Our Product Pick

Zebra (Lincolnshire, IL) has addressed card printing with new models, ZC100 and ZC300, and new software, CardStudio 2.0. With slim profile and low clearance, the ZC100 and ZC300 feature ease-of-use and security design enhancements. With single-sided printing, the ZC100 has standard USB 2.0 and optional Ethernet 10/100. With single- and dual-sided printing, the ZC300 has standard USB 2.0, Ethernet 10/100, and color LCD. (Both offer optional 802.11ac MFi.) A premium model, ZC350, offers more rapid printing, smart card encoding, three new ribbon types, and color LCD. "With its revolutionary design bolstered by game-changing technology features, the ZC100, ZC300, and ZC350 brings simplicity, speed, and security to high-quality card printing," expounded Keith LeFebvre, VP of the Specialty Printing Group.

New Zebra Card Printers

COMPANY BUSINESS

iPayment: London Calling

Another example of consolidation in payments, with the planned acquisition of iPayment (Westlake Village, CA) by Paysafe (London, UK). Serving more than 137,000 merchant customers with processing volume of $28 billion in 2017, iPayment has firmly established itself in the channel of VARs and ISVs in POS. "This targeted acquisition is part of our long-term investment strategy to grow our business in North America," declared Joel Leonoff, President and CEO of Paysafe. Earlier, in August 2017, Paysafe bought Merchant Choice Payment Solutions.

"This agreement marks a very exciting day for our organization," exclaimed OB Rawls IV, CEO and President of iPayment. "Since joining iPayment two years ago, we have delivered strong EBITDA growth and expanded our footprint into new key verticals. This acquisition will drive significant value for our collective customers and partners."

Todd Linden, CEO of Paysafe's Payment Processing Division in North America (Calgary, AB, Canada), will lead the combined entity. Linden brings over 30 years of industry experience and was previously CEO of Merchant Choice Payment Solutions. Rawls, along with iPayment CFO, Robert Purcell, will both serve with Paysafe. Acquisition is expected to complete in Q2, pending regulatory approvals.

Todd Linden, CEO, Paysafe's Payment Processing Division, North America (Which Will Buy iPayment)

Bematech Shouts "allee"!

Bematech (Bethpage, NY) has unveiled an independent kitchen display system (KDS) software for iOS, called "KitchenGo allee." Envisioned as an easy pathway to improved employee productivity and enhanced customer service (thus "allee" in French), KitchenGo allee, which supplements the company's KitchenGo, supports the iPad Pro from Apple. A hard launch, with pricing, is scheduled for May.

"The restaurant technology revolution should not stop at the dining room. It should go straight into the heart of every restaurant--the kitchen," explained Juliet Derby, President of Bematech International. As such, KitchenGo allee's Expeditor screen provides greater visibility, with the breakdown of activity at each station. "A familiar, intuitive" UI follows Apple's Human Interface Guidelines (HIG).

"Bematech, too, is evolving," added Derby. "It's time for Bematech to be recognized not only as a hardware vendor, but as a total solution provider in the POS space." As part of its developmental roadmap, KitchenGo allee, for instance, will address the integration of digital voice assistance and wearable devices for day-to-day kitchen operations, according to Bematech. As the successor to Logic Controls, bought in 2008, Bematech has long been one of the leaders in KDS.

New KDS, KitchenGo allee for iOS, by Bematech

Worth Your While

WERC
Warehousing Education and Research Council
May 6-9
Charlotte, NC

NRA Show
National Restaurant Association
May 19-22
Chicago, IL

RetailNOW
Retail Solutions Providers Association
August 5-8
Nashville, TN

LabelExpo Americas
September 25-27
Chicago, IL

NACS
National Association of Convenience Stores
October 7-10
Las Vegas, NV

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Ingenico Sights Moby/C150

Ingenico has unwrapped its tablet-based "ECR," dubbed Moby/C150. With 15.6" capacitive touchscreen, and metal frame, the Moby/C150 is powered by ARM Octa-Core A53 CPU at 2 GHz, 2-GB RAM, 16-GB ROM, and Android 7. Its open platform provides seamless app distribution and access to developer-friendly SDK (Software Development Kits), noted David Szczepanski, COO for Ingenico Group U.S. (Atlanta, GA).

As expected, the Moby/C150 accepts payments with MSR, EMV Chip & Sign, and NFC Contactless. As certifications with its accompanying standard card reader device, the Model RP457c, there's Payment Card Industry (PCI) PTS SCR 4.1, EMV Levels 1 and 2, and EMV Level 1 Contactless. If merchants wish to accept EMV Chip & PIN, the RP457c can be upgraded to the Model Moby/8500 at the time of purchase.

As additional features, the Moby/C150 carries 3" thermal receipt printer (7.9-in./200-mm per second), Bluetooth 4 (Low Energy), and 802.11 Wi-Fi (2.4/5-GHz). Also offered: an optional secondary 10.1" consumer-facing display. A full suite of ports includes USB x 4, RS-232 Serial x 2, RJ-45 Ethernet x 1, and RJ-11/12 Cash Drawer x 1. If desired, Ingenico will supply mobile device management (MDM).

Model Moby/C150 "ECR" by Ingenico

A PAR of 600

ParTech (New Hartford, NY), a division of PAR Technology, has unboxed its newest POS, Model EverServ 600. Adopting contemporary, fanless design, in small footprint of 14.3 in. (W) x 13.1 in. (H) x 8.3 in. (D) and weight of 11.7 lbs., the EverServ 600 furnishes Intel Celeron Quad-Core J1900 CPU at 2 GHz, 4-GB/8-GB RAM, and 64-GB/128-GB ROM. It runs Windows POS Ready 7 and Windows 10 IoT.

As features, it includes 15" projected capacitive touchscreen with TFT backlight LED (1024x768). A full suite of ports includes USB x 6, RS-232 Serial x 5, RJ-45 Ethernet x 1, and RJ-11/12 Cash Drawer x 1. As options: three customer displays (2x20 VFD, non-touch or touch 9.7", and non-touch or touch 12"); biometrics and MSR; and pedestal for countertops (or VESA Adapter).

As intended markets, ParTech cited multi-chain concepts and the SMB. "PAR is proud of its culture that encourages and fosters continuous feedback and partnership with our customers to drive new product innovation," contributed Chas Wurster, CTO at PAR. In addition to its Brink and PixelPoint Software, ParTech addresses the channel with its EverServ 550 and EverServ 8000 POS Terminals, and PAR Tablet 8 and PAR Tablet 10.

New EverServ 600 POS Terminal From PAR

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ALLIANCES

Fly Me to the Stars

A new element in the mobile POS effort at Star Micronics America (Somerset, NJ): payment player CardFlight (New York, NY). In this case, the recently released solution from CardFlight, designated SwipeSimple Register, will be offered in combine with the terminal mPOP and portable receipt printer SM-L200 from Star Micronics America. "Our solutions with SwipeSimple are both easy to set up and use, which is perfect for the modern small merchant," espoused Jon Levin, Product Integration Manager for Star Micronics America. "We look forward to working with CardFlight to expand into new markets."

Available in black or white, Star's mPOP measures approximately 12 in. (W) x 12 in. (D) x 4 in. (H)--without tablet--and weighs 7.8 lbs. Star has included its 2" thermal receipt printer with "drop in and print" paper loading and 4-in./100-mm per second speed. A compact cash drawer has four-bill and adjustable six- or eight-coin wells. A locking base bracket is included with the mPOP to ensure reliable mounting on countertops, and there's barcode scanner and universal device stand.

Offered as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), SwipeSimple Register from CardFlight supports commercial tablets running iOS or Android. In addition to mPOP from Star, merchants may use SwipeSimple Register on their smartphone (or mobile tablet) and print receipts on the portable 2" SM-L200 from Star. With Star's SM-L200, integrated Bluetooth 4 (Low Energy) eliminates the need for pairing with iOS--ideal for environments where multiple devices are sharing the printer.

A Pack of Star's mPOP, CardFlight's SwipeSimple Register POS Software, and Star's SM-L200 Portable Printer

Scanning in the MRZ

A handheld passport scanning solution has been introduced by IDScan.net (New Orleans, LA) and Panasonic Corporation of North America (Newark, NJ). Utilizing Panasonic's Toughpad FZ-N1, it allows users to scan, capture, and verify data embedded in the "machine readable zone" (MRZ) of passports and IDs, including name, country, date of birth, and expiration date. IDScan.net supplies its out-of-the-box scanning platform, enterprise services, software development kit (SDK), and web services application programming interface (API).

"Ability to scan passports with a handheld device will improve operations for a multitude of industries," predicted Denis Petrov, CEO of IDScan.net. "Before now, handheld scanners weren't capable of reading passports. This new solution will be revolutionary, improving everything from visitor management to security."

In smartphone format, with 4.7" capacitive touchscreen (1280x720), Panasonic's Toughpad FZ-N1 has Qualcomm MSM8974 Quad-Core CPU at 2.3 GHz, 2-GB RAM, and 16-GB ROM. It runs Android 6, with one- and two-dimensional rear-facing barcode scanner, 3200-mAh Li-Ion battery with 8-hour life, and full communications: Bluetooth 4 (Low Energy), 802.11 Wi-Fi (2.4/5-GHz), 4G LTE WWAN, and NFC Contactless. As durability, weighing 9.8 oz. with raised bezel, it meets IP-65/67, MIL-STD-810G, and 6-ft/1.8-m drop.

A Bundle From IDScan.net and Panasonic Toughpad

Code Corner

Shift4 Payments (Allentown, PA), in conjunction with Citcon (Santa Clara, CA), has announced acceptance of Alipay and WeChat Pay for merchants in North America. Alipay, which is operated by Ant Financial Services Group, is one of the world's leading digital payment platforms, providing in-store payment service in more than 40 countries. WeChat Pay is an integrated payment solution within WeChat, one of the world's fastest growing social apps with one billion active users. Alipay and WeChat Pay are the most popular cross-border payment options for Chinese consumers to purchase goods and services in North America--representing annual spending of $30 billion. "Shift4 Payments is the perfect partner for us to bring this prominent technology to the U.S," testified Wei Jiang, President and COO of Citcon. "Not only will merchants be able to accept Alipay and WeChat Pay, opening up an entire new market that wasn't possible before, but they'll be able to do so with the highest standard of payment security from Shift4."

Payment Acceptance for Shift4

INTEGRATION

On MagTek's Dotted Line

A partnership between MagTek (Seal Beach, CA) and AssureSign (Atlanta, GA) has combined e-signature capability with integrated payment functionality. A resulting product, entitled QwickSign, has been added to MagTek's Magensa Payment Protection Gateway. As initial applications, the two parties identified e-signing of documents such as contracts, quotes, and release-of-liability agreements. A cloud-based solution, it works face-to-face or remotely via e-mail or text.

"We view MagTek as a leading mobile payments provider with an industry proven, secure infrastructure. Integrating with Magensa Payment Protection Gateway provides us with a robust solution for addressing mobile face-to-face transactions as well as remote e-commerce," relayed David Brinkman, President and CEO of AssureSign. "Encrypting cardholder data, or any information for that matter, at the point-of-capture and providing it securely to business processes as part of the transaction process is MagTek's specialty."

"AssureSign's innovation and experience in the e-signature space, together with a strong interest to explore new opportunities together, made for an excellent partnership from the start," reported Rod Vesling, VP and GM for Identity and Access Management for MagTek. "Their recent recognition by Aragon Research as one of the 'Hot Vendors in Digital Transaction Management, 2017' substantiates the company's capabilities and makes it natural for us to collaborate with payment integration." In our channel, MagTek has long supplied secure card readers, check scanners, and PIN Pads.

An E-Signature Solution With Payments, QwickSign, by AssureSign and MagTek

Going Nuts for Self-Pay (at Squirrel)

An upstart in mobile payments, Ready (Vancouver, BC, Canada), has recruited an important player in restaurant IT, Squirrel Systems (Burnaby, BC, Canada). With integration of its self-pay system with Squirrel's POS, Ready allows customers to view, split, and pay their bill at-the-table via their smartphones. (A division of software developer iQmetrix, Ready should not be confused with Ready Distribution, led by Derrell Ness.)

Without need of app download, Ready automatically applies the payment in Squirrel's POS, and closes the check. Servers receive instant notification whenever payment has been made with Ready. As benefits, Ready cited elimination of check errors, seamless reconciliation and reporting, and more effective use of the restaurant's workforce.

"We are extremely pleased to work with Squirrel POS because of their fantastic team and technology," enthused Zoran Kovacevic, CEO of Ready. "This integration opens opportunities for Ready to add value to a number of iconic restaurant chains." Itself an ISV, iQmetrix focuses on POS for cellphone/wireless stores. Squirrel, of course, is an historic POS ISV/VAR.

Mobile Payments From Ready Extends Squirrel's POS

Key Advertiser Links

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

POS & Peripherals
Aures
Bematech
Electronic Payments
Harbortouch
Hewlett-Packard
Pioneer POS
POSBANK USA
Posiflex

Barcode & Transaction Printers
Brother Mobile
CognitiveTPG
Godex Americas

Cash Drawers
APG Cash Drawer
MMF POS

Data Collection
CipherLab
Code Corporation
Janam Technologies

Integrated Payment Solutions
Datacap Systems
Cayan
iPayment
Monetary LLC
Sterling Payment

Keyboards & Mobile POS
TG3 Electronics

Mounts for POS
SpacePole

Receipt Printers
Bixolon America
CognitiveTPG
Epson America
Star Micronics

Thermal Printers
Seiko Instruments USA

NOTES FROM THE FIELD

A Portal to Simplicity?

POS Portal (Sacramento, CA), the business unit of ScanSource, has become the first distributor of Verifone Connect. Encompassing payment services, so-called estate management, and merchant- and consumer-facing app marketplace, Verifone Connect supports devices such as the touchscreen-based Carbon 8, Carbon 10, and Carbon Mobile 5 from Verifone (San Jose, CA). Aggressively moving into the payments arena, ScanSource (Greenville, SC) purchased POS Portal for approximately $150 million in 2017. It bought its focus on the SMB, extensive encryption key libraries, and annual revenue of $110 million.

"Simplicity is revered, no matter your role in the commerce chain, as payment integrations can be challenging. Our partners need a solution that makes device configuration, compatibility, and security easier to set up, so Verifone Connect just makes sense," observed Scott Agatep, COO at POS Portal. "POS Portal and Verifone are proud to provide complete, easy-to-implement solutions that lead the way for a growing number of merchants to adopt EMV and contactless payments across the U.S." POS Portal will pre-load Verifone Connect.

"Verifone Connect is a customizable product for payment service providers, ISOs, ISVs, and VARs to leverage with merchants," indicated Abizar Vakharia, SVP of Global Digital Services for Verifone. "Its simplicity is based on a digital experience that manages the onboarding of disparate devices and the seamless integration of payment and non-payment applications with the POS. As business needs change, apps can be preloaded onto devices or downloaded from the Verifone Connect marketplace for customer engagement, promotions, payroll, inventory management, and other backend operations."

POS Portal Distributes Verifone Connect

Trust, But "Verifi"

Verifi (Los Angeles, CA), which supplies payment and risk management solutions for POS, has launched its Authorized Reseller Program. A platform for collaboration debuted in 2007, Verifi's Cardholder Dispute Resolution Network, or CDRN, "enables the sharing of near real-time data between cardholders, merchants, and card issuers to resolve disputes, save sales, prevent fraud, and stop chargebacks." It reduces chargebacks by up to 40%, according to Verifi.

As potential partners, Verifi counts payment gateways, processors, and "payment solution providers" (such as VARs and ISVs in POS, RRN was told). As benefits, it offers market development funds, joint business development and referrals, and dedicated partner portal. Included in this partner portal are sales tools, training and marketing materials, and program performance and lead tracking. At present, Verifi serves more than 20,000 accounts worldwide.

"We are extremely grateful to our reseller partners for their proven ability to drive growth of CDRN, and we are eager to increase investment in our valuable partners through our Authorized Reseller Program," proclaimed Matthew Katz, CEO of Verifi. "We are committed to arming our partners with the best tools and support to ensure our mutual success through the delivery of our award-winning dispute management solutions. We also look forward to building on that success with the introduction of new, innovative products in 2018."

Matthew Katz, CEO, Verifi

Channel Factoid

Spending on Mother's Day is expected to total a near-record $23.1 billion this year, according to the annual survey by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. A total of 86% of Americans will celebrate Mother's Day and spend an average of $180 per person. Such spending would be second only to last year's $23.6 billion, the highest in the 15-year history of the survey at an average of $186 per person.

According to this survey, consumers plan to spend $4.6 billion on jewelry (purchased by 34%), $4.4 billion on special outings such as dinner or brunch (55%), and $2.6 billion on flowers (69%). In addition, $2.5 billion will be spent on gift cards (45%), $2.1 billion on clothing (36%), $2.1 billion on consumer electronics (14%), and $1.8 billion on personal services such as spa day (24%). Another $956 million will be spent on housewares or gardening tools (19%), $813 million on greeting cards (77%), and $494 million on books or music (19%).

When searching for gifts, 35% of consumers will head to department stores and 31% will shop online, while 29% plan to shop at specialty stores such as florists, jewelers, or electronics stores. Meanwhile, 23% plan to shop at local small businesses, 22% at discount stores, and 10% at specialty clothing stores. Individuals ages 35 to 44 will be the biggest spenders this year at an average of $224.

HELLO GOODBYE

Juliann L. At Her Peak

Peak-Ryzex (Columbia, MD) has named Juliann Larimer as its new President and CEO. A well-known personality in our channel, Larimer has held major posts at hardware vendors such as Zebra (2007 to 2009 and 2014 to 2018), Motorola Solutions (2011 to 2014), and NCR (2009 to 2011). As examples: VP and GM for North American Sales at Zebra, VP of Americas Marketing for Motorola Solutions, and VP for North American Channel Sales for NCR. She replaces Ross Young, who has stepped down as President and CEO of Peak-Ryzex, one of the largest solution providers in supply chain, mobility, and retail IT. Young has been named Chairman of the Board.

"It has been a great privilege to lead Peak-Ryzex over the last 12 years. I have never worked with a more dedicated, loyal, and committed group of individuals in my career, and it's a great testament to the progress we have made together," expressed Young. "I am absolutely convinced Juliann is the right business leader to continue our growth momentum and will be able to leverage her extensive industry experience, energy, and passion for the dynamic and evolving industry we serve."

"During my tenure in the various leadership roles I have held in the industry, I have had the opportunity to see the impact that Peak-Ryzex has in the market and their focus on delivering solutions and value to customers," related Larimer. "I am especially excited to build on the great work that has already been accomplished and continue investing in developing new solutions and services, markets, people, and technology to serve as the foundation as we work together to find new ways to address our customers' evolving business challenges." A private investment firm, Keystone Capital (Chicago, IL), owns Peak-Ryzex.

Juliann Larimer, President and CEO, Peak-Ryzex

Lisa B. Sets Monetary Policy

Monetary (Denver, CO) has elevated Lisa Blandford, VP of Operations, to the role of Chief Operating Officer. She joined Monetary in July 2016, following almost 10 years at Mercury Payment Systems (now Vantiv Integrated Payments, part of Worldpay), where she ultimately served as Senior Director of Sales Services and Director of Reseller Relations. Addressing customer relationship management and mobile commerce--flowing from payment processing--Monetary sits in the portfolio of companies spurred by Jeffrey Katz, who founded Mercury Payment Systems. It offers the Monetary Connected Commerce Platform.

"Lisa has endless energy and a commitment to helping small business customers find the best commerce solutions that create high-value customer relationships," remarked Shelley Plomske, CEO of Monetary. "Her experience and enthusiasm are an excellent fit to our partnership growth plans." Another of its first employees, Plomske worked at Mercury Payment Systems from 2003 to 2012, rising to SVP and CTO.

"I'm excited to be a part of building a suite of commerce solutions that will help merchants grow their business and automate their customer engagement and business management tools," shared Blandford. "I know our cloud developers and reseller partners can build exciting, nice-specific point-of-sale solutions for each customer's industry. Being at the center of that network with Monetary is really exciting." Also an entrepreneur, Blandford is Co-Owner of the Declaration Brewing Company in Denver, CO.

Lisa Blandford, COO, Monetary

An EVP for NAB: Zavida M.

North American Bancard (Troy, MI) has appointed Zavida Mangaru as its EVP of Product and Marketing. Previously, she served as Head of Product for Total Merchant Services, which was purchased by North American Bancard in 2017. A large part of her career was spent at MasterCard, where she held positions of VP of Mobile Convergence and Digitization (2014 to 2015), VP of Global E-Commerce and Mobile Product Development (2011 to 2013), and Director of B2B Product Management and Mobile Product Development (2008 to 2011).

"Zavida is a highly experienced executive with a proven track record of leading product strategy and technology to meet the needs of the evolving marketplace," commented Jim Parkinson, CIO of North American Bancard. "NAB is charting a new course of reimagining how payments integrate across a multitude of business channels, and we are confident Zavida is the right leader to guide this mission."

"I am thrilled to join NAB during such an exhilarating time," emphasized Mangaru. "I look forward to working with the entire team to deliver the most convenient payment experiences for both merchants and their customers--from traditional transactions all the way to smart city applications."

Zavida Mangaru, EVP, Product and Marketing, North American Bancard