Switching guide
How to switch POS systems without losing a day of trade.
Changing POS system is mostly preparation. Get your data out, your products in and your staff comfortable before the old contract ends, and the switch itself can happen between one day's trading and the next.
In short
To switch POS systems, first check your current contract for its notice period and exit fee, then export your sales, product, customer and supplier data. Set up the new system with your best sellers first, run both side by side for a week or two, train staff on the new till, and switch over on a quiet day before the old contract renews.
Shops usually change POS for one of a few reasons: fees that grew with their takings, a contract that felt one-sided, or a system that never quite handled their stock. What holds them back is the move itself: losing years of sales history, retyping a catalogue, and a Saturday when nobody knows how the new till works.
A POS migration is manageable if you treat it as a short project with a deadline. The timeline below shows the shape of it, and the steps that follow explain each stage, starting with the contract, because it sets the date everything else works back from.
Timeline
A typical switching timeline.
Work backwards from the date your current contract can end without a penalty.
| When | What to do | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| 8 weeks before | Read the contract: notice period, renewal date, exit fee and hardware return terms. | You know your last date with the old provider and when notice must be given. |
| 6 weeks before | Export sales, products, customers and suppliers from the old system. | The files are saved in two places and you have opened each one. |
| 4 to 6 weeks before | Trial the shortlisted systems with your best sellers. | You have chosen and can ring up a real sale. |
| 3 to 4 weeks before | Build the full product list and add customers and suppliers. | Every line on the shelf exists in the new system. |
| 2 weeks before | Run both systems in parallel and train staff. | Daily totals match and everyone has served on the new till. |
| Switch day | Count stock, go live on the new system and stop using the old one. | The new system is the only one taking sales. |
| After the switch | Return any leased hardware and check the final bill. | Nothing more is owed or being charged. |
Adjust the timings to your own contract. If your notice period is longer than 30 days, start earlier.
Step 1: check your contract and set the date
Before anything else, find the agreement with your current provider and note four things: the minimum term, whether it renews automatically, the notice period and any early termination fee. Some POS contracts roll over for a full year if you miss the notice window, and some charge all the remaining months as an exit fee. Our POS cost guide shows a real example of these terms.
Check the hardware too. If terminals, card machines or printers are leased or remain the provider's property, find out how and when they must go back. If your card payments run through the same company, plan the change of card machine at the same time as the change of till.
Tip. Give notice in writing and keep proof that it arrived. Put the final date in the diary of everyone who runs the shop.
Step 2: export everything you can
When moving to a new POS, your data is the hardest thing to replace. Export it while you still have full access, because some providers limit an account once the contract ends.
- Products: names, barcodes, categories, cost and selling prices, units.
- Stock: current quantities, ideally from a fresh count.
- Customers: contact details and any balances they owe you.
- Suppliers: contact details, what you buy from each and what you owe them.
- Sales history: transactions or daily totals, for your tax records and for comparing this year with last.
Save the files in two places and open each one to check it is complete. If the old system will not export something, print or screenshot the essentials, such as customer balances. Keep old records for as long as the tax rules require: gov.uk explains the periods for UK sole traders and companies, and the IRS publishes guidance for US businesses.
Step 3: rebuild your product list, best sellers first
The product list is the heart of any POS, and moving it is where most of the work sits. Ask the new provider whether it can import a spreadsheet or whether products are added one by one, and plan your time to match.
Either way, do not try to move everything at once. Start with the 50 or 100 lines that make up most of your sales, so you can trade on the new system early, then add the rest in batches. Use the move to tidy up: merge duplicates, drop discontinued lines, fix categories and check that every barcode scans.
In POS2026, products live in the Products catalogue with images, categories, prices, barcodes and units. If your old system grouped sizes or colours under one item, set each one up as its own product within a category.
Tip. Enter cost prices as well as selling prices. Without costs, the new system cannot show your margin.
Step 4: set opening stock and bring across balances
A new system is only as accurate as its starting figures. On the day you go live, or as close to it as you can, count the stock and enter the quantities. In POS2026 you set those quantities, and the low-stock level for each line, in Stock.
Add your regular customers and suppliers in Parties so that new sales and purchases build their history from day one. Keep a printed list of any balances brought forward from the old system until each one has been settled, so nothing owed in either direction is lost in the move.
Step 5: run both systems in parallel
For a week or two, ring up sales on the new system while the old one is still available. Some shops put every sale through both; others use the new till for part of each day. At closing, compare the totals. If they match, your products and prices are right. If they do not, you have found a problem before it costs you.
Parallel running also tests what a demo cannot: your busiest hour, the awkward product with no barcode, the regular who always pays in an unusual way.
Tip. Choose a quieter fortnight for parallel running. Avoid the run-up to Christmas, a bank holiday weekend or your local peak season.
Step 6: train your staff
Staff confidence decides whether switch day is calm. Give each person a short session on the new till, then let them serve real customers during the parallel run with someone on hand. Pin a one-page crib sheet by the counter covering a normal sale, a discount, each payment method and who to call if something goes wrong.
If your team speaks several languages, check whether the new system can be used in each person's own. POS2026 is available in more than 47 languages, which can shorten training for staff who are more at home outside English.
Step 7: switch over and close the old account
Pick a quiet day early in the week. Close the last day on the old system, print or export its final reports, then open the next morning on the new one only. If your provider allows read-only access until the contract ends, keep it for looking things up.
- Confirm the notice was received and note the final billing date.
- Return any leased hardware within the time the contract allows.
- Cancel the direct debit once the final bill is paid.
- Check the first week of takings on the new system against your bank deposits.
Still choosing where to move? Our guide to choosing a POS system covers what to check, and our Square comparison shows how a software-led system differs from a payments-led one.
Questions
Common questions.
Straight answers for shop owners, based on what POS2026 actually does.
How long does it take to switch POS systems?
Plan on four to eight weeks from reading your contract to switch day. The hands-on work is a few days spread across that time: exporting data, building the product list, a week or two of parallel running and staff training.
Will I lose my sales history if I change POS?
Not if you export it first. Download your sales, product, customer and supplier data while you still have full access, and keep the files for as long as your tax records require.
What is the hardest part of a POS migration?
Usually the product list: getting every line, price and barcode into the new system accurately. Start with your best sellers, tidy the list as you go and check prices during parallel running.
Can I keep my card machine when I switch?
It depends. If the card machine belongs to your old POS provider or only works with its software, you will need a new one. POS2026 is not a card processor, so you can use the card provider of your choice and record the payment method on each sale.
When is the best time to switch EPOS provider?
Shortly before your current contract can end without a fee, and in a quiet trading period. Give notice in good time, because some contracts renew automatically if you miss the deadline.
Can I try POS2026 before switching?
Yes. Start a free trial, add your best sellers and run it alongside your current system. New accounts are covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee on their first payment.
Run POS2026 alongside your current till.
Open a free trial, load your top sellers and run the two side by side for a week before you commit.
