Our Product Pick

POSBANK USA (Gardena, CA) has shipped its new entry-level receipt printer, the A7. Measuring 5.3 in. (W) x 6.3 in. (H) x 4.8 in. (D), the direct-thermal A7 features 3-inch/80-mm print width and maximum print speed of 8 inch/200 mm per second at 203-dpi resolution. It carries proprietary jam-free technology as well as an onboard annunciator for enhanced audio feedback. With Windows and OPOS drivers, as well as Epson compatibility, the A7 adds dual-interface USB and Serial, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, along with built-in multi-language support and feed button programming. A "drop & load" paper fill design, partial cuts and full cuts, and paper roll diameter of 3 inch/80 mm ease operation.

A7 Receipt Printer From POSBANK USA

COMPANY BUSINESS

Accelerating the Checkout

"I think resellers ignore this technology at their peril," Pete Catoe, CEO and President of ECR Software (Boone, NC), told RRN.Com, "but time will tell." He's speaking of the next generation of checkout, which includes his RAPTOR (designating, somewhat ponderously, Retail Application Prototype Testing of Operational Robotics). Previously restricted to beta, ten lanes of RAPTOR now have been deployed and paid for by the Cosmopolitan Marketplace in Aurora, Illinois.

Careful to differentiate this technology from self-checkout, Catoe employs the term "accelerated checkout." At its heart, the Jade X7 Portal from Datalogic (Eugene, OR), which allows shoppers to place items in any orientation on the belt due to 360-degree visual recognition (as well as "auto-learning"). In support, ECR Software has designed the cabinet, consumer guidance projection system, cashier voice control and command capabilities, and the driving software. "As the best part, the system sets the pace of the transaction, which ensures cashiers work at the same pace, and customers are checked out and bagged quickly and correctly," noted Catoe.

"Datalogic deserves a great deal of credit for continuing to push the retail transaction innovation curve forward for the betterment of consumers, retailers, and their store associates," continued Catoe. "Jade X7 is such an example, having the potential to truly transform the way every consumer buys groceries. Cashiers no longer need to spend 99% of their time scanning the items, so the consumer experience is enhanced."

ECR Software's RAPTOR Takes Wing

Time for TiSO, Says iPayment

A longstanding provider of processing services, iPayment Inc. (New York City), has unveiled its new program for VARs, ISOs, and ISVs, designated "TiSO." It simplifies the process for technology providers to begin selling payments, according to iPayment, with an experienced team providing one-to-one support from integration through registration to direct sales training and program activation (across in-store, online, and mobile). A suite of technology tools are engineered to streamline the path for customer acquisition and approval. In addition, white-labeling has been addressed.

"TiSO enables all developers to take control of the payments experience to drive revenue and enterprise value," advised Greg Cohen, President of iPayment Inc. "For years, the developer has done the majority of the work in terms of selling and maintaining the customer relationship around their solution, while the payments referral partner has reaped the financial reward. Delivering payments doesn't need to be hard or complex, TiSO empowers the developer, allowing them to earn their full potential from each account."

"Our core business centers on integrating custom payment solutions into our software partner's platforms," relayed one participant in TiSO, Jeff Cole, President of Change Merchant Solutions (Woodland Hills, CA). "iPayment's TiSO team has been a direct extension of our company and has been invaluable helping us properly build, certify, and maintain these programs. In the competitive landscape of finding, launching, and maintaining software referral partners, TiSO is true value-add."

Greg Cohen, President, iPayment

Worth Your While

RetailNOW 2015
Retail Solutions Providers Association
August 2-5
Orlando

VARTECH 2015
BlueStar
September 14-18
Enchantment of the Seas - Departs Orlando

Pack Expo
PMMI
September 28-30
Las Vegas

NACS Show
Association for Convenience & Fuel Retailing
October 11-14
Las Vegas

IAAPA Expo 2015
International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions
November 16-20
Orlando

ALL IN THE FAMILY

A Sled Ride for BlueStar

Distributor BlueStar (Hebron, KY) has added Infinite Peripherals (Elk Grove Village, IL), and its mobility offerings, to its line card. As leading products, Infinite Peripherals, which also goes by IPC, offers Linea Pro (for Apple iPhone and iPod Touch) and Infinea Tab (for Apple iPad and iPad Mini), which deliver barcode scanning and credit card reading in sled format. Early to the fray, IPC has fielded hundreds of thousands of its devices for retail.

"Infinite Peripherals has been delivering best-of-breed mobile solutions across many verticals including retail, hospitality, healthcare, gaming, banking, logistics, and warehousing," observed Mark Fraker, VP of Marketing at BlueStar. "We are excited to offer our channel partners such proven solutions. When you combine the comprehensive solutions of IPC with the creativeness of our resellers, the business communities will have access to solutions that drive operational efficiencies and increase bottom line margins."

One of the "big three" distributors in POS and Auto ID (along with ScanSource and Ingram Micro Data Capture/POS), BlueStar will bundle software and hardware for mobility. It has also created an M-POS specific marketing program as part of its "Varcom" value-added service offering for VARs and ISVs. "We look forward to introducing many new solutions to our partners," volunteered Emily Wright, M-POS and Emerging Market Sales Manager at BlueStar. (At IPC, Victor Bobadilla serves as Director of U.S. and International Channel Sales.)

New Infinea Omni Self-Service Kiosk for iPad Air by Infinite Peripherals

NCR: More Silver Mining

NCR Small Business (Duluth, GA) has launched NCR Silver Register, an All-in-One Tablet POS that runs NCR Silver in the cloud, excludes third-party applications, and offers flexible pricing. It operates "out-of-the-box," noted NCR, and covers payment processing and inventory management. Also, for mobility, NCR Silver Register synchronizes with select devices from Apple. "This bundled solution is affordable and scalable, yet helps business owners power their businesses without the typical implementation challenges associated with many enterprise-level technology solutions," emphasized Chris Poelma, President and GM of NCR Small Business.

In terms of technology, NCR Silver Register features solid-state design, with tablet and stylish integrated stand, and multiple USB. It runs Android and Wired Ethernet. A bright LED display delivers exceptional visual quality, according to NCR, with multi-touch functionality. Optional hardware includes customer display, cash drawer, wireless printer, and scanner. A magnetic-stripe reader (MSR) comes standard.

Plug-and-Play NCR Silver Register

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ALLIANCES

It Takes A Village (to Parse)

A trio of leading vendors to our channel--Tri-Technical Systems (Dubuque, IA), CRS, Inc. (St. Paul, MN), and Code Corporation (Salt Lake City, UT)--has assembled its bundle of POS. Available from CRS to authorized Tri-Tech VARs, exclusively, this draws together AIMsi Version 11 from Tri-Tech, touch terminals from CRS such as the SAM4s SPT-4740, and the two-dimensional CR900FD scanner from Code. This three-way partnership began at the CRS Profit Booster Conference in October 2014, where CRS facilitated introductions between Tri-Tech and Code (and finalized distribution of Code).

"Code has been developing quality barcode readers for eighteen years, with a strong presence in healthcare, and is now aggressively expanding into commercial and retail markets," reported Vicki Thai, Independent Software Vendor Manager at Code. "Through our partnership with CRS, we are able to provide resellers with reliable, feature-rich products at a reasonable price point. For Tri-Tech's solution, we combined our unrivaled decoding technology with our Driver's License/Identification formatting feature to seamlessly integrate the CR900FD with AIMsi software."

"We wanted to come up with a robust and cost-effective solution that we could include in our Version 11 release of AIMsi," reflected Amber Earles, Project Manager at Tri-Technical Systems. "Our hope was to standardize formatting, thus creating an easier-to-implement solution, both for our users and our development team. We found this combination in the CR900FD scanner with the added DL Parse."

A Bundle for POS by Tri-Technical Systems, CRS, and Code

"C" Rations With Cayan

An interesting move by Cayan (Boston, MA), which now links its payment processing technology with web hosting control panel provider, cPanel (Houston, TX). Offered to more than 10,000 hosting companies, this scheme simplifies the burden of becoming PCI compliant for both merchants and web hosts, according to Cayan. In addition, it makes it easy for cPanel customers to become resellers and generate residual revenue by offering merchant accounts.

"We believe value-added services can be a real differentiation in the hosting space, so we've built our platform and reputation on a powerful application programming interface (API) that seamlessly brings third-party services to our customers," asserted Aaron Phillips, Chief Business Officer at cPanel. "Cayan's integration brings to the hosting community automated credit card processing directly within the cPanel interface. Cayan's unique integration demonstrates the power and flexibility of cPanel's API and commitment to deliver a wide variety of third-party applications for web hosts and their customers."

Henry Helgeson, CEO, Cayan

Code Corner

TSYS (Columbus, GA) and Acquirer Systems (Dublin, Ireland) have combined forces on "ASTREX," which simplifies EMV for VARs and ISVs. A streamlined approach for integration to the current testing environment at TSYS, ASTREX provides robust card brand simulation, according to the two parties. It purports to cut EMV certification time in half while reducing overall implementation costs (with no add-on password management or secondary log-in information). In addition, VARs and ISVs will enjoy support from TSYS Developer Services. "By using our simulator tool, VARs and ISVs gain an edge on the competition by bringing powerful and efficient EMV solutions to market faster," suggested Craig Ludwig, Head of Product for TSYS Merchant Services. Added Fergal Molloy, CEO at Acquirer Systems, "ASTREX will simulate all connected debit and credit card brand networks and provide real-time responses, allowing VARs and ISVs to complete their testing and validation at the time that best suits their needs."

ENVIRONMENTS/PLATFORMS

SOTI Mixes It Up

SOTI Inc. (Mississauga, ON, Canada) has released MobiControl 12.3 for mixed environments in O/S. It helps meet this challenge with same-day support for Windows 10, integration of Apple's Volume Purchasing Program, and additional updates to Android for Work. A number of benefits were cited for users of Windows 10: device diagnostics, package deployment, enterprise file sync, location services, remote help-desk support, and control of Wi-Fi, VPN, and Cellular. In addition to phones and tablets, SOTI MobiControl 12.3 addresses POS and ATMs.

"We are further enabling the management of all form factors, an important criteria that must be considered for all businesses building out their mobility strategy," indicated Carl Rodrigues, CEO of SOTI. "The ability to manage connected objects gives us the opportunity to go deeper than just device management. SOTI MobiControl 12.3 brings all of the businesses' connected devices into the mix and can boost device security and employee productivity." Estimates have 1 billion users of Windows 10.

SOTI Releases MobiControl 12.3 for Mixed O/S Environments

One Toke Over the Line With RFID

American Green (Tempe, AZ) expects to sell so much weed it apparently needs asset tracking by RFID. To that end, it has purchased RFID VAR, TrackX, LLC (Denver, CO). With products such as AssetTrack, YardTM, and Supply Chain Management Suite, American Green will implement "seed-to-sale" for legal cannabis state programs in the U.S. As some readers of RRN.Com will recall, TrackX was the former Fluensee.

"Our decade-long background in technology and our unique position in this emerging sector made this opportunity ideal for our company," explained Stephen Shearin, President of American Green. "We are eager to assist TrackX in maximizing how it serves its impressive client list, help them deliver the business in their equally impressive pipeline, and develop new sources of revenue. The opportunities are endless in tracking and efficiency which is why our team spent more than three months pursuing and negotiating this critical acquisition."

"We worked for years to develop and service our strong customer list with cutting-edge technology," summarized Tim Harvie, CEO of TrackX. "I believe we have more than succeeded in accomplishing that goal. Now we are ready to bring what we have created to the larger audience. Working with American Green will allow us to do just that. We are proud of what we have achieved up to this point and are particularly excited about where the union with American Green and our next-generation RFID-enabled asset tracking technology will take us."

America Green, Serving the Legal Cannabis Industry in the U.S., Buys RFID VAR TrackX

Key Advertiser Links

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

POS & Peripherals
AnywhereCommerce
Bematech
Elo Touch Solutions
Harbortouch
Hewlett-Packard
Partner Tech
Pioneer POS
POSBANK USA
Posiflex
PowaPOS
TEAMSable

Barcode & Transaction Printers
Brother Mobile
CognitiveTPG
Honeywell Scanning

Cash Drawers
MMF POS

Data Collection
CipherLab
Code Corporation
Datalogic
Honeywell Scanning

Integrated Payment Solutions
Cayan
Datacap Systems
Discover
iPayment Inc.
Mercury/Vantiv
Shift4

Keyboards & Mobile POS
Cherry, ZF Electronics Corp
PrehKeyTec

Receipt Printers
Bixolon America
CognitiveTPG
Epson America
Star Micronics

Thermal Printers
Seiko Instruments USA

Touchscreens & Monitors
Elo Touch Solutions

INSTALLATIONS

A Magic Wand for Restaurants?

Wand Corporation (Minneapolis, MN) has debuted new high-definition video walls at several restaurant locations throughout the U.S., most recently at Whole Foods in Playa Vista, California. Wand's Digital Content Management System (CMS) allows campaigns to be controlled from the store or from centralized marketing. Assets such as video and animations can be repurposed from the web, television, and other media, and shared across digital menu boards, point-of-purchase displays, and video walls--with access via web browser or Wand's Total Restaurant Manager (TRM) Mobile App.

"Video walls have become one of the best ways restaurants can stand out from the crowd and showcase their brand," declared Chuck Gehman, VP of Product Management at Wand Corporation, whose team developed the solution. "They have been on the horizon for a long time but recently the ball has dropped and the demand for this content-rich medium has really picked up. It's a fun time to be in the restaurant technology industry."

Restaurant Video Wall by Wand Corporation

Bottle Service by Revention

Revention (Houston, TX) has partnered with TavernTrak (Dallas, TX), one of the leading providers of beverage inventory management solutions for bars, nightclubs, and restaurants. With this integration, daily sales data gets automatically imported to produce "Usage vs. Sales" reporting that compares what was sold at each register to what was poured. Efforts may track results by "Register-by-Register," "Day-by-Day," and "Product-by-Product." Further, "Detailed Pour Cost" and "Gross Margin" analyses also are possible with this combined system for POS, as well as "Intelligent Product Ordering."

"We're very pleased about this partnership between TavernTrak and Revention," remarked Kevin Autrey, Founder and CEO of TavernTrak, "because Revention in so many ways mirrors our own approach: to provide fast, accurate, and meaningful results. Also like Revention, we prioritize quality and customer service to make real impact on the bar's bottom line." A two-step process, TavernTrak employs scanning and weighing, with six seconds processing quoted per bottle.

"After seeing TavernTrak in action, I knew this partnership would benefit Revention customers," shared Laura Gaudin, Director of Product Management for Revention. "Not only is taking inventory fast and simple, the data analyses provided by TavernTrak is fantastic." A major player in hospitality, supplying software and hardware, Revention has Revention POS, HungerRush (for online ordering), and Revention Enterprise.

"Usage vs. Sales" Reporting by TavernTrak

Channel Factoid

A new take on loyalty programs, reported by LoyaltyOne. In this survey, 62% of respondents said they'd consider joining a fee-based rewards program if their favorite retailer offered one. This number was even higher among millennials, with 75% of 18-to-24-year-olds and 77% of 25-to-34-year-olds. Nearly half, 47%, said rewards in fee-based programs are better than rewards in free programs. A significantly larger number of millennials--61% of 18-to-24-year-olds and 54% of 25-to-34-year-olds--said fee-based rewards are better. Of the respondents who already participate in fee-based loyalty programs, 69% said they were enticed by free shipping, followed closely by special discounts at 67%. When asked which category would be most appealing, respondents ranked grocery and mass merchandise (35%), credit cards (26%), specialty retail (13%), travel (18%), and restaurants (9%). Surprisingly, 32% of 18-to-24-year-olds and 34% of 25-to-34-year-olds said they have never been offered membership in fee-based programs, versus 25% of the general population. "The traditional spend-earn-redeem reward program doesn't make sense for all companies and customers, and fee-based value propositions increasingly should be topics of conversation," stated Lance Du Chateau, Consulting Associate Partner for LoyaltyOne.

HELLO GOODBYE

Joe Finizio in Action

Action Systems Inc. (Silver Spring, MD) has drafted well-known industry figure Joseph Finizio as its VP of Sales and Marketing. Previously, Finizio served for seven years as CEO and President of the Retail Solutions Providers Association (Charlotte, NC). During that period, membership in RSPA tripled to over 1,200 companies. He also represented RSPA on the PCI Security Standard Council's Board of Advisors.

In addition to RSPA, Finizio earned his chops as the former VP and GM of Sharp Electronics, VP of Micros Systems, and Product Manager of Data Terminal Systems. He also served as VP of POPAI, or Point of Purchasing Advertising International. "I am excited to be part of the ASI team and work with a company that has an excellent plan for today's and the future's marketplace, and is dedicated to providing value to their reseller channel partners," commented Finizio.

"ASI has a successful history in the hospitality technology marketplace and is positioning the company in today's marketplace with expanded resources and new cloud/tablet-based products," proclaimed Alex Malison, ASI's CEO. "Having Joe Finizio's industry knowledge, experience, and passion for the business will be a great asset for ASI and our channel partners." ASI was founded in 1987 and provides software dubbed Restaurant Manager POS.

Joseph Finizio, VP of Sales and Marketing, Action Systems Inc.

A Pair of Channel "Stars"

Star Micronics America (Somerset, NJ) has beefed up its efforts with the hiring of two familiar faces, Brian Oetgen and Kevin Egyed, as Channel Account Executives. "We are delighted to add Kevin and Brian," relayed Christine Duffy, Senior Sales Director of Star Micronics. "We have confidence that both executives will bring added support and knowledge to our channel partners [spanning VARs, Distributors, and ISVs]."

Prior to Star Micronics America, Brian Oetgen served as Regional Sales Manager at Posiflex Business Machines. Previous positions have included Regional Sales Manager for Toshiba TEC America and Business Development Manager for BlueStar. He makes his home in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Kevin Egyed comes to Star Micronics after serving as Director of Channel Sales for eMobilePOS at e-Nabler Corporation. Previous positions have included Managing Director for Aures Technology and Regional Sales Manager for Posiflex Business Machines. He makes his home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Star Micronics Adds Brian Oetgen and Kevin Egyed