Our Product Pick

Bixolon America (Torrance, CA) has unveiled its new 4" direct-thermal mobile printer, the SPP-R410. "With a design that's 22% smaller and 25% lighter than its predecessor," according to the company, the SPP-R410 measures 5.6 in. (W) x 5.4 in. (L) x 2.6 in. (D) and weighs 1.2 lbs. It delivers print speeds of 3.5 in./90 mm per second for receipts and 2.4 in./60 mm per second for labels at 203 dpi. As significant features, there's new transmissive gap sensor, Bluetooth Version 4 (2.1+EDR/Bluetooth Low Energy), 802.11 Wi-Fi, and so-called "SoftAP," which allows other mobile devices to connect via the SPP-R410. Once fully charged, the SPP-R410 supports continuous printing (six rolls of 2.3-in./57-mm diameter paper) and 56-hour stand-by battery life (7.4-V 2600-mAh Li-Ion). As ruggedness, the SPP-R410 has an IP-54 rating for water and dust and 5-ft./1.8-m drop resistance. An MSR may be added.

Bixolon's SPP-R410 Printer

COMPANY BUSINESS

Another Nugget for Sterling

Next for processor Sterling Payment Technologies: point-to-point encryption (P2PE) and tip adjustment with EMV for "smart" terminals from the Ingenico Group. As specific products, this functionality now covers the iCT 220 CL and iCT 250 by Ingenico. It enables restaurants to settle credit-card payments the same way they would with magnetic-stripe cards--by adding the tip after the initial card authorization. It leverages the proprietary processing platform from Sterling Payment Technologies.

"Sterling's application is the first in the industry to provide both EMV tip adjustment from the POS and P2PE for these terminals," declared Rich Peterson, President of the Integrated Point of Sale Division at Sterling Payment Technologies (Tampa, FL). "Both bring significant benefits to the restaurant and services industries by providing extra data protection and making businesses operate more efficiently." Earlier this year, Sterling Payment Technologies, one of the most active payment processors in the channel for POS, was brought into the fold of EVO Payments (Melville, NY).

"Being able to provide ISVs and merchants with a semi-integrated payments solution is incredibly important, as it can reduce the time needed for certification, which means a faster implementation, and also helps merchants to reduce their PCI compliance scope," elaborated Bernie Frey, SVP of Indirect Sales, U.S., for the Ingenico Group (Alpharetta, GA). Ingenico's iCT Series addresses traditional dial-up, new generation IP, wireless GPRS, or Wi-Fi. In compact, countertop format, iCT Series accepts MSR, EMV, and Contactless NFC.

Rich Peterson, President, Integrated Point of Sale Division, Sterling Payment Technologies

CipherLab Counts to 2500

CipherLab (Plano, TX) has stocked its general-purpose scanner, the 2500 Series. In gun format, four versions are offered: one-dimension imager with cord (2500); one-dimension imager with Bluetooth (2560); two-dimension imager with cord (2504MR); and two-dimension imager with Bluetooth (2564MR). In 2500 and 2560, there's scan rate of 578 per second, with 3-mil resolution. In 2504MR and 2564MR, there's scan rate of 60 per second with 3- and 5-mil resolution (for one- and two-dimensional codes, respectively). A range of 295 ft./100 m is achieved by Bluetooth Version 4 (2.1+EDR/Bluetooth Low Energy).

"A thin scan beam eases aiming and prevents misreads," noted CipherLab. "It works extremely well when barcodes are placed close to each other. Also, it's capable of reading low-contrast images, such as barcodes that are poorly printed or printed on reflective surfaces, or on screens of mobile phones, down to print contrast signal of 15%." As dimensions, CipherLab characterizes the scan beam as only 3 mm/0.12 inches wide from 15 cm/6 inches away.

Weighing between 4.9 and 7 oz., the 2500 Series has tactile switch, 3.7-V 800-mAh Li-Ion battery, and enhanced protection for electrostatic discharge (ESD). In deployment, it automatically detects cables when connected via USB, Serial RS-232, or Keyboard Wedge. As ruggedness, the 2500 Series has an IP-54 rating for water and dust and drop resistance of 6 ft./1.8 m. As markets, the company cited "receiving, point-of-sale, shipping, inventory checking, and work-in-process."

Ready to Ship: CipherLab's 2500 Series Scanner

Worth Your While

Profit Booster Dealer Conferences
CRS, Inc.
April 25: Charlotte, NC
April 27: Atlanta, GA

WERC
Warehousing Education and Research Council
April 30 - May 3
Fort Worth, TX

Transact
Electronic Transactions Association
May 10-12
Las Vegas, NV

NRA
National Restaurant Association
May 20-23
Chicago, IL

RetailNOW
Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA)
August 6-9
Las Vegas, NV

ALL IN THE FAMILY

On the QK at Touch Dynamic

Touch Dynamic (Irvington, NJ) has unwrapped its new All-in-One, assigned as the QK10 Series. Available in black or white, and in multiple sizes--10", 15", 18", or 21"--the QK10 Series features fanless, bezel-free design with projected-capacitive touchscreen. With less than 2 inches in depth, it fulfills environments such as kiosk, digital signage, convenience store, and healthcare, according to the company. It also may be mounted on the Acrobat and Breeze Performance POS from Touch Dynamic.

As technology, the QK10 incorporates an Intel Celeron Quad-Core J1900 CPU at 2 GHz, 8-GB RAM, 2.5" SATA SSD, Intel HD Graphics, and support for Windows (up to IoT 10). A full suite of ports includes USB 2.0 x 4, USB 3.0 x 1, Serial RJ-45 x 3, Gigabit LAN x 1, VGA x 1, and Cash Drawer x 1. A stylish, ruggedized, three-piece housing provides ratings of NEMA 4 and IP-65. As options, there's magnetic-stripe reader (MSR), rear LCD, and 802.11 Wi-Fi.

"At Touch Dynamic, we take our customers' feedback seriously," reflected Craig Paritz, President. "So we are particularly pleased with the QK10 Series because it was driven by such customer-specific input. When they asked for a small-footprint All-in-One that can handle tough conditions and applications, but is also visually appealing and ultra-slim, the QK10 Series was our response."

New QK10 All-in-One by Touch Dynamic

MMF POS Has You Covered

MMF POS (Wheeling, IL) has made protective covers for payment terminals and other peripherals, since many are deployed in outdoor operations such as theme parks, food trucks, concession stands, and sidewalk sales, and thereby exposed to rain, snow, and other harsh conditions. The covers are constructed of durable, laminated nylon fabric, with water resistance, and with top handle for easy placement and removal. A dual drawstring design provides easy bottom close when tightened, detailed MMF POS.

A pair of standard sizes are offered: 8 in. (W) x 8 in. (L) x 8 in. (H), listed as MMFCVR01XX, and 9 in. (W) x 13 in. (L) x 10 in. (H), listed as MMFCVR02XX. These fit popular terminals from vendors such as Equinox, Honeywell, Ingenico, Pax, and Verifone. In addition, the protective covers can be customized in size, color, and imprinted logos.

"A great investment in order to prolong the life of outdoor point-of-sale equipment," as Larry Greenberg, Director of Sales and Marketing for MMF POS, describes these new covers. A longtime supplier to the channel, MMF POS offers cash drawers, mounting solutions, and lockable storage cabinets. New products include the PayVue Illuminated Cash Drawer and Wheelchair Accessible Payment Terminal Mount. It distributes through BlueStar (Hebron, KY), Ingram Micro (Irvine, CA), Metropolitan Sales (Lynbrook, NY), Ready Distribution (Buena Park, CA), ScanSource POS and Barcode (Greenville, SC), and Synnex (Fremont, CA).

Covers for Outdoor Payment Terminals and Peripherals From MMF POS

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ALLIANCES

A "Vend-ing Machine" for Star

Another recruit for Star Cloud Services, the value-added, application-focused division of Star Micronics (Somerset, NJ). As one of the leading purveyors of iPad-based POS, Vend has tied to Star's "AllReceipts," including its recently released "Micro Receipt." With the added capability of reducing receipt size by up to 80%, AllReceipts, now with Micro Receipt, employs the customer's smartphone and QR Code. It's offered for free for users of Star's family of thermal printers.

"We are very excited to welcome Vend to our list of point-of-sale providers supporting AllReceipts," relayed David Salisbury, VP of Sales and Marketing for Star Cloud Services. "Vend has become a very popular choice for POS technology among SMB retailers. With this new solution, we are offering much more than just a digital receipt service. We are providing tools to help increase customer engagement, and the ability to personalize the customer experience, at no cost to the retailer."

"With AllReceipts, we can now offer an even more mobile solution," testified Pierre-Emmanuel Perruchot de La Bussiere, GM of Vend (San Francisco, CA). "Retail staff will be able to serve customers from the shop floor and provide a digital receipt right to their smartphone, without the need to take down customer details. This will help retailers to speed up the checkout process." As an early participant, the two parties identified The Sunglass Menagerie, which has six stores on the Jersey Shore.

Up-and-Comer Vend Adopts Star Cloud Services

Epson Partakes of PnP

Apps keep coming for OmniLink Merchant Services at Epson America (Long Beach, CA), which has added the new restaurant customer engagement platform by PnP Loyalty (Dallas, TX). Debuted in 2016, and based in the cloud, of course, Epson's OMS has assembled an ecosystem of value-add ISVs in inventory, merchandising, workforce management, loss prevention, social media, and, of course, POS. It leverages the gateway capability of Epson's OmniLink thermal printers, such as the new TM-T88VI-i, which embed the functionality of the PC.

"We were looking for a solution to help us bypass having to integrate with multiple POS systems," reported Evan Brody, Founder and CEO at PnP Loyalty. "Integration with Epson's intelligent printer allows us to implement plug-and-play customer engagement programs for our clients to capture line-item sales data tied to individual guests and personalize offers and communications. Our new system eliminates the tablet requirement and allows customers to download a mobile app to earn points for their purchases and receive personalized offers and rewards by simply checking in at their table."

"We are pleased to be working with PnP Loyalty, an innovative customer engagement solutions provider that works behind the scenes to truly understand the value of data and supports all loyalty marketing needs for chain restaurants and retail stores," indicated Gregg Brunnick, Director of Product Management for POS Printers and Robotics at Epson America. "One of the biggest benefits of our partnership is that it has eliminated the POS integration challenges for PnP Loyalty. They can roll out to chains, across multiple POS platforms, by simply upgrading our receipt printer." A joint solution has been rolled out in nearly 800 locations, according to Epson America.

PnP Loyalty Joins Epson's OmniLink Merchant Services

Code Corner

Scandit (San Francisco, CA) has released its Barcode Scanner SDK (Software Development Kit) Version 5.2 for iOS, Android, and Windows. A new feature, dubbed "MatrixScan," enables users of any camera-equipped device--smartphones, tablets, or wearables--to easily locate, track, and decode multiple barcodes. As a use case, the company identified the need to find a specific product among many similar boxes. With MatrixScan, the device localizes and decodes all barcodes in the frame and then highlights codes matching the search criteria. An "augmented reality" feature superimposes product information, such as images, on physical goods. In addition, batch capability allows users to scan multiple packages in one sequence. An interface shows users which barcodes have been successfully captured and which ones still need to be scanned. Another potential use case includes simultaneous capture of multiple codes on forms or labels (e.g., receiving entire pallets with one scan). "Barcode Scanner SDK 5.2 provides a powerful productivity boost," exclaimed Samuel Mueller, CEO of Scandit. "With MatrixScan's ability to capture an entire set of barcodes in a single scan sequence and provide product information through augmented reality, or AR, users can expect to increase scanning speed by more than 3X."

MatrixScan by Scandit

CERTIFICATION

Ms. Jennifer, Meet Mr. Android

Warehouse ISV Lucas Systems (Pittsburgh, PA) has endorsed its first industrial computer with Android: the TC51 by Zebra Technologies (Lincolnshire, IL). It will be used in conjunction with Lucas Move, the mobile component of Lucas Mobile Work Execution Solutions. In addition to barcode scanning and voice (called "Jennifer"), Lucas Move supports the use of RFID and NFC (which is included in Zebra's TC51). Other mobile computers by Zebra, with Windows, run with Lucas Move.

"Lucas and Zebra have worked closely over the years to bring industry-leading multi-modal solutions to market, and that continues with the combination of Lucas Move and the Zebra TC51," expounded Ron Kubera, EVP and CMO of Lucas Systems. "Distribution centers across all industries and geographies are adopting next-generation solutions to give mobile workers better tools to pick, pack, and ship products. The Android-based TC51 provides enterprise-class ruggedness, connectivity, and security in a sleek, lightweight design."

Introduced in late 2016, Zebra's TC51 measures 6.1 in. (L) x 2.9 in. (W) x 0.7 in. (D) and weighs 8.8 oz. As enhancements, it carries removeable battery pack (4,300-mAh Li-Ion for 14 hrs. of run), 5" capacitive touchscreen (with Gorilla Glass), and customizable "Active Edge" keys (on both sides). As performance, it has Qualcomm Snapdragon Hexa-Core CPU at 1.8 GHz, 2/4-GB RAM, 16/32-GB Flash, and Android 6.0 Marshmallow. With one- and two-dimensional scanner, and the full package of communications capabilities--Bluetooth, 802.11 Wi-Fi, and 4G WWAN--the TC51 holds drop specification of 4 ft./1.2 m and 5 ft./1.5 m with boot, tumble specification of 500 at 1.6 ft./0.5 m, and vibration and environmental rating for MIL-STD-810G.

Lucas Systems Endorses the TC51 by Zebra

OMG! Funding for the ARTS!

The National Retail Federation (NRF) has moved management of much of its ARTS (Association for Retail Technology Standards) to the Object Management Group (OMG). Under this agreement, OMG, itself an international standards consortium, will assume responsibility for the Retail Data Model, Unified POS, Application-to-Application (A2A) Messaging, and Business Process Models (BPMs). NRF will continue to handle standard Request for Proposal (RFP) templates for retail.

"This arrangement will allow NRF to focus on ARTS' core mission of collaboration, education, and research while ensuring that standards developed over the past two decades are maintained and continue to evolve along with the retail industry," proposed Tom Litchford, VP for Retail Technology at the NRF (Washington, DC). "Retail is a highly innovative industry that uses the latest technology to continually serve its customers, and NRF remains committed to keeping merchants on the cutting edge." Before NRF, Litchford was Industry Director for Retail and Hospitality at Microsoft (2006 to 2012), many readers will recall.

"NRF and OMG share a passion for delivering real value to our communities, and look forward to a continued partnership to guarantee portability and interoperability in the retail space," contributed Richard Soley, Chairman and CEO of the Object Management Group (Needham, MA). "The ARTS standards are and will continue to be the key to increasing quality, decreasing cost, and increasing choice in retail systems as they continue under the auspices of OMG." Founded in 1989, with 500 members at present, OMG also partners with the Cloud Standards Customer Council, the Consortium for IT Software Quality, and the Industrial Internet Consortium.

NRF's Association for Retail Technology Standards (ARTS) Draws Upon the Object Management Group (OMG)

Key Advertiser Links

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

POS & Peripherals
Aures
Bematech
Harbortouch
Hewlett-Packard
Pioneer POS
POSBANK USA
Posiflex
Tailwind Solutions

Barcode & Transaction Printers
Brother Mobile
CognitiveTPG
Godex Americas
Honeywell

Cash Drawers
MMF POS

Data Collection
AML
CipherLab
Code Corporation
Denso ADC
Honeywell
Janam Technologies

Distribution
Ingram Micro

Integrated Payment Solutions
Datacap Systems
iPayment
Moneris
Sterling Payment

Keyboards & Mobile POS
Cherry Americas, LLC
TG3 Electronics

Mounts for POS
Innovative
SpacePole

Receipt Printers
Bixolon America
CognitiveTPG
Epson America
Star Micronics

Thermal Printers
Seiko Instruments USA

ENVIRONMENTS/PLATFORMS

A Deluxe Accommodation at Cayan

Cayan (Boston, MA) has become the exclusive payment provider for business services firm, Deluxe (Shoreview, MN). With approximately 4.5 million customers, Deluxe has evolved from its base in printed products (i.e., checks and business forms) to embrace web design, search engine marketing, and e-commerce for the SMB. In the area of e-commerce, it works with players such as Aplus.net, Vertical Response, Orange Soda, Jumpline, Hostopia, NEBs, and Safeguard.

"It's critical that today's small business owners are well-equipped to provide a shopping experience that meets the expectations of customers--one of those being the option to pay online," observed Ken Paull, CRO of Cayan. "With this new partnership, we're able to address that missing link for Deluxe. With our help, Deluxe can now offer an omnichannel shopping experience--both in-store and online--so their customers' customers can now pay the way they want."

"Partnering with Cayan allows Deluxe Small Business to offer complete integrated e-commerce capabilities for its customers to accept payments via their websites in an advanced, secure way," emphasized Tom Fanelli, VP of Product for Small Business Services at Deluxe Corporation. First presented in 2012, Cayan's Genius Customer Engagement Platform supports the range of electronic payments--MSR, EMV, NFC, and Mobile Wallets. As security, it employs tokenization and point-to-point encryption (P2PE). Over the past half-decade, it has garnered support by ISVs and VARs in POS.

Cayan's Genius Customer Engagement Platform

Thrive (Or "Thr!ve") With Granbury Solutions

A brand name of ISV Granbury Solutions, Thrive POS (they prefer to use "Thr!ve") addresses the restaurant sector, most notably, pizza. As its latest enhancement, Thrive has marshalled its mobile app, which allows pizza buyers to create and place orders as well as claim their loyalty rewards. Served up at the 2017 International Pizza Expo in March, it may be downloaded from the Apple App Store or Google Play.

"We had a great time showing our latest addition to Thrive," recounted Tom Bronson, President and CEO of Granbury Solutions (Grapevine, TX). "Attendees who stopped by our booth were enthusiastic about the app and what it could mean for their restaurants. Thrive takes all the best features from across our legacy products that have allowed our clients to build successful businesses and puts them into one powerhouse solution. Bringing that to mobile was the obvious next step."

Unlike many mobile sites, Thrive's app furnishes branded loading screen, side menu, and integration with the customer smartphone's map and calling features. It includes order confirmation and driver assignment confirmation. Later phases will add loyalty reward push notifications and custom marketing notifications. In addition to Thrive (we still can't bring ourselves to say "Thr!ve"), Granbury Solutions has Coffee Shop Manager, VinSuite, and Nova Point-of-Sale.

Pizza Package Adds Nifty Mobile App

Channel Factoid

Merchants missed out on $150 billion in 2016 revenue by failing to provide shoppers with personalized service, according to estimates in "State of Retail 2017" by TimeTrade. If given such improvements, shoppers indicated that on average they would increase their store spending by 4.7%. Survey question: "How much more would you be willing to pay for highly personalized experience?" Answered shoppers: up to 5 percent more, cited by 20.2%; up to 10 percent more, cited by 20.9%; up to 20 percent more, cited by 8%; and no more, cited by 51%. Survey question: "Do you feel retailers are providing you with a personalized shopping experience?" Answered shoppers: all of the time, 15.1%; most of the time, 35.5%; sometimes, 40.4%; never, 9%. As narrative, 71% of shoppers surveyed said they sometimes or always abandon dressing rooms and leave stores if they can't obtain help with sizes, colors, etc. On the other hand, 88% said that when helped by knowledgeable associates they are somewhat likely or extremely likely to make their purchase. Despite the continued growth of online shopping, 82% of respondents said they still do half or more of their shopping in physical stores (excluding grocery). Survey question: "What do you value most when shopping in a retail store?" Answered shoppers: prompt service, 47.3%; personalized service, 26.2%; smart recommendations, 17.2%; all other factors, 9.3%. Of millennials, often quoted as the largest generation, desired technologies included: personal assistants/shoppers (45%), beacon technologies (31%), and organized systems with wait-time displays and text e-mail updates when their turn is near (29%). "We know consumers are willing to pay for better service," summarized Gary Ambrosino, CEO of TimeTrade. "It's a big opportunity for traditional retailers to up their game across the board and capture that additional revenue, instead of letting those dollars go elsewhere."

HELLO GOODBYE

Encoding Spridgeon

Code (Salt Lake City, UT) has enlisted Jeff Spridgeon as its Director of North American Sales. Previously, he served as Executive Director of Sales at Dell Software (2012 to 2016). Prior to Dell, he was VP of Worldwide Sales (2006 to 2012) and Senior Director of Sales Compensation (2004 to 2006) for Quest Software. Preceding Quest, he served as Senior Director of Sales Operations at Aelita Software (1999 to 2004). As some readers may recall, Aelita was purchased by Quest, which was subsequently purchased by Dell.

"Jeff is a strong addition to our management team and we're excited to have him on board," commented Garrett Russell, VP of Sales and Marketing for Code. "His impressive leadership and experience will play an integral part of our organization's success in achieving our plans for growth." At Dell, Spridgeon led 80 sales representatives, it was noted.

"I'm thrilled to be joining the Code team," shared Spridgeon. "I've built my career leading sales teams that exceed customer expectations while achieving aggressive corporate goals. I look forward to continuing that level of excellence with an already outstanding Code team." Recently, Code has promoted its barcode scanning software: 2D Revolution.

Jeff Spridgeon, Director of North American Sales, Code

APG Enthused of Hughes

APG Cash Drawer (Minneapolis, MN) has engaged Lisa Hughes as its Distribution Channel Manager. She comes to APG from Samsung, where she held the position of Regional Sales Manager for Enterprise (2013 to 2016). Before Samsung, she was Regional Partner Sales Manager (2012 to 2013) and North Central Sales Manager (2009 to 2012) at Microsoft. During her time there, she was recognized for year-over-year revenue growth and honored with inclusion in the Microsoft President's Circle of Excellence Gold Club. At APG, she will work with Ann Klein, Channel Manager.

Of Hughes, John Meilahn, APG's VP of Global Sales, stated, "Lisa has extensive business development experience within various channel organizations. She's relationship-driven and will play an integral role in fostering partners and supporting our resellers, ISVs, and distributors with their business objectives. With the addition of Lisa, we're strengthening our commitment to the channel and our corporate revenue goals."

"I am impressed by APG's culture and ready to meet and support our channel customers," affirmed Hughes. "It's evident that APG is dedicated to building channel relationships and assisting our customers by providing them the resources they need to be successful. I'm thrilled to be a part of that." As distributors, APG Cash Drawer has BlueStar (Hebron, KY), Ingram Micro (Irvine, CA), Metropolitan Sales (Lynbrook, NY), and ScanSource POS and Barcode (Greenville, SC).

Lisa Hughes, Distribution Channel Manager, APG Cash Drawer

Rolnick "Yodles" at ShopKeep

ShopKeep (New York, NY), one of the leaders in iPad-based POS, has recruited Daniel Rolnick as its CTO. His experience includes Chief Architect, then CTO, for Yodle, an online marketing service (2014 to 2016). Earlier, he worked for Barclays Capital as Senior Developer, then Head of the firm's POINT Application Programming Interface (2006 to 2014). He received his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

"Daniel's established expertise as an effective leader in technology and engineering, paired with his proven track record for growing strong teams and building great technology, are reflective of the value he will bring to ShopKeep," remarked Michael DeSimone, President and CEO at ShopKeep. "Driving innovation while maintaining the edge and simplicity that our POS solutions afford our customers requires dedication, vision, and, most of all, passion for small business--which is why we are delighted to welcome Daniel to our leadership team."

"Owners of today's independent storefronts are faced with having to quickly adapt to a barrage of new technologies, mobile and digital demands, as well as evolving consumer needs--all while maintaining the usual efforts required to manage a successful business," volunteered Rolnick. "Having seen the challenges experienced by growing enterprises as they navigate the fast-changing, tech-driven world of business, I look forward to working with ShopKeep to establish a new standard of POS-fueled convenience and intelligence that helps owners focus on running a better, smarter operation." At present, ShopKeep serves 23,000 independent businesses, according to company figures.

Daniel Rolnick, CTO, ShopKeep