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Piantala is an Italian event and pop-up retail concept for selling plants, which organises over 25 sales events per year throughout Italy. In cities such as Milan, Turin or Rome, over 15,000 plants are sold on individual weekends — embedded in a curated experience of music, DJ sets, workshops, food & merchandise. For the first major rollout, we accompanied Piantala on site in Milan and Turin and migrated the entire retail system from SumUp to Shopify POS. The aim was to create a high-performance, cashless event setup that processes thousands of transactions per day in a stable, fast and scalable way — including inventory, event logistics and fiscalization for the Italian market.
Piantala uses Shopify POS as a central retail infrastructure for temporary retail spaces with a very high frequency. The setup is designed to efficiently serve large flows of visitors in a short period of time and at the same time support a coherent event experience.
Each event is designed for maximum speed and clear processes. Especially with thousands of sales per day, processes are needed that function stably even under heavy load and keep waiting times at the checkout low.
All sales are completely digital via Shopify POS. This enables quick checkouts, reduces sources of error in event operations and ensures smooth sales even with a very high transaction density.
For the first major rollout, the existing infrastructure was migrated from SumUp to Shopify POS and brought together in a central system. This created a scalable basis for sales, data management and operational processes.
All plants, accessories and other sales products were neatly transferred to Shopify and restructured. The setup was supplemented by individual metafields in order to be able to represent products in more detail in an event context.
In addition to classic product data, additional information such as plant type, pot size or height is recorded. This data creates the basis for subsequent evaluations, segmentations and more targeted marketing measures.
A central part of the project was the mapping of complex flows of goods between warehouse, suppliers and event locations. Especially in temporary retail, clean logistics are crucial for smooth processes on site.
Weekly orders from retailers are created directly in Shopify and, in the next step, distributed to the respective event locations. In this way, goods movements can be planned centrally and clearly traced.
The setup takes into account different goods flows and warehouse structures. In addition to event goods, there are separate areas for damaged plants, central inventories and B2B processes, so that all inventory movements can be managed clearly separately.
The entire cash register system was designed for mobile, flexible and event-appropriate use. This allows the setup to be used efficiently even with changing locations and large numbers of visitors.
In addition to classic POS terminals, iPhones with Tap to Pay and Shopify POS Go devices are also used. This provides more flexibility on the floor and enables fast, decentralized sales processes.
Additional Bluetooth terminals and redundant setups ensure ongoing operation. Especially at large events, it is important to remain able to act even during heavy workloads or technical problems.
Temporary event spaces need systems that function reliably even when the connection is unstable. The setup was therefore planned in such a way that sales remain as independent of network quality as possible.
Each POS cluster has its own mobile Internet. This stabilizes the local connection and significantly reduces the risk of outages in ongoing sales.
Even if the connection is weak or interrupted, the checkout remains functional. This is particularly important in an event context, where high frequency and changing technical conditions meet.
A significant part of the project was the legally secure implementation of the cash register system for the Italian market. For this purpose, a digital fiscalization solution was integrated into the setup.
By connecting OpenFiskal, classic hardware solutions could be dispensed with. The fiscalization is cloud-based and is therefore a much better fit for a mobile, event-oriented setup.
The system meets local requirements for stationary sales in Italy. As a result, Piantala was able to work in a legally secure and efficient manner at the same time, even with temporary event formats.
To ensure that the new setup works safely in live mode, the team was intensively prepared directly on site. In addition to the technical introduction, it was primarily about clear processes and responsibilities.
All sellers were trained directly on the Shopify POS system in Milan and Turin. This ensured that the team worked safely with the new setup from the very first event.
Clearly defined authorizations have been set up for cashiers, managers and admins. This makes daily processes easier, reduces errors and creates a clear distribution of tasks in event operations.
Operational goods logistics have also been fully integrated into Shopify. This allows not only sales, but also inventory, goods receipt and short-term product adjustments to be mapped directly in the system.
The devices used are not only used for sales, but also for inventory and goods receipt. This saves additional tools and makes processes on the surface significantly more efficient.
Price and product changes can be implemented directly during the ongoing event. In this way, the team remains flexible and can react immediately to product range changes or operational requirements.
A successful POS system requires more than hardware. We help you with device selection, setup, data and system settings, and team training. That way, your POS runs smoothly right from the start — and we remain a reliable partner for your business even after the go-live.
In a personal conversation, most things are clarified much more quickly: whether we fit in and like each other and, above all, whether we can help you with your problem. So come by and let's talk or get to know us online!
