GLOSSARY
Point of Sale (POS)
The place and system where in-person sales are captured, payments are taken, and receipts are issued.
A POS is the in-store touchpoint that records orders, calculates tax, and processes payments. Modern POS platforms like our POS platform integrate payments, inventory, and loyalty in one workflow.
POS often connects to back-office systems such as ERP, RMS, or CMS for pricing and product data, and syncs with CRM to track customer profiles. Hardware can include tablets, printers, scanners, and payment terminals; software should support offline mode, tipping, tax rules, discounts, and kitchen/workstation routing.
Operationally, POS data feeds sales, inventory depletion, staff time clocks, and settlement reports. Hospitality operators pair POS with PMS to post room charges, while retailers rely on POS exports for accounting, VAT filings, and fraud monitoring (voids, refunds, cash drawer events).
In the product
Where this term matters in operation.
The glossary is not meant to be academic. It explains the language teams use in Kotao while selling, planning, paying, reporting, and automating.
In sales
Terms like this appear inside POS, checkout, bookings, offers, and customer communication.
In back office
Finance, inventory, HR, and reporting need the same meaning so reports do not drift apart.
In integrations
APIs, imports, webhooks, and exports work better when teams use the same definitions.
Related terms.
Acquirer
Bank or payment institution that signs merchants and routes their card transactions into the card networks.
Apple Pay
Mobile wallet by Apple that tokenizes cards for contactless and in-app payments.
Card Fraud
Unauthorized card use or theft of credentials to initiate transactions.
Card Network
Payment network (e.g., Visa/Mastercard) that sets rules and routes card transactions between issuers and acquirers.