Our Product Pick

Unitech America (Cypress, CA) has unwrapped its new rugged handheld terminal, Model HT730. Measuring 7.6 in. (L) x 2.8 in. (W) x 1.3 in. (D) and weighing 14 oz./395 g, the HT730 has Qualcomm Octa-Core 720G CPU at 2.3 GHz, 3 GB RAM, 32 GB Flash, and Android 10 with GMS. Other features include one-handed operation, 1D/2D scanning with 30-degree angle-tilt-down design and range of 65 ft./20 m, 38/29 key backlight keyboard, and 6700 mAh full-shift battery. Also, there's Bluetooth 5.1, 802.11 WLAN, 4G WAN, and RFID/NFC. It has an IP65/67 rating for water and dust ingress and 6 ft./ 1.8 m drop resistance.

Unitech's HT730 Rugged Handheld Computer

COMPANY BUSINESS

Ingenico Pivots With AXIUM

A move into Android O/S, and Terminal-as-a-Service (TaaS) for Ingenico, A Worldline Brand (Alpharetta, GA). As the first two models in its new series of payment devices, christened AXIUM, Ingenico will offer the DX 8000 and EX 8000. Running Android 10, they carry large touchscreens (5.5" and 6"), 64 bit ARM Cortex Quad-Core A53 CPU at 1.3 GHz, and security via Payment Card Industry (PCI) PTS Version 6. In integration, there's Application Programming Interface (API) and Ingenico's worldwide network of developers, its Android Competence Center.

As expected, the full range of features are included: barcode scanning, front and rear cameras, card slots, wireless (Bluetooth 4.2, 802.11 WLAN, 4G WAN). Addressing pay-at-the-table, curbside, and delivery settings, the DX 8000 carries an integrated thermal receipt printer. In phablet form, without printer, the EX 8000 (i.e, Enterprise) "extends the digital payment experience throughout the entire point-of-sale."

Accompanying this new hardware, Ingenico has launched its Terminal-as-a-Service (TaaS). In conversation with RRN, Mark Bunney, Director of Go-to-Market Strategy, and Brad Giles, SVP of Marketing and Sales Enablement, cited "great interest" in this delivery model, comprised of monthly fee, rather than upfront purchase. It applies to any current payment terminal by Ingenico, including AXIUM. A Basic Package and Premium Package have been designed, depending on level of service and support (e.g., help-desk, damage coverage, etc.). It allows customers and partners to easily update their technology, in light of rapidly evolving payment needs and trends, projected Ingenico.

Ingenico Embraces Android O/S, With AXIUM (Such as the Model DX 8000), and Terminal-as-a-Service (TaaS)

FastSensor: An Eye on RO.i

A relative newcomer to our channel, FastSensor (Wilmington, DE) has presented its shopper behavior analysis system, entitled RO.i. (for Return on Investment). Utilizing Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), RO.i measures customer activity from walk-in at the front door, through browsing and shopping, to the final checkout process. It collects and reports on facets such as occupancy, area engagement, visit duration, and complete customer journeys. A cloud-based solution, RO.i offers consolidated analytics, accessible through mobile device, computer, or digital signage, with an Application Programming Interface (API) for business intelligence platforms.

"For RO.i Lite [the entry level], we use two specially designed sensors powered by AI to gather anonymous Radio Frequency (RF) signals and thermal movement vectors to provide key metrics of 'walk-by, walk-in, walk-out' via our Smart Door Counter," explained Kalon Welch, EVP of Business Development for FastSensor. "AI determines an individual entity among all the millions of RF vectors across multiple frequencies to avoid double counting and enables differentiation between 'browsers' and 'engagers.' It uses its own LTE network [not Bluetooth or Wi-Fi], avoiding any IT infrastructure, or the Payment Card Industry (PCI)-compliant payment network, and is very nearly plug-and-play."

As for the channel, there's the firm's program, "PoweredBy FastSensor." Says Welch: "We provide reseller training and certification. A good reseller margin on our Hardware-Enabled-Software-as-a-Service (dubbed HESaaS) includes an extra discount for taking on inventory. Qualified resellers may get annual rewards, as well. We use standard channel practices with deal registration, partner management, technical tools, and co-branded marketing and co-selling activities."

Shopper Behavior Monitoring and Analysis, Entitled RO.i, by FastSensor

Worth Your While

NRA Show
National Restaurant Association
May 22-25
Chicago, IL
[Ed. Note: Cancelled for 2021]

SEAA Conference
Southeast Acquirers Association
May 24-26
Bonita Springs, FL

NRF Show
National Retail Federation
June 6-8
New York, NY
[Ed. Note: Virtual for 2021]

RetailNOW
Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA)
July 25-28
Nashville, TN

Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo
Clarion Events
August 22-24
Anaheim, CA

The NGA Show
National Grocers Association
September 19-21
Las Vegas, NV

Money 20/20
Ascential
October 24-27
Las Vegas, NV

ALL IN THE FAMILY

A Touch of Exatouch

Electronic Payments Inc. (Calverton, NY) has enhanced its proprietary Exatouch POS with the addition of touchscreen-based customer facing display (CFD). In full-color, 10" size, the CFD empowers guests to review their purchases, see any applied discounts, pay via electronic signature capture, and choose their receipt preference. Also, they may opt-in to receive marketing messages by entering their phone number or e-mail address.

As another benefit, the touchscreen CFD allows merchants to capture reviews at checkout, with star ratings. The ratings, comprised of one to five stars, are generated within the reporting module of Exatouch. It enables merchants to reward team members for performance and extend additional training to those who may need assistance. Also, of course, merchants may use the ratings, whether positive or negative, to follow-up with customers.

"Exatouch's touchscreen CFD boosts efficiency and positions merchants to bring in even more revenue," enthused Michael Nardy, Founder and CEO of Electronic Payments. "By making it easy for business owners and their employees to interact with patrons at checkout, including giving customers the options they want at the click of a button, the overall customer experience is improved. And the CFD affords merchants a noticeable, no-cost way to advertise special offers and promotions that encourage repeat business--the lifeblood of any enterprise."

EPI Adds Touchscreen-Based Customer Facing Display

A Basket of Colors

MAXStick Products (Lancaster, PA) has debuted its newest line of direct-thermal, liner-free, removable adhesive labels, designated MAXStick PlusD Colors. Accompanying the 55-gsm MAXStick SideEdge Colors, the new MAXStick PlusD Colors will be offered in 74-gsm (grams per square meter), and in several widths and roll lengths. As standard colors, there's Pink, Orange, Canary, Green, Blue, and Violet.

A patented "diamond pattern adhesive" allows application of the labels to common food packaging materials and surfaces without leaving unwanted residue, notes MAXStick. In particular, it supports growing acceptance of, and expected ongoing demand for, drive-thru and contactless pickup in food-service, first spurred by COVID-19. Additionally, use of MAXStick PlusD Colors can highlight special orders concerning allergens, food prepared according to strict religious practices, or order of priority in product delivery.

According to MAXStick, the UK Food Information Amendment, also known as Natasha's Law, which mandates color-coding of prepacked and prepared foods to identify allergens, will soon come to the U.S. At present, more than 60 direct-thermal printers have been certified by MAXStick for food-service, warehousing, retail, libraries, parking, and medical diagnostics. All MAXStick liner-free labels are "environmentally friendly"--meaning, recyclable, silicone-free, and bisphenol (BP)-free.

MAXStick's New PlusD Colors Removable Labels

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Week of March 22

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Week of February 22

A Message From the Editor

As we enter another year, our mission stays constant: to fill the need for timely, focused, non-biased news in the channel for POS & Auto ID. If anything, that need grows more pressing in the face of changes in technology, go-to-market strategies, business models, and consumer concerns. We look forward to continuing that mission and welcome your suggestions and thoughts on improvement.

Michael Kachmar, Editor

ALLIANCES

Fiserv Snacks on Pineapple

A further consolidation in payments, with Fiserv (Brookfield, WI) purchasing Pineapple Payments (Pittsburgh, PA). After partnering with equity firm PSG in 2017, Pineapple Payments, which largely focuses on the channel of ISVs, has completed seven acquisitions, enhancing its proprietary technology offerings and scaling its customer base to more than 25,000 merchants. It will join the Global Business Division of Fiserv, as part of the Partner Solutions Business Unit.

"With Pineapple Payments already operating as a key distribution partner of Fiserv, we expect to accelerate the delivery of new and innovative capabilities to a host of new merchant clients," indicated Frank Bisignano, President and CEO of Fiserv. "Together, we will provide omnichannel payments technology and services to enable merchants to maximize the potential of electronic payment processing." In July 2019, readers will recall, Fiserv bought First Data and its Clover POS, pitting itself against Square and Shopify in the SMB.

"With the scale and expertise of Fiserv, we will make commerce even easier and more accessible in a variety of different segments," proposed Jon Halpern, President of Pineapple Payments. "We look forward to our talented teams working together as we set a higher standard of service for our clients." Subject to customary approvals and closing conditions, this private transaction is expected to be completed in Q2 2021.

Fiserv Buys Pineapple Payments

Paystri Picks Some Mynt

A joint effort in integrated payments has been cultivated by Mynt and Paystri. It draws upon the hardware and software for POS from Mynt and the payment processing gateway from Paystri. A part of Custom America (Boothwyn, PA), as is POS-X (Bellingham, WA), Mynt offers its 14" widescreen touchscreen terminal, with integrated 3" thermal receipt printer and 16" x 16" steel cash drawer. As computing, it has Intel Celeron Quad-Core J1900 CPU at 2 GHz and 60 GB SSD.

"Mynt's POS solutions are designed to meet the diverse needs of retailers and restaurants," remarked Jonathan Arst, Founder and CFO of Paystri (Salem, MA). "Integration of Paystri's payment solutions takes it a step further by offering businesses more choice in how they run their payment programs. This is particularly true for Paystri's Cash Discount offering [extended to the customers of the merchants], which is sure to be a game changer for many clients of Mynt."

"Giving our clients the ability to choose a traditional payments acceptance program or a program like Cash Discount gives them even more flexibility in how they accept customer payments," added Nick Melnyk, Director of Business Development at Mynt. "Cash Discount can provide our clients with long-term financial benefits by offsetting card processing fees. We're excited to see the positive impact that our partnership with Paystri creates for our clients."

Mynt Partners With Paystri for Payments

Code Corner

Shift4 Payments (Allentown, PA), provider of payment processing and POS, has added six new partners to its third-party Shift4 Marketplace:

-BarVision (Kennett Square, PA): Liquor/Bar Serving Control

-Craftable (San Mateo, CA): Recipe and Inventory Management

-OpenSimSim (San Diego, CA): Labor Management

-Orca Inventory (Agoura Hills, CA): Restaurant and Hotel Inventory Management

-Sling (Brookline, NY): Labor Management

-Yellow Dog Software (Norfolk, VA): Retail and Restaurant Inventory Management

"Shift4 strives to deliver a unified commerce ecosystem that extends beyond payment processing to include a wide range of valuable services for our customers," declared Jared Isaacman, CEO of Shift4 Payments. "This approach simplifies operations for our clients and reinforces our one-stop-shop value proposition. With the newest additions to our Shift4 Marketplace, we have further established why our end-to-end payment solution is the best value in the industry."

Shift4 Payments Marketplace

VizyPay (Des Moines, IA), payments provider for the SMB, has launched its new VizyPOS App on the third-party PAX Marketplace. As such, it supports the Models A80 and A920 Payment Terminals from PAX Technology (Jacksonville, FL). As key features, in addition to processing payments, VizyPOS App has the following: implementation of the company's  Cash Discount Program, an inventory ranking system for volume and profit margin, drill-down transaction analytics, and split tender for the company's Cash Discount Program (CPD). "We intentionally built the VizyPOS App to be scalable, and the team has big plans to expand on its capabilities," expounded Kyle McCann, Director of Business Development at VizyPay.

VizyPay Supports PAX A920

ENVIRONMENTS/PLATFORMS

POS Nation Gets "Creative"

POS Nation has received an outside investment--its first, reportedly--to support the modernization and future development of its flagship software for POS, CAP Retail. Initially, it will use this investment from local growth equity firm CreativeCo to move the product to the cloud and extend it beyond Windows O/S. Additional enhancements are planned. (Both POS Nation and CreativeCo are based in Charlotte, NC.)

"We needed a development partner with experience in cloud technology to get us where we needed to go," relayed Spence Hoffman, Director of Sales and Product at POS Nation. "We were ready to respond to the market and serve the needs of our customers who could benefit from a cloud-based solution." As readers will recall, POS Nation purchased long-time channel ISV CAP Retail in September 2020.

"It's impressive that since 2001, POS Nation has been providing the point-of-sale software, payment processing, and support services that make several thousand retail stores run smoothly," related Travis Parsons, Managing Partner at CreativeCo. "We believe POS Nation's customer-first approach has been a winning formula, and we look forward to working together to make their easy-to-use and proven software platform even better for their customers." FYI: As part of the earlier purchase process, Will Atkinson, former President of CAP Retail, was named Director of Channel Sales at POS Nation.

An Investment by CreativeCo Will Help Modernize CAP Retail POS Software by POS Nation

HungerRush Cooks Up Text-to-Order

HungerRush (Houston, TX) has fielded its text-to-order solution for restaurants, called TextAI. Utilizing Artificial Intelligence, as its name indicates, Text AI supplies integrated, multi-channel digital ordering. It employs the SMS function of the customer's mobile device, with texting to the restaurant's phone number, and return confirmation. A combination of AI and NLP (Natural Language Processing) eliminates errors and boosts speed, versus traditional phoning, observed the ISV.

HungerRush TextAI comes with a built-in direct response marketing channel that allows brands to send promotions and reminders to their loyal customers on an opt-in basis (via HungerRush Loyalty). It allows payment by text, in-store, or at the door for delivery (via HungerRush POS). Amassed customer transaction and profile data may be centralized across all ordering channels and the back-office (via HungerRush Restaurant Management System). And there's no need for consumers to download an App.

"We're passionate about helping our restaurant chains thrive with the right approach to transform digitally," expressed Perry Turbes, CEO of HungerRush (formerly Revention POS). "The restaurant industry is at a pivotal point where meeting consumers' needs for frictionless and safe ordering represents an important aspect of a great guest experience. We want to lead with our vision for innovative, integrated solutions that let restaurant operators own their business data and customer relationships to drive profitable growth."

HungerRush Debuts Its TextAI Solution

Key Advertiser Links

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

POS & Peripherals
Electronic Payments
Epson America
Harbortouch
HP
Ingenico
Pioneer Solution
POSBANK USA
Posiflex
Revel Systems

Barcode Printers
Bixolon America
Brother Mobile
Godex Americas

Cash Drawers
APG Cash Drawer

Customer Journey and Engagement Management System
FastSensor

Data Collection
CipherLab
Code Corporation
Janam Technologies
Unitech America

Integrated Payment Solutions
Datacap Systems
Electronic Payments
Ingenico
International Bancard
North American Bancard
PAX Technology

Receipt Printers
Bixolon America
Brother Mobile
Epson America
Star Micronics
Woosim Systems

Stands, Mounts, Cradles
Gamber-Johnson

INSTALLATIONS

A Slice of POS

Adding to its pitch to eaters--which you've probably seen by now--Slice (New York, NY) has moved into POS with its Slice Register and Slice Loyalty. Established by CEO Ilir Sela in 2010, as MyPizza, Slice now partners with 15,000 pizzerias nationwide for online ordering, more than double the footprint of Domino's in the U.S. A suite of software and hardware for POS is now offered at no cost as part of the package.

Announcement of Slice Register comes on the heels of Slice's acquisition of POS ISV, Instore, in November 2020. As functionality, Slice Register has omnichannel payments, online and off-line ordering, labor management, consumer engagement, and back-office reporting. With Slice Loyalty, customers on the Slice App will earn one Pizza Point on orders of $15 or more. Eight Pizza Points equals one free large cheese pizza (toppings extra).

"Pizza as a category is unique," emphasized Matt Niehaus, former CEO of Instore, now SVP of Payments at Slice. "Slice is laser-focused on building digital tools for pizzerias and understands the industry's unique set of ordering requirements and complicated menu better than anyone. Slice's world-class technology and expertise in pizza, combined with Instore's accredited functionality, has enabled us to design this solution to give independent pizzerias what they need to thrive."

Slice Register for Independent Pizzerias

Zebra Pumps Up Discount Tire

"An industry first" has been announced by Zebra Technologies Corporation (Lincolnshire, IL), with Discount Tire deploying its Android-based TC75x Mobile Computer for tire-tread-depth reading and reporting. As the world's largest independent retailer of tires and wheels, Discount Tire will furnish this new solution to its 1,100 stores in the U.S. It runs Tire DOT (Department of Transportation) Scan Software by one of Zebra's PartnerConnect Premier ISVs, Anyline (Boston, MA). A Premier Solutions Partner of Zebra, Accucode (Centennial, CO), participated in development and roll out of the new system.

Previously, technicians manually measured as many as 12 different spots for tread depth and used pen and paper to record each code for DOT, according to Anyline and Zebra. With the new mobile handheld solution, which swipes the tire using the camera on the TC75x, Discount Tire technicians can complete an assessment typically in under five seconds per tire. With the full-color 4.7" display of the TC75x, Discount Tire technicians can also visually show the customers the status of their tire tread depth and demonstrate possible need for replacement. It also captures the Tire Identification Number (TIN) on the sidewall for age and manufacture location.

"Discount Tire is raising the bar with its commitment to customer safety through the use of innovative mobile computing solutions," reported Joe White, SVP and GM of Enterprise Mobile Computing at Zebra Technologies Corporation. "By using this new solution, Discount Tire is providing a performance edge to its technicians, enabling them to deliver better, faster service with visibility and actionable insights to their customers to help provide the safest driving experience." Going forward, Discount Tire plans to expand use of Anyline Tire DOT Scan Software for license plates and Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN).

A New Tire-Tread-Depth Reading Solution, Using the TC75x Mobile Computer, Deployed by Discount Tire

Channel Factoid

Buy-In for BOPIS?

-86% of consumers have heard about it

-75% of consumers have used it at least once in the past year

-56% of consumers have used it six or more times in the past year

-8% of consumers have used it twenty times or more in the past year

-35% of consumers cited COVID-19 as their prime reason for using it

-34% of consumers said they'd use it more if the retailer brought items to their vehicles

Source: "The State of BOPIS Report 2021," by Raydiant (San Francisco, CA)

Growing Interest in Buy Online/Pickup In-Store

HELLO GOODBYE

Revel Says Aloha to Costello

Revel Systems (Atlanta, GA) has engaged industry veteran Dan Costello as its Enterprise Sales Executive. He brings extensive experience in sales of restaurant POS, including roles as Director of Sales-Hospitality Division at NCR, Director of Sales-Hospitality Division at Radiant Systems, Director of Sales at Aloha Technologies, and Account Manager at Farris Point of Sale.

"In order to capitalize on the growing demand for our cloud-based POS platform, Revel is expanding our world-class enterprise sales team," commented Jake Berkowitz, VP of Enterprise Sales for Revel Systems. "We're excited to add Dan Costello, who has 25 years of experience selling to large restaurant chains and will help us increase our growing market share." (Most recently, Revel has signed The Salad Station.)

"After spending 21 years helping onboard large enterprise hospitality clients to NCR Aloha, I chose to work at Revel because the company has great momentum in the industry," shared Costello. "Revel has great people and a flexible, modern, cloud-based platform that enables rapid innovation, which is required to meet the rapidly changing demands of consumers." As readers will remember, Aloha and Radiant both became part of NCR, as NCR moved into absorption of ISVs and VARs in POS.

Dan Costello, Enterprise Sales Executive, Revel Systems

Making Their "Marc"

A pair of executive hires for Digimarc Corporation (Beaverton, OR): Tim Price as Chief Revenue Officer and Kelly Haggerty as Chief Product Officer. Previously Price served as Chief Revenue Officer for Smarsh, while Haggerty served as VP of Product and Strategy at Zix Corporation. (Both Smarsh and Zix address electronic communications security.) As its base technology, Digimarc has its scannable digital watermarking, which supports product packaging, printed materials, and other media.

Of Price as CRO, Bruce Davis, Chairman and CEO, stated: "The timing is right to bring in a seasoned sales executive to drive global demand and growth for the Digimarc Platform. Tim is an energetic and transformational sales leader who has the experience building and operating high-performance teams and the expertise in scaling high-growth technology and SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) companies."

Of Haggerty as CPO, Davis continued: "I'm thrilled that Kelly has joined the executive team at Digimarc. He brings a tremendous skill-set and background in software product management and strategy. As the Digimarc Platform evolves and matures, we see the need to elevate product management to the executive level, where Kelly can help drive further growth of the Platform." As one of its major hardware partners, Digimarc has scanner vendor, Datalogic (Eugene, OR).

In the C-Suite at Digimarc: Tim Price, Chief Revenue Officer, and Kelly Haggerty, Chief Product Officer