Our Product Pick

A new All-in-One POS Terminal, earmarked RITY-1539, has been unboxed by Avalue Technology (Marlboro, NJ and New Taipei City, Taiwan). It features 15" XGA display (1024 x 768, 4:3, 300 cd/m2) with five-wire resistive touchscreen technology and Intel Alder Lake-N CPU. A true-flat front-panel design carries an IP-65 rating. A full suite of connectivity includes 2 x COM, 6 x USB (4 x USB 3.0 and 2 x USB 2.0), 2 x Ethernet, and 1 x HDMI. It has fanless operation, with black or white casing and lightweight plastic chassis, with desktop or wall mount (VESA). It runs Windows 10/Windows 11/Linux O/S.

Avalue RITY-1539 POS

COMPANY BUSINESS

Sewoo Gears Up

A new role for channel veteran David Roberts, named as President of Sewoo America. He joins Sewoo following a distinguished multi-decade career with Bixolon America, where he served as EVP and helped establish the company as one of the leading POS printer providers in North America. At Sewoo America, he's based in Florida.

"I am grateful to Bixolon for 21 years and the many friendships and partnerships we built together," commented Roberts, adding. "I am excited to begin this new chapter with Sewoo. At Sewoo, I will continue the effort to provide outstanding products, service, and support to our customers and business partners."

"David's leadership, industry knowledge, and reputation make him the ideal person to lead Sewoo America's next phase of growth," stated Elma Nam, CEO of Sewoo. With its headquarters in South Korea, Sewoo develops and manufactures a broad portfolio of POS, Auto-ID, and Mobile hardware solutions. Additional news to come for Sewoo.

David Roberts, President, Sewoo America

Datacap Taps SoftPOS

A new solution for SoftPOS, entitled SureTap, has been launched by Datacap Systems (Chalfont, PA). It empowers merchants to accept mobile payments via contactless "tap" transactions on their smartphones, or other devices, with NFC and Android O/S. It's powered by the omnichannel payments gateway, NETePay Hosted, by Datacap Systems.

A number of benefits are cited. With simple integration, Datacap's partners--ISVs and VARs--employ the same APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) of traditional card-present terminals. As an extension of the company's unified commerce offering, SureTap displays its transactions in the consolidated reporting dashboard. In keeping with the channel orientation of Datacap Systems, ISVs and VARs own the customer and control pricing in the area of SoftPOS.

"SoftPOS is most powerful when it works in harmony with every other way the merchant gets paid," emphasized Justin Zeigler, VP of Product at Datacap. "By connecting SoftPOS support with credit, debit, ACH, e-commerce, and gift transactions via a unified commerce platform, SureTap helps our partners enable the full range of use-cases for their merchants--from in-store and mobile checkout to online and recurring payments, all via a single, seamless payment engine." A busy time at Datacap Systems: in May, it debuted its Virtual Gift, in June, its new Dev Portal.

Datacap Launches SureTap

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A Message From the Editor

As we enjoy another year--our 20th!--our mission remains constant: to fill the need for timely, focused, non-biased news in the channel for POS & Auto ID (and now Mobility). If anything, that need grows more pressing in the face of new technologies, go-to-market strategies, business models, and consumer expectations. We look forward to continuing our mission, and welcome your suggestions and thoughts on improvements.

Michael Kachmar, Editor

Short Takes

-Aurora Payments (Tempe, AZ) has rebranded as Flute. A unified platform includes payments, financing, and business intelligence.

-Square (Oakland, CA) has integrated with ChatGPT and Claude for "AI-Powered Customer Discovery." Next for Square: Amazon and Alexa+.

-Bluefin (Atlanta, GA) will supply its "direct-to-processor" P2PE (Point-to-Point Encryption) payment solution with "smart" terminal supplier, Landi Global (Jericho, NY).

-Mi9 Retail (Fort Lauderdale, FL) will provide its Merchandising and POS for Rocky's Ace Hardware's 50 locations in the Northeastern U.S.

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Bixolon Plays Tag

A new model in its series of desktop thermal label printers, designated as the XD5-40IItR, adds UHF RFID at Bixolon America (Torrance, CA). With 4"/118 mm print width, and 512 MB RAM/512 MB Flash, it offers print speeds of up to 8"/203 mm per second at 203 dpi, with optional high-resolution printing at 6"/152 mm per second at 300 dpi. Its encoding of RFID complies with industry standards of ISO/IEC and GS1.

As user-friendly set-up and controls, it carries simple menu buttons and an optional 2" LCD. It features "Smart Media Detection" and "Twin Function" for duplicating settings across multiple units, and web-based device management via XPM, XCM, and SOTI Connect. In programming, languages: SLCS, BPL-Z, BPL-E, and BLP-D. With SDKs (Software Development Kits), it supports all major O/S. As connectivity, there's USB + USB Host + Serial + Ethernet, also Bluetooth and WLAN.

As label design software, there's the company's Label Artist II, Label Artist Web, and Label Artist Mobile. "The XD5-40IItR represents our commitment to delivering reliable and innovative printing solutions to meet the needs of business," relayed Gary Kim, President of Bixolon America. "By combining precision UHF encoding with robust remote management, this printer empowers organizations to maximize operational efficiency and scale their tracking workflows seamlessly."

Bixolon's XD5-40IItR Desktop Label Printer With RFID

A Penguin in the Kitchen

A new Kitchen Display System (KDS), dubbed Penguin 1, has been unwrapped by iMin Technology. In two display sizes--15.6" and 21.5", with multi-touch capacitive with wide viewing angle and "glove" capacity--Penguin 1 features Octo-Core CPU, 4 GB/8 GB RAM, 64 GB/128 GB ROM, and Android 15 O/S. It has "built for kitchen" stainless-steel and glass construction, with an IP-65 rating for liquid and heat resistance.

As additional benefits, Penguin 1 offers auto start-up, dual microphones and dual speakers, control via KiwiCloud, and optional PoE (Power-over-Ethernet). It supports Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth 5, and Wi-Fi 6. Orders are tracked and directed via color-coded timers and voice instructions. An optional barcode scanner comes from Zebra Technologies.

"Restaurant software defines the workflow, but KDS keeps that workflow running. Penguin 1 was built around one simple promise: business uptime," declared Xibang Lin, Marketing Director of iMin Technology. "It helps restaurants keep orders moving, reduce operational bottlenecks, and give technology partners a reliable platform for continuous kitchen execution." Based in Singapore, iMin Technology markets its family of POS, Kiosks, and KDS in North America through VARs and Distributors (including ScanSource).

iMin Technology Uncages Penguin 1 KDS

Worth Your While

RSPA RetailNOW
Retail Solutions Providers Association
July 26-28
Las Vegas, NV

Partner First Conference
ScanSource
Aug. 31- Sept. 1
Arlington, TX

Loupe Americas
Labels & Outer Packaging/Label Expo
September 15-17
Chicago, IL

WSAA
Western States Acquirers Association
September 15-17
Palm Springs, CA

VARTECH
Bluestar
September 21-22
Mohegan Sun (CT)

FS/TEC
Informa
September 23-25
Grapevine, TX

IAAPA Expo
International Association of
Amusement Parks & Attractions
November 16-20
Orlando, FL

MJBizCon
MJBizDaily
December 1-4
Las Vegas, NV

On the Line Card

-Omron Automation (Hoffman Estates, IL) has delivered its inline VHV5-SRV barcode reader/verification system for manufacturing.

-Toshiba America Business Solutions (Lake Forest, CA) has shipped its BX820T industrial thermal label printer with 8"/203 mm print width.

ALLIANCES

Shopify Gets Physical

Answers on in-store performance are now offered by Shopify's AI Assistant, called Sidekick. An early integration with Sidekick App Extensions sees in-store intelligence supplied by Avia by Retailogists (Montreal, QC, Canada). Avia employs Edge AI devices installed at store entrances to gauge foot traffic, shopper demographics, average time spent in store, in-store conversion rates, and predictive hourly forecasts up to 14 days ahead (for both traffic and inventory).

"Shopify built Sidekick App Extensions to make the whole ecosystem smarter for merchants. We're proud to be part of that from day one," shared Vincent Younan, Co-Founder of Retailogists. "Until now, Sidekick could see your online store in full--and your in-store sales. But the moment a customer walked in and didn't buy, that was invisible. Avia fills that gap. For the first time, a merchant has one conversation that spans their entire business."

Available in the Shopify App Store, Avia by Retailogists is now live for merchants on Shopify. It has been deployed at 500 stores with Shopify in North America, Europe, and Asia. A 90-day pilot from Avia by Retailogists has been offered to interested parties. (Also, Shopify has announced sundowning of its inventory platform, Stocky, in August.)

Avia by Retailogists Extends Shopify's Sidekick AI Assistant

Deluxe Cashes Channel Check

An interesting move for historic paper-check supplier, Deluxe Corporation (Minneapolis, MN), with its purchase of payment processor, Celero Commerce (Nashville, TN). An all-cash transaction of approximately $625 million for Celero (subject to regulatory approval) will be funded through committed debt financing, according to Deluxe. Expected to close in Q3, it greatly expands Deluxe Merchant Services.

"Adding Celero immediately accelerates our transformation and shifts our revenue mix decisively towards our growing segments of payments and data," reported Barry McCarthy, President and CEO of Deluxe. "Combined, the two companies will broaden our distribution reach and deepen our presence across key verticals including financial institutions, Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), and Independent Sales Organizations (ISOs). At Deluxe, we have a proprietary, fully-scaled processing platform that will compliment and seamlessly integrate with Celero and their technology to deliver a compelling value proposition."

"This is an exciting next chapter for Celero, our employees, partners, and customers," proclaimed Kevin Jones, Founder and CEO of Celero Commerce. "By bringing together Deluxe's scale, resources, and payments capabilities with Celero's technology, channel expertise, and customer-first culture, we believe we're creating an even stronger platform for our customers and partners while opening new opportunities for growth." In 2025, the two parties in combination processed approximately $70 billion in gross transaction volume.

Deluxe to Acquire Celero Commerce

Code Corner

Azure Booyah!

A next-generation of its enterprise-grade foodservice Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), known as BOHA!, has been fielded by TransAct Technologies Inc. (Hamden, CT). A migration from legacy hosted infrastructure to Microsoft Azure has delivered greater scalability, security, resiliency, and performance, reports the longtime gaming/hospitality printer manufacturer. It also adds faster and more responsive software development for customer required enhancements, as well as steady integration with in-house applications, including POS, and other customer back-of-house systems.

"A transformational milestone for BOHA!," in the words of John Dillon, CEO of TransAct Technologies. "By migrating to Microsoft Azure, we can bring innovation and new capabilities to market faster, seamlessly integrate AI-powered workflows, and continuously deliver greater operational value to foodservice organizations worldwide."

TransAct Upgrades Its BOHA! Platform

A Batch of Android

A latest release of its Batch Barcode Scanner by Dynamsoft (Oakland, CA) adds capability for Android to existing iOS. A ready-to-use mobile app for high-volume inventory environments, Dynamsoft BBS scans more than 100 items at once with over 99% read rates. A number of new features in BBS Version 3.0.1 include: Field of View Scan, Snap & Scan, Panoramic Scan, Mixed Video and Photo Capture, Real-Time Missing Barcode Detection, and Export to Cloud Storage.

"Most industrial scanning happens on Android devices, so making BBS available on that platform was the natural next step," indicated Amy Gu, CEO at Dynamsoft. "Combined with the new capture modes and cloud export, operators now have a much more flexible tool for high-volume scanning." It appears on the Apple App store and Google Play Store.

Dynamsoft Enhances Batch Barcode Scanning

ENVIRONMENTS/PLATFORMS

Adyen's Secret Agent

A universal translator for conversational AI, specified as Adyen Agentic, has been presented by Adyen (San Francisco, CA). It builds upon the payment processor's enterprise-grade infrastructure, with specialized suite of modular APIs (Application Programming Interfaces). As early participants in the ecosystem of Adyen Agentic, there's the trio of payment drivers: American Express, Mastercard, and Visa.

A trio of essential functions comprise Adyen Agentic. (1) Agentic Feed: A structured product and inventory layer that distributes real-time catalog, pricing, and availability data across conversational commerce environments. (2) Agentic Cart: An orchestration layer that connects merchants' existing checkout, tax, fulfillment, and order management systems to conversational commerce platforms. (3) Agentic Payments: A payments and fraud layer for agent-led transactions, enabling authentication, token portability, merchant of record preservation, and risk management across evolving protocols.

"Every new agentic surface asks merchants to rebuild from scratch," suggested Karan Katyal, Global Head of Agentic Commerce at Adyen. "We believe the future of agentic commerce should be open, so we designed Adyen Agentic to help retailers integrate once and participate across evolving platforms, protocols, and experiences--without having to bet on which ecosystems ultimately win. The ecosystem is evolving rapidly, and we're delighted to enable innovative merchants to experiment with agentic commerce first-hand."

Adyen Debuts Universal Translator for Agentic Commerce

Accelerating With X9

A timely new standard, "X9.150, Merchant-Presented QR Codes for Secure Payment," has been published by the Accredited Standards Committee X9 Inc. of the American National Standards Institute (Annapolis, MD). It defines the structure, content, and security requirements for such customer-facing, dynamically-generated payment QR Codes. It may now be downloaded from the website of ANSI.

A key benefit cited for X9.150 is applicability of the same merchant-presented QR Code over multiple account-based payment methods. These include networks such as the Federal Reserve's FedNow and the Real-Time Payment Network (RTP), credit transfers via ACH, and emerging digital payment methods such as stablecoins. A common framework under X9.150 allows financial institutions and payment providers to determine the most appropriate payment rail, or method.

"Until now, there has been no standard covering secured merchant-generated QR Codes in the United States and thus little interoperability among businesses and financial networks," according to ANSI. "This fractured landscape has prevented large-scale U.S. implementation of payment QR Codes. Adoption of the new X9 QR Code standard will allow every bank or merchant app equipped with QR Code to be used for secure payments, enabling widespread increase in deployment."

ANSI Releases New Standard: "X9.150, Merchant-Presented QR Codes for Secure Payment"

Key Advertiser Links

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

POS & Peripherals
AnywhereCommerce
Bixolon America
Epson America
FEC POS
HiStone
HP
MagTek
Metropolitan Sales
POSBANK USA
Posiflex
Sam4s/Shin Heung Precision
Star Micronics
Washburn Computer Group

Barcode Printers
Bixolon America
Brother Mobile
Epson America
Sewoo
Woosim Systems

Cash Drawers/Cash Handling
apg/APG Cash Drawer
Star Micronics

Data Collection
Star Micronics

Integrated Payment Solutions
AnywhereCommerce
Datacap Systems
MagTek

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

Stands, Mounts, Cradles
apg/APG Cash Drawer
Star Micronics

INSTALLATIONS

Shift4 Whispers Loman AI

An expanded deployment of voice-order technology, in this case from Loman AI (Austin, TX), has been enacted at Shift4 (Center Valley, PA). As purpose-built for restaurants, Loman answers every call--with handling of complex orders, detailed menu questions, and reservations, 24/7--and synchs directly into Shift4 Dine POS (the former SkyTab). It's now offered to all users of Shift4 Dine POS via the Shift4 Marketplace.

"We're already seeing strong adoption from Shift4 operators, and the results speak for themselves," noted Christian Wiens, Founder and CEO of Loman AI. "Restaurants using Loman are capturing orders they used to miss, improving the guest experience, and driving real revenue lift without adding operational complexity. This partnership just accelerates that across the entire ecosystem of Shift4."

Established in Summer 2024, Loman AI has existing partnerships with providers of POS including Aloha/NCR, Clover, SpotOn, Square, and Toast. It cites as typical benefits: 20-25% increase in captured orders; tens of thousands of dollars in annual labor savings per location; higher average order values driven by consistent upselling; and improved guest satisfaction with instant response times and zero hold times. It's currently live with hundreds of restaurants powered by Shift4.

Shift4 Embraces Voice Ordering by Loman AI

[Editor's Note: Also, Shift4 has partnered with EvergreenHQ (Wilmington, DE) to facilitate digital menu delivery.]

PAR Drills for Bolla Oil

A sizeable regional convenience/fuel retailer, Bolla Market, has deployed its first customer loyalty program, christened Bolla Rewards, courtesy of PAR Technology (New Hartford, NY). As powered by PAR Retail, which focuses on convenience and fueling, it enables in-store customer engagement and incentives. A roadmap includes scalability and future capabilities such as tobacco loyalty, according to the two parties.

"The era of disconnected software is over. What Bolla is building with PAR isn't a loyalty program--it's an intelligence layer that turns data across customers, operations, and engagement into real-time action at every location," observed Savneet Singh, CEO of PAR Technology. "That's the difference between point solutions and a platform that compounds value." (Acquired by PAR in March 2024, the former Stuzo was rebranded as PAR Retail. Jake Kiser serves as its GM.)

A part of Bolla Oil, Bolla Market has 160 locations throughout the New York Tri-State Area. "Our customers have more choices than ever, and loyalty gives us a way to build stronger, more meaningful connections with them," enthused Jay Singh, VP of Bolla Oil. "Bolla Rewards allows us to deliver immediate value through focused, easy-to-redeem offers while reinforcing the experience our guests expect every time they are at a Bolla Market."

PAR Develops Loyalty Program for Bolla Market

[Editor's Note: Also, PAR will supply its restaurant technology stack--including POS--for the Pizza Factory, with 110 locations.]

Channel Factoid

Disrupting Supply Chain

(Top Trends for 2026)

-Polyfunctional Robots

-Physical AI (IoT)

-Agentic AI (Virtual Workforce)

-Collaborative Multi-Agents

-Intelligent Simulation

-Domain-Specific Language

-Product Provenance

-Decision Governance

"These trends represent more than incremental improvements," says Christian Titze, VP Analyst and Chief of Research, Supply Chain, at Gartner Group. "They are catalysts for transforming supply chains."

Source: Gartner Group

A Trio of Overarching Themes: Autonomy and Agency, Specialization and Intelligence, and Trust and Governance

A Price Check in NJ

A "Fair Price Protection Act", just signed by New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, bans the use of Electronic Shelf Labels (ESLs). A first in the U.S, this new law prohibits retailers from using shoppers' personal data to charge different prices for identical products. A one-year moratorium on ESLs does not prohibit loyalty programs or discounts.

HELLO GOODBYE

A Shot of Jamison

A new Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) has been enlisted at Payouts Network (Bozeman, MT): payments veteran, Jamison Jaworski. He brings experience from executive roles at Green Dot, EML, Netspend, Store Financial, and PaySpot. Payouts Network replaces paper vouchers, mailed checks, and delayed reimbursements with digital delivery. Additional new hires at Payouts Network include Judson Preuss, Chief Product Officer, and Chris Razaki and Doug Denny, VPs of Sales.

"Jamison is the right person to lead revenue growth at this stage of our company," testified Keith Smith, CEO of Payouts Network. "He has built enterprise partnerships with some of the most recognized names in payments and retail financial services, and he understands how to turn those relationships into compounding growth. As demand accelerates for faster, more modern business-to-consumer payout experiences, Jamison's leadership will bring our platform to a much larger market. This is a strategic addition to our team that changes the trajectory of the company."

"Payouts Network is solving a problem that matters to every company focused on customer relationships," stressed Jaworski. "Businesses invest heavily in loyalty, service recovery, and incentives, but too often those moments are limited by outdated payout infrastructure. Payouts Network delivers real-time, consumer-preferred payouts in a way that is controlled, measurable, branded, and scalable. I have been on the enterprise side of this industry long enough to recognize a real competitive advantage, and I am thrilled to bring this platform to more companies and more consumers."

Jamison Jaworski, Chief Revenue Officer, Payouts Network

Linda Takes the Local

A new VP of Partnerships, Linda Yassen, will lead channel efforts at Local Express (New York, NY), an omnichannel e-commerce platform for grocery and food retailers (as opposed to third-party marketplaces). A background in sales of SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) includes Spendflo, ChargeBee, Qualtrics, and Paychex. Also new to Local Express: Edward Kim, VP of Sales and Ryan Webb, VP of Marketing.

"Linda understands what it takes to build a high-impact partner ecosystem around a modern technology platform," remarked Bagrat Safarian, CEO of Local Express. "Her experience scaling channel programs and developing strategic alliances will help us expand our reach and create more value for retailers and partners alike."

"I'm excited to join Local Express at a time when retailers are looking for better ways to unify operations, e-commerce, and delivery while maintaining control of their customer relationships," expressed Yassen. "There is a major opportunity to help partners and retailers move beyond marketplace dependency and build more profitable direct digital businesses."

Linda Yassen, VP of Partnerships, Local Express