point of sale news

New POS Printer, Mobile POS from Partner Tech, What Mobile Payments Mean, 7 Small Retailer Recession Tips, 85% will Holiday Shop Online

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iStock_000010196243XSmallNew point of sale products highlight our weekly round up this week. A POS printer with a easy to use LCD screen and a new mobile handheld POS system. The introduction of more mobile solutions for the point of sales brings us to what mobile payments will mean for the marketing world. The economy is still slow for many consumers so we feature an article with 7 tips to market to families during the recession. Then we end will the revelation that 85% of consumers will shop online during this holiday season.

1. New Citizen Printer for More Efficient POS Applications – Citizens Systems Europe has released a new point of sale printer that features an LCD screen for easy configuration and delivery of messages. Read our full review of the CT-S801 Thermal Printer.

2. New Handheld Thermal Makes Order Taking a Simpler Process – Partner Tech has released the new OT-100 handheld ordering terminal or mobile POS. It’s a wireless touch screen point of sale aimed at the hospitality industry but could have potential for all retail environments. The system features a flexible operating system, a 4.3” touch screen and Wi-Fi connectivity. It’s even small enough to place in your pocket.

3. What Mobile Payments Will Mean for the Marketing World – Although the Us has been slow to adapt to mobile payments the question still arises as to what will happen to marketing once a consumer uses a mobile phone for purchases instead of their credit card. Starbucks has introduced the use of mobile payments at the POS allowing iPhone users to download a special app that delivers customer loyalty incentives and re-fill a gift card. Perhaps small retailers will be able to learn form the marketing techniques of Starbucks and the 20% of Japanese consumers that have been using mobile payments over the last four years.

4. ISME 09: Seven tips for marketing to families during a recession – Small retail businesses seem to feel the most effects from a downed economy. Here are 7 tips to marketing to families, particularly women during the time of recession. Women will still shop and buy things that their families need but they tend to shop differently when money has become tight.

What’s different? A drastic uptick in private label brand usage, more coupon clipping, and more online research of purchases before getting in the car to head to the store.

5. Consumers say holiday budgets are tight, 85 percent will shop online – After reading this article and looking at the survey results you better hope you have an online presence this holiday season. Even a small retail shop can benefit form having their store or prices online. Connecting with customers online will be crucial during the holidays as 57% of those surveyed said they will shop around online to find the best deal. If your small retail shop is not on the world wide web you could miss out on important holiday sales.

Mobile Visa Payments, New Customer Loyalty Program, Marketing Ideas, Economic Recovery, Trends for Convenience Stores

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POS and retail newsThe 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

Weekly Point of Sale and Retail News Round Up

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istock_000002589632xsmallThis is the first edition of a weekly post we are starting at The Wizard of POS. The post will feature 5 recent news or interesting point of sale and retail articles. If you have a suggestion on an article that should make the weekly round up, email us and we will contact you.

This week we tried to focus on a couple articles that feature the latest POS news and a couple that will help retailers with point of sale decisions.

1. BlueStar Offers New ID Card Printing Solution With Zebra QuikCard ID – A great new innovative product from Bluestar technology promises a QuickID Card solution for smaller retailers without requiring a major money investment.

“By removing these entry barriers, Zebra’s out-of-the-box solution offers new and existing market segments a practical way to deploy entry-level card applications.”

This QuickID Card is available in four different models for dual or single side printing.

2. Point of Sale Integrated Security Camera Cuts Theft – An inspirational true story about how an integrated POS system helps catch customers scamming the business with fraudulent refund request.

This gives all of us a reason to research investing in a competent point of sale system.

3. Thinking of Going Blond? Consult the Kiosk First – Kiosks have come along way since the days of train tickets and family snapshots. New Kiosks offer so much more personalization that can recognize customers, previous purchase histories and even recommend products to buy.

Flash a card… like a customer card from a local drugstore or grocery store and your Kiosk nay address you by name! They can give a depth of detail that is advancing by the day. Intel has many plans for the POS Kiosk industry so hold onto your hats and indulge iin the technology.

4. Security Advantages of a Web Based POS – This is a great post by Justin over at Merchant POS dealing with the security advantages of a web based point of sale. This is a major concern for many retailers around the world.

This article features the top 5 security failures and security precautions that everyone should take. There is information on wireless security, firewalls/routers, employee access, viruses and more…

5. POS Software Will Increase Your Business the Least Expensive Way – Bob Brown over at Prophetline has a remarkable article about point of sale software increasing your business. Bob states

POS software can help you become an efficient retailer in three important ways. Market more too existing customers, control your inventory and expand your geographical territory by making your products and services available through the Internet.

We can’t agree more, Bob! Every business no matter how small needs an efficient, reliable POS system to help organize their business and increase their profit.

Hope you have enjoyed our first series of Weekly Point of Sale and Retail News Round Up at The Wizard of POS! Don’t forget to subscribe for weekly updates and leave a comment for other retailers like you.

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