This Week’s Product Pick

Datalogic Scanning (Eugene, OR) shipped its Gryphon GD4400-B two-dimensional scanner for use in mobile ticketing, electronic coupons, and loyalty. The GD4400-B comes with permanent tilting stand for handheld or presentation omni-directional reading. This “all-in-one” approach adjusts to any angle to fit individual scanning preferences, with cable connection positioned above the counter to avoid spills. The deep-red illumination of the 4400 Series eliminates the irritating “flicker effect” found in competing products, according to the vendor, allowing for comfortable all-day usage. Its center-cross aimer with four corner dots provides clear indication of the reading area, making targeting of codes quick and easy. As an added benefit, Motionix motion-sensing technology synchronizes the scanner with the user’s actions, guaranteeing seamless transitions between handheld and hands-free reading. “Great reading performance, intuitive ease-of-use, and many other user benefits are what make the Gryphon product series the people’s choice,” declared Giulio Berzuini, GM of Handheld Scanning at Datalogic Scanning.

Gryphon GD4400-B
by Datalogic Scanning

COMPANY BUSINESS

A Procession of Retail by HP

Hewlett-Packard (Palo Alto, CA) premiered its rp5800 retail system, which will go to market early this summer through the company’s partners, as well as several new self-service kiosks. Replacing the rp5700, the rp5800 takes significant leaps forward in flexibility and power, RRN.Com was told by Paula Gill, Product Marketing Manager-Retail Solutions at HP. Most notably, HP has incorporated second-generation Intel Core i3, i5, and i7 processors, with vPro technology and dual integrated graphic ports to support both clerk and customer-facing displays. “It’s great timing for us to be launching this product,” Gill noted, “since many customers have been holding on for the next Intel chips.”

This new box targets POS, kiosk, digital signage, and back-office environments. Its flexibility is augmented by choice of operating systems, processors, mass storage, media, and array of I/O ports, including cash drawer. (As O/S, the new terminal supports Microsoft Windows 7 Professional, Windows POSReady 2009, and Windows XP.) With extra memory slots, multiple PCI Express (PCIe) risers, 3.5 in./5.25 in. bays, and RAID, the rp5800 can be customized to fit any retail environment, Gill emphasized.

Simultaneous with the launch of the rp5800, HP also introduced new accessories for POS. Utilizing an LED-backlight industrial panel, the HP L1506x monitor offers increased brightness and high contrast ratio, according to the vendor, and supports operating temperatures as high as 50 degrees C. Meanwhile, the new HP "Integration Assembly" represents the company’s four-part, mix-and-match kit for retail locations. A terminal enclosure provides extra security and protection for cables and I/O ports, and against dust, while an integration tray assembly keeps peripherals neatly contained--either secured on top of the rp5800 enclosure assembly, the heavy-duty cash drawer, or directly on the counter.

HP rp5800 in POS Configuration

Channel Warms to Sundrop

Sundrop Mobile (Maitland, FL) recently closed $900,000 in Series A funding from one investor, Vocap Ventures. These funds will be used to expand sales and marketing efforts, according to the mobile loyalty provider. Sundrop’s offering, dubbed loyalTXT, uses the customer’s mobile number as its “loyalty card” and text messaging, e-mail, and voice for data collection and communication, with integration to social media and location-based services. Merchants pay for the program based on their level of engagement.

Significantly, Sundrop plans to market through the POS reseller channel, first by establishing links with leading ISVs in hospitality (12 recruited so far), and then dealing directly with their partners. “The channel is key to our expansion strategy,” RRN.Com was told by Travis Priest, CEO/President of Sundrop. “We offer VARs generous residual revenue share that is generally equal to, or exceeds, their credit-card processing residuals.” Both service and messaging fees are included in this calculation, he added.

Priest believes the time is right for VARs to address the growing demand for marketing services. “They traditionally draw from operational budgets, which have been pretty constrained because of the recession,” he observed. “People haven’t been buying as many new POS systems. But marketing budgets for many retailers have not been as adversely impacted. And those budgets are very large in many cases.”

“I’m shocked some people don’t think this fits the small retailer,” Priest responded when RRN.Com asked about suitability for the SMB market. “We see single-unit operators, such as one of our frozen yogurt shops, capturing 40% to 60% of their entire customer base in 90 days using our program. That translates to 4,000 to 6,000 people in the database. When they send an outbound marketing message, say 10% off coupon redeemed by barcode on the customer’s smart phone, they can actually flood their store. We can track the total performance and at the end of the day we report, ‘You sent out 6,673 messages, you had 14 people unsubscribe, you had 408 redemptions, and you generated $2,784 in incremental revenue.’”

Sundrop Mobile Loyalty Dashboard

Worth Your While

WERC 2011
Warehousing Education and Research Council
May 15-18
Orlando

NRA Show 2011
National Restaurant Association
May 21-24
Chicago

RetailNOW 2011
Retail Solution Providers Association
July 24-27
Orlando

VARTECH 2011
BlueStar
August 15-17
Miami

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Unitech Gets Tough

Unitech (Cypress, CA) introduced its PA550 mobile computer, which seeks to blend rugged construction with smart phone utility. Running Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional, with Marvell’s 806-MHz PXA320 processor, the PA550 features full QWERTY keypad with separate numeric keys and 2.8-inch QVGA touchscreen. Multiple data collection technologies are offered, including one-dimensional laser barcode scanner, five-megapixel camera with flash, and voice recorder.

Featuring an IP-54 environmental rating and four-foot drop threshold, the PA550 contains an SDIO expansion slot and offers high-speed 3.5G WAN connection with GPS for better positioning and tracking. Designed to be lightweight and compact for ease of use by mobile workers, it weighs 11.3 ounces and measures 5 in. (H) x 3.2 in. (W) x 1.4 in. (D), without antenna. The screen employs Blanview technology, allowing optimal sunlight readability with minimum power consumption and enabling an entire work shift without recharging, according to the vendor.

“Today’s global market is relying more on smart phones because of their increasing functionality and capability,” noted Bill Lewis, Director of Sales and Marketing for Unitech. “However, when considering the total cost of ownership, the enterprise is in need of more durable and rugged mobile computers, like the PA550. It takes the user experience to an entirely new level.”

Unitech’s PA550 Mobile Computer

Meet the Digital Mannequin

Prysm (San Jose, CA) has unveiled new digital display formats based upon its proprietary Laser Phosphor Display (LPD) platform, which employs solid-state diodes and phosphorous surface layering to produce its colors. Three products have been offered--Digital Mannequin, Digital Kiosk, and Digital Widescreen--each with free-standing structure, wide viewing angle of 178 degrees, and 75% less power consumption than traditional backlight or projection technologies. In addition, the company has opened demonstration showrooms in New York, Los Angeles, San Jose, and London, where it currently has sales offices.

Standing 7 ft. tall, the Digital Mannequin display delivers “life-like and life-size video,” according to the vendor, with early installation in American Eagle Outfitter’s flagship SoHo store in New York. Digital Kiosk doubles the width of Digital Mannequin for more display area. For its part, Digital Widescreen measures 4 ft. x 6 ft. for so-called “full wall” displays. Recently, it was deployed in Boston’s Prudential Center, at People’s United Bank, in order to “enhance the customer experience, drive foot traffic, and increase branch sales.”

“We’ve seen a huge increase in interest from the world’s most innovative retailers and have quickly realized the need to expand our display solutions and geographic reach of our product to better accommodate customer demand,” remarked Amit Jain, Prysm’s CEO. “Prysm displays offer unmatched freedom to design and create a whole new digital merchandising experience, allowing customers to participate like never before.” Founded in 2005, Prysm markets direct and through resellers, most of which come out of the audio-visual world at this point.

Prysm’s Free-Standing Digital Signage for Retail

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ALLIANCES

Star Shines Over Brazil

All thermal and impact printers from Star Micronics (Edison, NJ) have been approved for use with POS software from Esys Colibri, one of Brazil’s leading solution providers in retail and franchising. Based in Sao Paulo, Esys Colibri has been in business for more than two decades. It encompasses 14,000 customers, 31,000 installed POS, and 100 sales representatives. Vendor partners include Hewlett-Packard, Epson America, and Tyco Electronics on the hardware side, and Microsoft and SAP in software.

“Star Micronics offers a broad POS printer product line which includes some unique printers not previously found,” indicated Mauricio Medeiros, CEO of Esys Colibri. “We have tested the products of many different POS printer vendors, and find the product reliability and comprehensive warranty to be unmatched. Colibri is proud to name Star Micronics as an authorized hardware partner.”

Star Micronics also has released iOS and Android drivers for all of its printers, allowing use with Apple iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone, and Android devices to generate receipts and perform related functions such as kitchen order printing. According to Christophe Naasz, Director of Marketing, several of the company’s reseller partners have already taken advantage of this capability, leveraging Wi-Fi or cloud computing. “Bringing these drivers to the marketplace is only the beginning for us,” Naasz pledged. “The role of mobile devices in the retail and restaurant space is only going to increase in significance as technology evolves. Star Micronics stands fully prepared and committed to supporting new innovations as they emerge.”

Mauricio Medeiros, CEO of Esys Colibri

Neither Rain Nor Snow Will Stop QSR

Planar Systems (Beaverton, OR) will further its efforts in the quick-service restaurant (QSR) arena through an agreement with UniStructures, Inc. (Kennesaw, GA), under which they will jointly provide digital menu and ordering board stations for outdoor environments. Planar will supply its LC3250 and LC4650 terminals and USI will provide installation and maintenance services for all of the outdoor elements, including custom-designed enclosures to help protect customers from bad weather. Several software and content providers have committed themselves to this package, according to Planar, with trial installations now underway.

“The Planar and USI partnership will create new innovative solutions to address the anticipated growth in deployment of digital signage by the quick-serve restaurant industry,” declared Doug Barnes, VP and GM at Planar Systems, who estimated there are 75,000 QSR drive-thru operations in North America. Added Michael Barnes, CEO of UniStructures, Inc., “Together we have developed this unique solution which allows long-term reliability, ease of service, and much lower cost of ownership than others in the industry.”

With no gap between display and cover glass, Planar’s LC3250 and LC4650 digital menu boards deliver several benefits, according to the vendor, including reduced reflections, increased brightness, improved overall contrast and viewability, and elimination of potential condensation and debris. Manufactured as modular units with field-serviceable components, including lamps, they furnish multiple levels of redundancy and require no air conditioning in hot temperatures. As with all digital signage, the network of displays may be controlled electronically from the central computer; another compelling feature is the use of animation or picture-in-picture of the person taking the order, thus providing the equivalent of walk-up customer service experience at the drive-thru.

Outdoor Digital Menu Board From Planar and UniStructures

Code Corner

Honeywell Scanning & Mobility (Fort Mill, SC) made two major announcements in the software area this week. First, Honeywell debuted its Remote MasterMind for Mobility, which allows users of Windows Mobile and Windows CE to manage, update, and diagnose their networks of mobile devices from one centralized location. Building on the success of Remote MasterMind for Scanning, released in January 2009, this new solution simplifies device management by allowing key functions such as asset tracking, software distribution, configuration, and performance measurement to be performed remotely on any device with the Windows O/S, including those not manufactured by Honeywell. “Our customers can also expect to see further enhancements to the remote device management experience over the next few months as we introduce our series of new productivity tools, as well as the ability to manage various types of devices across other networks and operating systems,” reported John Waldron, VP of Worldwide Marketing for Honeywell Scanning & Mobility. In the second case, Honeywell said it will now offer Windows Embedded Handheld 6.5 for its Dolphin 6100 and 6500 mobile computers, bringing increased portability for business-critical applications in retail, supply chain, and light industrial markets. Honeywell will continue to support Windows CE 5.0 as well.

NOTES FROM THE FIELD

“From Good to Great”--NCR

NCR Corporation (Duluth, GA) plans to aggressively grow its indirect business, taking it “from good to great” across the retail, financial services, travel, and healthcare sectors and extending its global reach, according to David Wilkinson, VP of Global Channel Sales. Speaking at the company’s recent partner conference in Orlando, Wilkinson said the new effort will include recruitment of new partners as well as increasing the range and value of NCR solutions they are certified to sell and support.

“Our indirect partners are vitally important to NCR’s global business strategy,” Wilkinson reiterated. “We are working closely with them to build a world-class indirect organization. This will help deliver profitable growth not only for our partners, but for NCR and our global customer base as well.” Before joining NCR in November 2010, Wilkinson played major roles in building the channels for Avaya, Nortel, and Verizon.

“NCR is investing in innovation and growth on a region-by-region basis and building out a world-class partner network is critical in extending our global reach,” added Peter Leav, SVP of Global Sales. “NCR’s solutions and services are driving productivity improvement for companies and a better consumer experience in both mature and fast-growing emerging markets. Our partners have a major opportunity to extend and empower NCR’s customer base through added-value solutions, and we are committed to helping them be successful.”

David Wilkinson, VP of Global Channel Sales, NCR

POS in Class Action Suit

Retalix (Plano, TX) has been drawn into the class action suit recently filed by the law firms of SeegerWeiss (New York) and Lee Tran & Liang (Los Angeles) in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California on behalf of owners of BP and Arco gas station franchises and AM/PM convenience-store franchises. Defendants are named as BP West Coast Products LLC and BP Products North America, Inc., as well as Retalix Ltd. The Service Station Franchise Association, which represents many of the 1,600 potential plaintiffs in the U.S., has helped bring this lawsuit, according to the press release from the two firms.

Going far beyond POS into areas such as fuel delivery and use of advertising and promotion fees, the case is entitled “Green Desert Oil Group Inc. et al. v. BP West Products LLC et al.” Claims set forth in the complaint include the following: “BP defendants required all franchisees to install a new centralized point of sale (POS) computer system developed by co-defendant Retalix Ltd. that is defective, which in turn, resulted in substantial damages to the franchisees such as lost operation time, lost revenue, lost or inaccurate inventory, lost receivables and cash, and increased operating costs and burdens; BP’s illegal manipulation of gas supply and pricing; BP’s improper direct control of and/or pricing by third-party vendors; BP’s policy of forcing sale of items and collection of fees for which plaintiffs receive no compensation.”

According to Courthouse News Service, 15 plaintiffs have joined the lawsuit. The franchisees reportedly seek class certification, damages, and injunctive relief to remove the Retalix system, first installed in 2009, and punitive damages for breach of contract and negligence. SeegerWeiss, it should be noted, led the Vioxx charges against Merck & Co. that resulted in $4.85 billion settlement, one of the largest examples of mass litigation in U.S. history.

BP and Arco Franchisees Object to Terms

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
Logic Controls
Pioneer POS
POS-X
Touch Dynamic

POS Software - Retail
Tri-Technical Systems

POS Systems - Hospitality
PAR

POS Software - Hospitality
Aldelo Systems

Barcode & Transaction Printers
Datamax-O'Neil
SATO America
Zebra Technologies

Cash Drawers
APG Cash Drawer
MMF POS

Data Collection Terminals
CipherLab
Datalogic Mobile
Janam Technologies

Data Collection Software
Wavelink

Integrated Payment Solutions
Datacap Systems
Merchant Warehouse

Keyboards
Cherry, ZF Electronics Corp.

Pay at Table
Bellatrix Systems

Receipt Printers
Bixolon America
Citizen Systems America
Epson America
Star Micronics

ENVIRONMENTS/PLATFORMS

NFC Stacks Up for Merchant360, VeriFone

Merchant360 (Medford, OR), which develops near-field communication (NFC) and mobile contactless schemes for POS, has released its NFC stack for payment terminals, with VeriFone (San Jose, CA) becoming its first customer. Merchant360’s new format allows for the sharing of the integrated contactless reader between multiple applications on each terminal and the dynamic clearing of NFC messages. It supports Visa Paywave, MasterCard PayPass, American Express ExpressPay, Chase Blink, and Discover Zip, as well as non-traditional services such as Bling Nation and MoneyCell. VeriFone took delivery this week under license.

“Merchant360 believes that retailers who own their equipment should have open choice of applications that reside on their devices and therefore was driven to develop the NFC stack solution,” explained Steve McRae, CEO of Merchant360. “Previously, clients such as Bling Nation and MoneyCell were continually met with high costs and compatibility issues. We’re pleased that VeriFone sees merit in our product.”

So-called “non-scheme” providers of solutions--whether payment, loyalty, coupon, or ticketing--have long been kept from residing on multi-application contactless terminals by lock-downs and high costs, Merchant360 suggested. Its NFC stack addresses this problem and allows remote updating of the device when new NFC applications and formats are released. Merchant360 is now in talks with additional hardware manufacturers and software developers about integrating its NFC stack.

Open Architecture for Tomorrow’s Payments?

Ship-IT Across the Border

ADSI (Hoffman Estates, IL), which supplies multi-carrier shipping software and installation services for the warehouse and distribution markets, announced that FedEx has certified its Ship-IT Version 4.1 on FedEx Ship Manager Server Version 10.61 for use in the U.S. and Canada. With this designation, ADSI has expanded its FedEx SmartPost offerings to include FedEx SmartPost Returns; additionally, international vehicles now span FedEx International First, Priority, and Economy. Many other domestic and international services are also covered by this endorsement, according to ADSI.

“We are pleased to have earned this certification,” shared Bob Fischer, CEO/President of ADSI, which stands for Advanced Distribution Solutions Inc. “Not only does this certification expand the usability of our total solution, but it allows our U.S. and Canadian customers to improve their shipping process by offering expanded services with greater efficiency.”

ADSI also has been named to the Motorola Solutions Pinnacle Club for outstanding sales and partner performance in 2010. “We’re always eager to recognize our partner companies that exceed growth and performance criteria, such as year-over-year growth and highest-dollar-volume growth for the year,” said Gail Goebel, Channel Account Manager, Motorola Solutions (Schaumburg, IL). “We welcome ADSI to this elite group of companies, and look forward to working together to help organizations in spaces such as electronics manufacturing, transportation operations, and commercial products optimize their performance.” In addition to Motorola, ADSI resells hardware from Zebra Technologies (Lincolnshire, IL).

ADSI Certified by FedEx for U.S. and Canada

Channel Factoid

Americans appear to be placing an even greater premium on quality customer service this year. Seven in ten respondents to the American Express Global Customer Service Barometer (70%) said they are willing to spend an average of 13% more with companies they believe provide excellent customer service. This has risen substantially from 2010, when almost six in ten (58%) said they would spend an average of 9% more with companies that deliver great service. However, many businesses haven’t taken notice: six in ten respondents to the survey (60%) believe companies haven’t increased their focus on providing good customer service, up from 55% in 2010. Further, among this group, 26% feel companies are actually paying less attention. Americans vote with their wallets when they encounter subpar service. More than three-quarters (78%) have bailed on transactions or not made intended purchases because of their poor shopping experiences. On the other hand, three in five (59%) claim they would try new brands or outlets in search of better service. A notable bright spot? Small business. Four in five Americans (81%) agree that smaller companies place greater emphasis on customer service than their larger counterparts.

HELLO GOODBYE

InfoTouch Taps MacIver

InfoTouch Corporation (Atlanta) has elevated Douglas MacIver to the position of VP of Sales and Marketing. “Doug’s new responsibilities will now include developing strategic alliances to better provide our expanding dealer base POS software solutions for a wider variety of environments as well as opportunities with better margins,” stated Keith Neerman, President at InfoTouch. MacIver joined the touchscreen POS developer in November 2009. Prior to that, he was President of MacIver Investments and Consulting.

“I am energized about the huge market opportunity and leveraging InfoTouch’s expanding footprint in retail POS,” commented MacIver. “One paramount truth I’ve learned in business is that timing is everything, and right now is the opportune time to drive POS solutions into the millions of smaller and midsized underserviced retailers throughout North America. It’s the perfect storm--as POS hardware prices continue to be driven lower every year, the total solution of POS hardware combined with InfoTouch’s stable, robust, and aggressively priced software solutions are available today.”

Based on proprietary market research, InfoTouch said it believes this decade is the start of the POS paradigm shift for retailers, similar to the shift experienced in hospitality POS over the last two decades. This research revealed that in the U.S., less than 20% of independent retailers now utilize POS workstations to competitively manage and market their business. “Our goal is to provide the tools to help retail POS resellers migrate tens of thousands of smaller and midsized end-users from the cash register and ledger book to our full-service POS offerings and thereby dramatically improve the management, marketing, performance, and profitability of their retail operations,” MacIver said.

Douglas MacIver, VP of Sales and Marketing, InfoTouch Corporation

Brenner Logical Choice for Avnet

Avnet Logistics (Phoenix) has promoted Robert Brenner to SVP of Logistics, Warehousing, and Distribution for the Americas, reporting to Jim Smith, President of Avnet Logistics. Brenner joined Avnet in July 2008 as Global VP of Quality and was raised to VP of Logistics, Warehousing, and Distribution in August 2010. A 15-year veteran of the electronics industry, he supports Avnet’s multi-billion-dollar business in the Americas.

“Bob has established an exceptional track record that has accelerated productivity and driven higher service levels,” observed Smith. “His vision, experience, and remarkable focused energy will continue to drive the expansion of our global logistics infrastructure in Latin America, while continuing to refine our established operations in the U.S. and Canada.”

“I am excited about this new opportunity and the challenges it brings,” Brenner said. “Avnet has an exceptional global logistics team that I will be drawing upon as we expand our logistics infrastructure in the Americas.” Before Avnet, Brenner held progressively more responsible engineering and management positions at General Dynamics and McDonnell Douglas/Boeing.

Robert Brenner, SVP of Logistics, Warehousing, and Distribution, Avnet