This Week’s Product Pick

ViVOtech (Santa Clara, CA) debuted its new breed of payment terminals, ViVOpay 8800 and ViVOpay 8600, with PCI DSS 2.1 certification and built-in, contactless, near-field communication (NFC) technology. Using ViVOpay 8000 products, and the company’s mLoyalty software, customers can go beyond payment to redeem mobile coupons and promotions electronically using contactless or magnetic-stripe cards, contactless stickers attached to existing phones, or NFC-enabled mobile phones. Both terminals feature touchscreen display (color for the ViVOpay 8800 and black-and-white for the ViVOpay 8600), ARM 9 processing, Linux O/S, ADA-compliant keypad, and optional signature capture. Significantly, terminals integrate with most popular POS and ECR systems used by retailers today, according to the company. Simultaneously, ViVOtech announced that Direct Source (Minneapolis) and POSDATA (Gig Harbor, WA) have been approved as distributors for the new terminals. “The widespread use of mobile smart phones and contactless NFC technologies by consumers is changing how they expect to shop and pay,” offered Mohammad Khan, President and Founder of ViVOtech. “The ViVOpay 8000 Series, along with ViVOtech mobile promotion and mLoyalty software, will enable merchants to be equipped accordingly and deliver the high-value shopping experience their customers expect, while providing interactive and creative up-sell opportunities.”

ViVOpay 8800 Payment Terminal

Worth Your While

Connect
Radiant Retail User Conference
February 24-26
Atlanta

Self-Service Expo & Digital Signage Show
KioskCom
April 14-15
Las Vegas

NACStech
Association for Convenience and Petroleum Retailing
May 5-7
New Orleans

FMI Show
Food Marketing Institute
May 10-13
Las Vegas

[Editor’s Note:  The FMI Show for 2010 will include technology sessions and exhibits, since Marketechnics has not been scheduled for this year.]

WERC Annual Conference
Warehousing Education and Research Council
May 16-19
Anaheim, CA

NRA Show
National Restaurant Association
May 22-25
Chicago

POS Partner Invitational
Ingram Micro Data Capture/POS Division
May 26-28
Chicago

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Simple Solutions from SATO

SATO presented its new CG2 desktop thermal printers for producing on-demand, low-volume labels, tags, and wristbands. Available in either 203 or 305-dpi print resolutions, with two-inch print width, the CG2 produces crisp imaging of text, linear barcodes, and two-dimensional symbologies. In addition, it supports the variety of 13.56-MHz RFID tags for short read-range applications.

“The functional design of the CG2 allows for its operation as a standalone printing system when using the SATO keypad, eliminating the need for the PC at the point of printing,” commented Steve Owen, Marketing Coordinator at SATO Labeling Solutions America (Romeoville, IL). “Its clam-shell design and simple print mechanism makes the loading of media quick and easy. Further, print heads and platen rollers can be replaced without the need for any tools.”

SATO also offered new “StripeStik” linerless labels for price markdowns on the shop floor when used in conjunction with mobile printing systems. By placing the silicon layer on the label face, SATO has eliminated the need for liner. This allows 30% to 40% more labels per roll, boosting the retailer’s green efforts, in addition to supporting the replacement of previous labor-intensive, error-prone price markdowns done by hand.

SATO’s CG2 Desktop Thermal Printers

Flying the PilotPoint Plus

Source Technologies (Charlotte, NC) unveiled its next-generation kiosk for bill payment, the PilotPoint 5-Series Plus. PilotPoint allows consumers to independently pay their bills, research their account status, and forgo waiting in line to complete such transactions. The new 5-Series Plus adds more robust computing, tighter security, and marketing and digital signage capabilities, according to the company. Individual enhancements include cash access door with audit trail locking, redesigned check scanner, larger note capacity, cabinet door alarm switch, and kiosk elevation pedestal.

Source also announced its new layaway functionality, which allows shoppers to browse inventory, make their selection for later purchase, and deposit related payments. “Our bill payment kiosks are readily accepted by consumers as a quick, convenient way to pay their bills,” noted Sarah Burkhart, Director of Product Marketing for Source Technologies. “Expanding the solution to include this layaway option gives the shopper and the retailer more chances to engage, ultimately converting more shoppers into purchasers. Shoppers are empowered, while employees are free to focus on more complex transactions or to ring up today’s purchasers.”

Source’s bill payment kiosks currently process more than 10 million transactions, representing more than $1 billion annually. In addition to retail, the company targets financial institutions, telecom providers, and government agencies. Interestingly, Source also supplies secure MICR printing solutions for payroll, accounts payable, prescriptions, and mission-critical documents. Last year, the company kicked off its channel recruitment effort for retail resellers, first announced in RRN.Com.

Next-Generation Bill Payment Kiosk from Source Technologies

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PARTNER PROGRAMS

CRS: Calling All Dealers

CRS, Inc. (St. Paul, MN) has announced dates for its Q1 series of regional dealer meetings, with plans to debut several significant new ECR and open-architecture POS hardware offerings. The latest CRS products will be featured, including the SAM4s SPS-500 hybrid touchscreen ECR, the SAM4s SPT-3000 open-architecture POS terminal, and the new family of AdvanPOS All-in-One terminals. CRS strategic partners will participate, such as Datacap Systems, Mercury Payment Systems, Powervar, Sterling Payment Technologies, and Talon DVR from Ready Distribution.

Meeting dates and locations follow:  Detroit, MI (February 2); Statesville, NC (February 16); Columbus, OH (February 23); Chicago, IL (March 4); Dallas, TX (March 16); and Orlando, FL (March 23).

“The value CRS provides through these meetings is unique in the industry,” suggested Bruce Mann, VP of Marketing for CRS, Inc. “With concise and useful content, CRS meetings deliver an invigorating trade show experience without significant travel or onerous time investment. All current and prospective CRS resellers are invited to attend. Watch your e-mail for details, or contact any CRS sales or customer service representative for registration information.”

SAM4s SPT-3000 Features Open Architecture

Heard from the Digital Greeter Yet?

Up north, iSIGN Media Solutions (Markham, ON, Canada) and the Skipton Group (Richmond Hill, ON, Canada) have partnered to arm IBM’s AnyPlace Kiosks with Bluetooth for outreach to customers. Under the plan, iSIGN’s Bluetooth OEM software solution will be integrated into the IBM terminals, under licensing agreement, which will then deliver digital coupons, receipts, and product information to customer smart phones and handheld devices within the defined proximity of the kiosk. Additionally, data logging of coupons dispensed, consumer acceptance rates, and conversion to purchase for promoted items will be reported in real time.

“The Digital Greeter,” Paul Bruce, Co-Founder of the Skipton Group, terms the new system. According to Bruce, such information will be delivered to opt-in customers and participating store loyalty program members. Skipton, formerly Maxium Solutions, serves as an IBM Business Partner, with more than 10 years experience in servicing retail clients across North America.

“Our partnership will result in much more versatile kiosk services, providing convenience to shoppers and valuable data capture and management capabilities to retailers--similar to current solutions in development for the Asian and European marketplace,” remarked Alex Romanov, CEO of iSIGN. All messaging will be delivered free of charge to consumers, he added, and will ultimately increase product sales as well as brand and store loyalty.

Alex Romanov, CEO of iSIGN

Code Corner

Galleria Retail Technology Solutions (Chicago) launched Behavioral Cluster Planning, its new solution that helps retailers and manufacturers to cluster stores based on consumer behavior. It exploits granular product performance data such as historic sales, rest-of-market, or manufacturer information to create optimized cluster recommendations. Thus, marketing and merchandising teams can quickly identify clusters of stores with similar demand patterns, enabling them to develop customer-centric marketing, merchandising, space, and pricing strategies. In just hours more than two dozen clustering scenarios can be created, ranked for effectiveness, and provided for review and further analysis, according to the developer, with information tied to demographic, census, or geographic patterns. “Historically, clustering has been an intensive manual process, requiring the mathematical expertise of scientists,” explained Doug Erickson, Galleria’s EVP of Global Sales and Marketing. “The result is often miscommunication between the mathematician and the merchant. Our Behavioral Cluster Planning solution, with Three Click Clustering, was designed to be used directly by merchandising and marketing teams. It enables them to leverage their expertise to identify and capitalize on unique trends, based on both bottom-up performance and top-down considerations, which would otherwise remain unnoticed using traditional clustering methods.”

Intuit (Mountain View, CA) and Microsoft (Redmond, WA) plan to create new opportunities for software developers to deliver and market web applications to the SMB market through the Intuit App Center. The two behemoths will marry the capabilities of their cloud services platforms--the Intuit Partner Platform and Windows Azure platform--to enable developers and channel partners to deliver solutions to the millions of businesses with QuickBooks financial software. In support, the Windows Azure Software Development Kit (SDK) for Intuit Partner Platform has been offered at no charge. “The SDK is great news for .NET and Intuit Partner Platform developers,” testified Joe Dwyer, CTO of Propelware (Lakeville, MN) which specializes in integrating applications with QuickBooks.

CERTIFICATION

Star Looks Sharp

Star Micronics America (Edison, NJ) has been named an officially endorsed hardware partner of Sharp USA, following certification of multiple models of its printers for use with Sharp POS terminals. Specifically, Star’s SP700 impact printer and TSP650 thermal printer have both been approved for Sharp’s UP-3500 and UP-800 POS terminals. The SP700 represents Star’s latest kitchen printer offering, while the TSP650 fulfills POS requirements. Star’s SP298 impact printer has also been certified with Sharp’s UP-800.

“Star Micronics is honored to announce printer certification from an industry-leading technology supplier like Sharp,” said Michael Hanson, VP of Star Micronics America. “With this certification of Star’s printers, Sharp POS terminal users are guaranteed a first-class, dependable, and efficient receipt transaction process--regardless of whether it takes place in hospitality or retail, or independent operation and national chain.”

“Sharp is continuously acting to provide the best accessories and peripherals for our customers,” added Greg Tucker, Product Planning Manager for the Sharp Point of Sale Division. “We do this by working with the most innovative companies within each category. We are very pleased to work with a company like Star Micronics, which excels in its field.”

Star’s SP700 Can Stand the Heat in the Kitchen

[Editor’s Note:  As first reported in RRN.Com, Star Micronics plans to introduce three new printers in the first half of 2010. These include its new mobile printer series, new platform thermal printer, and new TSP 100ECO single-station printer. The new printers will feature “the latest technology advancements, both for business and our environment,” according to the company.]

Apriva Talks the POS Walk

More support for mobile selling. Apriva (Scottsdale, AZ) now offers two wireless POS solutions: AprivaPay and AprivaPay Professional. AprivaPay is the hosted, browser-based application that allows merchants to directly process credit card transactions through web-enabled mobile phones such as iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry (as well as Windows Mobile). AprivaPay Professional, on the other hand, gets downloaded onto the smart phone to provide all the functionality of traditional credit card processing terminals. Both products will go to market through Apriva’s network of distribution partners.

“AprivaPay and AprivaPay Professional continue our longstanding ability to give merchants simple and reliable methods to accept and process credit card transactions in the field,” maintained Bill Clark, EVP, North America, for Apriva’s Point of Sale Division. “Our latest solutions are easy to access, easy to use, and adhere to the strictest security standards in the industry. Most importantly, they allow mobile merchants to improve efficiency, reduce operating costs, and enhance customer service.”

Involved with vending machines? Apriva has entered into an effort with Visa to introduce cashless payment technologies to that segment. Through this relationship, Apriva expects to integrate Visa payWave, Visa’s contactless payment feature, with Apriva’s wireless payment processing platform, dubbed AprivaTalk. “It makes total sense for Visa to work with Apriva, which has the expertise, services portfolio, and pervasive sales channel to meet the needs of vending machine operators,” observed Michael Kasavana, Professor in Hospitality Business at Michigan State University and one of the leading authorities on the vending sector.

Apriva’s Wireless POS Scheme Extends BlackBerry

Key Advertiser Links

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

POS & Auto ID Distribution
BlueStar
ScanSource

POS & Peripherals
FEC USA
Logic Controls
Posiflex Business Machines
POS-X

Barcode & Mobile Printers
Datamax-O'Neil

Cash Drawers
APG Cash Drawer
MMF Cash Drawer

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

Data Collection Software
Wavelink

Integrated Payment Solutions
Datacap Systems

Receipt Printers
Bixolon America
Citizen Systems America
Epson America
Star Micronics

Screen Protection
3M Optical Filters

Self-Service Kiosks
Zebra/Motorola

Thermal Printers
Seiko Instruments USA

INSTALLATIONS

Honeywell to Deliver DIAD V to UPS

UPS has commissioned Honeywell Scanning & Mobility (Skaneateles Falls, NY) to develop its next-generation handheld computer, entitled the DIAD V, for Delivery Information Acquisition Device Version 5. UPS will start field testing the device in late 2010 with plans to begin its multi-year global deployment in 2011. Significantly, the new computer will feature innovative technology that provides on-the-fly switching between cellular carriers. Additional benefits include color display, expanded memory, GPS navigation, auto-focus camera, 600-megabit-per-second Wi-Fi support, and aggressive two-dimensional imaging.

“By introducing the industry’s first wireless mobile computer that remains continuously connected to cellular service, regardless of the local carriers available, we are committed to providing technologies that our customers demand,” declared Darius Adamczyk, President of Honeywell Scanning & Mobility. “UPS’s technical leadership and real-world application of advanced technologies is well-recognized throughout the industry and Honeywell is excited to provide the platform for DIAD V.”

Honeywell also shipped its Dolphin 9700 with multi-functional data collection and communications capabilities. The 9700 represents the first mobile computing device to allow barcode scanning and picture-taking to occur in the same application, according to the vendor. The 9700 also carries multi-model communication tools such as instant messenger, e-mail, web browser, and voice-guided navigation. It runs Windows Mobile 6.5 and may be ordered with disinfectant-ready housing for healthcare environments.

Also Debuted: Honeywell’s Dolphin 9700

Preppy Across All Channels

Vineyard Vines, the lifestyle brand and retailer of “preppy” clothing, has implemented IBM WebSphere Commerce to bridge the gap between its various shopping channels--in-store, online, and catalog--while providing customers with more targeted and personalized shopping experiences based on their purchasing history. Founded in 1998 by brothers Ian and Shep Murray, the retailer opened its flagship store in 2005. Based in Stamford, CT, it now has nine free-standing locations.

Following work by IBM and CrossView, which specializes in cross-channel shopping solutions, Vineyard Vines’ fully integrated platform will ensure consistency in product promotions, discounts, and returns, regardless of how customers shop. For example, customers may return goods purchased online to retail locations, which is not the case with many retailers, or obtain the same discount being offered on an in-store item when buying it online. The software allows the company to compile and compare purchase histories of customers, with plans calling for segmented marketing to target customers living close to Vineland Vines stores, who may be invited to special events.

“Growing our business meant we needed to take a customer-focused approach--providing a uniform experience whether a customer is shopping online or in person,” related Ian Murray, who serves as Vineyard’s CEO. “For us, getting a clear and accurate view of the customer required technology that would allow us to know more about them--where they shop, what they buy, and how often. We sought a solution to help us deliver a brand experience beyond individual channels. With WebSphere Commerce we have found it.”

What Started With the Pink Whale Tie Has Grown to Crabs on Shorts

Channel Factoid

Restaurant sales in the U.S. are projected to reach $580 billion this year, an increase of 2.5% in current dollars over 2009 sales. When adjusted for inflation, 2010 sales will be essentially flat, which represents an improvement over the 1.2% and 2.9% negative growth in real sales that the industry suffered in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Continuing the trend from last year, the quick-service restaurant segment should fare slightly better than the full-service segment as diners continue to focus on value and specials. Quick-service outlets are projected to post sales of $164.8 billion in 2010, up 3% over 2009. Sales at full-service restaurants are expected to reach $184.2 billion in 2010, an increase of 1.2% in current dollars. Strongest growth in the eating-and-drinking category for 2010 should come from social caterers, whose sales are pegged to jump 4.5%. Among all commercial industry segments, look for retail-host restaurants (including those located in service stations, drug, and grocery stores) to lead with their 4.9% bump. Top growth states for 2010 will include Colorado, Idaho, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, and Texas, all with increases in the 2.7% to 2.9% range. “The past two years have been very challenging for our industry,” remarked Dawn Sweeney, President/CEO of the National Restaurant Association. “While there are still substantial challenges ahead, we are encouraged that the outlook is improving.”

HELLO GOODBYE

Egyed to Head Aures USA

France’s Aures Group, which supplies colorful and design-oriented POS under the Posligne label, has tapped Kevin Egyed as General Manager of its U.S. subsidiary, based in Englewood, Colorado. Egyed brings significant experience in the field of POS and retail IT. Most recently, he led regional sales for Posiflex Business Machines.

“The Posligne range of products offered by Aures is now being recognized as ‘the brand to watch’ by an increasing number of VARs and ISVs in the U.S. market,” Egyed stated. “The Aures Group in the U.S. will create an even larger brand awareness of our broad, high-value product offering through an aggressive campaign. Our ability to offer resellers, integrators, and end-users quality technology on the inside, and their choice of designs and colors on the outside, distinctly separates us from other manufacturers.”

In addition, Aures USA has strengthened its sales effort with the addition of Rick Breslin as Regional Manager. Most recently, Breslin worked with Egyed at Posiflex Business Machines. Introduced into the U.S. last year, Aures products feature “Clip’n Color” technology which allows the look of the hardware to be individualized.

Kevin Egyed, General Manager, Aures USA

Vivonet Beckons Becerra

Vivonet (Vancouver, BC, Canada), fast out of the gate in SaaS-based POS with its Halo product, has hired Tim Becerra as VP of Business Development, with primary responsibility for expanding the company’s strategic third-party and channel business relationships. With over 20 years of senior leadership experience in the POS industry, Becerra has represented both complete restaurant management systems and hardware solutions. Previous employers have included Posiflex Business Machines, Sable Technologies, and Squirrel Systems.

“Tim’s role will allow Vivonet to work more strategically with new and existing partners to rapidly bring new integrated products and services to our clients,” said Ryan Volberg, CEO/President of Vivonet. “Additionally, these partner relationships will aggressively grow the reach of Halo Secure Web-Based POS. Our consistent track record of growth as the leader in this area, plus Tim’s consistent track record of partner performance, is one very exciting combination.”

“What I am most excited about in joining Vivonet is the ability to provide clients with an affordable opportunity to acquire the Point of Sale foundation that leverages new technology and tools to run an efficient and profitable business, with strong return on investment, today and in the future,” Becerra shared. “I’m looking forward to helping with Vivonet’s continued growth and to be part of guiding the company to its next level of success.”