mobile pos

Point of Sale Software: Big Strides

By

phone-voicemail-20090608It’s been a few weeks since I’ve posted the weekly roundup. Well I’m back and will be keeping you up to date with the latest point of sale and retail news for the Holidays.

This week is all about mobile, whether it’s implementing the newest POS mobile hardware, the latest app or wooing your customers mobile is the new way to go. Old Navy has started using iPod based POS systems just in time for the busy Holiday rush. Discover has also joined the ranks of mobile technology and started offering their first contactless point of sale payment devices.

The third article featured in our roundup this week is the integration of mobile and digital signage for the new age future customer, giving them all the information they need to make an informed decision about a product. We then go into a new directory that allows mobile users to find brick and mortar retailers in their local area including their current inventory. We end the round up this week with 10 retailers that show you how mobile and retail integration should be done.

1. Gap testing Apple’s point-of-sale system at Old Navy stores – Apple has now partnered with Old Navy to run a pilot program testing the use of mobile point of sale equipment before bringing it to the mainstream market. The POS hardware has a special backing on the iPod Touch to allow for the swiping of credit cards and signature can be obtained with a stylus pen or a finger!

2. Discover Begins Rollout of Contactless Devices to Consumers – The major credit card company will begin to roll out it’s Discover ZIP, a contactless credit card and stickers to allow for lighting fast speed at the point of sale checkout. Customers will begin seeing their new payment options arriving in the mail any day now and it’s sure to be a hit during the busy shopping season.

3. A two-way integration of digital signage and mobile – This might sound foreign to you but EnQii and Kombi have joined to bring a great integration between digital signage and mobile technology. The digital signage will include a QR code, which are “quick response” matrix 2-D codes that contain data, like text, images or website URLs.

“Forever, brick-and-mortar loyalty has meant consumer loyal to brick-and-mortar; it has never had to mean brick-and-mortar loyal to consumer,” he said. “If brick-and-mortar is going to have a future, they need to solve that problem, and we’re giving them a mechanism by which they can do that.”

4. Goodzer Includes Small Retailers in Local Real-Time Product Search– Another mobile way to engage with your customers. Goodzer has launched their shopping search engine in a limited market to test the results. Currently it picks up the inventory availability of 15,000 New York City brick-and-mortar retailers, both large and small. It’s available on the web and iPhone with plans to expand to Droid and the iPad. Customers have your entire inventory at their fingertips before they enter your retail store.

5. 10 retailers show what can be done with mobile – Mobile commerce is a rapidly approaching technology that’s here to stay. This great article gives you examples of how 10 retailers are using mobile to reach their customers and expand sales. Companies such as Walgreens, ShopNBC, and the Catholic Company. Read on to see what you should be doing in the mobile market.

Mobile POS Stand

By

posMobile point of sale for brick and mortar small retailers is the theme presented in this weeks roundup. Reading through the weekly retail and POS news numerous articles referenced the mobile marketplace and how it’s expected to change the retail industry as a whole.

The first article we feature announces a stand for a very popular mobile point of sale device, the iPad. Although not featured in the articles this week I did run across a few websites showcasing surveys that computer manufacturers are taking tablets very seriously towards the business market. The potential for a brick and mortar, mom and pop company to accept credit cards anywhere is quite appealing.

The second article in the roundup was a very interesting announcement that I’m curious to see if it actually catches on with consumers. PayNearMe is launching a system that will allow shoppers to pay cash at a 7-Eleven POS for an online purchase.

The third and fourth articles this week blend well together. Grab a notepad with some quite time before you dig into these two informative articles on mobile commerce and presence for retailers. The first article explains what mobile commerce is and why small retailers should be learning it. The second article is a few tips that will help you establish a mobile retail presence.

Our last article this week is a great gesture from Mannequin Madness, some budget friendly ideas for retail shop window displays. They offer three great ideas that are cash friendly as well as resources for supplies and none of the displays include Mannequins.

1. IStand is a POS Pole for the iPad – If sturdy enough, this could be a blessing for some retail establishments that are starting to use the iPad as a mobile point of sale device. The stand has a place for a dock table and bolts shut around the iPad that covers the Home Button for security purposes. The stand swivels and tilts providing a custom interactive POS system for any business.

2. PayNearMe Announces Real-Time Cash Payment System That Enables Wide Range of Businesses to Serve Consumers Who Prefer Cash – Companies such as Amazon and Facebook have already jumped on the bandwagon with this new payment option. It will offer customers that don’t have a credit card, debit card or just prefer to pay cash the ability to pay at 7-Eleven stores for their e-commerce purchase.

3. What is Mobile Commerce, and Why Should You Care? – This extensive article will give you the insight to what mobile commerce is all about. Many small retailers do not know exactly what to consider, what’s involved and how it affects their business. This article will give you a much better understanding of the overall mobile side of retail.

4. Six steps for building a mobile retail presence – Once you’ve recognized yourself with mobile commerce, it’s time to dig in and get some tips for building a mobile business for your retail establishment. The future seems to be leaning in the direction mobile and online presence will be essential to bringing in new customers for traditional brick and mortar retailers.

5. Budget Friendly Resources for Fantastic Retail Window Displays – If you’re looking for a couple creative window displays and you’re on a budget this is a great place to start. This company provides some incredible ideas for catchy displays that won’t drain your pockets and will have customers stopping to look.

Advancing Mobile POS, PCI Compliance Announcement, Future of Retail, Small Retailers Left Behind

By

Retail News and POS ReviewsThe weekly round up will only feature four articles this week BUT we are currently working on two new Point of Sale Software Reviews that will be posted early next week.

We start this week with a major announcement from the Dutch that shows mobile point of sale solutions are becoming the future for many retailers. Our second feature is also an announcement stating the collaboration of a well known point of sale vendor and a data security company to bring PCI Compliance to their customers.

The last two articles we showcase in the roundup this week focus solely on the retail industry. Read about the launch of a new technology that combines smart phones with consumer behavior for a pioneering in store shopping experience. The last article we feature will help small retailers understand exactly IF they will qualify for Obama’s proposed Business Tax Break.

1. Netherlands to have mobile payment system by 2012 – Dutch Banks have joined forces with mobile operators to allow consumers in the Netherlands to use their smart phones as a mobile payment solution by the year 2012. Six companies have started the process of interacting exactly what is needed to make this a secure and successful solution for Dutch shoppers.

2. Retail Anywhere Collaborates with Cybera to Deliver PCI Compliance Solution – This announcement will hopefully be good news for Retail Anywhere customers. The company is promising this joint venture will provide a clear, easy answer to retail business to assure they are PCI compliant.

3. Jones New York Launches Innovative in-Store Experience at Macy’s Herald Square – The new technology might be the secret to the future of retailing. Using Microsoft tags, shoppers can download content on their smart phones as they shop on 25 products throughout the store. This would allow the potential buyer to view a unique “sales pitch” of the product while standing there deciding on whether to make the purchase…

4. Obama tax breaks: Limited help for small biz – Many businesses were eager to hear to the announcement of President Obama’s Business Tax Cuts but they reality is a little disconcerting for many small retailers. It seems the proposed “help” would only benefit businesses that spent over $250,000 in one year making improvement such as purchasing new inventory or equipment. The fact that small retailers are having a tough time just making payroll, it seems that type of spending is very unrealistic.

Mobile POS 101

By

Retail and POS NewsMobile technology again fills our weekly roundup in both the point of sale and retail news. You have to admit mobile solutions whether point of sale, smart phone apps, customer loyalty cards, digital signage, social media and many more is growing in popularity and it’s here to stay.

Our first article this week will help give small retailers a basic overview of the various mobile payment options that are available and has a great link to an actual field test cnet did using Bing Nation. The second article showcases how furniture retailers are using new mobile technology to help sell off site inventory. The third feature this week is a short real life example of a perfect process for collecting email addresses while your employees are processing the point of sale payment.

A new mobile app for consumers to earn reward point is being implemented by a few large retailers. This announcement is number four this week in our featured point of sale and retail news. Then we end this week with some great tips and advice to help small retailers avoid fraud in their retail businesses.

1. Making sense of mobile payment – This great article posted on cnet will help you understand the four and “a half” categories that mobile customer payments fall into. There is a lot of buzz going on in the retail world about mobile payments it would be a good idea to brush up on the differences between them. In the start of the article there is a link to a field test done with Bing Nation, one of the vendors offering retailers the opportunity to take payments via mobile point of sale.

2. More furniture, mattress sellers using smart technology – It was a surprise to read about a small furniture store that is using mobile technology to display inventory available for their customers to buy. This is simply a great way to offer exactly what the customer wants without the huge overhead. The small business owner states:

“We’re a small store and a custom order store to a large extent, so our folks are used to really trying to demonstrate the possibilities off of one piece. We want to be able to sell many different versions. All this does is give us a very portable, quick, easy access to a lot of these options,” Harlow said.”

3. Point of Sale Email Capture: A True Story – This article is short and sweet BUT it’s a true account so pay attention. The article displays a positive experience at a point of sale checkout with a clerk collecting the authors email address for store promotions. The author even includes pictures of the form that was filled out and the welcome email that was received.

4. Retailers, Mall Group Sign on to “Walk In, Win Points” Mobile App – Four large retail brand stores announced their customers will be benefiting form a new mobile app called, Shopkick. Once shoppers start using the app they earn rewards when walking through the door of a participating merchant. This is all done by a signal sent via the shoppers mobile phone. The shopper can save up points to cash them in for various items on the retailer’s web site. Another article featured at Mashable outlines the way Best Buy is participating in the Sidekick mobile app.

5. How to Steer Clear of Fraud? The Experts Weigh In – It was shocking top learn by reading this article that 31% of all businesses that are subject to fraud have fewer than 100 employees. This is important information for many small retail businesses that tend to employ few people. These great tips will help you put in place some precautionary measures that will help you prevent your business from being a victim.

1 2 3 4 5  Scroll to top