How to Set Up Optical Shop Software for Windows on a Counter Computer

A counter computer should help your optical shop move faster, not create another job for your staff. The right optical shop software for Windows can bring billing, customer refractions, lab orders, stock, payments and appointments into one working record. Optical Mart can be used in a browser, while its offline desktop app for Windows 10 and 11 lets your counter continue billing during an internet outage. This guide explains how to prepare the computer, install the app, add your opening information and test the daily tasks before you start using it with real customers.

1. Check the counter computer: Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit

Start with the computer that will be used most often for billing. Optical Mart’s offline desktop app installs on Windows 10 and Windows 11 computers that use a 64-bit system. Keep the computer at the counter, where staff can use the keyboard, barcode or label printer and receipt printer without leaving the customer.

Before installing optical shop software for Windows, check that Windows is updated and that the computer can connect to the internet at least during the initial setup. The web app works in an up-to-date browser, but the offline desktop app is the option for continuing counter work when the connection drops.

• Open Windows Settings and confirm the edition and 64-bit system type.
• Keep the counter computer connected to power during setup.
• Check the USB or network connection for your receipt and label printers.
• Keep the computer in a place where only authorised staff can use it.

2. Create the account and add shop and GST details

Register your Optical Mart account with your shop name, GST details and phone number. The first month is free and no card is needed, so you can run your normal billing process before selecting a paid plan. Enter these details carefully because the shop information will be used in your invoices and records.

Optical Mart supports GST invoices with your GSTIN, HSN/SAC codes, CGST and SGST. You can print bills on A4 paper or an 80 mm receipt roll. Before the first live sale, check the shop address, invoice details and product tax information with the person who manages your accounts.

• Use the shop’s correct legal name and GST details.
• Add the HSN/SAC information needed for your products and billing process.
• Decide whether your counter will use A4 invoices, receipt rolls or both.
• Keep your account phone number accessible for account communication.

3. Install the offline desktop app and sign in once as the shop owner

After creating the account, download and install the Optical Mart offline desktop app on the counter computer. Sign in once while the computer has internet access. The app then connects the counter to the same account and records used by the web app, rather than creating a separate shop database.

The desktop app is designed for counter work. Staff can bill, take payments, book appointments and print labels without internet for up to three days. The owner’s sign-in is used on the offline desktop app, while staff logins and roles are available on the web for Standard and Hospital plans.

• Install the app only on the intended Windows 10 or 11 64-bit counter computer.
• Sign in with internet available and wait for the initial records to load.
• Keep the owner’s login details private.
• If several staff members need their own logins and roles, review the Standard or Hospital plan.

4. Enter opening stock, customers and refractions carefully

Add your opening frames and lenses before starting regular billing. Use clear product names, prices and stock quantities. Optical Mart supports stock movements with reasons, barcode labels and low-stock alerts, helping you identify what is available at the counter and what needs reordering.

Add customer records as they visit, along with their refractions and order history. Powers can be checked in 0.25 steps, and duplicate readings are caught. For an existing customer, search before creating a new record so the prescription, previous orders and payment history stay together.

• Enter frame and lens stock with descriptions that staff can recognise quickly.
• Print frame tags and packet labels before busy counter hours.
• Search for an existing customer before adding a new record.
• Check right-eye and left-eye powers, additions and other order details before saving.
• Record lab jobs with the lab name, job number and promised date.

5. Run a test bill, payment, label print and appointment

Do a complete test before using the system for a real customer. Create an order with a customer, refraction, frame and lens. Generate the invoice, check the GST information, take a part payment and print the balance due. This shows staff where to look when a customer pays only an advance amount.

Then test the work that happens after billing. Print a frame tag or packet label, create a lab order and add a promised date. Book an eye test or delivery appointment, and try a walk-in token if your shop handles customers without bookings. A short test can reveal printer settings or missing stock details before the counter gets busy.

• Create a sample order from customer selection through invoice printing.
• Test full payment, part payment and balance due.
• Print one A4 invoice or receipt and one product or packet label.
• Create a lab job and confirm its promised date is visible.
• Add an appointment and a walk-in token.

6. Understand the three-day offline operating window

If the internet stops, the offline desktop app keeps the counter working for up to three days. You can continue billing, taking payments, booking appointments and printing labels without an active connection. This is useful during a broadband interruption when customers are still arriving and deliveries still need to be recorded.

Records made offline are kept encrypted on that computer and upload to your account when the internet returns. Treat the three-day period as a backup operating window, not a reason to leave the computer disconnected. If the outage continues, contact your internet provider and plan how the shop will manage after the offline period.

• Keep billing and payment records in the desktop app during the outage.
• Do not switch between multiple unconnected computers for the same offline work.
• Note any urgent lab or delivery issues that staff must follow up after reconnection.
• Reconnect the counter computer as soon as the internet is available.

7. Check hourly sync, reconnect sync and daily encrypted backups

The desktop app uploads its work every hour and whenever the internet comes back. After reconnecting, check the website from a browser and confirm that the latest bills, payments, appointments and stock movements are visible. This simple check helps the owner know that the counter and online records are aligned.

A daily encrypted backup is kept on the computer and in the cloud. Synced records remain in your online account, so the shop can continue using the account if the counter computer needs replacement. Make checking sync part of the closing routine, especially after an outage or a busy sales day.

• Confirm the last sync after the internet returns.
• Compare the day’s billed and collected totals with the counter records.
• Check dues, overdue lab jobs and low-stock items from the dashboard.
• Keep the counter computer available until the daily backup process has completed.

8. Use the browser app on Mac, Linux and mobile devices

The offline desktop app is for Windows 10 and 11 64-bit computers. If your owner’s computer is a Mac or Linux machine, use the Optical Mart web app in an up-to-date browser. The web app also works on Windows computers, Android phones, iPhone and iPad, so the owner can review sales, collections, dues and monthly figures away from the counter.

Use the browser for tasks that need online access, such as staff logins and roles, branch records, stock transfers, invoice share links and website-based WhatsApp campaigns. The Standard plan includes multiple user logins and WhatsApp follow-up and campaigns; the Hospital plan is intended for eye hospitals and chains needing clinical workflows and a guided rollout.

For the counter, install the offline Windows app and test one full sale before relying on it. For the owner, keep the web app ready for reports and follow-up. Start your first month with Optical Mart, or download the offline app after registering your shop and sign in once on the counter computer.

• Use the web app on Mac and Linux instead of the Windows desktop app.
• Open the web app on Android, iPhone or iPad for online checks.
• Use browser-based staff and branch features where your plan supports them.
• Review the account from the browser after the counter has synced.