Start free trial

Feature 04 of 9

Purchase order software for retail shops that buy often

RetailPOS Studio includes purchase order software for retail: raise an order to a supplier, send it, receive the delivery against it and let stock, costs and the supplier's balance update together. Short deliveries, wrong items and damaged goods are handled as partial receipts and purchase returns, so what you paid for and what you have always match.

Start free trial See it on a demo

Included from Stockroom from $65 per location / month · + sales tax

Purchases › Purchase ordersSample data
  • ×20
  • ×12
  • ×50
  • ×30

    Try it — this is how it works in the app

    What is a purchase order in a retail POS?

    In short

    A purchase order is the list of items and quantities you ask a supplier for, at agreed costs. In RetailPOS Studio it becomes a purchase when the goods arrive: stock rises, item costs update and the amount owed is added to the supplier's ledger, all from the same document.

    Set it up · focus ring

    How does an order go from low stock to shelf?

    36 minutes, start to selling

    Step 1 of 5 · ~3 min

    Check what's low

    Open the low-stock list or the stock report filtered by supplier to see what needs reordering.

    Spec table

    What do purchase statuses mean?

    The life of an order, from request to settled.
    StatusMeaningStock effect
    OrderedSent to the supplier, nothing arrived yetNone
    Partially receivedSome lines or quantities arrivedOnly received quantities added
    ReceivedEverything on the order has arrivedAll quantities added
    PendingPurchase saved but not yet in stockNone until received
    Purchase returnGoods sent back to the supplierStock removed, supplier credited
    Paid / partial / duePayment status against the supplierNone — shows in the ledger

    The life of an order, from request to settled.

    How it works

    Why use purchase orders instead of just entering deliveries?

    1. 01

      You can check what was promised

      When the delivery arrives with 40 chargers instead of 50, the order shows the difference immediately. You receive 40, the order stays open for the remaining 10, and you have a written record when the supplier says they sent the full quantity.

    2. 02

      Costs update automatically

      Each received line updates the item's purchase price, so profit reports use the cost you really paid. If a supplier raises prices, you'll see it on the order before the goods arrive, not three months later in a margin report.

    3. 03

      The supplier balance is right

      Receiving the purchase adds the amount owed to the supplier's ledger, and payments reduce it. Purchase returns credit the supplier. At the end of the month, the ledger matches the supplier's statement or shows exactly where it doesn't.

    4. 04

      Buying in cartons, selling in pieces

      Order in the supplier's units — a carton of 24, a pack of 10 — and receive into stock as pieces using sub-units. The order reads the way the supplier invoices, and the shelf counts the way you sell.

    By trade

    Ordering in your kind of shop

    General retail

    Weekly cash-and-carry runs

    Many variety stores buy weekly from a few wholesalers. A purchase order built from the low-stock list becomes the shopping list, and receiving it in the evening puts everything back in stock with today's costs, ready for the next morning.

    Gift shops

    Pre-season buying

    Gift buyers commit months before a holiday. Purchase orders record what was ordered and when it is due, so you can see open orders by supplier and receive partial shipments as they arrive in the weeks before the season.

    Phone shops

    Handsets from distributors

    Phone shops buy handsets from distributors in Dubai, Karachi or New York in small batches. Receiving the purchase is where each IMEI is scanned in, so every phone in stock is tied to the supplier and the cost it came in at.

    What goes wrong without purchase orders

    • Paying for goods that never came

      Without an order to check against, a short delivery is easy to miss and the full invoice gets paid.

    • Margins based on old costs

      If costs aren't updated on receipt, profit reports quietly overstate what you make.

    • Double ordering

      Two staff reorder the same item from the same list. Open orders show what is already on the way.

    • Returns that never get credited

      Damaged goods sent back without a purchase return mean the supplier balance stays too high.

    Spec sheet · FAQ

    Purchase orders: your questions

    01Which plan includes purchase orders?Day to day
    Purchase orders, receiving and purchase returns are part of the Stockroom plan and above, at $65 per location per month. Counter shops can still add stock through opening stock and adjustments.
    02Can I email a purchase order to my supplier?Day to day
    Yes. Each order can be printed or downloaded as a PDF, which you can email or send on WhatsApp, the way most suppliers in the UAE and Pakistan prefer to receive orders.
    03What happens if only part of my order arrives?Day to day
    Receive what came. Stock rises by the received quantities only, and the rest stays visible as outstanding so you can chase the supplier or cancel it.
    04Can I record shipping or customs costs on a purchase?Cost & billing
    Yes. Add additional costs such as shipping to the purchase. They're part of the amount owed to the supplier and are recorded against that delivery.
    05How do I send goods back to a supplier?Day to day
    Create a purchase return against the original purchase. Stock is removed and the supplier's ledger is credited, so the next payment reflects what you actually kept.
    06Can I order in cartons and sell single items?Day to day
    Yes. Use units and sub-units: order and receive in cartons, hold and sell stock as pieces. The conversion happens automatically on receipt.
    07Can staff create orders without seeing costs?Cost & billing
    You can control who creates, edits and views purchases through roles. Many owners let a manager draft orders and keep final approval and cost visibility for themselves.
    08Does receiving a purchase update my online store?Day to day
    Yes. Received stock is available to the online store generated from your catalogue right away, so items that were showing out of stock become buyable again.

    Works with

    Features this one leans on

    Supplier ledgers

    A running account per supplier: purchases, returns, payments, pay terms and the balance you owe, always up to date.

    Inventory

    Stock levels per item, variant and location, updated by every sale, purchase, return, transfer and count.

    Barcode labels

    Print barcode and price labels from your catalogue on sheets or a label printer, in the sizes your shelves use.

    Purchase orders, in focus from day one.

    Included from the Stockroom plan. Start a 21-day trial, or book a demo and we'll show it on your own catalogue.

    Start free trialBook a demo

    21-day free trialNo card neededCancel any time

    Start free trialBook a demo