Business Software

A Modern Cloud POS System Built for Multi-Store Retail

Fast, offline-capable tills backed by central pricing, promotions and live stock data across every store.

Overview

Northwind Retail Group runs around 60 convenience and homeware stores. Its checkout estate was a mix of ten-year-old Windows terminals and a head-office database that synced overnight, so price changes, promotions and stock figures were always a day behind.

The brief

The group wanted a single POS software platform that would:

  • keep trading when a store's internet connection drops
  • push price and promotion changes to every till within minutes
  • give buyers and store managers the same live view of stock
  • run on standard hardware rather than proprietary terminals

What we built

We delivered a till application, a head-office back office and a set of integration services. Cashiers get a touch-first checkout with barcode scanning, split tender, returns against the original receipt and supervisor overrides. Head office manages the product catalogue, price bands, multi-buy and time-bound promotions, and user permissions from one web portal.

Each till keeps a local transaction store and syncs to the cloud as soon as connectivity returns, so a broadband outage never stops a sale. Card payments run through a certified payment terminal integration, keeping card data out of scope for the POS itself.

Technical approach

The back office is an ASP.NET Core application with a React front end, running on Azure with SQL Server. The till client uses a lightweight local database and a queue-based sync protocol with conflict rules agreed with the retail operations team up front.

We rolled out in waves of eight to ten stores, running old and new systems side by side for one weekend per wave. You can read the full story, including the rollout plan and results, in the retail chain POS modernisation case study. If you are planning something similar, our POS development service page explains how we scope these projects.

    • Project facts

      • Client

      • Industry

      • Category

      • Duration

      • Completed

      • Services

      • Technologies

        • ASP.NET Core

          ASP.NET Core is our default framework for secure web applications and REST APIs: fast, cross-platform and well suited to complex business logic and integrations.

        • React

          We build responsive, accessible React front ends for dashboards, portals and SaaS products, backed by clean APIs and a component library you can maintain.

        • SQL Server

          SQL Server and Azure SQL power many of our ERP, POS and reporting systems, offering strong transactional integrity, rich tooling and tight integration with .NET.

        • Microsoft Azure

          We design, build and run applications on Microsoft Azure: App Service, containers, Azure SQL, Functions and Azure OpenAI, with security and cost control built in.

        • .NET

          We use Microsoft .NET to build fast, secure and maintainable business software: web APIs, ERP and POS back ends, background services and cross-platform apps.

      Gallery

      Screenshots & walkthrough

      • Touch-first checkout screen

      • Head-office pricing console

      • Store sales and stock report

      • Product walkthrough

      Features

      Key features we delivered

      • Offline-first tills

        Each till stores transactions locally and syncs automatically once the connection is restored, so stores keep trading during outages.

      • Central pricing and promotions

        Head office sets prices, multi-buys and time-limited offers once and publishes them to every store within minutes.

      • Live stock visibility

        Sales decrement stock in near real time, giving buyers and managers one shared view across all locations.

      • Integrated card payments

        Certified payment terminal integration keeps card data outside the POS and reduces compliance scope.

      • Returns and refunds against receipts

        Cashiers look up the original transaction to process refunds accurately and reduce refund fraud.

      • Role-based permissions

        Supervisor overrides, discount limits and cash-up rights are controlled per role and audited.

      Case study

      Read the full story

      • Retail Chain POS Modernisation

        How a 60-store retail chain replaced ageing on-premise tills with an offline-capable cloud POS, cutting checkout times by 35% and ending overnight price syncs.

      • AI Support Assistant for a B2B SaaS Company

        How a B2B SaaS company deployed a grounded AI support assistant that resolves 42% of conversations on its own and hands the rest to agents with full context.

      What our clients say

      • We used to lose half a day's takings every time a store's broadband went down. Since the new tills went in, outages barely register, and head office can change a price at lunchtime and see it on every shelf-edge promotion by the afternoon.

      Solutions

      Built on our solutions

      • POS Software

        Configurable point of sale software for retail and hospitality: fast checkout, multi-store stock, offline mode, loyalty and real-time reporting, tailored to how you sell.

      • Inventory Management Software

        Inventory management software for multi-location stock control: barcode scanning, purchasing, batch and serial tracking, stock takes and demand-based reorder suggestions.

      • Restaurant Management Software

        Restaurant management software linking table service POS, kitchen display, online ordering, reservations, recipe costing and multi-site reporting in one platform.

      Services

      Services behind this project

      • POS Development

        Custom POS development for retail, hospitality and multi-store businesses: fast checkout, offline mode, inventory sync, loyalty and reporting across tills, tablets and web.

      • Cloud Application Development

        Cloud application development and migration on Azure and AWS: cloud-native architecture, containers, serverless, infrastructure as code and cost optimisation for reliable, scalable software.

      • Custom Software Development

        Custom software development for SMEs and enterprises: bespoke business systems, legacy modernisation and product builds, delivered by an experienced .NET, web, mobile and AI team.

      FAQ

      Frequently asked questions

      • Can a cloud POS keep working without internet?

        Yes, if it is designed offline-first. In this project each till keeps a local transaction store and syncs once the connection returns, so sales, returns and receipts carry on during an outage. Card payments continue through the payment terminal's own connection or fallback mode.

      • How long does it take to roll out a new POS across many stores?

        For a chain of around 60 stores, build and pilot took about four months and the phased rollout another three. Rolling out in waves of eight to ten stores keeps risk low and lets store teams learn from each other.

      More work

      Other projects

      • Manufacturing ERP Rollout

        A custom ERP for a mid-sized metal fabrication manufacturer, connecting sales orders, production planning, inventory, purchasing and finance in one system.

      • Smart Education ERP

        A unified education management platform for schools, colleges, universities, and multi-campus institutions, covering admissions, attendance, timetabling, fee management, examinations, academic records, and parent and student portals in one integrated system.

      • Clinic Appointment Mobile App

        A patient booking app and clinic scheduling back office for a group of private outpatient clinics, with online booking, reminders and secure pre-visit forms.

      Insights

      Related articles

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