Our Product Pick

Zebra Technologies Corporation (Lincolnshire, IL) has unboxed its new rugged tablets and "2-in-1's": the ET8x Series (ET80/ET85). With Windows 10 and Intel Core i5 or i7 CPU, the ET8x Series introduces support for Wi-Fi 6E and 5G WAN. A detached rugged keyboard with friction hinge facilitates laptop-like experience for workers in the field. Measuring 12.1" (W) x 8.9" (L) x 0.6" (H), weighing 2.8 lbs./1.3 kg, the ET8x Series furnishes 12" display, 5180 mAh Li-Polymer battery, rear- and front-facing cameras, and optional barcode scanner and fingerprint reader. It meets requirements of MIL-STD-810H, IP-65, and drop rating of 4 ft./1.2 m. It carries software of Zebra Mobility DNA. As markets, Zebra cites public safety, government, field service, and manufacturing.

ET8x Series by Zebra

COMPANY BUSINESS

Verifone Verifies Crypto

Another endorsement for crypto-currency in retail, with Verifone calling upon BitPay. Under this partnership, the blockchain payment technology of BitPay will be added to in-store and eCommerce Cloud Services from Verifone for the U.S. So, merchants will be able to accept crypto payments directly from Verifone without the need for an account with BitPay. (Both companies are based in Atlanta, GA.)

At checkout, consumers will select their preferred crypto wallet in one of the devices from Verifone (with Android or Linux) and scan an on-screen QR Code to complete their transaction. Once the crypto funds have been received by BitPay, the merchant will receive an approved message on the terminal. Funds will be settled into the merchant's bank account in traditional currency (e.g., USD) via Verifone.

"Our merchant base is busy enabling several new Advanced Payment Methods (APMs), and the appetite for crypto payments has exploded this year," indicated Jeremy Belostock, Head of Advanced Payment Methods for Verifone. "Together we have solved all the potential challenges for merchants. There's no volatility or fraud chargeback risk, low implementation costs, and consumers will find the payment experience very seamless." Also, Verifone has invested in BitPay.

Verifone Partners With BitPay in Retail

Here Comes the SUNMI

As part of its push into North America, SUNMI has entered into distribution with TRG (Westlake, OH). Under this agreement, TRG will serve as an authorized reseller and service provider for hardware and software from SUNMI in the U.S. and Canada. Headquartered in Shanghai, China, SUNMI offers payment and mobile terminals, POS, kiosks, and network and video analytics. Worldwide, it supports 1.5 million customers in retail, restaurants, logistics, and manufacturing.

Earlier this year, SUNMI debuted its latest mobile payment terminal, designated the P2 Mini. Weighing 7.4 oz./210 g, the P2 Mini accommodates all payment types--MSR, IC Card, QR Code, Facial Recognition--and runs Android 9. It features 5" high-definition capacitive touchscreen, Quad-Core Cortex A53 CPU, 2500 mAh Li-Polymer battery, and full connectivity (USB Type-C, 802.11 WLAN, Bluetooth 5, 4G WAN). Also, SUNMI has released its 3"/80 mm "cloud" thermal receipt printer with wireless functionality.

"Partnering with TRG was an obvious choice for our expansion into North America," relayed Aude Moras, Product and Marketing Director for North America at SUNMI. "With deep expertise in retail, hospitality, and logistics markets, TRG will allow more solution providers to leverage Android for business on products from SUNMI." As its VP for ISV and Distribution in the U.S., SUNMI has enlisted industry veteran Dave Murphy, formerly of Elo, Epson America, and Wincor-Nixdorf.

SUNMI P2 Mini Payment POS Device

Worth Your While

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

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

2022

NRF Big Show
National Retail Federation
January 16-18
New York City

Shoptalk
Shoptalk Commerce LLC
March 27-30
Las Vegas, NV

Transact
Electronic Transactions Association
April 12-14
Las Vegas, NV

NRA Show
National Restaurant Association
May 21-24
Chicago, IL

NRF Supply Chain 360
National Retail Federation
June 20-21
Cleveland, OH

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Epson's Kiosk Kick-Off

Epson America (Los Alamitos, CA) has introduced its new compact thermal receipt printer for self-service, the EU-m30. In cube-shaped dimensions of approximately 5" x 5" x 5", weighing 2.9 lbs./1.3 kg, EU-m30 has maximum print width of 3"/80 mm, maximum print speed of 9.8"/250 mm per second, and resolution of 203 dpi. As connectivity, it features USB and Serial. A print-head life of 150 km and auto-cutter life of 1.5 million cuts extend reliability, and paper-saving functionality reduces usage by as much as 30%, according to Epson America.

A number of features have been incorporated specifically for the self-service marketplace. A new bezel option improves paper path alignment in order to prevent paper jams. Illuminated attention and error status LEDs allow for fast troubleshooting in the field. Also, restricted front cover design and button cover options prevent unauthorized printer access. It comes with black or white casing.

"The world has changed in the last 18 months, and self-service is a growing trend that isn't going anywhere. As businesses adjust operations in order to best serve customers, we provide the optimal POS solutions to maximize profitability," related Mauricio Chacon, Group Product Manager, Business Systems, at Epson America. "The new EU-m30 offers kiosk-friendly features for both new and existing kiosk designs, and delivers durability, ease-of-use, remote management, and easy troubleshooting that retail and hospitality environments require."

Epson America's New EU-m30 Kiosk Printer

MicroTouch Does Windows

MicroTouch (Holland, MI) has unveiled its new all-in-one touch computer family--in screen sizes of both 15.6" and 21.5"--and running Windows 10. In all, it contains eight models, based on CPU. In the 15.6" IC-156P Series: "AWI" has Celeron J1900, "AW2" has Core i5 7300U, "AW3" has Core i3 7100U, and "AW4" has Celeron 3965U. Similar breakdown of CPU holds for the four versions in the 21.5" IC-215P Series. (MicroTouch also offers its "AA" Series AiO's with Android 9.)

Each model has projected-capacitive touchscreen with resolution of 1920x1080, aspect ratio of 16:9, contrast ratio of 1000:1, and slim bezel, edge-to-edge touch surface. A variety of I/O's includes Serial, USB, Wired LAN, Video, and Audio. A built-in USB-C supports secondary customer displays. As wireless, there's Bluetooth 4/BLE and 802.11 WLAN. Options include stand, card readers, and camera module.

"We are committed to supporting the evolving needs of today's merchants," expressed Gene Halsey, VP of Product and Business Development for MicroTouch. "By expanding our offering with an inclusive range of Intel-based processor solutions that recognize the ongoing strength of Windows platforms, we can support a broader range of applications to fulfill our customers' business needs." Acquired by TES America in January, after some years of neglect at 3M, the brand of MicroTouch distributes through BlueStar and Metropolitan Sales.

MicroTouch Adds All-In-One Touch Computers With Windows

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ALLIANCES

Aldelo Swings Open DoorDash

Aldelo L.P. (Pleasanton, CA) has launched its DoorDash Sync for restaurant take-out, delivery, and pick-up services via Aldelo Express Cloud POS. With this feature, both scheduled and on-demand menu changes made in Aldelo Express Cloud POS automatically synchronize to the DoorDash online platform. Customers may view current specials and menus, select orders, and complete online payments, which are seamlessly reported in Aldelo Express Cloud POS, along with the daily sales via DoorDash reported in Aldelo Express Cloud POS Back-Office.

As another benefit cited by the ISV, DoorDash Sync by Aldelo allows restaurants to eliminate additional devices for managing orders via DoorDash. Also, Aldelo Express Cloud POS users can communicate anticipated delivery times to customers by sending pre-configured auto-responses based on the part of the day or day of the week. If the restaurant is particularly busy, users can immediately inform customers of an intended delivery time, eliminating the need for phone calls.

As expected, Aldelo Express Cloud POS sends all DoorDash orders directly to the restaurant's kitchen printers and/or Kitchen Display Systems (KDS). Aldelo offers its DoorDash Sync at no cost to users of Aldelo Express Cloud POS. "Today's market climate presents a host of unpredictable business challenges for merchants and Aldelo is committed to establishing strategic business partnerships that offer our users immediate and useful solutions and services for meeting today's changing operational and customer needs," declared Jeff Moore, VP of Operations with Aldelo L.P.

Aldelo Express Cloud POS --"DoorDash Sync" Order Prep Screen

Of EVO, IPC, and PCI-DSS

A partnership for mobile payments has been forged by EVO Payments (Tampa, FL) and Infinite Peripherals (Elk Grove Village, IL). It will leverage the cloud-based gateway by Infinite Peripherals, dubbed Quantum Pay, to support all forms of contact and contactless transactions. It also will furnish transactional reporting and terminal management tools via the centralized, web-based Quantum Pay Portal.

"We are delighted to partner with Infinite Peripherals to offer secure digital payment acceptance for merchants utilizing its state-of-the-art mobile business solutions," shared Brendan Tansill, President of EVO Payments. "Infinite Peripherals' business operating systems are easy to scale for customers growing their businesses, and we look forward to growing together with our partner and their customers as well." (FYI: A channel focus on integrated payments at EVO are led by two industry veterans: Michael Carey, GM and SVP, and Dan Viscount, GM and SVP.)

"This partnership addresses the challenges businesses face with security and speed-to-market," suggested Jeffrey Scott, CEO of Infinite Peripherals. "Our enterprise customers regularly request a single source solution that is certified to PCI-DSS (Payment Card Industry - Data Security Standard) and reduces the business's requirements for SAQ/ROC (Self-Assessment Questionnaire/Report on Compliance)." A longtime player in our channel, Infinite Peripherals, or IPC, offers its Linea and Infinea families of payment/barcode sleds for Apple's iPhone.

EVO Payments Teams With Infinite Peripherals on Mobile Payments

Code Corner

Focus POS (San Antonio, TX) has unwrapped its digital gift card solution, called Focus eGift. With this feature, consumers visit the restaurant's website, purchase the electronic gift card, and enter the recipient's e-mail address. It sends the gift card and verifies the end-user's identity. Consumers may also purchase eGift cards for themselves. For added convenience, the system stores the eGift cards in Apple Wallet. In addition to its eGift, Focus POS offers its myFocus gift card solution, which enables restaurants to issue and immediately activate physical gift cards. All gift card solutions by Focus POS allow consumers to use cards at any of the restaurant's locations, check their gift card balances online, and add value at any time. "Gift cards are always popular holiday shopping purchases, and restaurant gift cards are some of the most popular," remarked Mike Hamm, COO of Focus POS. "The pandemic [of Covid-19] drove a lot of commerce online, but that meant that restaurant customers had to type in gift card numbers and codes to use them. eGift cards make customer experiences quicker and easier and can help restaurants build loyalty with reloadable cards in Apple Wallet."

eGift Cards by Focus POS

ENVIRONMENTS/PLATFORMS

A Brother on Safety Patrol

A bundle of hardware, software, and consumables for safety signage has been assembled by Brother Mobile Solutions (Westminster, CO). As the "Safety Labeling Solution," it employs the Model TD-4750TNWBCS thermal-transfer printer from Brother and LabelSuite Software from Creative Safety Supply (Beaverton, OR). A wide variety of label, ribbon, color, and size options are accommodated for standards such as OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), ANSI (American National Standards Institute), and NEC (National Electronic Code).

As specific use cases, Brother identifies pipe marking, secondary hazardous materials (GHS) labeling, arc flash labeling, general safety signage, and so-called Five S's (5S) "lean" labeling in workspaces. Measuring 8" (W) x 13" (D) x 7" (H), weighing 7.4 lbs./3.4 kg, the TD-4750TNWBCS has print width of 4"/106 mm, with maximum print speed of 6"/152 mm per second and resolution of 300 dpi. It offers auto-cutter and USB, Serial, Wired LAN, Bluetooth, and 802.11 WLAN.

"Worker safety is not a 'one and done' activity," observed Todd Morse, Senior Accounts Manager at Brother Mobile Solutions. "Operations, spaces, regulations, and worker needs are constantly evolving, and organizations must be able to keep up. This new on-demand solution gives you the best of both worlds, with labels that can be made quickly right where they are needed, yet are durable enough to last for years even in the toughest environments."

A Complete Solution for Safety Labeling Built Upon Brother's TD-4750TNWBCS Thermal Printer

NRS: "I'm Calling the Police"

National Retail Solutions, a subsidiary of IDT Corporation (Newark, NJ), has put an Emergency Call Button on the screen of its POS. Available in New York State, currently, it will be rolled out in other parts of the U.S. In New York State, the NRS POS Emergency Call Button is offered in partnership with Top Security Alarms (West Hempstead, NY). It costs $9.95 per month with NRS Pay, and $12.95 per month without NRS Pay.

"Small, neighborhood convenience stores are frequently targeted by thieves," noted Elie Katz, Founder and CEO of NRS. "Stores are open late and often operate with just one or two employees. Since the pandemic [of Covid-19], we've seen a spike in convenience store robberies and a disturbing increase in violent attacks."

"To help safeguard these businesses and protect their employees, we have developed a patented theft deterrent feature," continued Katz. "The NRS POS Emergency Call Button is carefully disguised on our POS unit's merchant-facing touchscreen. It silently requests an emergency police dispatch to the store location when the terminal operator also opens the cash drawer." An active internet connection is required.

Emergency Call Button on National Retail Solutions' POS

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
Harbortouch
HP
Ingenico
Pioneer Solution
POSBANK USA
Posiflex
POS Nation
Revel Systems
Star Micronics

Barcode Printers
Bixolon America
Brother Mobile
Godex Americas
Sewoo

Cash Drawers
APG Cash Drawer
Star Micronics

Cash Handling Systems
APG Cash Drawer
CIMA America

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

Honeywell Trucks Groceries

Honeywell Safety and Productivity Solutions (Charlotte, NC) has deployed its suite of technology for one of the largest distributors of food in the Midwest U.S. Based in Wilder, KY, the Castellini Company each week delivers 1,400 truckloads, comprising over 9 million pounds of fresh and frozen perishables. As part of its recent retrofit, it has fielded Honeywell's CK65 and CT40 handheld mobile computers, its VM1 vehicle-mounted computers, and its RT10 industrial tablets.

All are based on Honeywell's Mobility Edge platform architecture, with support for Android 12. Also, Castellini will run Honeywell's Operational Intelligence Professional software. A centralized cloud-based solution, it enables Castellini to keep track of devices, manage their operational status, and reduce unplanned downtime. On-demand support will be provided to the Castellini Company by Honeywell.

"To keep up with customer demand and a rapidly changing environment, we were looking to use the latest technology to keep our mobile workers productive," reflected Brian Kocher, President and CEO of the Castellini Group of Companies. "The combination of our warehouse system technology paired with Honeywell's mobile computers allows us to operate at a productivity level we've never seen before in our history." As its warehouse software, Castellini employs Blue Yonder (Scottsdale, AZ), the former JDA Software Group, which, incidentally, was purchased by Panasonic in September 2021.

A Major Distributor of Foods, Castellini Company, Deploys Mobility by Honeywell

An Axe in Alaska

Axe Payments (Fort Lauderdale, FL) has been chosen as the exclusive payment processor for Alaska Hospitality Retailers (Anchorage, AK). AHR represents Alaska's largest private sector of employers within the hospitality, tourism, and foodservice industries. It will offer its members Axe Payments' "Zero Processing Fees + Complimentary POS Program," which automatically adds 3.99% for any customer transaction paid via credit card. Thus, the merchant receives 100% of the purchase price.

"AHR learned about Axe Payments from one of our own members, who thought Axe Payments' cash discount program could benefit our other members," reported Silvia Villamides, Executive Director of Alaska Hospitality Retailers. "AHR is proud to partner with Axe Payments to deliver this offer to our members." In addition, Axe Payments provides its hardware, full-service software, and integrated payment processing. Also, implementation, training, and maintenance for members of AHR.

"For AHR members it means thousands to tens of thousands of dollars in savings per month, every month, plus our new POS system built for the post-pandemic [of Covid-19] world," expounded Sam Avello, President of Axe Payments. "For AHR, it means continuing to provide new and significant membership perks as well as additional support for their very important community initiatives, including their Meals Food Program. For Axe Payments, it means expanding our reach and delivering on our mission to help merchants thrive by eliminating the high costs of processing credit card transactions." In the U.S., Axe serves approximately 20,000 businesses.

Alaska Hospitality Providers Chooses "Zero Fee Processing" by Axe Payments

Channel Factoid

How to IoT

(Tech Used in IoT Solutions)

53%: Wi-Fi

44%: Ethernet TCP/IP

38%: Cellular 2G, 3G, 4G

33%: Bluetooth/BLE

28%: Cellular 5G

27%: Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E

24%: Licensed LPWA-NB IoT

23%: Licensed LPWA-Cat M

19%: Serial RS-232 or Rs/485

19%: Wi-Sun

17%: Unlicensed LPWA-SigFox

16%: Zigbee

16% Unlicensed LPWA-LoRa

14%: 6LoWPAN

11%: Li-Fi

13%: Other/Don't Know

Note: Cellular 5G expected to grow by another 41% in the next 12 months, to reach total of 69%.

Source: "IoT Deployment and Adoption Trends 2021: United States," by Strategy Analytics (Boston, MA).

As Proportion of IT Spending, IoT Rose in 2020

Jake on the Go

A new role for payments veteran Jake West, who has joined GoTab (Arlington, VA) as VP of Sales and Partnerships. Jake started his career at Mercury Payment Systems, where he served as Director of Business Development, ISV. He next served as VP of Business Development, ISV at Vantiv, following its acquisition of Mercury Payment Systems. Next, he served as VP of Business Development, PayFac at Worldpay, following its merger with Vantiv. (Now, of course, Worldpay is owned by FIS).

Most recently, prior to joining GoTab, he served as Director of Business Development at Vend. GoTab offers contactless ordering and payment solutions for restaurants and entertainment venues. In anticipation of the reopening of such businesses, GoTab has enhanced its platform with features such as master menu management, hybrid ordering models (delivery and/or counter serve), dynamic item routing, and capacity for high-volume kitchen traffic. A GoTab Manager App allows operators to create custom reports by revenue center.

Jake West, VP of Sales and Partnerships, GoTab

HELLO GOODBYE

A Main Man for MobileDemand

MobileDemand (Cedar Rapids, IA) has engaged Scott Medford as its VP of Sales. In his 35 years in the industry, Medford has served as SVP and GM at Apex Supply Chain Solutions, Chief Sales Officer at Invengo, SVP of Sales at Impinj, and VP at Intermec Technologies. Experienced in AIDC, RFID, Wi-Fi, and NFC, he has participated in standards bodies and industry forums such as IEEE, AIM Global, EPCGlobal, and RAIN.

"This is an exciting time to join the MobileDemand team," enthused Medford. "Enhancing the company's sales strategy to encompass the best elements of VAR, ISV, OEM, distribution, and direct selling engagements will yield greater revenue for the company, and the served markets will realize much better access to our products. Customers will benefit by getting the right solution to address unique needs, with their feedback the foundation for future improvements."

"Scott is a highly respected sales leader in the various industries we serve," testified Matt Miller, Founder and President of MobileDemand. "We're thrilled to bring on his talent, networking, and leadership to drive strategic growth and entry to more strategic accounts. The timing is right, as MobileDemand is launching many strategic initiatives to new industries, driving growth in retail with tablet-based mobile POS systems [most recently, xTablet T1190], and distribution and logistics with innovative mobile 3D box dimensioning systems [entitled xDIM]."

Scott Medford, VP of Sales, MobileDemand

NRA Has Job Opening

After 16 months, Tom Bene has stepped down from his role as President and CEO of the National Restaurant Association and National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (Washington, DC). A 30-year veteran of the foodservice industry, including Sysco and PepsiCo, he will return to the beverage distribution sector. Marvin Irby, CFO and Chief People Officer, will serve as Interim CEO for the NRA. A task force has been formed to oversee the search for the new President and CEO.

"We appreciate Tom's leadership and commitment to the industry during this difficult time," stated Brian Casey, Chairman of the Board at the NRA and Owner of the Oak Hill Tavern (North Kingston, RI). "Tom's unique industry experience was invaluable in helping the Association and Foundation navigate a once-in-a-lifetime global pandemic [of Covid-19]." In June 2021, in one example of its future plans, the NRA acquired majority ownership of events, expositions, and media company Winsight Holdings (Chicago, IL).

"I am incredibly proud of the work this team has done and all that we have accomplished during this incredible time," stated Bene. "Whether it's the significant impact we've made to support the industry through our advocacy efforts, the new governance model that we put in place to drive deeper engagement and more effectiveness, or the restructuring of the organization to meet the changing needs of the industry, our state associations, and our customers, it has been a truly collaborative effort. I know the Association and Foundation--and these teams--are well-positioned for continued success."

Tom Bene Steps Down as President and CEO of the National Restaurant Association

"Ryan Is Right"

A new President and CEO for provider of retail management software for the telecom sector, iQmetrix (Vancouver, BC, Canada): industry veteran, Ryan Volberg. He previously served as SVP and GM at ParTech. Earlier, he was Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at Instant Financial and Founder and CEO at Vivonet. As his specialty, his new employer, iQmetrix, cites Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) for POS.

"We're extremely pleased to welcome Ryan Volberg to the iQmetrix team, and to have someone with his incredible experience joining us at a crucial time for the company," commented Greg Krywulak, Co-Founder of iQmetrix. "Ryan's expertise in scaling innovative SaaS companies will be invaluable as iQmetrix grows in size, scope, and global reach. We are sure Ryan is the right person to lead us in our new chapter and we can't wait to see where he takes iQmetrix."

"I'm very grateful to have been asked to lead iQmetrix into the next phase of its innovation and growth," contributed Volberg. "The company has established itself as the leader in telecom retail in North America, and we see the opportunity to replicate that success internationally, while focusing on innovating the personal technology experience. Enabling our clients to power the relationships, productivity, and passions of their customers is what iQmetrix is all about, and I'm thrilled to be a part of it."

Ryan Volberg, President and CEO, iQmetrix