The short answer
A good spare parts shop POS lets you find a part in seconds by name, part number or barcode. It also lets you keep one price for walk-in customers and a lower price for garages, track what each mechanic owes you, and record what you buy from suppliers. Growth Informer Business does this with products, selling price groups, customers with credit sales, purchases and suppliers, and reports. It runs in the cloud and has Android and iOS apps.
It suits shops with thousands of items and two or more kinds of customer. It does not hold a catalogue that says which part fits which vehicle, so you still write the vehicle in the item name or notes. If you only stock a few dozen items and sell from one counter, a notebook may still be enough. If you also sell nuts, bolts and tools, read our page on a hardware shop POS.
Finding the right part fast, and handling versions of the same part
A customer says "brake pads for a Premio" and waits. The Toyota Premio is a common car on Ugandan roads, so your counter hears this kind of request all day. Every minute you spend searching the shelf or a thick notebook is a minute the customer may spend walking to the next shop. The system can only answer quickly if the item list is clean, so that is the first job.
Set up each part once
- Give every item a clear name that starts with the part, then the brand, then the vehicle it fits, for example "Brake pads, front, Toyota Premio, brand name".
- Put the part number in the SKU field. SKU is just the code you use to identify the item. Customers and suppliers often quote the part number, so you can search by it.
- Print barcode labels for items that do not have one, so the counter can scan instead of typing.
- Set the unit for each item: pieces, sets, litres or boxes. Brake fluid is not sold like a bolt.
Same part, different versions
One part often comes in several forms: the car maker's own part or one made by another company, small and large, left and right, or different brands at different prices. You can keep each as its own item, or use variations (such as size or colour) under one item. Pick one way and use it for the whole shop. Mixed habits make an item list messy and slow to search.
Be honest with yourself about which part fits which vehicle. The system will not tell you that a part fits a certain chassis number. Your staff still need that knowledge. What the system does is stop them hunting through paper for the price and the stock level.
One part, two prices: garages and walk-ins
Most parts shops sell the same item at different prices. A garage that buys every week gets a better price than a person who walks in once. If the counter staff keep this in their heads, prices change with the mood of the day and the person serving.
Use selling price groups
Growth Informer has selling price groups. You make a group such as "Garage" and another called "Retail", and each item can carry a price for each group. At the counter, staff choose the group and the right price appears. You can add a third group for other shops that buy from you. If that is a big part of your trade, our page on wholesale and distribution software may help.
Credit accounts for mechanics
Many mechanics take parts now and pay when the car owner pays them. The system supports customers and credit sales, so each mechanic has a record. You can see what was taken, what has been paid and what is still owed. Record each payment against the sale when it comes in, whether by cash, card or Mobile Money. Mobile Money is recorded as a payment method. The system does not send a payment request to the customer's phone.
Quotes for bigger jobs
A garage may ask for a price on a list of parts before the car owner agrees. Use a quotation or a draft, then turn it into a sale when the job is approved. Use users and roles with permissions to decide what each person at the counter may do, so staff do not work outside the rules you set for prices and discounts.
Supplier purchases and the true cost of a part
The price on the supplier's invoice is not what the part cost you. Transport, clearing and handling all add to it. Uganda has no sea port, so parts you import usually come in through a port such as Mombasa or Dar es Salaam, and the road freight, clearing agent and duty on that journey all become part of your cost. The full cost after these extras is called the landed cost. If you set your margin from the invoice price alone, you can sell a part for less than it really cost.
- Record each delivery as a purchase from a named supplier, so you can see what you bought, when and at what price.
- Work out the landed cost per part: the invoice price plus a fair share of transport, clearing and duty. Check that the cost you keep for the item is that figure. Ask us in the demo to show where the extra costs of your own shipments are recorded.
- Check your cost when a supplier raises prices. If your garage price has not moved, your margin has shrunk without you seeing it.
- Use the sales and stock reports to see which items sell slowly. Cash locked in a part nobody buys is a cost too.
If you have more than one shop or store, the system also keeps stock per location and lets you move items between them. A part sitting in the wrong branch is a lost sale.
What to do about stock on the shelf that the system does not know
Many shops that start with a system find parts on the shelf that are not in the records. They may be old stock, parts bought from another dealer, or items sold in the past and never written down. Do not ignore them, and do not try to type them all in on day one.
- Start with the fast movers: the filters, pads, belts, bearings and bulbs that leave your shop every day. Get these right first.
- Count one shelf or one bay at a time. Enter what you find, with the part number and your cost if you know it.
- For old items with no known cost, write down a fair estimate and note that it is an estimate, rather than leaving the item out.
- When the system count and the shelf count disagree, find the reason before you change the number. A wrong count often points to a missed sale, a wrong item chosen at the counter, or theft.
- Keep a plain list of items you cannot identify. Ask your supplier or an older mechanic, or sell them at a clearance price.
Repeat a small count each week, not a huge count once a year. For how to spot where stock goes missing, read our guide on how to stop stock theft in a shop, and for the stock side of the system see our page on inventory management software.
How this compares, and when not to choose us
| What you need | Growth Informer Business | Notebook or spreadsheet |
|---|---|---|
| Find a part by name or part number | Search the item list, or scan a barcode | Page through the book or filter the sheet, which is slow with thousands of items |
| Garage price and retail price | Selling price groups, chosen at the sale | Written beside the item or remembered by staff |
| Mechanic credit | Customer record with credit sales and payments recorded | A separate credit book that can be lost or changed |
| Stock in more than one shop | Stock per location and transfers between them | One sheet per shop, joined by hand |
| Which vehicle a part fits | Not built in: write the vehicle in the item name or notes | You write it yourself |
| Control over staff | Users and roles with permissions | None: anyone with the book can change it |
We are not the right choice in every case. If you have a small shop with a short item list and one honest person at the counter, a notebook can work. If you need a vehicle catalogue that finds parts by chassis number, our system does not do that. It is a cloud system, so it needs an internet connection: read our page on what to do when power or internet fails in your shop before you decide. If these points do not worry you, ask for a demo and bring ten of your real parts to test.
Frequently asked questions
Can the system hold thousands of parts with part numbers and brands?
Yes. Each item has a name, a code (SKU) where you can put the part number, a unit, a brand and a category. The same part in different sizes or colours can be kept as variations. The work is in setting up the list carefully, and we can show you a clean way to do it in a demo.
Can I charge garages a different price from walk-in customers?
Yes. Selling price groups let you keep, for example, a Garage price and a Retail price for the same item. Staff choose the group when they make the sale. You can use roles and permissions to control what each user may do.
Does it tell me which part fits which vehicle?
No. There is no built-in list of which part fits which vehicle. You write the vehicle in the item name or notes, and your staff still need their parts knowledge. The system helps with search, price, stock and credit.
What does a spare parts shop POS cost?
It depends on your business: how many shops, how many staff and what you need set up. We do not quote a price on this page. Ask for a quote or a demo on WhatsApp +256 702 946 946 or through the form, and tell us how many items and branches you have.
Can I use it with EFRIS e-receipts?
A VAT-registered business can switch EFRIS e-receipts on or off in the system. Whether your own shop must use EFRIS is a question for URA, so check ura.go.ug or ask your tax adviser before you decide.