Selling
Selling offline with the app
Keep selling when the internet is down, and make sure everything syncs afterwards.
For: Owner, Manager, Sales Person
The iTrade app on Android, Windows and Linux keeps working when the internet goes down. Sales are saved on the device first and sent to iTrade automatically when the connection comes back. You don't have to do anything special: keep selling.
If you haven't installed the app yet, see Installing the apps.
What works offline
| Works offline | Needs a connection |
|---|---|
| Recording sales (with Payment & Change), viewing and printing receipts, adding customers, recording change entries, looking up products and stock. | Dashboard, reports, purchase orders, purchases, transfers, write-offs, stock takes, expenses, team, settings, and adding or editing products. |
On the app's home screen, the Sell tiles work offline. The Manage tiles grey out while you are offline.
Before you go offline
Log in once while connected. The app downloads your products, prices, customers and recent sales. After that it updates them each time it syncs.
Prices and new products added on the website only reach the device when it syncs. If you change prices, let the app sync before you start selling.
Selling while offline
- Open Sales and record the sale as usual.
- Save it. It is stored on the device and waits to be sent.
- Print or share the receipt. It says Provisional and gets its real receipt number once it reaches iTrade.
Stock shown in the app already takes off the sales waiting to be sent, and customer balances include entries waiting to be sent.
How syncing works
The app sends what is waiting:
- when the app opens,
- when the network comes back,
- after each save while you are online, and
- when you tap Sync now on the Sync screen.
The Sales and Sync tiles show a number while anything is still waiting. If a send is interrupted, the app simply tries again, and nothing is ever recorded twice.
If something won't sync
Very rarely, iTrade refuses an item, for example a redeemed amount bigger than the customer's balance. It then shows on the Sync screen with the reason.
- Tap Retry to send it again once the problem is fixed.
- Tap Discard to throw it away, then record it again correctly.
Selling more than the stock on hand is not a reason to refuse. The sale goes through with a warning, as it does on the website.
Editing and deleting
The app only creates sales, customers and change entries. To edit or delete a sale, use the website. See Fixing mistakes.
At the end of the day, open Sync and check nothing is waiting before you close the till or run your End of Day report. Reports only include sales that have reached iTrade.
Don't uninstall the app or clear its data while sales are still waiting to sync. They are stored only on that device until they are sent. Logging out keeps them on the device, but you need a connection to log back in.