Week of May 14, 2012
Michael Kachmar, Editor

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This Week’s Product Pick

Bixolon America (Torrance, CA) has added support for Apple iOS and Android to its SPP-R300 portable thermal printer. Compact, rugged, and lightweight, the three-inch SPP-R300 provides wireless capability via Bluetooth or WLAN interfaces and its magnetic-stripe reader (MSR) allows transactions to be processed immediately. This device features print speed of four inch/second at 203 dpi, Serial and USB, and long Lithium-ion battery life. Damage resistant to multiple drops of up to four feet, it meets IP-42 standards for dust and water exposure (IP-54 with protective case). An auto balancer upgrades performance by preventing blurred printing in low temperature environments. “With its iOS, Android, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connectivity, the SPP-R300 is the ideal solution to an ever-increasing mobile transaction market’s printing needs,” stated David Roberts, SVP at Bixolon America.

Bixolon SPP-R300

Janam

COMPANY BUSINESS

Sun Shines on Mercury Payment

Innovative payment processor Mercury Payment Systems (Durango, CO) has purchased Sundrop Mobile (Maitland, FL), provider of mobile marketing technology. Sundrop's program uses the consumer's mobile number as its "loyalty card" and text messaging with e-mail for data collection and communication, with links to social media and location-based systems. This marks Mercury’s first acquisition since its founding in 2001, as well as the earliest card-less mobile loyalty program embedded with payment processing, according to information released by the two parties.

“Sundrop’s forward-thinking loyalty product is seamlessly integrated to POS systems, making it the perfect match for Mercury,” proclaimed Matt Taylor, CEO of Mercury Payment Systems. “Mercury has been at the forefront of POS-integrated payments acceptance, and our technology is now built into more than 500 systems. With this acquisition, Mercury will leverage our extensive developer channel presence to lead the way in integrated POS mobile and social marketing.”

“Combining Sundrop’s technology with Mercury’s solid execution and strategic vision is an obvious next step for us in bringing our services immediately to scale,” related Travis Priest, former CEO of Sundrop Mobile. As part of the transaction, Priest has joined Mercury as VP of Loyalty, where he will lead Mercury’s strategy and execution in this space. Beta POS integrations of the new Mercury loyalty product are reportedly underway, and full details will be released at the upcoming Retail Solutions Providers Association Show, RetailNOW, in late July in Las Vegas.

Travis Priest, VP of Loyalty, Mercury Payment Systems

Harbortouch Banks on POS

Anyone still doubting the overlap between traditional POS and the payment processing world should consider the case of Harbortouch (Allentown, PA), the former United Bank Card, which has surprised both industries with its offer of free payment terminals (2004), then ECRs (2009), and finally, touchscreen POS (2011). For $59 per month, and five-year service agreement, Harbortouch supplies merchants with POS hardware, software, training, and support, along with the payment processing the company was founded upon. Harbortouch now offers five dedicated software packs--Retail, Hospitality, C-Store, QSR & Delivery, and Spirits--and deploys over 800 new touchscreen systems per month. Recently, RRN.Com spoke with Jared Isaacman, CEO, about this controversial distribution model.

“We don’t make our money back if the merchant’s system goes down,” Isaacman noted. “That’s the fundamental point. People say they’re giving the POS away for free, you get what you pay for, the hardware is probably junk, the service is junk--no, no, no, it couldn’t be further from the truth. If we’re putting in this system with an ROI of potentially five years--that’s how long it takes to make our money back--we need the merchant to keep processing. So the quality of our systems, especially our Harbortouch Elite, really can’t be beat and our service involves guaranteed swaps of anything defective.”

“We’re not asking POS resellers to abandon what they’ve been doing,” Isaacman continued. “We’re not asking them to stop their current vendor relationships. Just recognize there’s room for the free POS program. Those merchants that you let walk away because they can’t get financing or approval for leasing, or don’t have $20,000 to cut the check, are perfect for free POS. You’ll still receive an upfront commission, and some opportunity for service money, but you’ll also get that same, very powerful, recurring revenue stream that Mercury Payment Systems introduced you to four or five years ago.”

According to Isaacman, merchants with $10,000 to $20,000 per month in credit card volume probably fall into this underserved category. “If you go into restaurants and stores without touchscreen POS, and ask them why they don’t have it, they’ll never question its value,” he said. “They’ll always say it costs too much money. That’s the market our free POS can solve. Like I said, this is not another black-and-white issue. There’s plenty of gray area out there.”

Jared Isaacman, CEO, Harbortouch

 

Worth Your While

NACStech
National Association of Convenience Stores
May 21-23
Nashville, TN

VARTECH Canada
BlueStar
June 4-5
Toronto

HITEC 2012
Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP)
June 25-28
Baltimore

RetailNOW 2012
Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA)
July 29-August 1
Las Vegas

VARTECH US/LATAM
BlueStar
October 5-8
Bahamas Cruise

Pack Expo 2012
Packaging Manufacturers Machinery Institute
October 28-31
Chicago

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ALL IN THE FAMILY

Posiflex Supercharges KS7700

Posiflex Business Machines has unleashed its new 15-inch KS7700 All-in-One fan-free POS touchscreen terminal, based on the embedded line of second-generation Intel Core i3/i5 processors. Panel choices for this platform include precision-edge projective capacitive, resistive, and infrared touch technologies. Standard configuration delivers benefits such as 4 GB of DDR3 memory, expandable to 8 GB, seven USB ports, dual cash drawer support, Microsoft Windows 7 or POSReady 7 OS, integrated power adapter, and RAID for data protection. At CeBIT 2012 in March in Hanover, Germany, after review of more than 2,500 submissions, the technology judging jury presented the Posiflex KS7700 with the “Best IT Innovation Award” for medium-sized businesses.

“The market has long needed a touchscreen terminal that is built to over-perform,” commented Doyle Ledford, VP of Sales at Posiflex USA (Haywood, CA). “Retail and hospitality POS customers who required high performance but wanted fan-free touchscreen terminal reliability never had that choice--until now. The Posiflex KS7700 is simply a powerful touchscreen terminal with rock-solid reliability for maximum uptime, faster transaction processing, minimized maintenance, quiet operation, energy savings, and product longevity.”

Like all Posiflex touchscreen terminals, the KS7700 undergoes stringent third-party testing for temperature cycling, vibration, shock, static electricity, and emission tolerances in order to withstand the harshest retail and hospitality settings. Intel’s Core i3/i5 processors support high-volume transactions and allow operation of the KS7700 as thick-client, stand-alone, thin-client, or centrally controlled workstations. Finally, the KS7700 is fully compatible with all current Posiflex POS peripherals, including receipt printers, magnetic-stripe and fingerprint readers, keyboards, and rear-facing customer displays.

KS7700 All-in-One POS Terminal by Posiflex USA

A Wasp of Many Colors

Wasp Barcode Technologies (Plano, TX) has unwrapped its WLR8950 Bi-Color CCD Scanner. This new device improves accuracy by employing two LED light sources--red and green--to automatically decode barcodes printed in various colors, according to the manufacturer. It provides flexible, long-range scanning paired with lightweight, durable ABS plastic construction and comfortable pistol grip.

With its charge-coupled device technology, WLR8950 scans one-dimensional barcodes at distances up to 12 inches at print contrast ratio as low as 30% and speed of 230 to 450 scans/second. In particular, the green light works to increase accuracy in reading poorly printed labels, according to Wasp. Including USB or PS2 six-inch cable, the WLR8950 carries the list price of $250. It comes with scanner programming guide, two-year warranty, and free, unlimited tech support for the life of the product.

“The WLR8950 was designed specifically to improve the accuracy of barcode scanning for our customers,” Brian Sutter, Director of Marketing at Wasp Barcode Technologies, told RRN.Com. “Our other scanners are very accurate, but poorly printed or colored barcodes can be challenging for any scanner. This scanner provides cost-effective, easy-to-use, long-range operation for repetitive applications in which time and accuracy are important, such as retail environments.”

WLR8950 Bi-Color CCD Scanner by Wasp


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ENVIRONMENTS/PLATFORMS

SAIL Unfurled by VeriFone

Not surprisingly, VeriFone Systems (San Jose, CA) has “squared up” its portfolio for the SMB with dongle-based payment processing, dubbed SAIL. As with similar schemes, customers using Apple iOS or Android devices with SAIL receive the free mobile app and accessorized magnetic-stripe reader (MSR) for credit card transactions. For any merchants with higher volumes and multiple locations desiring such technology, SAIL offers integration with traditional VeriFone countertop payment processing terminals. An open platform, it also permits third-parties such as banks, processors, and resellers to build their own payment or marketing solutions on top of VeriFone’s infrastructure, the company stressed.

SAIL offers two pricing models. Lower volume businesses may opt for the flat 2.7% fee for swiped transactions, while those with higher volumes may select the monthly $9.95 subscription with discounted 1.95% transaction rate. In addition to ties to social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, and Yelp, the SAIL app delivers unique features, according to its developer. Examples include: dynamic dashboards for transactions, bank deposits and inventory management; barcode scanning capability for checkout, offer redemption, and customer relationship management; and the secure PAYware Connect gateway.

Vantiv (Cincinnati, OH), the third-largest merchant acquirer in the U.S., will begin to market SAIL technology to select merchants. “A simple and cost-effective solution, SAIL complements our existing merchant service offering to small businesses,” testified Bill Weingart, Chief Product Officer at Vantiv. “Leveraging the VeriFone platform opens up new opportunities for our clients to transact card payments and provides the foundation that allows us to continually innovate.” The SAIL Developer and Channel Partner Program will officially launch this summer.

Dongle-Based Payment Processing from VeriFone

Precidia’s iPocketUSB Rocket

Precidia Technologies (Ottawa, ON, Canada) has introduced its iPocketUSB wireless adapter, which carries an Ethernet and USB port and allows devices in the field to be accessed via wireless networks from major carriers. This component allows users to take advantage of new wireless technologies such as HSPA, EVDO, and LTE simply by replacing the USB modem stick. Any field-deployed Ethernet device which requires remote monitoring can benefit from this solution, including kiosks, power switches, and surveillance cameras, according to the supplier of integrated payment products.

The iPocketUSB offers bidirectional management through Precidia’s NetVu server. Via an encrypted SMS message, the device activates the VPN “tunnel” to the user, allowing remote management of the site at 20% of the usual cost, Precidia estimated. Signal strength for devices in the field is monitored periodically and plotted for easy viewing. Likewise, an alert may be generated when signal strength falls below pre-determined thresholds and data usage may be tracked.

“For carriers and VARs, the iPocketUSB can enhance the offering,” remarked Deepak Wanner, CEO/President of Precidia Technologies. “It is a compact device that can be cost-effectively bundled with a USB modem and low-cost data plan to deliver a turnkey wireless access solution to businesses.” Precidia displayed this device at the recent CTIA Wireless Conference in New Orleans, and reported “tremendous interest among the international audience,” Tracy King, Marketing Communications Manager, told RRN.Com.

New Wireless Adapter for Ethernet Devices

Code Corner

MegaPath Corporation (San Jose, CA) has launched its Hosted Data Backup and Storage offering for business, developed in conjunction with Mozy (Seattle). It joins the company’s new Hosted Microsoft Exchange and Hosted Microsoft SharePoint collaboration services. Hosted Data Backup and Storage leverages an easy-to-use installation wizard, enabling IT staff to schedule backups for servers and PCs and freeing time for other priorities. Additionally, there is no hardware to purchase or tapes to maintain, furthering cost savings for customers. With support from Mozy, backup customer data is safely stored remotely at world-class data centers with secure card and biometric authorization, redundant power systems, multiple network providers, and cooling measures. If needed, organizations have access to in-client, in-Windows, web-based, or DVD data restore options. “From natural and man-made disasters, to hardware malfunctions and accidental file deletions, data can disappear at a moment’s notice and it is essential that organizations of all sizes have a backup solution in place to easily recover that information,” emphasized Dan Foster, President of Business Markets with MegaPath. “Through our partnership with Mozy, one of the industry’s leading backup service providers, and with our secure-to-the-core network, MegaPath is delivering a reliable and cost-effective cloud-based solution that safeguards our customers’ information and promotes business continuity.”

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NOTES FROM THE FIELD

Bematech Raises the Roof

Bematech will relocate its North American office, with the move planned for May 21. Its new, enlarged facility will be located in the Bethpage Business Park in Bethpage, Long Island, about 15 miles east of its former facility in New Hyde Park, and on former U.S. Navy property purchased by Steel Equities in 2008. Bematech’s building will be used as the prototype for development in the surrounding area, according to the Brazil-based provider of POS, which encompasses the former Logic Controls in the U.S.

At 20,000 square feet, this new building will allow Bematech to showcase new technology and host larger partner conferences. Both research and development and production staffs will enjoy improved working spaces. In addition, the warehouse will be larger and more controlled, which will help expedite product delivery. Warehouse occupies 12,500 square feet of the total space, RRN.Com was told.

“The overall efficiency of Bematech’s business is expected to increase, facilitating more growth and industry demand for our products throughout 2012,” stated Vladimir Alvarez, President of the International Division of Bematech. “Our move to the Bethpage Business Park reflects an increased involvement in the business community of Nassau County, New York.” Address for the new building will be 999 South Oyster Bar Road, Building 104, Bethpage, NY 11714. Bematech’s phone number will remain the same at 516-248-0400, but the fax changes to 516-348-0774.

Bematech’s New North American Headquarters Under Construction

NCR Signs the Lease

NCR Corporation (Duluth, GA) will offer strategic finance packages to drive channel growth in the retail and banking sectors. This new program, delivered through CSI Leasing (St. Louis, MO), will be made available to members of the NCR Interact Global Partner Program. It includes financing “early in the sales cycle” for customers as well as support for the channel in the areas of training, online tools, and social networking. Announcement was made at the recent NCR Interact 2012 Global Partner Conference in Orlando.

“A lack of access to flexible financial and lifecycle management tools can stifle innovation and growth in many industries,” volunteered Enrique Riquelme, SVP of Global Vendor Programs at CSI Leasing. “CSI can enable NCR solution providers to deliver innovative technologies and keep a tight control on their costs and cash flow. Lease terms can be tailored to match typical replacement cycles, helping to reduce support costs and ensure responsible disposal from a data security and environmental perspective.”

“By enabling this strategic approach to financing we are demonstrating how NCR is committed to growing our channel partners’ business,” noted Keith Dunphy, Senior Director of Global Channel Strategy and Programs for NCR. Dunphy led the restructuring of NCR’s channel late last year, whereby the company reduced partner classifications, expanded its training, and established its Global Partner Advisory Board. With $1.3 billion in leased assets and more than 750 employees, CSI Leasing is one of the largest independent leasing entities, and has the capability to support NCR solution providers worldwide.

Keith Dunphy, Senior Director of Global Channel Strategy and Programs, NCR

Key Advertiser Links

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

POS & Auto ID Distribution
BlueStar
Synnex Corporation
Wasp Barcode Technologies

POS & Peripherals
FEC/Acrelec
Posiflex
POS-X
Touch Dynamic

POS Systems - Hospitality
PAR

Barcode & Transaction Printers
Datamax-O'Neil
Zebra Technologies

Cash Drawers
MMF POS

Data Collection Terminals
CipherLab
Datalogic ADC

Janam Technologies

Data Collection Software
Wavelink

Integrated Payment Solutions
Datacap Systems
Merchant Warehouse
WorldPay US

Keyboards
Cherry, ZF Electronics Corp.

Mobile Marketing & Loyalty
Mercury Payment Systems

Receipt Printers
Citizen Systems America
Epson America
Star Micronics

Repair & Refurbishment
AMCOR Tech Solutions

Thermal Printers
Seiko Instruments USA

Touchscreens & Monitors
TE/Elo TouchSystems

ALLIANCES

DCS: A Manager Who Knows Everything

Data Capture Solutions (Ellington, CT) has debuted its Retail Mobile Manager, designed to draw together all necessary functions onto its tablet-based format. This new bundle utilizes custom software developed by Trovera (Pittsburgh, PA), one of the providers of next-generation mobility for the retail industry, with the enterprise-class Toughpad by Panasonic (Secaucus, NJ). DCS will furnish its full suite of services and support, including staging, kitting, testing, and help-desk, as well as remote device management and troubleshooting from the DCS Mobility Command Center, or MCC.

“Retail Mobile Manager helps retailers consolidate their sales channels, provide more responsive customer service, and improve store operations,” commented Mike Morgal, VP and Retail Industry Specialist for DCS. “This solution brings together the traditional back-office PC applications like work-force planning and plan-o-grams, the typical handheld applications such as line busting, mobile POS, and inventory management, and the typical kiosk applications such as gift registry, price checking, and assisted selling. It allows store managers to spend more time out on the sales floor and gives sales associates immediate access to the information they need to help shoppers find the items they want.”

“Our research made it very clear that the industrial appearance and smaller screens of the usual mobility devices weren’t going to cut it for a customer-facing application like this one,” added Frank Borghese, VP of Sales at DCS. “We decided on the Panasonic Toughpad because it combines the processing power, IP-65 ruggedness, and wireless connectivity we wanted with a bright, 10-inch touchscreen. It gives the store managers the PC-like performance they need while making it easy to share information with shoppers.” Borghese also serves as VP of Sales for Yellowfin Distribution, the new distributor funded by DCS to handle Pidion mobile computing products from South Korean-based Bluebird.

Tablet-Based Retail Mobile Manager by Data Capture Solutions

“Coasting” into Mobile Marketing

Long Range Systems (Addison, TX), provider of the familiar coaster for guest paging, has become the exclusive distributor in the area of restaurants for the mobile marketing platform from Sumotext (Little Rock, AR). Under this agreement, LRS customers will receive special pricing for their online campaigns. Utilizing SMS for its text messaging, Sumotext offers self-management tools, location awareness, and the capacity to embed multimedia such as pictures, audio, and video inside its broadcasts. This may include dynamic couponing with barcodes for redemption at the POS.

“As the text message notifications component of our Freedom Paging System has become more popular, our clients have asked us to provide guests the additional ability to opt-in to mobile loyalty and rewards programs,” relayed Ken Lovegreen, President of Long Range Systems. “While we were initially concerned with security, privacy, and compliance policies, when evaluating mobile marketing partners, the Sumotext people and platform really stood out and gave us the confidence to put our reputation behind this exciting joint offering.” In 1993, Lovegreen invented the coaster format which lights up when your table is ready and his company now holds 40% of the U.S. restaurant market for guest paging.

“While text messaging can be a fun tool to identify, attract, and reward guests, we’re focused on solutions that enhance or accomplish a more measurable business goal,” indicated Timothy Miller, President of Sumotext. “If you’re into e-mail marketing, then SMS is the absolute best way to capture an e-mail address. If you’re into social media, then SMS is the best way to bring followers to your fan page. If you’ve developed a mobile application, then SMS can provide a one-click linking that will detect and install the appropriate app on your customer’s phone.”

Long Range Systems to Distribute Sumotext SMS Platform

Channel Factoid

The worldwide supply chain management (SCM) software market totaled $7.7 billion in 2011, up 12.3% from 2010, according to Gartner. It was the second year of double-digit growth for SCM software, despite uneconomic uncertainty and caution from IT budget decision makers. SAP continues to lead the field, with $1.54 billion in revenue in 2011, accounting for 19.9% market share, and experiencing growth of 17.8%. Results for the next four biggest vendors include: Oracle, $1.3 billion revenue, 16.9% market share, 7.9% growth; JDA, $390 million revenue, 5% market share, 7.7% growth; Ariba, $367 million revenue, 4.7% market share, 46.5% growth; and Manhattan Associates, $142 million revenue, 1.8% market share, 3.7% growth. “The SCM software market is fragmented, with a plethora of small and midsize vendors with revenue of less than $50 million across regions and its four primary market segments,” observed Chad Eschinger, Research VP at Gartner. Such remaining vendors showed $4 billion in revenue in 2011, representing 51.7% in market share, about the same as 2010. Eschinger noted that SCM offerings delivered as SaaS subscriptions continued to bolster above-market growth in 2011 at 21%, while perpetual licenses also grew significantly at 15%.

HELLO GOODBYE

Viva Zaballos at SPS

SPS Commerce (Minneapolis, MN) has appointed Peter Zaballos as its new VP of Marketing. Prior to joining SPS, Zaballos served as an advisory board member for two consumer web service firms, focusing on branding, positioning, and message development. Previously, he held executive leadership positions in marketing, business development, and product management at StudyBlue, the cloud service reaching more than one million high school and college students, and RealNetworks, an early pioneer in internet digital media. Also in the web services arena, he held the office of VP at Frazier Technologies Ventures.

“We are delighted to welcome Peter Zaballos to the SPS leadership team,” shared Archie Black, CEO of SPS Commerce. “He has a proven track record of transforming market categories, driving user engagement, and utilizing viral marketing to expand and scale web service businesses. Peter’s leadership and management skills will be critical as SPS expands its online supply chain community, the Retail Universe, and its cloud-based retail supply chain management services.” With thousands of company profiles, Retail Universe enables retailers, manufacturers, and third-part logistics suppliers (3PLs) to form new partnerships based on product or business requirements.

Along these lines, SPS Commerce also announced it will ally with eBizNET Solutions to furnish an integrated, more expansive, cloud-based supply chain methodology. “The eBizNET platform provides end-to-end supply chain execution capabilities and includes best-of-breed functionality for warehousing and distribution, transportation, reverse logistics, and container terminal management across various industry verticals,” explained Abhay Edlabadkar, CEO of eBizNET. “We believe our combined framework addresses the business needs of the extended supply chain involving manufacturers, suppliers, tier two and three vendors, shippers, carriers, agents, distributors, and customers.” The whole enchilada, in other words.

Peter Zaballos, VP of Marketing, SPS Commerce

Danforth Drills Deeper

Danforth Systems (Houston) has hired John Kiser as its Regional Sales Manager for Southwest Texas. Kiser brings nearly two decades of experience in business development and sales of Auto ID solutions. He spent the bulk of his career with Intermec as Senior Account Executive, and most recently served as Regional Sales Manager with Librestream, which supplies on-the-fly video conferencing for mobile workers in manufacturing, energy, field service, and healthcare.

“With the level of activity we are seeing in this region, the addition of an engaged field representative will help to accommodate our growth,” stated Dan Tarpey, President of Danforth Systems. “John’s channel perspective and accomplishments make him a valuable part of our team.” Danforth Systems, some RRN.Com readers may recall, was once known as Datascan.

In particular, Danforth now expects to expand sales of its mobility solutions for healthcare applications in small community and rural hospitals, as well as field service and asset tracking applications in the oil and gas industry. "A partner of Intermec, Motorola Solutions, and Honeywell Scanning & Mobility, Danforth Systems serves the South-Central U.S. with its team of sales, technical, and programming resources. It addresses all major markets such as warehouse and distribution, transportation and logistics, and field service, as well as healthcare.

John Kiser, Regional Sales Manager, Danforth Systems

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