In Douala, a till that stops means a queue that walks out. Here is what a shop owner should check before choosing point-of-sale software.
Point-of-sale software isn't just for taking payments. It has to keep working when power or the network fails, print a receipt your customer accepts, and tell you in the evening how much should be in the drawer. In Douala, where outages are part of daily trading, these three points matter more than a long feature list.
1. Does the till work without Internet?
Many online tills stop dead when the network goes down. Software installed on your computer records sales locally: an outage at your internet provider changes nothing at the counter. Ask for a demonstration with the network cable unplugged.
2. Is product search fast?
At the counter every second counts. Check that the cashier can find an item by name, reference or barcode, and that the total updates live. Real stock should appear next to the product, so you never sell what is no longer on the shelf.
3. Are there cash sessions?
This is the feature that prevents arguments. Each cashier opens a session with a float, takes payments, then closes it with a report: expected amount, counted amount, difference. When there is a gap, you know who was at the till and when.
4. Are the receipt and invoice suitable?
- Thermal receipt for the checkout
- A5 or A4 invoice for business customers
- Your NUI and RCCM printed on documents
- VAT calculated at the configured rate, with the total including tax
5. How many cashiers can work at once?
With more than one checkout you need a local network mode: all workstations share the same database without going through the Internet. Pricing often depends on the number of workstations, so count them from the start.
6. Is someone reachable in Douala?
A problem at 5 pm on a Saturday won't be solved with a web form. Check that the vendor answers by WhatsApp or phone, in your language, and can come on site for installation and cashier training.
Test the till with your cashier who is least comfortable with computers: if they manage alone within an hour, the software is good.
In short
Shortlist two or three products and run the same test on each: a sale with a barcode, a closed session, a printed receipt, all with the network off. Logesco's free trial lasts 7 days with no credit card and every feature included, so you can run this test on your real products.