SmartPOS Hub glossary - POS and app terms explained

This glossary explains, in plain English, every point-of-sale and app term used in the SmartPOS Hub docs, from location, SKU and sub-unit to pay term, ledger, Z Report, Scan & Go and module switch. Each definition is one to three sentences and links to the guide where the term is used. Terms are grouped by topic.

Account, plan and access

• Plan — your SmartPOS Hub subscription. It sets which modules you can use and your limits on locations, users, products and invoices. See it in Settings › Package Subscription. Subscription and billing
• Free trial — the starting period after sign-up, with no card needed. The Subscription page shows when it ends. Sign up and choose a plan
• Lifetime deal — a one-time purchase that gives a plan with no renewals, activated with a code in Settings › Redeem code. Subscription and billing
• Module — a set of screens for one job, such as Restaurant, Gym, Repair or Website. You switch on only the modules your business uses. All modules
• Module switch — the on/off switch for a module in Settings › Business Settings › Modules, saved with Update Settings. Switching a module off hides it but keeps its data. All modules
• Three gates — plan, switch and permission. A feature appears only when all three are open. All modules
• User — one person with their own login (username or e-mail and password). Users and roles
• Role — a named set of permissions, such as Cashier or Store manager, that you give to users. Managed in User Management › Roles. Users and roles
• Permission — one thing a role may do, such as “add sale”, “view purchase price” or “use Offline POS”. Ticked on the role form. Users and roles
• Admin role — the built-in role with every permission, including settings and users. Keep it for owners. Users and roles
• Access locations — the locations a user may work in, set on the user. With All Locations ticked they can also work in locations you add later. Users and roles
• Two-step sign-in (2FA) — a 6-digit code from an authenticator app, asked for after the password. Account security
• Recovery code — a one-time backup code you save when you turn on two-step sign-in, used when you don’t have your phone. Account security
• Business Settings — the settings page with tabs for business details, tax, products, sale, POS, purchases, modules, e-mail, SMS and more. Business settings reference
• Recycle Bin — where deleted products, contacts and other records wait, so you can restore them or delete them for good. Recycle Bin

Locations and setup

• Location — a shop, branch, warehouse or kitchen in your business, added in Settings › Business Locations. Stock, prices, invoice numbers and staff access are kept per location. Multiple locations
• Prebuilt (Import prebuilt) — a button on setup lists (categories, brands, units, tax rates, roles, printers and more) that adds a ready-made starter list for your trade. Import prebuilt
• Product Library — shared catalogs of ready-made products with names, barcodes, images and descriptions that you import in bulk and then price. Product Library
• Opening stock — the stock you already had in each location when you started with SmartPOS Hub, with its unit cost. Opening stock
• Invoice scheme — the numbering pattern of your invoices, such as a prefix and starting number, chosen per location. Invoice and receipt settings
• Invoice layout — how a receipt or invoice looks: logo, header, footer and which details it shows. Invoice and receipt settings
• Tax rate / tax group — a tax percentage (VAT, GST, sales tax) and a combination of several rates applied together. Tax rates

Products and catalog

• SKU — the stock-keeping unit: your own unique code for a product or variation. SmartPOS Hub can create it for you. Barcodes and labels
• Barcode — the code a scanner reads. A product can have extra barcodes, for example the maker’s barcode and your own. Barcodes and labels
• Single product — a product with one price and one stock figure. Add a product
• Variable product / variation — a product sold in versions such as sizes or colours. Each variation has its own SKU, price and stock. Variable products
• Combo product — a bundle of other products sold as one item; selling it takes stock from each item. Combo and service products
• Service product — something you sell without stock, such as labour or a fitting. Combo and service products
• Unit / sub-unit — the unit you count stock in (piece, kg) and a bigger or smaller pack of it, such as Box (12) = 12 pieces or a strip of 10 tablets. Stock is kept in the base unit. Categories, brands and units
• Category / brand — groups for products: a three-level category tree and brand names with logos. Categories, brands and units
• Manage Stock? — the product setting that says whether stock is counted. Untick it for services. Add a product
• Alert quantity — the stock level at which a product shows as low stock. Add a product
• Selling price group (price group) — an extra price list, such as wholesale or staff prices, that you pick on a sale or give to a customer. Price groups
• Minimum selling price — with Sales price is minimum selling price on, cashiers can’t sell below the product’s selling price. Business settings reference
• Warranty — a warranty period attached to a product and printed on the invoice. Categories, brands and units
• Size chart — a size guide for clothing, shoes or rings per product, category or brand. Size charts

Selling

• POS — the point-of-sale screen for counter sales: scan or pick products, choose the customer, take payment. POS overview
• POS V1 / POS V2 — the classic POS screen and the newer full-screen one. Both sell the same way. POS V2 and how it compares
• Add Sale — the full sales form for invoices you prepare at a desk rather than the counter. Add a sale and invoices
• Walk-In Customer — the default customer for anonymous counter sales. It can’t buy on credit. Credit sales
• Multiple Pay — the POS payment window where you enter the amount paid, choose methods and split a payment. Payment methods
• Credit Sale — the POS button that saves a sale with no payment, all of it due on the customer’s account. Credit sales
• Suspend (park) — put a POS sale aside and come back to it later. Quotations, drafts and orders
• Draft — a sale saved for later that is not final yet. Quotations, drafts and orders
• Quotation — a price offer for a customer that you can turn into a sale. Quotations, drafts and orders
• Sales order — a customer’s order recorded before you deliver and invoice it. Quotations, drafts and orders
• Sell return — taking items back from a sale, settled as a refund, store credit, gift card or exchange. Returns and refunds
• Gift card — a card with a value that customers pay with, also used to settle refunds. Gift cards and store credit
• Store credit — money the customer can spend at your shop, kept as their advance balance. Gift cards and store credit
• Reward points — points customers earn on purchases and redeem as a discount. Reward points
• Overselling — selling a product when the system shows zero stock. Allowed only when Allow Overselling is on. Business settings reference
• Max sales discount percent — the largest discount a user may give on a sale, set on the user. Users and roles
• Service staff — the waiter, stylist or technician linked to a sale or an item, used for restaurant orders and commission. Restaurant
• Commission agent — a staff member or agent who earns a percentage of the sales linked to them. Business settings reference
• Payment link — a link sent to the customer so they can pay an invoice online. Payment methods
• Cash register — the till session of one cashier at one location, opened with the starting cash and closed with a count. Cash register and closing
• Z Report — the end-of-day summary for a date and location: sales, returns, purchases, expenses and total sales in hand, under Reports › Z Report. Cash register and closing
• Customer display — a second screen facing the customer that shows the items and total. Screens & displays
• Offline POS — the POS that keeps selling without internet and syncs sales later. Offline POS
• Offline PIN — the 4–6 digit PIN that unlocks Offline POS on a registered device. Offline POS
• Offline reference — the temporary number an offline sale gets, such as OFF-WRH9-0001, until it syncs and gets its real invoice number. Offline POS
• Sync issue — an offline sale that was recorded but needs a manager’s check, for example a price or stock conflict. Offline POS

Credit, payments and balances

• Total paid / sell due — on every sale, how much was received and how much is still owed. Credit sales
• Due — the payment status of a sale with nothing paid yet. Credit sales
• Partial — the payment status of a sale with some money received and a balance left. Credit sales
• Paid — the payment status of a fully paid sale. Credit sales
• Overdue — a Due or Partial sale older than the customer’s pay term. Credit sales
• Balance due — everything a customer still owes across their sales, bookings and opening balance, minus payments and returns. Negative means you owe them. Credit limits and advances
• Credit limit — the most a customer may owe at once. A sale that would go above it is refused. Credit limits and advances
• Pay term — how many days or months a customer (or you, with a supplier) has to pay. Credit limits and advances
• Advance (advance balance) — money a customer paid you ahead, spent later with the payment method Store credit (advance). Credit limits and advances
• Opening balance — what a customer or supplier already owed before you started with SmartPOS Hub. Credit limits and advances
• Ledger — the full statement of a customer or supplier: every sale or purchase, payment and balance, with debit and credit, exportable as PDF. Customer ledger
• Khata — the local word in many South Asian shops for a customer’s running credit account; in SmartPOS Hub it is the customer’s credit sales and ledger. Mart: customer credit (khata)
• Payment account — where money lands, such as the cash drawer or a bank account, so balances by account stay right. Payment accounts
• Payment proof — a bank-transfer receipt a customer uploads for an online order, which you approve. Website orders
• Supplier credit — buying from a supplier now and paying later, in parts if needed. Supplier payments and credit

Stock and purchasing

• Purchase — goods bought from a supplier. Stock goes up when the Purchase Status is Received. Record a purchase
• Purchase order — an order you send a supplier before the goods arrive, turned into a purchase on delivery. Purchase orders
• Stock transfer — moving stock from one location to another. It arrives when the transfer is Completed. Stock transfers
• Stock adjustment — a record of damaged, expired, lost or found stock that changes the quantity. Stock adjustments
• Stock count — counting the shelves with the Business app and updating the system to match. Stock counts
• Lot number — the supplier’s lot or batch code for a delivery, kept with the stock. IMEI, serial and lot numbers
• Batch and expiry date — the date a delivery expires, so you sell the oldest stock first and remove expired goods. Expiry and batches
• IMEI / serial number — the unique number of one phone, laptop or appliance, recorded on purchase and sale. IMEI, serial and lot numbers
• Product stock history — the list of every stock movement of a product, opened from the product’s Actions. Troubleshooting

Customers

• Contact — a customer or supplier record in Contacts. Contacts
• Customer group — a group of customers that can share a price group or discount. Customer groups
• Lead — a person who isn’t a customer yet, from a website form, the newsletter, the Shopper app or added by hand, managed in Contacts › Leads. Leads
• Recovery cart — an online cart a shopper left without paying, which you can follow up. Leads
• Customer portal — a sign-in area where customers, suppliers or riders see their invoices, orders and deliveries. Portal

Restaurant and services

• KDS (kitchen display) — the screen in the kitchen that shows orders as tickets with timers, which cooks start and bump when ready. Restaurant
• Kitchen station — one part of the kitchen (grill, drinks, desserts) with its own screen. Screens & displays
• Modifier — an extra or option on an item, such as a topping, size or sauce, with its own price. Modifiers
• Order option — a detail the customer gives for an item, such as a prescription, engraving text, measurements or a cake message. Order options
• Open tab — a table or bar bill kept open while guests order rounds, paid once at the end. Open tabs
• Table / floor plan — the restaurant’s tables laid out by area, used to place dine-in orders. Restaurant
• Booking — a table reservation or appointment on the calendar. Bookings
• Job sheet — a repair job record: device, fault, estimate, status and parts. Repair

Online, apps and devices

• SmartPOS Hub (web app) — the system you use in a browser for everything: POS, products, stock, reports, modules and settings. Getting started
• SmartPOS Business — the Android app for owners and staff, installed from Google Play. Business app overview
• SmartPOS Shopper — the Android app for your customers, installed from Google Play. Shopper app for your store
• SmartPOS Connect — an Android app that turns a shop phone into a caller popup and SMS gateway. It isn’t on Google Play; contact support to get it. Connect
• Store code — the 6-character code customers type in the Shopper app to join your store. Shopper app for your store
• Store card — the member code a shopper shows in the Shopper app; the cashier scans it to pick the customer at the counter. It is valid for about 3 minutes, once. Scanner and store cards
• Scan & Go — shoppers scan items into a cart in the Shopper app while they walk the store, then pay at the counter. Scan & Go
• Cart code — the 6-character code of a Scan & Go cart that the cashier types or scans to load it into the POS. Valid for about 15 minutes, once. Scan & Go
• Online store — your shop website with checkout, run from the Website menu. Your online store
• Widget — a piece of copy-and-paste code that shows your products, a buy button or chat on any other website. Shop widgets
• Order link / table QR — a direct link or QR code that opens your store, a product or a table’s menu for ordering. Order links and QR
• App chat — messages from customers in the Shopper app, answered from the Inbox or the Business app. Chat with customers
• Genuine-app check — the app’s check that it was installed from Google Play and not changed; other copies are refused. Devices and security
• Signed-in devices — the phones signed in to SmartPOS Business, listed in Settings › Mobile app, where you can sign one out. Devices and security

Reports and accounts

• Profit and Loss — income minus costs and expenses for a period and location. Profit and loss
• Expense — money paid out that isn’t stock, such as rent or electricity. Expenses
• Payment by Age — a report of unpaid sales grouped by how late they are. Credit limits and advances
• Bookkeeping — double-entry accounts kept up to date from sales, purchases and expenses. Bookkeeping

Related pages

FAQShort answers, grouped by topic.

TroubleshootingFixes for common problems.

All modulesEvery module and how to turn it on.

Contact supportAsk the SmartPOS Hub team.