Our Product Pick

Clientron (New Taipei City, Taiwan) has unwrapped its new all-in-one POS, stocked as the Ares550. With bezel-free 15" multi-touch display, it features Intel Celeron J6412 Quad-Core Elkhart Lake CPU, 32 GB RAM, M2 SSDs, and dual SO-DIMM. A stylish design has "razor blade back case" and one-screw easy access to electronics. Also, Ares550 furnishes 9 USB and 1 Type-C I/O's. In terms of network connection, it supports Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, as well as Ethernet 10/100/1000 Base-T. An adjustable barcode scanner facilitates reading from multiple directions, including customer-facing for mobile payments.

Ares550 POS by Clientron

COMPANY BUSINESS

Elavon "Banks" on ERP

A payments integration has been set for Microsoft Dynamics 365 ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) on the part of U.S. Bank. It supports both the Elavon Payment Gateway (dubbed CenPOS) and the AP Optimizer from U.S. Bank. With it, the Elavon Payment Gateway ties directly into Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance, automating accounts receivables, speeding up collections, and reducing errors. Also, Elavon's Payment Gateway now appears on the Microsoft App Store.

In accounts payable, AP Optimizer by U.S. Bank enables financial departments to automate invoice processing for business and consumer payment disbursement within Microsoft Dynamics 365. It includes matching and reconciliation. "Embedded payments can deliver powerful new ways for businesses to streamline processes, enhance visibility, deliver better experiences, and reduce risk," projected Bill Borden, Corporate VP, Worldwide Financial Services, at Microsoft.

"We are committed to meeting clients wherever they are in their digital journey, bringing payments to businesses in a way that's instant, embedded, and connected to the technology they use every day," summarized Shailesh Kotwal, Vice Chair and Head of Payment Services, U.S. Bank (Minneapolis, MN). "Our integration with Microsoft--which businesses rely on daily to serve their customers--opens new possibilities for U.S. Bank clients to improve efficiencies." Up next for U.S. Bank: Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Power Platform.

Integration of Microsoft Dynamics 365 With Elavon Payment Gateway and AP Optimizer From U.S. Bank

Alfred at Your Service

A new self-checkout system has been introduced by Partner Tech USA (Anaheim, CA). Assembled with the company's multi-touch terminal for POS, called Alfred, it has been designated as Alfred SCO. In additional to modular configuration, with scanning, bagging, payment, and print functionality, it furnishes state-of-the-art fraud prevention, with deactivation of tags for EAS/RFID, security-enabled scale, and integrated tri-light camera.

Available in screen sizes of 15", 15.6", or 21.5", presented in portrait or landscape, Alfred has high-speed processing (including Intel i3 and i5), 32 GB RAM, M.2 SSD, and Windows or Android O/S. It employs universal tabletop mount, with brackets for the payment terminal. It also offers an optional cash management module with coin and bill recycling.

In addition to customer self-checkout, accompanying software controls all elements of Alfred SCO. With capacity for AI, retailers may identify and prevent different theft scenarios. As an example, the item's weight can be checked against the weight database and footage from the security camera can be used to validate that all items are scanned and paid for. There's an API (Application Programming Interface) Toolkit.

Alfred Self-Checkout by Partner Tech

Worth Your While

2023

NRF Big Show
National Retail Federation
January 15-17
New York, NY

RSPA Inspire
Retail Solutions Providers Association
January 22-25
Clearwater Beach, FL

ProMat
MHI (Materials)
March 20-23
Chicago, IL

Shoptalk
Shoptalk Commerce LLC
March 26-29
Las Vegas, NV

Transact
Electronic Transactions Association
April 24-26
Atlanta, GA

NRA Show
National Restaurant Association
May 20-23
Chicago, IL

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Epson Checks In

A pair of new multi-function teller devices has been presented by Epson America (Los Alamitos, CA): Epson TM-S2000II-NW and TM-S9000II-NW. Accomplishing check scanning as well as two-sided ID card scanning, they have 100-check document feeder and bright LCD display. As scan speed--"best-in-class," says Epson America--they deliver up to 225 dpm.

Significantly, in networking, they carry both USB 2.0 and Ethernet 10/100/1000 Base-T. In addition, they include Web Application Programming Interface (API) for use with thin- or zero-client deployments without need for PC. Also, device memory provides stand-alone back-up storage in the event of network disruption.

Epson TM-S2000II-NW integrates with select models of thermal printers in the Epson TM-T70 Series or TM-T88 Series, while Epson TM-S9000II-NW adds an integrated thermal receipt printer. An "Epson Device Admin," via Web, furnishes managing and monitoring from laptop or smart device. "Further extending our product offering, these new products eliminate the need for financial institutions to choose between Ethernet or USB by offering both," remarked Rahn Rampton, Product Manager, Epson America.

Epson TM-S9000II-NW Teller Device

Koamtac Goes Sledding

A data collecting and charging solution has been engineered for the Samsung Galaxy XCover6 Pro by Koamtac (Princeton, NJ). Assigned as SKX6Pro SmartSled, part of the SKX SmartSled Series, it carries an integrated barcode scanner (with laser aimer), an array of companion peripherals (payments, RFID), ruggedness (IP-67), and Software Development Kits (SDKs). A thin case design weights 2.9 oz./82 g.

As scan engines, the SKX6Pro SmartSled offers the Honeywell N6703 for standard-range reading, the Honeywell N6803MR for mid-range reading, or the Honeywell N6803FR for extended-range reading. As trigger, there's ergonomically placed scan buttons on either side of the SmartSled. A physical USB OTG connection communicates and transfers data between the SKX6Pro SmartSled and the Galaxy XCover6Pro.

A 2,000 mAh Extended Battery Companion and Pistol Gripe Companion (optional 6,000 mAh battery) increase the power of Galaxy XCover6Pro. A variety of SKX6Pro Charging Cradles are offered in single and multi-slot forms. All SKX6Pro Charging Cradles feature 15 W fast charging. Also, Koamtac has increased its support for users of its KDC and SKX with KTSync Web, KDC Diagnostics, and Special Barcodes Repository.

Koamtac's SKX6Pro SmartSled for Samsung Galaxy

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Week of November 28

Week of November 14

Week of October 31

Channel Chatter

An "Export Tower Award" for POSBANK at the recent Trade Day hosted by the Korea International Trade Association, and sponsored by the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy. POSBANK won for recording exports of $50 million last year, with growth in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, POSBANK has offices in Carson, CA and Plainview, NY.

PARTNER PROGRAMS

A Bodega of B2B

A launch of the NRS B2B Marketplace for National Retail Solutions (Newark, NJ). As an e-commerce platform designed to bring wholesale distributors and suppliers together, the NRS B2B Marketplace serves independent retailers in categories such as convenience stores, bodegas, liquor stores, and tobacco shops. These are predominantly small-format, owner-operated stores in high-density urban areas.

It meets the need for such retailers who don't have order automation, cannot meet distributors' minimum order quantities, and/or have challenging logistical requirements such as frequent shipments, according to NRS. With NRS B2B Marketplace, distributors will be able to use an in-house delivery service, NRS Cinch. In addition, small, aggregate orders from multiple retailers can be made via NRS Cinch.

"The NRS B2B Marketplace will work in conjunction with our retailers' POS inventory management software to enable retailers to order the right items and the right amounts of inventory to maximize sales and cash flows," related Pavel Danilov, VP of B2B Commerce at NRS. "The Marketplace will provide distributors with streamlined access to a large, dynamic customer base that was previously extraordinarily difficult to reach." A subsidiary of IDT Corporation, National Retail Solutions.

National Retail Solutions Debuts the NRS B2B Marketplace

Watching Bar Rescue

A joint offering for craft food and beverage operators has been brought to market by BarTrack (Sterling, VA) and Arryved (Boulder, CO). It combines the sensor-based beverage and quality monitoring solution by BarTrack and the retail management system, including POS, by Arryved. It provides real-time metrics on variables affecting beverage quality, including flow and keg levels, line temperature, pressure, cooler health, and line cleanliness. Insights are specific to the minute and to the ounce, making it possible to determine where losses and waste occur and if the losses are related to inventory management processes and equipment or human error.

"We're excited to partner with Arryved because we both offer tools built by the industry, for the industry," reflected Brett Danielson, Co-Founder and CEO of BarTrack. "Like Arryved, we develop solutions based on the key insights we received from owners and operators with decades of experience. Customer success is a tremendous part of both of our solutions and frequent check-ins and strategizing is key--we both focus on providing high-level customer support."

As one example, Grist Brewing Company (Highlands Ranch, CO) enjoyed increased pour efficiency after three weeks using the integrated system of BarTrack/Arryved. The brewery's average pour cost dropped from 12.8% to 7.6%, and sales increased, reducing $6,359 of lost potential revenue down to $1,392, an average of $20,000 in savings per month. Also, in June, Arryved bought e-commerce player, Craftpeak (Asheville, NC).

An Integrated Beverage Monitoring System by BarTrack and Arryved

Code Corner

Nacha (Herndon, VA), and its Payments Innovation Alliance, has released its new guide on voice-based payments in the ACH Network. Entitled "Voice Payments: Guide to Nacha's Operating Rules," it identifies the most common conversational payments use cases, offers answers to frequently asked questions, and assists in determining the Standard Entry Class (SEC) Codes. In Executive Briefings, it includes: Voice Payments: An Introduction and Overview; A Deep Dive into the Technology Behind Voice Payments; and Voice Payments: Contractual Considerations for Financial Institutions. It covers both voice-assisted devices and smart speakers. "Over the past two years, Nacha has updated its Operating Rules and Guidelines to reflect emerging technology, including voice payments within the ACH Network," reported Jennifer West, Senior Director of the Payments Innovation Alliance for Nacha. "This publication offers important guidance to banks, credit unions, billers, and processors offering conversational ACH."

Nacha Addresses Voice Payments in ACH

ENVIRONMENTS/PLATFORMS

Tracking Bridezilla

A new dashboard for sales and finance in hospitality has been unveiled by Carats & Cake (New York, NY). As features, it includes: invoice creation and scheduling, real-time notifications of payment and contract activity, monthly and quarterly analytics, payment type optimization, PCI-DSS Level 1 Compliance, and streamlined integration with major Property Management Systems (PMS). It's the first new product to launch since the company announced $10 million in Series A financing in September (bring its total funding to $30 million).

"One of the gaps we noticed that was fairly omnipresent across the industry was the lag in information-sharing between sales and finance teams," expressed Rhett Keller, CRO at Carats & Cake. "Sales is always thinking about the next opportunity and finance is often looking at what has occurred to ensure all invoices are paid. With the Carats & Cake dashboard, we're providing all business functions with access to the intelligence to drive their business forward by reducing that lag in up-to-date information."

"No two property groups are the same in terms of team structure, reporting, or the end-to-end customer journey from choosing the property to hosting an actual event," indicated Jess Conroy, Founder and CEO at Carats & Cake. "Whether it's a massive corporate conference, an intimate wedding, or any scale in-between, Carats & Cake is committed to building the industry-specific platform to ensure the best outcome for both the event host and the property asset owner." He indicated more features will be added to the dashboard.

A New Dashboard for Hospitality by Carats & Cake Spans Sales and Finance Departments

32M Ripens Cantaloupe

A strategic acquisition for payment processor Cantaloupe (Malvern, PA), in the form of Three Square Market (River Falls, WI). A price of $41 million was paid for the micro-market POS VAR/ISV. A comprehensive line of self-service kiosks is offered by Three Square Market (32M), with approximately 3,000 deployments across North America.

"Acquisition of 32M, with its expansive portfolio of micro-market technology and broad geographic footprint, immediately accelerates two of our most important strategic growth priorities," declared Ravi Venkatesan, CEO of Cantaloupe. "32M is already an integrated partner of our 'Seed Markets' software platform, which will enable Cantaloupe to capture additional revenue synergies through cross-sell and upsell opportunities throughout our combined customer base. We are now well positioned as a best-in-class technology provider for the accelerating self-service commerce industry."

"Bringing 32M into Cantaloupe and gaining access to Cantaloupe's 25,000+ customer base, from small and medium businesses to large enterprises, is an exciting opportunity for us," contributed Tony Danna, President of 32M. "We can now better leverage Cantaloupe's 'Seed Markets' platform with our existing customers, and expect to benefit from a combined salesforce to help our products reach more customers." (A 'Seeds Market' at Cantaloupe encompasses inventory management, warehouse picking, route scheduling, and reporting.)

Cantaloupe Acquires Three Square Market (32M)

Key Advertiser Links

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

POS & Peripherals
Aldelo
Electronic Payments
Elo
Epson America
Firich USA
HP
Ingenico
National Retail Solutions
Pioneer Solution
POSBANK USA
Posiflex
Revel Systems
Sam4s/Shin Heung Precision
Shift4
Star Micronics
Sunmi
Toshiba
Tri-Tech Retail

Barcode Printers
Bixolon America
Brother Mobile
GoDEX Americas
Woosim Systems

Cash Drawers
apg/APG Cash Drawer
Star Micronics

Cash Handling Systems
apg/APG Cash Drawer
CIMA America

Data Collection
CipherLab
Code Corporation
Janam Technologies
MobileDemand
Unitech America

Integrated Payment Solutions
Datacap Systems
Electronic Payments
Ingenico
North American Bancard
Payment Logistics
Shift4
Sound Payments

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

Stands, Mounts, Cradles
Gamber-Johnson

Touchscreens & Monitors
Elo

INSTALLATIONS

Kickfin: Beefing Up Tips

A deployment of cashless tip disbursement by Kickfin (Austin, TX) for FSC Franchise Co. (Tampa, FL). In concert with Visa Direct, it sends real-time, cashless tip payments directly to the employee's existing bank accounts. (Availability of funds depends on receiving financial institution and region.) As Beef O'Brady's and The Brass Tap, FSC has approximately 200 locations in the U.S.

"Cash tip payouts had become unworkable for our team, so we began exploring digital tipping solutions," relayed Scott SirLouis, COO at FSC. "After running an RFP process, we selected Kickfin because it ensured our tipping program would be scalable and compliant across our entire organization. And most importantly, we had buy-in from our employees; when we surveyed our staff, 100% opted to get instant tip payouts through Kickfin."

"Many hospitality employees have chosen to work in this industry because they get access to their earnings after every shift," observed Justin Roberts, Co-CEO at Kickfin. "As restaurants struggle to pay out cash tips, it's critical that they digitize their tip payment program to ensure that their staff continue to get immediate access to their tips." As additional deployers, Kickfin has brands such as Marco's Pizza, Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux, and Rock N' Roll Sushi.

A System for Digitizing Employee Tips at Beef O'Brady's and The Brass Tap Brands of FSC Franchise Co.

Canada's Pet Shop Boys

A move into Canada for provider of pet retail system, eTailPet (Los Angeles, CA). As dedicated for independent pet retailers, eTailPet offers real-time visibility and control over in-store and online sales, inventory, marketing, and customer management. In November, it added features of text messaging, membership, and subscription modules.

"The growing Canadian pet market has accelerated the demand for easy-to-use, omnichannel POS solutions among indie pet businesses who want to streamline operations, maximize profits, and appeal to the current generation of pet owners," noted Berenice "Bere" Giannini, Founder of eTailPet. "Our all-in-one platform helps independent pet businesses remain competitive against the big box companies. Its easy-to-use design and comprehensive functionality--including the most advanced inventory management system, the biggest online pet catalog database, and full Astro Loyalty (Atlanta, GA) integration--was created specifically to address the needs of independent pet retailers."

"As one of Canada's leading pet specialty distributors, working with hundreds of independent pet retailers across the country, I've discovered that eTailPet has everything you need to manage your business anytime, anywhere, and includes all of the features and functionalities that will help you meet the demands of your customers--from inventory to customer communications," cited Phil Klaassen, CEO of Pan Pacific Pet (Abbotsford, BC, Canada). According to eTailPet, the pet market in Canada, including pet food, supplies, and services, increased 117% during Covid-19, and is currently worth $7 billion.

eTailPet Launches Its POS Software in Canada

Channel Factoid

Investment Priorities - IT
(Next 12-18 Months)

75%: Cloud Operations
60%: Security
51%: Digital Transformation

Who Makes IT Decisions?

54%: IT Director
44%: Head of IT
38%: CTO
35%: Head of Infrastructure
32%: COO

Staff Shortages by Role

61%: Cybersecurity Specialists
54%: Machine Learning Engineers
49%: Data Analysts
40%: Network Engineers

IT Project Priorities

58%: Innovation
51%: Overhaul Products/Services
45%: Automation

Source: "Managing IT in Challenging Economic Times" by Rackspace Technology (San Antonio, TX).

IT Leaders Rate Cloud Operations as Their Top Strategic IT Priority

A Message From the Editor

As we progress through another year--our 18th!--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

HELLO GOODBYE

Solar Power at SpotOn

A deeper bench at SpotOn (San Francisco, CA), with the hiring of Bryan Solar as its new Chief Product Officer. As part of this expansion, SpotOn's Co-Founder and former Chief Product Officer, Doron Friedman, will fulfill the newly created role of Chief Innovation Officer, focused on the company's strategic direction. Prior to SpotOn, Solar served as GM of Square for Restaurants and GM of SMB New Products and Markets - Restaurant Tools at Google.

"We are proud to welcome Bryan to the SpotOn team, not only because of his outstanding track record in the industry, but also his empathy and passion for supporting small business owners," commented Matt Hyman, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of SpotOn. "With Bryan leading the incredible team that Doron has built over the years, SpotOn is uniquely positioned to deliver the products and services our clients need today, and into the future." SpotOn has 2,000 employees.

"I've been closely watching SpotOn since its founding in 2017. Their ability to combine innovation, ease-of-use, and exceptional customer support is unique in this industry and a clear reason that SpotOn has earned the business of tens of thousands of restaurants and SMBs," enthused Solar. "I'm thrilled to be joining a team that is built on empathy for business owners and operators, and to bring my personal and professional experience in the industry to SpotOn."

Bryan Solar, Chief Product Officer, SpotOn

A Medal of Valor

An elevation to CEO for Eric Bernstein at payments channel player, Valor PayTech (Jericho, NY). He joined the company as COO upon its founding in 2019. Previously, he served as Founder of the Bernstein Consulting Group, Managing Partner at U.S. One Mortgage, and Advisor of Private Wealth Management at Morgan Stanley.

"Eric's leadership and energy have guided Valor into the success it has become today," stated Leo Vartanov, Chairman of the Board at Valor. "The Board and I are extremely confident in his ability to lead Valor in its next chapter of growth."

Added O.B. Rawls IV, Strategic Advisor and Board Member at Valor, "Eric has done a terrific job to build Valor into a first-class, in-demand, omnichannel solutions provider. I'm looking forward to his continuing success while taking Valor to even greater heights."

"Few companies can match the opportunity Valor has as the company is uniquely positioned to lead the future of payments innovation," stated Bernstein. "I am incredibly honored to be named Chief Executive Officer and am thankful for the confidence Leo, O.B., and the rest of the Valor Board of Directors have in me to chart Valor's future course."

Eric Bernstein, CEO, Valor PayTech