Our Product Pick

A new family of Mobile POS, entitled QuickSale Go, has been unveiled by Charge Anywhere (Piscataway, NJ). A trio of devices includes QuickSale Go Reader, QuickSale Go PIN Pad, and QuickSale Go-Tab. All support Smart Card + Magnetic Stripe + NFC. With seamless integration, Go Reader and Go PIN Pad support, in particular, smartphones, while Go-Tab presents ruggedized tablet with multi-capabilities. As benefits of QuickSale Go, the company points to affordability, functionality, and user-friendliness."With these groundbreaking mPOS readers, we empower businesses to streamline payment processing and elevate the customer experience like never before,"noted Paul Sabella, CEO of Charge Anywhere.

QuickSale Go Reader by Charge Anywhere

COMPANY BUSINESS

Atelio Awakens at FIS

A new fintech platform has emerged from FIS (Jacksonville, FL), dubbed Atelio by FIS. It employs functional "building blocks" for financial institutions, businesses, and software developers to embed financial services into their offerings. Examples include collecting deposits, moving money, issuing cards, and sending invoices, as well as fighting fraud, forecasting cash flows, and understanding customer behavior.

"Welcome to the future of financial services," declared Tarun Bhatnagar, President of Platform and Enterprise Products at FIS. "Atelio by FIS is our vision to lead where fintech is going, which is outside the boundaries of how businesses enable, and their customers consume, financial services today. More than just a new solution, Atelio is built to lend the expertise, tools, and distribution so that our users and clients can focus on creating. Our scale, distribution, and continued investment in technology have given us the foundation to unlock our financial capabilities to a wider audience and power the next generation of financial innovation."

In coming to market, Atelio by FIS will benefit from the relationship with Worldpay (Cincinnati, OH), according to FIS. As readers may recall, in February 2014, FIS sold its majority stake in Worldpay for $18.5B to GTCR Private Equity (Chicago, IL). It maintained minority ownership and entered into commercial agreement for continued strategic partnership.

FIS Debuts New Fintech Platform

A Decision at Barcoding, Inc.

A significant consolidation in our industry brings together Barcoding, Inc. (Baltimore, MD) and DecisionPoint Systems (Delray Beach, FL). A leading supply chain automation player, Barcoding, Inc. joined the portfolio of private equity firm Graham Partners (Newtown Square, PA) in September 2023. As part of joining Barcoding, Inc., DecisionPoint, which provides in-store solutions and services centered on POS, has gone private in an all-cash transaction with its shareholders.

Already with offices in California, North Carolina, Colorado, Utah, and Pennsylvania, Barcoding, Inc. will expand its footprint in the Southeast and West Coast U.S. with DecisionPoint. With several shared strategic partners, it intends to further relationships across each other's ecosystems, including POS. In going forward, the DecisionPoint name and brand will be retained, according to press reports.

"We are excited about the combination of Barcoding and DecisionPoint, which brings together two experienced management teams and creates an integrator of scale in supply chain automation," commented Mike Stewart, Principal of Graham Partners. "Furthermore, the combined business is anticipated to enhance the value proposition for customers, adding service offerings across a customer's device life cycle and establishing a national footprint." As participating CEOs, there's Shane Snyder at Barcoding, Inc. and Steve Smith at DecisionPoint.

A Merger Between Barcoding, Inc. and DecisionPoint

Worth Your While

NRA Show
National Restaurant Association
May 18-21
Chicago, IL

RetailNOW
Retail Solutions Providers Association
July 28-30
Las Vegas, NV

VARTECH
BlueStar
September 16-17
Orlando, FL

FSTEC
Foodservice Tech/Winsight
September 16-18
Grapevine, TX

Money 20/20
Ascential PLC
October 27-30
Las Vegas, NV

Pack Expo
PMMI-Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies
November 3-6
Chicago, IL

MJBizCon
MJBizDaily
December 3-6
Las Vegas, NV

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Clover Spreads

A self-service kiosk has been added to Clover by Fiserv (Milwaukee, WI). It combines 24" touch display, 8" touch payment terminal, and built-in 3" thermal receipt printer. Its payment terminal (Clover Mini) supports Chip & PIN + Magnetic Stripe + NFC. As connectivity for Clover Kiosk, there's Ethernet + Wi-Fi + LTE WAN. As configurations, there's Floor Stand, Wall Mount, and Countertop. For encryption, Clover Security.

Also, Fiserv has enhanced its Clover Kitchen Display System with larger 24" touch display. It enables notifications from third-party delivery apps for cancellations and order changes, coursed fulfillment, expo-mode, bump bar support, color-coded order status, and runner ticket printing. It syncs with Clover POS, Clover Online Ordering, and BentoBox.

"The restaurant industry continues to undergo significant changes, and the right technology can help owners and operators adapt to run more efficiently and to scale more effectively," observed Krystle Mobayeni, Head of Restaurant Solutions at Fiserv. "Clover is enabling restaurants to blend digital and physical experiences to meet diners' expectations, while lifting a significant weight off the shoulders of restaurant staff." In the most recent earnings call (April 23), Fiserv CEO Frank Bisignano cited the second consecutive quarter of 30% revenue growth for Clover.

Clover Self-Service Kiosk From Fiserv

[Editor's Note: Also targeting self-service is another offering, the new Square Kiosk, which supports Square for Restaurant POS.]

MagTek Spins iDynamo

A new add-on reader for payments, designated iDynamo 5 (Gen III), has been unboxed at MagTek (Seal Beach, CA). Supporting mobile devices, it extends compatibility across iOS, Android, and Windows O/S. It offers seamless integration via USB Keyboard, USB HID, and USB iAP2, and attaches to smartphones or tablets using the Otterbox Universe Case.

In dimensions of 2.5"/63 mm (L) x 1.5"/38 mm (H) x 0.6"/15 mm (W), weighing 1 oz./26 g, iDynamo 5 (Gen III) features Triple-Track, Bidirectional MSR. Suitable for point-to-point encryption (P2PE), it meets enhanced SRED (Secure Reading and Exchange of Data) and PCI (Payment Card Industry) PTS 6.x SCR (Secure Card Reader). It draws upon the MagneSafe Security Architecture and Magensa Payment Protection Gateway by MagTek. Addressing applications by ISVs, MagTek supplies SDKs (Software Development Kits).

"Mobile payments, desktop payments, and authenticated identification and access control continue to be growing markets," mused Andy Deignan, CEO of MagTek. "And because these channels demand secure, quick-to-market solutions, it was a natural progression to update and enhance our most popular secure card reader authenticator with a number of new features including AES encryption and other configurations and security features designed to protect sensitive card and token data." Elsewhere, MagTek has expanded access to its Magensa Payment Protection Gateway with partnership with payment provider DishOut (Hauppauge, NY) and certification of payment terminals by PAX Technology (Jacksonville, FL).

MagTek's New iDynamo 5 (Gen III)

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Week of April 29

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A Message From the Editor

As we eagerly enter another year--approaching 20!--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

ALLIANCES

GoTab Takes Its Seat

A new relationship integrates the restaurant and retail commerce and operations platform by GoTab (Arlington, VA) with the sales and event management platform by Tripleseat (Concord, MA). With embedded processing capabilities, Tripleseat enables operators to book, manage, and collect payments in one offering. Via its new integration, deposits made in Tripleseat flow seamlessly into event day tabs in GoTab's POS.

All event deposits and payments are tracked in one centralized, consistent, and transparent system, simplifying book-keeping and eliminating error-prone manual tasks. End-users see an increase in revenue by 30% for large-scale events, group reservations, and off-site catering, according to the two parties. In addition to this integration, GoTab offers its QR Code- or RFID-based Event Cards

"Planning and managing events is a time-consuming task for all parties involved, and this integration significantly alleviates some of the pain points that event professionals experience every day," suggested Tim McLaughlin, Co-Founder and CEO at GoTab. "The demand for events and experiences continues to grow across the hospitality industry. This integration marks another milestone in our goal of helping businesses improve operationally without sacrificing the quality of hospitality they provide."

GoTab Partners With Tripleseat in Events Sector

Celerant: Regardless of Risk

A partnership between payment processor AltruPay (Dallas, TX) and POS ISV Celerant (Iselin, NJ) seeks to satisfy the range of retail verticals--whether in so-called low-risk or high-risk categories. Of particular interest are high-risk agriculture, gaming, and sales of CBD, which will get fast approval and nominal transaction fees. Meanwhile, retailers in lower risk verticals will benefit from reduced fees, added payment options such as surcharging or recurring billing, and full tech support.

"AltruPay is pleased to provide a seamless omnichannel payments experience to Celerant's clients," shared Adam Carlson, CEO of AltruPay."Equally, AltruPay is looking forward to the opportunity to begin offering our merchants the option to use Celerant's industry-leading point-of-sale and e-commerce platform. The ability to offer more retail technology options to our business owners better enables them to scale their operations and grow their sales."

"With retail clients in such diverse industries, robust processing options are imperative for our company," expressed Ian Goldman, President and CEO of Celerant. "Supporting our retailers is our number one goal and bringing on this new processing partner was necessary to support their growing needs. We are eager to introduce AltruPay as another choice to help our retailers operate more effectively."

Celerant Engages Payment Processing by AltruPay

Code Corner

A payment platform addressing small-to midsized business (SMB) has been launched by Aurora Payments (Las Vegas, NV). As integration with ISVs, as expected, it features APIs (Application Programming Interfaces). As some examples, Aurora Payments lists "nail shops, hair salons, tattoo parlors, service facilities, and funeral homes." A range of benefits includes: same-day onboarding, fast and easy set-up, payment-agnostic, real-time data, and security and certification (e.g., PCI PTS 5.0 and EMV). "Arise is more than a payment service--it's an all-encompassing financial ecosystem for SMBs that manages all aspects of the payment lifecycle, ensures secure transactions, and offers real-time reporting," emphasized Brian Goudie, CEO and Founder of Aurora Payments. "Merchants can receive their Arise Smart Terminal, be up and running, and accept payments in minutes." As current preferred hardware partner, Aurora Payments has Sunmi Technology (Alpharetta, GA).

Aurora Arise Payments on Sunmi P2

A replacement for the printed recipe binders commonly used in restaurant kitchens has been introduced by QSR Automations (Louisville, KY). As QSR ConnectSmart RecipesPlus, this searchable digitized recipe hosting platform ensures order consistency, eliminates hard costs of printing and distribution, guards against damage and/or loss of binders, and hosts proprietary data securely in the cloud. It features easy-to-follow recipes, instructional videos, and language translation. "Making service easier is a key component of our vision at QSR Automations," put forth Angela Leet, CEO of QSR Automations. "With ConnectSmart RecipesPlus, we have successfully achieved this goal by leveraging more streamlined approaches to employee training." As benefits, she names: decrease in training duration, improved employee retention rates, and smoother workflow throughout the whole organization.

QSR ConnectSmart RecipesPlus

ENVIRONMENTS/PLATFORMS

Factor4 Wins Lottery

A new software partner has been enlisted by gift card and loyalty solutions supplier, Factor4 (Broomall, PA), in the form of POS ISV, LMS-POS (Arlington, VA). A product of Compro Boston, LMS-POS emphasizes its capabilities in inventory, lottery management, and scanning of IDs. A leader in its area, Factor4 specializes in the design, production, implementation, and distribution of pre-designed and custom cards. It addresses all platforms--in-store, online, and mobile.

"We are thrilled to announce our gift card integration with LMS-POS," enthused Dan Battista, CEO of Factor4. "Our integration enables us to expand our market share in liquor and retail verticals and to build a partnership with a top POS system in these verticals." As segments of its third-party-enabling RewardOS API (Application Programming Interface), it includes: Set-Up, Campaign, Transaction, and Reporting.

"Adding the integration with Factor4 allows LMS-POS to offer liquor and retail stores a complete omnichannel gift card solution right at their fingertips," affirmed Ranjan Regmi, Co-Founder of LMS-POS. "It's another tool built into our platform that allows them to increase sales and revenue. We are delighted to partner with the top gift card provider." An LMS Mobile App, for inventory tracking, appears in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

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A Gift Card and Loyalty Solution for LMS-POS

Givex Clips the Coupons

An advanced capability in digital couponing has been offered to members of the organization of Retailer Owned Food Distributors and Associates (ROFDA). It leverages the Enterprise Coupon Portal (ECP) by Givex Corp. (Toronto, ON, Canada). Established in 1962 (as the Southeastern Food Cooperative Association), ROFDA currently represents 7,000 independent retail grocery locations generating annual sales of $35B.

Acting as central hub, the Givex ECP will allow participating wholesalers, consumer packaged goods companies (CPG), and other suppliers to create and distribute digital promotions via POS and Loyalty. In addition, it provides automated reporting with real-time coupon-clip-counts and redemption settling. "Our one-to-many ECP is key to connecting powerful transactional promotions between CPGs, wholesalers, retailers, and shoppers," expounded Bill Gray, President of Givex Rewards.

"ROFDA is passionate about enhancing the success of independent retail grocers," proclaimed Jeff Pedersen, President and CEO at ROFDA. "Introducing Givex's ECP is exactly the type of tool our members need to continue competing against big box stores and we expect strong uptake once fully deployed." Also, ROFDA has selected Instacart, and its so-called "Carrot Ads," to power retail media networks for its members.

Givex's Enterprise Coupon Portal Adopted by Grocery Association, ROFDA

Key Advertiser Links

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

POS & Peripherals
Bixolon America
Electronic Payments
Epson America
FEC POS
HiStone
HP
Ingenico
Optima Systems
POSBANK USA
Posiflex
Sam4s/Shin Heung Precision
Star Micronics
Toshiba

Barcode Printers
Bixolon America
Brother Mobile
Epson America
GoDEX Americas
Woosim Systems

Cash Drawers/Cash Handling
apg/APG Cash Drawer

Data Collection
MobileDemand
Star Micronics
Unitech America

Integrated Payment Solutions
Charge Anywhere
Datacap Systems
Electronic Payments
Ingenico
Miura Systems
North American Bancard

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

Stands, Mounts, Cradles
Star Micronics

INSTALLATIONS

A TRAY Full of Casual Dining

A roll-out of TRAY POS (Miami, FL) has been completed at 1,500 sites of IHOP in the U.S. A two-year migration replaces the 15-year-old POS at IHOP, part of Dine Brands Global (Kansas City, MO). As major benefits, IHOP cites open architecture, improved reporting and analytics, and deployment of 10,000 server tablets for POS. (Other chains of Dine Brands include Applebee's and Fuzzy's Taco Shop.)

"This is a critical step in the evolution of our iconic brand," relayed Justin Skelton, CIO and SVP of Information Technology at Dine Brands. "POS systems are essential to efficient operations and have major impacts on the guest and team member experience. Through this process, we've seen this technology has the power to decrease table turn times and increase tip and check."

"Our collaboration with IHOP is illustrative of the industry-wide need for smart and efficient technology that can cut costs and improve efficiencies for restaurants, and is compatible with existing or new hardware," related Peter Kellis, CEO of TRAY. "Restaurants like IHOP are seeking ways to incrementally improve operations without massive spend and equipment changes, and that can be achieved with cloud-based solutions. We are very happy to serve IHOP and look forward to supporting the brand for the long term."

TRAY POS Deployed for IHOP

Qu in the Box

As partner for its "store of the future," Jack in the Box (San Diego, CA) has chosen Qu (Bethesda, MD). Going forward, Qu's Unified Commerce Platform will be deployed at 2,800 sites of Jack in the Box and Del Taco in the U.S. Although the separate brands have different guest experiences, they share technology. Qu supports such multi-brand portfolios with one common architecture, menu structure, data-set, reporting, and API (Application Programming Interface) Infrastructure.

"We're building for growth," asserted Doug Cook, SVP and CTO of Jack in the Box. "Investing in this technology is key to our expansion strategy, increasing connections across ordering channels, geographies, and brands. Our partnership with Qu is the technology foundation we needed to deliver on our digital channel goals, drive automation, and increase efficiency." (One goal: 20% for digital sales by 2026.)

"Jack in the Box's business never stops. Their commerce platform needs to be available for their customers and franchisees all day, every day, on every channel--drive-thru, kiosk, in-store, tablets, and especially online," indicated Niko Papademetriou, Co-Founder of Qu. "Our platform was built with this exact scenario in mind. With this partnership, Qu demonstrates unified commerce in the cloud at scale for a true multi-thousand, multi-brand, 24x7 QSR." (It includes Kitchen Display System).

Qu's Unified Commerce Platform for Jack in the Box

Channel Factoid

Retail's Silver Lining
Announced Store
Openings - 2023

-Dollar General: 800

-Dollar Tree: 625

-Foot Locker: 300

-Tractor Supply: 240

-Auto Zone: 200

-O'Reilly: 200

-Burlington: 180

-Caseys: 175

-Ace Hardware: 170

-Wawa: 160

-Academy: 130

-TJX: 125

-Aldi: 120

-Skechers: 110

-BuyBuy Baby: 110

Total Store Openings: 5,865

Source: The Daily on Retail (Which Also
Reported 4,070 Store Closings Announced in 2023).

Net Gain in Brick-and-Mortar

HELLO GOODBYE

U.S. Bank's Wonder Woman

A promotion at U.S. Bank (Minneapolis, MN) has Gunjan Kedia elevated to President. She previously served as Vice Chair of Wealth, Corporate, Commercial, and Institutional Banking. Prior to coming to U.S. Bank, she held positions as EVP of State Street, EVP of Bank of New York Mellon, Partner at McKinsey & Company, and Senior Associate at PwC. She has been recognized multiple times by both American Banker and Barron's. She will report to Andy Cecere, who will remain Chairman and CEO.

"During her more than seven years with U.S. Bank, Gunjan has shown herself to be a visionary leader who understands our business and is driven to help us perform at our best. She has an unwavering commitment to serving our clients, building strong teams, and living our values," remarked Cecere. "She will partner with me and our entire Managing Committee as we continue to chart our course for the future, and she will build on her proven success to drive further growth across all our business lines."

"We have a unique and special culture at U.S. Bank that allows us to celebrate with our clients, grow alongside our team of talented professionals, and support our communities. I am deeply honored to be trusted with this opportunity to drive our future success in a broader way," reflected Kedia. "I am looking forward to collaborating with leaders across our revenue lines to drive further success in our organization, as we continue to shape the future of U.S. Bank together."

Gunjan Kedia, President, U.S. Bank

[Editor's Note: As a subsidiary of U.S. Bank, payment processor Elavon (Atlanta, GA) plays in our channel of VARs and ISVs in POS.]

Tri-Tech's Ruby Jubilee

A 40th Anniversary will be celebrated this year for ISV Tri-Tech (Dubuque, IA), provider of AIM POS. Originally developed for the music industry, as AIMsi, AIM POS now offers the full slate of functionality for specialty retail. It serves over 4,500 retailers in the U.S. and Canada. (Also offered by Tri-Tech: PC-POLL ECR Software.)

"For four decades, Tri-Tech has been dedicated to providing innovative and reliable POS solutions that help stores thrive," reported Paul Acton, CEO of Tri-Tech. "We are incredibly proud of our journey with our customers, partners, and resellers. We look forward to continuing to lead the way in the POS industry." Kudos to an independent ISV!

AIM POS by Tri-Tech Serves Specialty Retailers