
   • Go to Point of Sale → Products → Combo Choices
   • Create choice sets (e.g., "Main Dish", "Side", "Beverage")
   • Add product options to each choice
2. Create Combo Product:
   • Create new product, set type to "Combo"
   • Add combo choices created above
   • Set combo price (total package price)

Selling Combos

1. Select Combo Product: Tap combo in POS
2. Choice Wizard Opens: Shows all combo choice categories
3. Select Options: Choose one item from each choice category
   • Must select from all required choices
   • Add to Order button activates when complete
4. Add to Cart: Click Add to Order
5. Adjust Quantity: Modify combo quantity in cart if needed

Step 6: Products with Lot/Serial Numbers

Lot and serial number tracking enables traceability for warranties, recalls, and quality control.

Enabling Lot/Serial Tracking

1. Open product configuration
2. In Inventory tab, enable "Track Inventory"
3. Choose tracking method:
   • By Unique Serial Number: Each unit has unique code
   • By Lots: Batches share same lot number
4. Assign lot/serial numbers during receiving or manufacturing

Selling Tracked Products

1. Select Product: Tap tracked product in POS
2. Lot/Serial Selection: Popup shows available lot/serial numbers
3. Choose Number: Select specific lot or serial to sell
4. Add to Cart: Product with tracking info adds to order
5. Complete Sale: Tracking data links to customer purchase record

Step 7: Close POS Session

At shift end, close session to reconcile cash and post transactions to accounting.

Closing Process

1. Click Close: In POS interface, click Close button
2. Closing Control Dialog: Popup appears with session summary
   • Expected Cash: Opening balance + cash sales
   • Counted Cash: Enter actual cash in drawer
   • Difference: Automatically calculated (over/short)
   • Card Payments: Total card transactions
   • Other Payments: Other payment method totals
3. Notes: Add closing notes explaining discrepancies if any
4. Close Session: Click Close Session
5. Accounting Entries Posted: Sales revenue, cash movements, inventory adjustments automatically journalized

Offline Mode

POS continues functioning during internet outages, syncing transactions when connection returns.

How Offline Mode Works

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Odoo 18's Point of Sale transforms retail checkout from a collection of disconnected tools into a unified, intelligent system. With touch-optimized product selection, automatic inventory synchronization, customer profile linking, offline resilience, and seamless handling of variants, combos, and lot tracking, you eliminate manual processes that slow transactions and create errors. Every sale automatically updates stock levels, posts accounting entries, and builds customer purchase history—all from a single tap-and-go interface.

Whether you're running a boutique with product variants, a restaurant with combo meals, or an electronics shop requiring serial number warranty tracking, Odoo POS adapts to your business model without custom development. Session management ensures cash accountability, offline mode guarantees uninterrupted service, and deep integration with Inventory, Accounting, and CRM modules means your POS system is more than a cash register—it's the operational heartbeat of your retail business.