Our Product Pick

AML (Euless, TX) has unwrapped its UV-Locker for sanitization of mobile computers, laptops, tablets, and work tools. It utilizes mercury-free, long-life LEDs, mounted in arrays above and below its shelving, to generate UVC light. It's constructed of powder-coated steel with interior reflective sidewalls. A rear compartment stores accessories such as chargers. Overall, it measures 36.3 in. (W) x 19 in. (D) x 14 in. (H) and weighs 46 lbs./21 kg. Operation takes 12 minutes. "During the pandemic, we have had several customers ask us how they should be cleaning the devices shared between workers," disclosed Mike Kearby, AML's President. "The best way is to expose the device to a bath of UVC light rays in a bandwidth that will kill bacteria and inactivate viruses."

AML's Sanitizing UV-Locker

COMPANY BUSINESS

Star "Empowers" Loyalty

Star Micronics America (Somerset, NJ) has established its new Loyalty Program as another element in its existing Empower Partner Program. Addressing VARs and ISVs in the program categories of "Services" and "Technology," the Loyalty Program features four levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. As benefits, it includes marketing support, lead referrals, tradeshow sponsorship, market development funds (MDF), priority access to new products, and channel networking opportunities.

"The Star team is thrilled to be launching the Loyalty Program to ignite our customers' success," relayed Brianna Moriarty, Partner Development Manager at Star Micronics America. "By providing additional marketing support we hope to help our partners increase their sales and grow their channel relationships, which in turn will help them create even more revenue and unlock further benefits. If our partners win, we also win."

Existing members of the Empower Program in "Services" and "Technology" may log into the company's Partner Portal to register for the Loyalty Program. Companies who are interested in the Loyalty Program but are not yet members of the Empower Program must first sign up for the Empower Program by visiting the Partner Portal. Star Micronics America rolled out its Empower Partner Program in 2020.

Brianna Moriarty, Partner Development Manager, Star Micronics America

A Circle of Cervion

A further expansion for Cervion Systems, with addition of NexTouch in Scottsdale, AZ, serving as its fourth regional office. As such, it joins sites in Tarrytown, NY; Wayne, PA; and Plantation, FL. A leading solution provider in restaurant and hospitality POS, founded in 1996 as POS2GO, Cervion markets EdgeServ POS and Heartland Restaurant POS. In 2008, it embraced the concept of "POS-as-a-Service" and changed its name.

"We are a fast-growing technology company with a commitment to customer service and support," remarked Hunter Allen, CEO of Cervion Systems. "Our success is driven by a team of sales, administrative, and technical professionals dedicated to serving our customers. We are excited to have the NexTouch team joining Cervion."

Originally marketed as Synetouch, back in 2013, EdgeServ utilizes Apple iPads for full-featured POS. In 2019, eight veteran resellers acquired ownership under formation of the Reseller Collaboration Company: 7 Peaks, Ander POS, B&B Interests, Card Systems, Cervion Systems, Electronic Performance Systems, JTMT, and TechXMart. An initial partner program enabled new resellers to earn equity in the company.

Cervion Adds NexTouch to "POS-as-a-Service"

Worth Your While

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

NACS Show
Association for Convenience and Fuel Retailing
October 5-8
Chicago, IL

WSAA Conference
Western States Acquirers Association
October 13-14
Fort Worth, TX

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

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Epson Locks in Tablets

Epson America (Los Alamitos, CA) has unveiled its new thermal receipt printer with built-in tablet mount, designated the OmniLink TM-m30II-SL. As part of the OmniLink TM-m30II Series, with embedded "intelligent" computing, the TM-m30II-SL furnishes print width of 3 in./80 mm and maximum print speed of 9.8 in./250 mm per second at 203 dpi. In black or white, with tablet mount (and secure locking), it measures 11.4 in. (W) x 12.7 in. (D) x 6.5 in. (H) and weighs 7.7 lb./3.5 kg. Interface options include USB, Ethernet, and Bluetooth.

Accommodating desktop and wall-mount configurations, with drop-in paper loading, the OmniLink TM-m30II-SL supports up to four peripherals for POS. It charges and communicates to the tablet through one USB cable and features USB Network Tethering. In support of online ordering, there's Server Direct Print technology. As reliability, the OmniLink TM-m30II-SL delivers 150 km printhead life and auto-cutter life of 2.2 million. It has been awarded the 2021 IF Design Award.

"Over the past year, touchless and contactless transactions have become increasingly important for small businesses. Since many retail and hospitality POS areas are tight on space, a compact all-in-one receipt printer that can also operate as a self-service terminal is a must-have," indicated Aileen Maldonado, Product Manager, Business Systems, Epson America. "The OmniLink TM-m30II-SL was designed for this purpose with its built-in tablet mount to save much needed space, and built-in USB for robust peripheral support, enabling merchants to streamline labor management and increase operational efficiencies for higher customer satisfaction."

Epson's New OmniLink TM-m30II-SL Receipt Printer

Advantech Takes AIM-75S

Advantech (Irvine, CA) has debuted its new rugged industrial tablet, stocked as AIM-75S. With 8" projected-capacitive display with Gorilla Glass 3 (and brightness of 400 nit, resolution of 1920x1200, and 10-point touch control), the AIM-75S runs Android 10 O/S, with Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 Octa-Core CPU at 2.2 GHz, 64 GB RAM, and Micro-SD. It carries 5 MP front camera and 8 MP rear camera, with Bluetooth, 802.11 Wi-Fi, NFC, and GPS. Options include 4G LTE, 1D/2D barcode scanner, LAN+COM, MSR, and UHF RFID.

In overall dimensions of 9.4 in. (L) x 5.6 in. (W) x 0.6 in. (D), weighing 1.3 lbs./0.6 kg, AIM-75S has an IP-65 rating for water and dust ingress and 4 ft./1.2 m drop resistance. Its 3.8 V, 4900 mAh battery supports an operating shift of 12 hours. In downloading apps and application programming interfaces (APIs), there's Google Mobile Services (GMS). An internal speaker and digital microphone facilitate communications.

"Our innovative new industrial tablet demonstrates that Advantech is not just a player in this industry, but a leader," suggested Joseph Hanna, Product Manager at Advantech. "What sets AIM-75S apart from other industrial tablets is not only its unique features, but also Advantech's superior service model. We have the best service in the business and can guarantee our production line remains consistent throughout a product's entire life cycle." As distributors in our channel, Advantech has enlisted BlueStar, Ingram Micro, and ScanSource.

Model AIM-75S Industrial Tablet by Advantech

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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 preferences. We look forward to continuing that mission and welcome your suggestions and thoughts on improvement.

Michael Kachmar, Editor

ALLIANCES

Paystri Stocks Bottle POS

Another new partnership for payment processor Paystri (Salem, MA), in the form of software by Bottle POS (Atlanta, GA). Started by veterans of the liquor industry, Bottle POS emphasizes inventory, workforce management, and e-commerce capabilities. Founded in 2005, Paystri customizes its payment platform for such vertical market ISVs.

"Integrated payments are a natural extension of our full-service offering," affirmed Kevin Patel, CEO of Bottle POS. "Paystri's solutions integrate seamlessly with our technology to accept and account for customer payments quickly and easily." Another benefit was cited: access to Paystri's Cash Discount Program (extended to customers of the merchants using Paystri/Bottle POS).

"Bottle POS built its business with a laser focus on serving the needs of their customer base," expressed Jonathan Arst, Founder and CEO of Paystri. "That philosophy aligns perfectly with Paystri's approach to payments. [We] deliver custom solutions backed by service and support." Earlier this year, Paystri hired Nadia Choudbury, former Manager of ISV Partners at North American Bancard, as its Director of Partner Success.

Paystri Provides Payments for ISV Bottle POS

HungerRush: Home Cooking

HungerRush (Houston, TX) has moved further into online ordering, as well as digital marketing, with its purchase of 9Fold (New York, NY). In pursuit of the elusive omnichannel, this combination of 9Fold's solution with HungerRush's POS will give customers direct online ordering capabilities via branded mobile experience, according to the two parties. 9Fold's "FullRail" increases customer loyalty and engagement through both direct e-mail and text messages. (Gone are third parties.)

"9Fold's FullRail has helped us easily re-engage our customers with simple, yet effective, promotions so that our customers always have a reason to order from us," testified Shai Sudai, Co-Owner and Managing Partner of Nish Nush, the Mediterranean-vegetarian eatery in Lower Manhattan. "The 9Fold solution helped us convert approximately 30% of third-party app customers, and as a result, we have saved between 15% and 30% on orders." It can be up and running in less than 48 hours, according to 9Fold and HungerRush (the former Revention).

"A combination of HungerRush and 9Fold provides the industry with the omni-channel ordering technologies that restaurants need now more than ever," declared Matthew Volpe, CEO of 9Fold. "What makes this next chapter so exciting is that by joining the HungerRush family we are marrying the experience of off-premise digital ordering with on-premise ordering and loyalty. A full-circle offering is going to be a game-changer for restaurant operations as well as for the customer."

HungerRush Buys Digital Developer 9Fold

Code Corner

Ivanti Wavelink (Salt Lake City, UT) has placed its Ivanti Speakeasy, Ivanti Velocity Web Browser, and Ivanti Velocity Telnet (TE) on the SAP Store. All three mobile device management (MDM) solutions are integrated with SAP Extended Warehouse Management (SAP EWM). In addition to their availability on SAP Store, the SAP Integration and Certification Center (SAP ICC) has publicized that Ivanti Speakeasy 1.0 and Ivanti Velocity 2.1 have been seamlessly integrated with SAP S/4HANA Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). "We're delighted that all three of our Ivanti Wavelink applications are now available on SAP Store," reflected Brandon Black, VP and GM, Supply Chain Business Unit, at Ivanti. "With these solutions, customers can improve their workflows, reduce training times, and streamline supply chain and warehouse operations. And, since our applications integrate with SAP EWM, they can be rapidly deployed without any redesign or expensive IT system modifications. And perhaps best of all, our solutions provide a consistent look and feel across multiple operating systems, ensuring the best end-user experience and enhanced mobile productivity."

Ivanti Wavelink Joins SAP Store

ENVIRONMENTS/PLATFORMS

Getting Carded by NACS

An age verification system for retail has been proposed by Conexxus, the standards setting partner of the Association for Convenience and Fuel Retailing, more commonly known as the National Association of Convenience Stores, or NACS (Alexandria, VA). With its intellectual property placed in the public domain, it's already supported by more than 130 retail companies that represent 22,000-plus convenience store locations in the U.S., and several high-profile vendors of POS. In addition, Molson Coors has become the first major beer company to support TruAge.

A customer's date of birth and photo are used to verify identity with TruAge. In the process, one-time-use tokens are placed on the customer's mobile device to confirm legal age to purchase age-restricted products. In making its announcement, Conexxus, and NACS, cited the need for use of TruAge beyond the traditional cash register--to burgeoning online ordering, home delivery, and curbside pick-up.

"TruAge provides the least expensive method to reliably verify the age of our customers through the numerous face-to-face authentications already conducted in our stores," declared Kevin Smartt, Chairman of NACS, and President and CEO of Kwik Chek/TXB. "It does not expose sensitive personal information and is an important step toward eliminating youth access to adult products. No stand-alone POS system can do this today."

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NACS Offers TruAge Digital ID Verification

A "Sole" Source of Auto ID?

Another acquisition by Sole Source Capital, the private equity firm now powering Distributor/VAR/System Integrator Peak-Ryzex (Columbia, MD): in this case, Bar Code Direct (North Grafton, MA). It represents Sole Source's third add-on transaction for Peak-Ryzex, following the recent purchase of Optical Phusion Inc. (Littleton, MA) and Inovity Inc. (Atlanta, GA). All three recent purchases bring success in the sale of hardware, software, and consumables in Auto ID/AIDC.

"Acquisition of Bar Code Direct will help strengthen the solutions portfolio for in-premise supply chain operations at Peak-Ryzex while expanding its capabilities into fast-growth markets such as healthcare and field-based mobility", according to Sole Source Capital. Its Co-Founders, Chris and Ash Richardson, will join Peak-Ryzex. As President and CEO at Peak-Ryzex, there's Juliann Larimer, former VP and GM of North American Sales at Zebra Technologies, VP of Americas Marketing at Motorola Solutions, and VP of North American Channel Sales at NCR.

"Bar Code Direct has a proven, strong commitment to providing innovative solutions from a team of experienced and knowledgeable resources--and will be a great complement to the Peak portfolio, strengthening our coverage and capabilities in the Eastern U.S.," related Dewey Turner, Partner and President of Operations at Sole Source Capital (Santa Monica, CA). It follows Sole Source's earlier purchase of Auto ID/AIDC firms Supply Chain Services (Oakdale, MN), Dasco Label (Blaine, MN), Miles Data (Waukesha, WI), and Coridian (Oakdale, MN). Started in 2016 by David Fredston, Sole Source Capital invests in so-called "fragmented, high-growth industrial subsectors."

Another Buy for Peak-Ryzex: Bar Code Direct

Key Advertiser Links

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

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

Barcode Printers
Bixolon America
Brother Mobile
Godex Americas
Sewoo

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
Payment Logistics

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

Stands, Mounts, Cradles
Gamber-Johnson

Touchscreens & Monitors
Elo

INSTALLATIONS

Lightspeed Rings Up Jewelry

An enhanced platform for retail jewelers has been fashioned by BriteCo (Evanston, IL) and Lightspeed POS (Montreal, Canada). It allows jewelry retailers to quickly conduct appraisals and extend insurance for the jewelry directly from the dashboard of Lightspeed POS. Once an appraisal is finalized, the customer receives an insurance quote, with no obligation, from BriteCo. It reportedly takes no more than 10 minutes for the entire process. (And thus, another buzzword enters the channel for retail: "Insurtech.")

With this cloud-based system, intuitive screens and drop-down menus guide the jeweler through the appraisal process, with suggestions based on more than 200,000 data points. A professional-style PDF of the appraisal is provided to the customer via hardcopy or e-mail. As its payment terms, BriteCo bills monthly or annually (with discount).

"Our research shows that more than one of three jewelers are still using outdated manual paper or word document systems to perform appraisals," reported Dustin Lemick, Founder and CEO of BriteCo. "To compete effectively and deliver superior customer service, retail jewelers want technology that is fast, easy, and clearly beneficial to their customers. Best of all, our appraisal system is free." (FYI: Peter Dougherty serves as VP of Partnerships at Lightspeed POS.)

Lightspeed Draws Upon BriteCo to Offer Integrated Jewelry Appraisal and Insurance Via Its POS

Another Slice of SpeedLine

SpeedLine Solutions (Abbotsford, BC, Canada) has supplied its POS for restaurant chain, Dion's Pizza. All 25 stores will be outfitted, with 20 located in New Mexico, three in Colorado, and two in Texas. A full-featured, on-premise, Windows-based software, SpeedLine POS has added online order (SpeedDine) and delivery (SpeedLine Live Maps).

"SpeedLine is impressive to our team because it is a niche product created for pizza restaurants," observed Jeremy Cave, Director of Technology with Dion's Pizza. "The company's understanding of menu complexities is top-notch and was key in our decision to move forward. In addition, SpeedLine's ability to organize the menu for employee ease-of-use is crucial."

Dion's began installing SpeedLine in test locations during the summer of 2020, overcoming high-stress situations caused by the pandemic."When we were working with the installer (from SpeedLine Solutions), we explained our unique pricing and charging rules, and he didn't even bat an eye," continued Cave. "He had the solution for everything. This was not the case when we tested other systems (in POS)." They plan to complete the roll-out of SpeedLine POS by October 2021.

Dion's Pizza Chain Deploys SpeedLine POS

Channel Factoid

A Day in June

-Consumers in the U.S. will spend approximately $20 billion on gifts for Father's Day in 2021, the highest ever tracked by the National Retail Federation, and $3 billion more than in 2020.

-It also exceeds the spend of $16 billion in 2019 and $15.3 billion in 2018 for Father's Day.

-75% plan to celebrate their fathers, husbands, and other paternal figures on this Father's Day, consistent with previous years.

-Of those celebrating, half (50%) plan to buy gifts for their own dad, one-quarter (26%) plan to buy for their husband, and one-in-10 (11%) plan to buy for their son.

-Survey respondents indicated they plan to spend an average of $174 on items for Father's Day, or 26% more than last year, and the highest ever tracked by the National Retail Federation.

-Ages 35 to 44 will be this year's biggest holiday spenders, with an average of $259 on Father's Day, which is $49 more than 2020.

-Top gifts for Father's Day: greeting cards (59%), clothing (49%), special outing (46%), gift cards (45%), personal care products (28%), books/CDs (26%), electronics (25%), home goods (24%), tools and appliances (24%), and sporting goods (22%).

-As sources of gifts for Father's Day: online shopping (40%), department stores (33%), and specialty stores (22%).

Source: Survey Conducted by Prosper Insight & Analytics for the National Retail Federation (Washington, DC).

Healthy Sales Forecast for Father's Day

A New Gig for Greg

A new post for industry veteran Greg Feeback--as Regional Sales Manager for the Northwest for pay-at-the-table purveyor, TableSafe (Kirkland, WA). In his career in POS, Feeback has worked at Surity Cloud POS, POSBANK USA, ParTech, Partner Tech, and Posiflex.

Greg Feeback, Regional Sales Manager, Northwest, TableSafe

HELLO GOODBYE

Here Comes the Sundstrom

SATO America (Charlotte, NC) has named Steve Sundstrom, formerly SVP of Sales and Operations, as its new President. He joined SATO America in 2018 as VP of Sales. Earlier, he served as GM of Printing Solutions for Honeywell. (As many readers may recall, Tom Cook, President of SATO America, passed away suddenly in February 2019.)

"SATO America is uniquely positioned to drive value to our partners and end customers," contributed Sundstrom. "At SATO, we believe that information is vital to help businesses run smoothly. Our goal is to digitize the world through auto-identification (Auto ID) solutions that quickly provide the right data to make impactful decisions. It all starts at the customer's location, and that is where you will find us."

"Steve is the right person to lead SATO America because of his focus on solving problems through developing innovative solutions that create sustainable value for our customers," commented Goro Yumiba, Global Operations Officer for SATO (Tokyo, Japan). "He continues to transform SATO America into a company that not only delivers solutions but provides the ongoing services needed to keep our customers running at peak performance." As partner tiers, SATO America has: Affiliate (ground-level), Champion (mid-level), and Premier (full-solution).

Steve Sundstrom, President, SATO America

PCI SSC Picks Brandy

The Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) has promoted Brandy Cumberland to Director of Program Operations. She joined the standards organization in 2011 as Assessor Quality Analyst and has served as Director of Assessor Quality Management (AQM) since late 2013. In that role, she oversaw the certification of Qualified Security Assessors (QSAs) for systems and devices in the payments industry. Now she will oversee the wide range of PCI SSC Programs.

"We are excited for Brandy to take on this important role," shared Lance Johnson, Executive Director for the PCI SSC (Wakefield, MA). "Brandy brings a wealth of experience to this position having worked at the PCI SSC for nearly 10 years and in the payments industry since 2008 (as Compliance Analyst at Trustwave). She is the ideal fit for this job."

"Over the last seven years as Director of AQM Programs, I strived to provide reasonable assurance that basic standards of quality were met (by QSAs)," noted Cumberland. "With this new role, I'm eager to further support the payment community by ultimately ensuring the procedural integrity across the Council's Programs Portfolio." As training, she has achieved the rank of PCI Professional (PCIP), American Society of Quality (ASQ) Certified Quality Improvement Associate (CQIA), and Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).

Brandy Cumberland, Director of Program Operations, PCI Security Standards Council

Loren Bendele Arrives

Arryved (Boulder, CO), an up-and-coming hospitality ISV, has engaged Loren Bendele as its CEO. It allows Founder and Former CEO David Norman, who previously worked at Google, to refocus his efforts as Chief Product Officer, COO, and Chairman of the Board at Arryved. In his resume, Bendele includes Gell, Savings.com, and Teleflora.

"Loren's background in hospitality, loyalty, point-of-sale, and scaling high-growth technology companies is the perfect fit for where we are headed," volunteered Norman. "I've gotten to know Loren well and he's someone that leads with character, authenticity, and soul. That's critical for our team and our customers. Our industry doesn't tolerate people who phone it in."

In his remarks, Bendele pointed to Arryved's Net Promoter Score. "The fact that they have an NPS of 88 for a point-of-service solution is unheard of," enthused Bendele. "That's a number usually only achieved by beloved, blockbuster video games. I've never seen a number that high for any company in SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) or FinTech."

Loren Bendele, CEO, Arryved