This Week’s Product Pick

TableTop Media (Dallas) announced the national availability of Ziosk, its next-generation interactive pay-at-the-table device for casual, fast casual, and QSR restaurant segments. Ziosk utilizes touchscreen technology and digital media to exploit synergies between POS, promotions, and entertainment. Core capabilities include split check, touch tip, e-mail or receipt printing, real-time surveys, ticket purchase, and playing movie trailers. The new, enhanced product delivers increased battery life, order entry, sound, dynamic content scheduling, and 3D graphics capability. In addition, Ziosk features open architecture to facilitate integration with popular POS systems (such as Micros) and meets all requirements of Payment Card Industry Payment Application Data Security Standards (PCI PA-DSS). The technology was tested at the Cozymel’s Mexican Grill chain in Texas and increased the average check at lunch by 7% and at dinner by 14% while reducing labor costs by 16%, according to the company. “Cozymel’s proved the model across a number of fronts—higher check averages, increased customer frequency and table turns, positive customer feedback, menu upselling, and financial comfort in transacting independent of a server,” testified Shawn Gentry, COO and President of TableTop Media.

Ziosk from TableTop Media

Worth Your While

NRF Annual Convention & Expo
National Retail Federation
January 11-14
New York

ProMat 2009
Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA)
January 12-15
Chicago

Inspire 2009
Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA)
January 18-21
Aruba Marriott Resort

AIM Technology Leadership Summit
Association for Automatic Identification and Mobility
April 20-22
Chicago

NRA Show
National Restaurant Association
May 16-19
Chicago

NACStech
National Association of Convenience Stores
May 18-20
Grapevine, TX

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Zebra Rides RFID into the Field

Zebra Technologies (Vernon Hills, IL) launched its Zebra P4T and RP4T thermal transfer printers, which bring RFID capability out into mobile applications. The Zebra RP4T is shipped with RFID functionality, while the P4T is RFID upgradeable. In addition to enabling printing of EPC-compliant passive UHF RFID Class 1, Gen 2 labels at any location, the new Zebra printers offer Bluetooth 2.0 and 802.11g wireless connectivity, as well as WPA2 security for enhanced data protection and user authentication.

“The Zebra P4T and RP4T provide unprecedented mobility and flexibility while delivering long-lasting thermal transfer UHF RFID labels at the point of application,” stated Larry Gerstner, Product Manager for Zebra Technologies. “These first-to-market mobile/wireless printers will help our customers gain business efficiencies and improve business performance via practical, user-friendly solutions. And they bring new capabilities to Zebra’s mobile printer products, which have recently topped more than one million units sold globally.”

The new four-inch P4T and RP4T mobile printers also provide easy label design capabilities, larger memory, and ruggedized, ergonomic construction. With multiple print modes, users can print long-lasting thermal transfer labels, tags and receipts that withstand heat and moisture, print and encode RFID labels for containers, cases and pallets, or generate standard direct thermal barcoded shipping labels.

Zebra’s RP4T RFID-Enabled Printer

Motorola Takes VoWLAN Beyond Voice

Motorola’s Enterprise Mobility Business unveiled the first offering from its Total Enterprise Access and Mobility (TEAM) integrated voice and data portfolio—the TEAM Voice-Over-Wireless LAN (VoWLAN) solution. This takes VoWLAN beyond voice with mobile e-mail, calendar/contact sync, text messaging, Internet/intranet access, and the flexibility of Windows Mobile 6.1 for line-of-business applications. In addition to offering toll-quality telephony services integrated with the PBX and enterprise push-to-talk (PTT), the TEAM solution can also integrate with existing two-way radio systems. Motorola EMB’s Converged Enterprise Communications Group (Schaumburg, IL) will bring the product to market through TEAM-certified members of the PartnerSelect Program.

The complete TEAM solution includes two servers, the Wireless Services Manager (WSM) and Network Services Manager (NSM), and Windows Mobile VoWLAN smart phones. WSM provides PTT services, text messaging, PBX interoperability, as well as enhancements to battery life, mobility, and security, according to the vendor. NSM provides centralized provisioning and management. Future TEAM capabilities will include dual-mode (VoWLAN and cellular) and the extension of services to other voice-capable Motorola devices, including mobile computers and barcode scanners.

The North American market for enterprise VoWLAN devices is predicted to grow from $110 million in 2007 to $2.15 billion in 2014, according to Frost & Sullivan. In discussing the new TEAM solution with RRN.Com, Russ Knister, Senior Director, Product Management and Marketing, Converged Enterprise Communications at Motorola EMB, noted that retail serves as the largest vertical market for this technology, accounting for 40% to 50% of sales. The need for better customer service drives these installations, as well as the desire to enhance the overall shopping experience by reducing overhead paging. As competition in retail intensifies, Knister expects even greater interest in VoWLAN.

[Editor’s Note: Motorola EMB also announced its “Service from the Start with Comprehensive Coverage” service agreement for mobile computers has been expanded to cover accessories. This protection against accidental damage now automatically includes the hand straps, battery doors, styluses, and screen protectors normally sold with the mobile computers.]

Motorola’s TEAM Solution Raises the Bar for VoWLAN

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PARTNER PROGRAMS

New BlueStar Website Goes Live

BlueStar (Florence, KY) has launched its new global Website at www.bluestarinc.com. New features include multi-region and multi-language support, RSS news feeds and product updates, deeper search engine capability, and site-wide access to BlueStore, the distributor’s e-commerce platform. Site visitors can enter BlueStore from any page on the new Website and use the tool’s features, which include manufacturers’ catalogs, user-managed favorites list, an enhanced shopping cart, order tracking, customer pricing and availability, and accounting functions.

“By developing an easy-to-use multi-regional Web platform, we allow our regional marketing teams to respond quickly to market changes,” reported Tracey Lugo, BlueStar’s Marcom Manager. “We can now provide relevant and timely product and industry information to our customer base on a moment’s notice, across the globe.”

To mark the occasion, BlueStar added another $5,000 worth of Fusion services to its total of prizes awarded to VARs this year. At RSPA’s RetailNow Show in July, it awarded $50,000 in Fusion marketing and business development funds. During its own VARTECH Conference in Orlando in September, BlueStar gave away an additional $30,000 in Fusion services. “We look forward to working hand-in-hand with our VAR partners to help build their business through Fusion,” pledged Jack Feichtner, BlueStar’s Director of Fusion.

Fusion Portal at BlueStar’s New Global Website

Money Walks at Panasonic

Panasonic System Solutions (Secaucus, NJ) has teamed up with CoActiv Capital Partners (Horsham, PA) to provide new financing options for its authorized dealer network under the banner, Panasonic Finance Solutions. “The goal of Panasonic Finance Solutions is to work through our designated channel partners to make it easier and faster for end-user customers to obtain the system products they need,” said J.M. Allain, President of Panasonic System Solutions. Panasonic, of course, plays heavily in our channel by supplying video surveillance, POS, and digital signage.

“Panasonic Finance Solutions will enhance the sales process for dealers through special financing, promotions, training, and dedicated sales support,” explained David Gerrard, VP for Panasonic Finance Solutions. “Most importantly, Panasonic Finance Solutions is financially strong and has capital available for Panasonic customers to finance the Panasonic systems solutions they need for business. Both dealers and customers can count on quality, responsive service, and access to the fill suite of standard and customized finance products and leasing options.”

CoActiv Capital Partners specializes in designing and implementing private-label capital financing programs for equipment manufacturers in the technology, construction/industrial, and healthcare business segments, as well as for commercial banks and franchise businesses. CoActiv is part of Japan’s Marubeni Corporation, ranked 201 in the Fortune Global 500.

Code Corner

DemandTec (San Carlos, CA), one of the leading providers of on-demand optimization solutions for retailers and consumer products manufacturers, offered the DemandTec Price-to-Win Recession Package, its bundle of services designed to address pricing challenges in the grocery segment. The Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) package will help grocers understand changing consumer behavior and optimize pricing for 10 key categories directly impacted by current economic trends. Strategic pricing insights and recommended (but configurable) strategies are provided for the 10 key categories. Consulting, training, and implementation services will deliver optimized pricing to stores within 90 days, according to DemandTec. In addition, built-in benefits measurement will allow grocers to gauge project ROI and rapidly respond to changing economic conditions. Under the SaaS model, DemandTec offers access for unlimited users and flexible term subscription plans. “The full impact of the current recessionary climate remains unclear, but two things are clear: consumer behavior changes are already occurring, representing both challenges and opportunities for grocery retailers, and extra scrutiny is being placed on technology investments,” declared Marc Dietz, VP of Marketing for DemandTec. “The DemandTec Price-to-Win Recession Package is specifically designed to address both of these issues.”

ALLIANCES

LaneHawk Flies at Agilysys

Agilysys (Cleveland) has partnered with Evolution Robotics Retail (Pasadena, CA) to be an authorized reseller and implementation partner for its flagship loss-prevention product, LaneHawk, which helps retailers counter so-called “bottom of basket” (BOB) losses. Such losses can be considerable. An independent study of nearly 500 stores and 25 chains demonstrated that when shoppers attempted to leave the store without paying for BOB items, they were successful 62% of the time. Losing as little as $10-$12 per lane per day in a typical store represents $50,000 in lost annual profit.

LaneHawk utilizes Evolution’s patented ViPR technology (Visual Pattern Recognition) to automatically detect and identify specific items on the bottom of the shopping cart based on their packaging, not their barcodes. Up to 500 products and their UPC can be entered into the LaneHawk database. A smart camera is flush-mounted in the checkout lane, continuously watching for items. When an item is detected and recognized, its UPC information is sent directly through an Ethernet connection to the POS. The cashier verifies the quantity of items that were found under the basket, and continues to close the transaction. Personal possessions such as handbags, backpacks or umbrellas fall under the system’s general item detection function.

“This partnership will enable Agilysys to offer retailers complete end-to-end delivery of the Evolution Robotics Retail solution,” noted Paul Civils, SVP and GM of the Agilysys Retail Solutions Group. “More importantly, this type of loss prevention product is valuable in assisting retailers with increasing their return on investment during this difficult economic time and is complementary to our current solutions offerings.”

LaneHawk Scans the Bottom of Shopping Carts

Helping VARs Beat the FSA Clock

Datacap Systems (Chalfont, PA) and Mercury Payment Systems (Durango, CO) have collaborated to add FSA/HSA (Flexible Spending Account/Health Savings Account) transaction support to Datacap NETePay Multi-Merchant Server, operated by Mercury Payment Systems. POS resellers targeting locations accepting such payments can now provide support through their integrated payment solution, in addition to the other payment types already supported. Qualified FSA purchases can be authorized by the Mercury host; non-qualified items and amounts not covered by current FSA balances can still be processed using other payment types.

January 1, 2009 marks the date that retail locations accepting FSA payments must have an automated system implemented. To support FSA transactions, POS software providers also need to provide FSA item eligibility management and support specific FSA payment transactions and rules. Also, retailers need to manage item FSA eligibility. FSA support will also be added to other Datacap products as appropriate, the company reported.

Datacap has also introduced its IPTran ePay application for high-volume venues such as ball parks, stadiums, arenas, and other locations using many ECRs and ECR clusters. IPTran with ePay software, described as “inexpensive,” can be installed at each register cluster or standalone register or terminal, forwarding the transactions to the NETePay card payment server and/or GIFTePay gift/prepaid card server. This way, many registers can cost effectively use the ePay servers for high-speed, two-to-four-second authorizations. In addition, automated dial back-up and redundant NETePay/GIFTePay servers can be installed for increased reliability.

Key Advertiser Links

Be sure to visit these vendors for the latest in channel products and offers for resellers.

POS & Auto ID Distribution
BlueStar
Ingram Micro
ScanSource

POS & Peripherals
Logic Controls
pcKeyboard
POS-X

Barcode Printers
Wasp Barcode Technologies

Data Collection Terminals
CipherLab
Datalogic Mobile
Honeywell Scanning & Mobility
Honeywell Scanning & Mobility/Metrologic
Janam Technologies

Keyboards
Cherry Corp.

Payment Processing
Precidia Technologies

Receipt Printers
Citizen Systems America
Star Micronics

Retail Software
InfoTouch
Logivision

Screen Protection
3M Optical Products

Thermal Printers
Seiko Instruments USA

CERTIFICATION

Integrity Monitoring for IBM 4690

Solidcore Systems (Cupertino, CA) has introduced its Integrity Monitoring Solution for IBM 4690 POS environments, opening the door to Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance for the enormous installed base of these systems. The new capability is part of Solidcore’s POS Check and Control Solution, which provides a single interface for integrity monitoring across IBM 4690, Windows, or Linux-based POS environments. It monitors and alerts on changes to IBM 4690 POS Controllers.

“Providing this immediate assurance that PCI compliance is being met across IBM 4690 environments is essential, and we are pleased to be the first to deliver this solution to retailers,” said Anne Bonaparte, President/CEO of Solidcore. “Minimizing exposure to risk during the operational management of these critical retail POS Controllers is a significant reason why our largest customers are standardizing on Solidcore retail solutions in their stores.”

Solidcore provides the IBM 4690 Integrity Monitoring Solution with two distinct components. The first is the capability to assess a “gold” image of the POS Controller with field deployed images and report on any differences in executables. This feature allows for the creation of executive-level compliance reports that ease the audit process. The second component takes the initial baseline assessment and provides configurable alerting on changes to executables and files. This feature provides information on what is changing and can be a positive means for verifying that authorized changes, such as updated data files for coupon engines and pricing, are properly distributed to the POS Controllers. The retailer or qualified security assessor (QSA) can provide the assessment and determine what level of granularity to focus on for monitoring authorized and unauthorized changes.

“The importance of file integrity monitoring cannot be overlooked when it comes to PCI compliance,” confirmed Branden Williams, PCI Practice Director for VeriSign. “File integrity monitoring is a critical aspect of understanding the changes within payment systems and should be deployed as a best practice regardless of the version of POS systems or terminals in use.”

Anne Bonaparte, President/CEO of Solidcore Systems

Channel Factoid

The overall market for digital signage software, hardware, installation, and management services in the U.S. will grow from $641 million in 2008 to nearly $1.4 billion by 2013. While most large retailers have at least evaluated digital signage, the large nationwide chains such as Wal-Mart and Costco have made significant investments in the technology. Next, expect to see demographic targeting using cameras and the integration of RFID sensor networks with signage. “Retailer rollouts of digital signage tend to go in waves, often targeting the highest traffic storefronts first,” indicated Michael Wolf, Research Director at ABI Research. “Over time, we expect that lower implementation costs, together with the continued drop in screen prices and better management of signage impact, will eventually induce those large retailers who have only dipped a toe in the water to dive right into the pool.”

STARTS & STOPS

Chase Paymentech: So Long, First Data

Chase Paymentech (Dallas) no longer has anything to do with First Data (Denver). As planned, the assets of the joint venture co-owned by JPMorgan Chase have been integrated into the bank as part of its card services division and will continue to operate under the name Chase Paymentech. As part of its new ownership, Chase Paymentech retains its state-of-the-art payment processing platform and operations, the majority of the joint venture’s employees, and 51% of the client base, which includes customers representing approximately half of all global e-commerce and Internet transactions.

“We are enthusiastic about what the future holds for Chase Paymentech now that we’re wholly owned by JPMorgan Chase,” commented Mike Duffy, President of Chase Paymentech. “We are committed to being the leader in the global payments industry. Merchants are looking beyond the services offered by most payment processors. They want a merchant acquirer that provides expanded services, such as cash flow management, alternative payments, and advanced analytics. We fully expect to be at the forefront of this industry, which is undergoing significant evolution at the moment.”

First Data and InComm (Atlanta) also announced that they have mutually agreed to terminate the planned acquisition of InComm, an industry-leading marketer and distributor of stored value, gift, and prepaid products. Instead, the two companies will continue to support their joint customers with prepaid card processing, program management, and distribution of prepaid card products. “This decision lets both parties focus on the unique value we each bring to our mutual customers and the market,” noted Ed Labry, President of First Data’s USA Division. “We look forward to continuing our relationship with InComm and building on the successful relationships we have with our customers.”