There have been many conversations in the Dash community about the need for and development of a good Point of Sale (POS) system.  Frequently the goal is “signing up local retailers.”  We should define our terms. A POS system can be as simple or as complex as the business that uses it.

From Wikipedia.org – “Point of sale system software can typically handle a myriad of customer based functions such as sales, returns, exchanges, layaways, gift cards, gift registries, customer loyalty programs, promotions, discounts and much more. POS software can also allow for functions such as pre-planned promotional sales, manufacturer coupon validation, foreign currency handling and multiple payment types.”

Think about your shopping experience at a grocery store. That whole setup where you checkout is the POS system – including the conveyor belt, scale, register, monitors and card reader. Each sale connects to corporate inventory, pricing, accounting and marketing systems.  

For a very small business – say selling vegetables at a farmers market – a small cash box and a credit card reader connected to a cell phone app can be the entire POS system.

Square is a strong competitor in the POS market for the small mobile business sector. They offer an easy to use system that integrates with other software to provide the functionality required for a small business as it grows. There are many other small and large providers that specialize in various “vertical markets.”  Like pizza delivery – you want caller-id purchase history lookup and delivery route options don’t you?

I think we can mostly agree there is no reason to replicate all of this complexity.  Dash is “Digital Cash” so the biggest need is to give consumers the ability to pay with Dash in a way that integrates into existing systems.  From my experience once a business settles in with a software package they are very reluctant to switch – even if they “hate” it.

So how do we get Dash in the mix?  The simplest solution is use a tablet or phone app connected to a “store wallet” and enter it manually into the POS system as explained here on the Square user forum as an “other” payment type. This allows it to flow through the other components of the system and if Dash is the only “other” payment type it is easy to track.

I know of 4 current efforts to add Dash to POS systems:

  • Dashpay POS is using the “other” payment approach. It is an app that facilitates Dash payment into a wallet. Video demo.
  • Anypay.global is aiming to be more like BitPay and provide Dash payments and backend conversion to fiat currency.
  • Hbpay Dash POS is actually a small POS system.  It is currently focused on food truck vendors who can enter products with fiat pricing and then collect payment in Dash. Video demo here.
  • Cryptogroup with Profit Solutions in Ukraine.  This system seems to add a crypto-currency payment module into the existing POS system for restaurants.  Video demo here.

It is great to see this level of focused development on a very important function needed to make Dash real “Digital Cash.”  If you are one of those people that are interested in helping spread “real use” of Dash look at each of these projects and offer support. You can even get paid by Dash Force:

Advanced Merchant Adoption meetup program: 2 Dash

Organize at least a 5 person meetup plus yourself. Then find a business willing to accept Dash and host your meetup there. You will give away $10 in Dash to everyone who attends and set’s up a Dash wallet, then encourage them to enjoy themselves and spend some of that Dash at the business you on-boarded.
If you have under 10 people attend you will win 2 Dash.
If you get 10 or more people to attend you will receive a .50 Dash bonus!
If you have more than 20 attend you will receive a 1 Dash bonus! So 3 Dash for events with more than 20 people in attendance.
*Dash Force will be starting a separate contest soon for people who can’t do a meetup and just want to add new merchants