POSWizard

The weekly round up of POS and retail news features informative information from the top stories of the week.  Learn about the launch of Visa’s new venture and Martiz Real-Time Rewards programs. You will  also find some tips for retailers to make it through the current economic slow down.

1. Visa Makes NFC Payment Commercially Available – This was the big news of the week being discussed by businesses across the web. Visa has implemented the first commercial mobile payment service for point of sale transactions. Although the service is only available in Malaysia it’s a start to a great new concept.

Perspective customers simply flash their NFC-enabled Nokia in front of a contactless reader and the goods are paid for. Visa has also teamed up with mobile operators Maxix and Maybank to take this venture further. There are currently 1,800 shops accepting this type of payment, but I have a feeling the trend will pick up.

2. Maritz, Welcome Real-Time Announce POS Based Marketing and Loyalty Program – The new partnership between Welcome Real-Time and Martiz has resulted in the launch of a new customer loyalty program in the U.S. and Canada.

The Martiz Real-Time Rewards will allow customers to receive special targeted offers, earn points through a retailer program and delivers behavior driven marketing incentives. All offers are printed on the customers receipt through the existing point of sale system so there is no additional hardware to purchase.

3. Free or Low-Cost Marketing Ideas – In today’s economy we are all looking for a low cost solution to everything that we do. This is a great article about some low cost or even free marketing tips. We all know the more you market the more your sales will increase.

Learn tips on email marketing, hosting store events and working with other stores to cross promote therefore increasing the sales for your retail business. It’s all about using the resources you have available and making your customers happy to receive a free item or a discount.

4. Get Your Business Ready Now for Tomorrow’s Recovery – This is a great article about the current economic situation and what you should do as a retailer or small business owner to not get left in the dust.

Rieva Lesonsky talks about how retailers have cut their staff and inventory due to lack of money. She points out that this can backfire when it comes to your customers.

I’ve been in too many stores lately where I was disappointed with the lack of stock on the shelves and vowed to find other places to shop. Or I’ve been greeted with long lines in stores with not enough personnel to handle the currently lightened customer load.

Think twice next time you have to make a budget cut, maybe you could do it in an area that won’t effect your customers’ experience.

5. Top Technology Trends for Convenience Store Retailing – The article is based on a webinars hosted by Convenience Store News highlighting the results of its 2009 technology study. It states spending trends, technology trends, and employee issues.
The main focus of the article is the ability to get real-time information. This helps a business improve across many lines without having to jump through hoops to get information.

“What we’ve noticed for a lot of retailers, that attitude—which we consider a ‘legacy attitude’—is diminishing. It’s now about the employee and the customer,” Kilcourse said