Retail Financial Accelerator

From pricing your first product to reading your numbers like an owner. This course covers the financial fundamentals every retail store needs to stay profitable.

pos nation course financial

Sections

Explore the section material and test your knowledge with short quizzes. Each section offers helpful resources you can actually use in your operations.
pos nation course path decorative

Pricing & Profitability

How To Price a Product for Retail: 6 Expert Steps
Icon How To Price a Product for Retail: 6 Expert Steps
Retail Store
5 Retail Pricing Strategies to Sell More and Delight Customers
Icon 5 Retail Pricing Strategies to Sell More and Delight Customers
Selling any product without knowing its worth is like taking a road trip without plotting a course to your destination; you might drive in circles or reach a dead end. You can’t pluck numbers out of thin air. Setting...
Retail Markdowns: The What, Why, and How
Icon Retail Markdowns: The What, Why, and How
Clothing and Apparel Store
Retail markdowns can be the difference between stale inventory and steady cash flow. When used with intention, they let you adapt to real-world sales patterns — whether clearing aging stock, responding to customer...
What’s the Average COGS for Retail? Everything You Need To Know
Icon What’s the Average COGS for Retail? Everything You Need To Know
Retail Store
Imagine your store bustling with customers. Their carts are overflowing with items, and your checkout lines are constantly in motion as a steady stream of shoppers make their purchases.
How Much Does a Small Retail Store Make? + 5 Tips To Increase Sales
Icon How Much Does a Small Retail Store Make? + 5 Tips To Increase Sales
Some small retail stores barely cover expenses. Others bring in more than $100K in profit. The difference isn’t luck — it’s knowing how to run lean, price smart, and turn customers into repeat buyers.
Pricing & Profitability Quiz

Test Your Retail Pricing & Profitability Knowledge

10 questions covering pricing strategy, markdowns, COGS, and store profitability. Score 80% or higher to pass.

Startup Costs & Financing

ANSWERED: How Much Does It Cost To Open a Retail Store?
Icon ANSWERED: How Much Does It Cost To Open a Retail Store?
Retail Store
Dreaming of opening your own retail store?
7 Best Retail Business Loans for New Owners
Icon 7 Best Retail Business Loans for New Owners
Small Business Tips
Your new business needs cash to run — plain and simple. But what’s not so simple is figuring out all your possible financing options.
Retail Vendor Management: Strategies, Tips, & Tools
Icon Retail Vendor Management: Strategies, Tips, & Tools
Small Business Tips
You’ve just realized you’re out of stock of one of your bestselling products. Three customers have already asked about it today, and you’ve had to send each one away empty-handed. You call your supplier only to learn...

FREE Resource: Retail Sales Reporting Guide

This guide details the what, why, and how of retail sales reporting so you can grow your business without relying on guesswork and hope alone.

Startup Costs & Financing Quiz

Test Your Retail Startup & Financing Knowledge

9 questions covering store startup budgets, business loans, and vendor management. Score 80% or higher to pass.

Talk to an expert in your industry about the features you need to get started.

Inventory Accounting & Control

What Is the Best Retail Inventory Method?
Icon What Is the Best Retail Inventory Method?
Retail Store
You’ve heard all the scary statistics about how 20 percent of small businesses fail in their first year, but did you know there is a straightforward measure you can take to increase your retail store’s chance of...
ANSWERED: What Is the Retail Inventory Method? + How To Calculate It
Icon ANSWERED: What Is the Retail Inventory Method? + How To Calculate It
As a retail business manager, your days revolve around keeping your shelves stocked, customers happy, and sales soaring. Whether you’re running a cozy convenience store, a bustling grocery market, or a specialty liquor...
What Is Smart Inventory in Retail? 4 Reasons Your Store Needs This Capability
Icon What Is Smart Inventory in Retail? 4 Reasons Your Store Needs This Capability
Retail Store
Is managing your retail store inventory time-consuming and cumbersome? Some retail store owners have learned the hard way that managing inventory isn’t something you can leave to manual processes. Inventory is the...
What Is Safety Stock? Definition, Formula, and How To Minimize
Icon What Is Safety Stock? Definition, Formula, and How To Minimize
Retail Store
Modern customers have more options than ever. If your retail store consistently runs out of stock of the best-selling items your customers want, why would they keep coming back? Running low on stock is inevitable — and...
A Retailer's Guide to Cycle Counts: Best Practices for 2026
Icon A Retailer's Guide to Cycle Counts: Best Practices for 2026
Retail Store
When your physical inventory doesn’t match your inventory records, three things suffer: your customers, your staff, and your bottom line. What’s the solution?
What Is Inventory Shrinkage in Retail? 8 Ways To Prevent It
Icon What Is Inventory Shrinkage in Retail? 8 Ways To Prevent It
There are nearly 152,000 small specialty retail stores in the United States. And every year, they lose a combined $45 billion in retail inventory shrinkage. How much of that is coming from your store? It may be more...
Inventory Accounting Quiz

Test Your Inventory Accounting & Control Knowledge

11 questions covering the retail inventory method, safety stock, cycle counts, and shrinkage prevention. Score 80% or higher to pass.

Talk to an expert in your industry about the features you need to get started.

Performance Tracking & Cash Management

Retail Store Performance Dashboard: 6 KPIs and How To Track Them
Icon Retail Store Performance Dashboard: 6 KPIs and How To Track Them
Retail Store
Understanding and improving your store's performance is crucial for operating a successful retail store. A well-designed retail store performance dashboard provides insights into your business' health and helps you make...
The Crucial Retail Industry Performance Metrics To Track in 2026
Icon The Crucial Retail Industry Performance Metrics To Track in 2026
Retail Store
Every retail store owner is familiar with wearing multiple hats: store manager, buyer, marketer, and customer service expert. However, your most important role is that of a
5 Tips for Using Retail Analytics To Boost Your Profits
Icon 5 Tips for Using Retail Analytics To Boost Your Profits
Retail Store
Can you imagine being a retail store owner 30 years ago? Managing inventory manually with spreadsheet programs. Making orders to suppliers in multiple different tools. Flying blind when it comes to customer preferences.
Retail 101: What Is Cash Balancing? (And Why It’s Vital in Preventing Theft)
Icon Retail 101: What Is Cash Balancing? (And Why It’s Vital in Preventing Theft)
Retail Store
“There’s got to be a better way to do this.” Ever find yourself muttering these words under your breath at the end of a hard day? You’ve got the day’s takings, coins, bills, and receipts, and you’re struggling to...
Performance & Cash Management Quiz

Test Your Performance Tracking & Cash Management Knowledge

10 questions covering retail KPIs, performance metrics, analytics, and cash balancing. Score 80% or higher to pass.

Other Courses on the General Retail Learning Path

Retail Fundamentals Bootcamp

Retail Fundamentals Bootcamp covers the basics of running a physical store, informed by more than 20,000 retailers who've been exactly where you are. 

Brick-and-Mortar Marketing

Learn how to market a physical retail store, from choosing the right digital channels to turning your POS into a promotional tool. Built for owners who compete in person, not just online.

Retail Operations Requirements

Retail Operations Requirements covers the basic requirements and systems for successful retail operations.

Let's get specific. Now that you have the retail fundamentals, it's time to dive deeper into your specialty.