Losing $366K on Blind POS Ops? Master Sales Analysis in Odoo 18

Coffee shop runs 3 POS terminals. End of day—manager asks: "How much did we make?" Cashier 1: "$1,247." Cashier 2: "$923." Cashier 3: "Forgot to count—maybe $800?" Manager manually adds: $2,970 total. But bank deposit shows $2,340. Missing $630. Checks paper receipts—takes 2.3 hours. Finds: Cashier 3 gave wrong change twice ($47), one refund not recorded ($83), card payment failed but item given away ($127), cash drawer short $373 (no explanation). Happens twice weekly. Annual shortage: $32,760. Zero visibility into what's selling, peak hours, payment method split, or cashier performance.

Your POS analysis disaster: End-of-day reconciliation = manual paper counting (2.3 hours daily). Cash shortages unexplained (average $630 weekly = $32,760/year). No real-time sales visibility (can't see what's selling during peak). Can't track cashier performance (who's fastest, who has errors). Payment method analysis missing (cash vs card split unknown). Product performance invisible (bestsellers vs dead stock). Session mismatches common (starting balance ≠ expected). Peak hour analysis impossible (can't optimize staffing). Refund tracking manual (disputes = he-said-she-said). Inventory sync broken (POS sales don't update stock in real-time).

Cost: Manual reconciliation = 2.3 hours daily × $67/hour × 365 = $56,285/year. Cash shortages = $630 weekly × 52 = $32,760 lost annually. Overstaffing (no peak hour data) = 2 extra staff hrs daily × $23/hr × 365 = $16,790. Understocking bestsellers (no product analytics) = $87,000 lost sales. Dead stock (can't identify slow movers) = $23,400 tied up. Payment processing fees (could optimize methods) = 2.8% vs 2.1% achievable = $14,700 overpaid. Audit prep time (quarterly) = 18 hours × 4 × $87/hr = $6,264. Customer disputes (no transaction proof) = 23 yearly × 1.7 hrs × $67/hr = $2,608.

Odoo 18 POS Orders Analysis fixes this: Orders menu shows all transactions (filter by date, status, cashier, payment method). Session tracking per shift (opening balance, closing balance, theoretical vs actual). Payment analysis (method breakdown, amount, linked order). Real-time reporting (what's selling right now, not yesterday). Cashier performance metrics (transactions per hour, accuracy). Product analytics (bestsellers, slow movers, hourly trends). Automated reconciliation (system calculates expected vs actual). Here's how to use POS analysis so you stop losing $239K annually to blind operations.

What POS Orders Analysis Does

Comprehensive sales analysis: View all transactions → Filter by date/cashier/payment → Analyze sessions (shift reconciliation) → Track payments by method → Generate reports → Identify trends.

Step 1: Access Orders Menu

View all POS transactions processed across all terminals.

1. Open Point of Sale app
2. Navigate to Orders → Orders
3. List view displays all POS orders with:
   • Order Reference: Unique ID (e.g., Order 0012-001-0043)
   • Session: Which shift/terminal
   • Customer: Customer name (if recorded)
   • Date: Transaction date/time
   • Total: Order amount
   • Receipt Number: Printed receipt number
   • Cashier: Employee who processed
   • Status: Posted, Invoiced, Cancelled

Filter Orders

1. Click Filters dropdown
2. Predefined filters:
   • Invoiced: Orders with invoice generated
   • Posted: Completed orders
   • Cancelled: Refunded/voided orders
   • Order Date: Filter by date range
3. Add custom filter:
   • Click Add Custom Filter
   • Example: Total > 100 (high-value orders)
   • Example: Cashier = John Doe (specific employee)

Group Orders

1. Click Group By dropdown
2. Grouping options:
   • Session: See orders per shift
   • Customer: Track repeat customers
   • Cashier: Analyze employee performance
   • Point of Sale: Compare terminal performance
   • Status: Organize by order state
   • Order Date: Daily/weekly trends
   • Payment Method: Cash vs card analysis
3. Example use: Group by Cashier → See transactions per employee → Identify fastest/slowest

Step 2: Analyze Individual Order

1. Click on any order from list
2. Order form opens with details

Order Header Information

Products Tab

Shows all items sold in this order.

Payments Tab

Shows how customer paid for this order.

Extra Info Tab

General Notes Tab

Custom remarks or special instructions for this order.

Pickings Smart Button

1. Click Pickings button at top of order form
2. Opens delivery order in Inventory module
3. Shows products moved from stock for this sale
4. Useful for tracking inventory impact per POS order

Step 3: Analyze Sessions (Shift Reconciliation)

Session: A period when POS is active (typically one cashier shift). Tracks opening balance, all orders during shift, closing balance.

1. Go to Point of Sale → Orders → Sessions
2. List view displays all sessions:
   • Session ID: Unique identifier (e.g., POS/0012/001)
   • Opened: Start date/time
   • Closed: End date/time
   • Starting Balance: Cash at shift start
   • Ending Balance: Cash counted at shift end
   • Responsible: Cashier assigned
   • Status: In Progress, Closing Control, Closed and Posted
   • Theoretical Closing: What cash SHOULD be (calculated)

Filter and Group Sessions

• Filters: My Sessions, In Progress, Custom filters
• Group By: Opened By, Status, Point of Sale, Custom groups

Analyze Session Details

1. Click on a session to open detailed view
2. Session form shows:
   • Opened By: Cashier responsible
   • Point of Sale: Which terminal/configuration
   • Accounting Journal: Linked journal entry
   • Opening Date: Shift start
   • Closing Date: Shift end
   • Starting Balance: Cash at start (e.g., $200 float)
   • Ending Balance: Cash counted at end (e.g., $1,847)
   • Status: Current stage (In Progress, Closing Control, Closed and Posted)

Session Smart Buttons

Reconciliation Example

Step 4: Analyze Payments

View all payment transactions across all orders and sessions.

1. Go to Point of Sale → Orders → Payments
2. List view displays all payment transactions:
   • Payment Date: When received
   • Payment Method: Cash, Card, Customer Account, etc.
   • Related Order: Link to order
   • Cashier: Who processed
   • Amount: Payment amount
3. By default, payments are Grouped by Payment Method

Payment Method Analysis

Payment Detail View

1. Click on specific payment to open detail form
2. Payment form shows:
   • Session: Which shift payment belongs to
   • Order: Link to related POS order
   • Amount: Payment amount
   • Payment Method: How customer paid
3. Quick navigation to both session and order

Advanced Analysis Techniques

1. Bestseller Identification

1. Go to Orders → Orders
2. Filter by date range (e.g., This Week)
3. Export to Excel or use Reporting module
4. Group by Product → Sort by Quantity Sold
5. Identify top 10 bestsellers
6. Action: Ensure adequate stock, feature in promotions

2. Peak Hour Analysis

1. Filter orders by today's date
2. Export with timestamps
3. Analyze order frequency by hour
4. Example finding: 11 AM - 1 PM = 47% of daily orders
5. Action: Schedule 2 additional staff during 11 AM - 1 PM

3. Cashier Performance Comparison

1. Go to Sessions
2. Filter by date range (e.g., Last Month)
3. Group by Opened By (cashier)
4. Compare metrics:
   • Orders per session (transactions per hour)
   • Average order value
   • Cash discrepancies (actual vs theoretical)
   • Session duration (efficiency)
5. Identify top performer for recognition, struggling cashier for training

4. Payment Method Optimization

1. Go to Payments
2. Group by Payment Method
3. Calculate percentage split (62% cash, 34% card, 4% other)
4. Analyze card processing fees: 2.8% × $1,023 = $28.64 daily
5. Action: Negotiate better rates if card volume justifies, or incentivize cash payments

Real-World Impact

Best Practices

FAQs