With Retail POS's Serial number feature (Inventory > Serial numbers), retailers can capture serial numbers for specific products and record these when sold on the Sell screen.

This allows retailers to keep track of exactly which unit of a product is sold to which customer, ensuring that if returns are made (i.e unwanted purchase or warranty claim), the specific unit returned is the correct one.

Setting up serial numbers for products

There are two ways serial numbers can be set up and used in your store.

1. Pre-recorded: This allows you to pre-record all serial numbers using the serial numbers pages in order to keep track of what is currently in stock and automatically attaching sales to these when a product with a recorded serial number is sold.
2. At the time of sale: This allows you to enable serial numbers for a product and have these recorded only at the time of sale; these will then be saved to the serial numbers page and the corresponding sale automatically attached.

Pre-record serial numbers

To ensure serial numbers are easily recorded and tracked, serial numbers are found under Inventory > Serial numbers. Here you can record new serial numbers for your products. Follow the steps below:

1. Navigate to Inventory > Serial numbers
   
   
   
2. Click Add Serial numbers
   
   
   
3. Enter and select the product name you're recording serial numbers for in the Product field
4. Select the outlet these serial numbers will be located at in the Outlet field
5. Enter each serial number, separated by a comma, in the Serial numbers field
   
6. Once all serial numbers have been entered, click Add Serial numbers
   
7. Each serial number you have added will now appear as an individual line on the Serial Numbers page

Enable at the time of sale

To enable recording serial numbers at the time of sale only, you can turn serial numbers on for individual products through your product catalog. To do this, follow the steps below:

1. Navigate to Catalog > Products
   
2. Locate the product you wish to enable serial numbers for, using the filters if required
   
3. Click the Edit pencil icon to open the Edit product page
   
   
4. Scroll to the Serial numbers section
   
5. Select the Has serial numbers checkbox
   
6. Click Save

Recording serial numbers on the Sell screen

When selling a product that has serial numbers recorded against it at the specific outlet, cashiers will be prompted to enter the serial number to confirm it is available to sell.

To complete a sale of a product with a serial number recorded against it, follow the steps below:

1. Add the Customer details as applicable
2. Add the product to the sell screen by scanning the barcode, using the search bar, or selecting it on the quick keys
   
   
   
   
3. When you click Pay, the Record a serial number box opens. Locate the serial number on the physical product being sold and enter it in the field, and click Continue.
   
   
   • If the serial number entered does not match any captured on the serial numbers page, Retail POS will prompt you to capture it as a new serial number or retype the serial number
     
4. Process the remainder of the sale as normal
   
   

Tracking sales of products with serial numbers

You can track which serial numbers have been sold on the serial numbers page (Inventory > Serial numbers). On each serial number line, sale information will be recorded in the Sold On column.

This sale information will display the sale date and time, as well as a direct link to the sale in the Sales history. 

Each serial number will remain on the serial numbers page until removed using the trash can icon.

Disabling serial numbers for individual products

Once a serial number has been recorded against a product, or the Has serial number setting has been turned on in the Edit product page, the cashier will be prompted to enter a serial number each time the product is sold.

If you no longer wish to record serial numbers at the time of sale, follow the steps below:

1. Navigate to Catalog > Products
   
2. Locate the product you wish to enable serial numbers for, using the filters if required
   
3. Click the Edit pencil icon to open the Edit product page
   
   
4. Scroll to the Serial numbers section
   
5. Deselect the Has serial numbers checkbox
   
6. Click Save