Tag: #pos

New Square tech to transform Irish retail and hospitality

Square has announced the launch of Square Handheld, its most powerful, portable point-of-sale device ever. Combining a sleek, durable design with comprehensive, versatile software, Square Handheld enables sellers to manage everything from payments to back-of-house operations right from their pocket.

Power Meets Portability

Built for fast-moving and operationally complex businesses, Square Handheld is ergonomic and pocketable, at just 315 grams and 15.7mm thick. It’s IP54-rated and durable, standing up to water splashes and dust. With a large 6.2″ Corning® Gorilla® Glass touchscreen and a battery that powers a whole day, Square Handheld is packed with advanced features, including:

  • Full payments functionality to capture tap and chip and pin transactions, and seamless integration with Square’s ecosystem of software, making managing a business easier than ever

  • Barcode scanning for speedy checkouts, gift card scanning, and inventory management

  • A 16 MP camera for capturing photos of newly stocked merchandise and updating item libraries

It’s portable, reliable, and powerful. With Square Handheld, sellers and their staff gain the mobility, speed, and efficiency essential to keep operations steady and deliver high-quality customer experiences — whether they’re restaurateurs that need to take tableside orders and manage their floorplan from the palm of their hand, or retailers managing large inventories and letting shoppers check out anywhere on the store floor.

Adaptable Software for Every Type of Business

Square Handheld is powered by the new unified Square Point of Sale app, bringing years of commerce innovation and technology leadership into a single, powerful hub for running any size or type of business. The redesigned software provides sellers with seven different modes that lets them customise their experience with industry-specific features — such as Full Service mode, Quick Service mode and Retail mode — and the ability to easily add or switch between modes when their operations require different or expanded capabilities. Device-specific features like quick settings for easy adjustments and push alerts for timely notifications mean Square Handheld can fit into and improve any in-store workflow, especially for food and beverage sellers, and retailers, which drove 78% of Square’s gross payment volume (GPV) in 2024 in the EU. From bustling full service restaurants, to multi-location quick service restaurants and coffee shops and sprawling garden centres, Square Handheld gives sellers of all sizes a powerful solution to keep commerce moving.

Designed to Drive Commerce

Square Handheld builds on the company’s legacy of hardware design excellence that began over a decade ago with the iconic ‘little white reader’ and permeates throughout Square’s entire portfolio of devices – from two generations of Square Stand, to Square Register and Square Terminal. Representing the company’s unique ability to elegantly marry form and function, Square Handheld is one of the thinnest and lightest handheld point-of-sale devices on the market, offering a purposefully engineered solution that’s not only built for today’s business needs, but designed to evolve and grow with sellers as commerce transforms in years to come.

“Running a business, especially a restaurant or retail store, has never been more demanding: every second counts, every team member must find ways to be more productive, and every customer has increasingly higher expectations for when and how they’re serviced,” said Thomas Templeton, Block’s Head of Hardware. “Square Handheld fuses Square’s industry-leading design with powerful commerce software to deliver a dynamic device that empowers sellers to keep pace with the breakneck speed of modern business — whether they’re a full-service restaurant looking to provide seamless tableside service across multiple dining areas, or a boutique looking to give its clients a refined checkout experience anywhere in-store.”

Square Handheld starts at 199€ + VAT and to help sellers get the most out of it, Square has partnered with industry-leading accessories manufacturer Belkin to offer premium protective cases. The Belkin SheerForce cases, which come in grey and black, complement Square Handheld’s sleek design, and add further defense against accidental drops and scratches. Thoughtfully designed to improve device grip while maintaining Square Handheld’s pocketable profile, the Belkin SheerForce case starts at 39€ + VAT.

New Software Launches to Make Operations Even More Smooth

Square has made a number of new tools available to help sellers simplify ordering and the guest experience:

  • Combos – sellers can create pre-defined flexible bundles of items sold together at a fixed price

  • Modifier set ordering – sellers can reorder their modifier sets directly from their Dashboard, creating customisable menus and a smoother ordering flow

A number of software launches will be introduced in the coming weeks to create smarter table service and staff operations for sellers:

  • House accounts – allows sellers to enable buyers to aggregate purchases into an account and settle the bill later.

  • Seat management – allows servers to track and organise guest movements across the restaurant, streamlining service operations and improving bill management.

  • ResDiary integration – syncs the seller’s booking platform with Square for Restaurants POS. Table spend and order details automatically flow back into ResDiary, helping operators better manage service and track performance. Deposits taken via ResDiary are also applied to orders in Square when a guest is seated.

To learn more about Square Handheld and the Square ecosystem of business solutions, visit squareup.com/ie/hardware/handheld.

SumUp unveils new all-in-one POS device, SumUp Terminal

Global fintech SumUp has launched SumUp Terminal, an all-in-one point of sale (POS) device that directly addresses the challenges faced by growing businesses. The device includes a card reader, POS, ordering system, and receipt printer, helping merchants manage orders, staff, inventory, and reporting in one place. This design allows staff to leave the sales counter behind, taking orders and payments directly on the shop floor or right at the table.

In May this year, SumUp surveyed Irish SMEs and found that 25.5% of Irish businesses had made no key changes to their operations beyond raising prices, despite 38% stating that the current economic climate had negatively impacted their business. This highlights a concerning trend: many Irish businesses are falling behind in adopting innovative strategies to navigate growing economic uncertainty. The SumUp Terminal is a direct response to this challenge, underscoring the company’s commitment to equipping merchants with tools tailored to today’s evolving consumer landscape.

Niall Mac an tSionnaigh, CEO of SumUp Ireland, said “At a time when many Irish businesses are feeling the pressure of rising rent, stock, and staffing costs – but are struggling to adapt – it’s clear that practical, lean and accessible tech is more important than ever. The SumUp Terminal was built to meet that need, equipping merchants of all sizes with the tools to streamline operations and stay competitive in a rapidly changing environment.”

Key features and benefits for merchants using the SumUp Terminal include its all-in-one efficiency, allowing businesses to take card payments, manage orders, speed up checkouts, and print receipts or order tickets from a single device. Designed for durability and ease of use, it features an intuitive HD touchscreen and a long-lasting battery that supports staff throughout the entire workday. The Terminal also enables smarter operations by allowing the creation of custom staff profiles with role-based permissions and providing real-time sales reports to support informed business decisions.

Irish merchants can simplify their bookkeeping by integrating popular accounting solutions such as Sage Accounting, Xero, and QuickBooks. Dual connectivity with built-in WiFi and free 4G mobile data ensures the device always connects to the strongest available network, keeping payments uninterrupted. To accelerate setup, Terminal uses its built-in camera to instantly digitise an entire product list from a single photo. This AI-driven feature means merchants can capture their handwritten or printed menu, and the device automatically creates an editable digital catalogue. This significantly reduces manual setup time, allowing merchants to then easily add descriptions, images, or new products.

“We see countless merchants hit a growth ceiling where a simple card reader is no longer enough, but a traditional POS system feels too expensive and complex,” said Tomer Sabag, Chief Hardware Officer at SumUp. “Terminal was built to be that perfect next step. It delivers the core operational power a growing business needs with the speed, ease-of-use, and affordability that are hallmarks of the SumUp ecosystem. It’s designed to help our merchants scale in an easy and seamless fashion.”

SumUp will continue to enhance Terminal with free, automatic software updates. Upcoming features include barcode scanning, table management, and the ability for multiple Terminal devices to sync and operate together in the same venue. As an integral part of the SumUp ecosystem, the Terminal will also connect and sync seamlessly with SumUp POS systems – enabling streamlined, connected operations across devices and services.

Rain Technology Embeds Visual Security and Delivers Display Innovation From Smartphone to AR/VR

CES 2025, CEO Robert Ramsey, Ph.D. and Chief Scientist Michael Robinson, Ph.D. of Rain Technology, creator of the world’s most advanced directional display technologies, has shared expert commentary and select video explainers about:

  • The market outlook for emerging display technologies.
  • The big leap in visual privacy to combat shoulder surfers.
  • Key advances in AR and VR optical design to spur mass adoption.
  • Opportunities to capitalize on display innovations today.

The Market Outlook for Emerging Display Technologies

Whether for business or personal use, displays of all types are central to our everyday experience. However, the amount and type of information displayed, the types of devices themselves, the hardware technologies used to provide higher quality and more efficient images, and the situations in which these devices are used all continue to expand at an incredible rate. As such, significant market opportunity exists for companies developing innovative solutions. Experts in optics and photonics with a legacy in 3D cinema, Rain Technology scientists are radically changing the playing field for visual privacy and superior optical performance in emerging display technologies, which will transform the market by enabling the type of experiences that drive mass adoption through quality and comfort.

One of Rain Technology’s innovations that has been broadly adopted is Switchable Privacy™, a thin liquid crystal layer in the display that switches privacy on and off, preventing peripheral viewers from seeing sensitive content. See the details of how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/y05VX8Pundg. This has applicability across fraud prevention, securing confidential information, and ensuring personal privacy. It has already shipped millions of units through industry-leading partners. In addition, the company’s innovations in privacy have been successfully leveraged and deployed in the automotive sector. Specifically, No-Driver-Distraction™ helps create safer driving experiences by preventing driver distraction caused by light emitted from passenger screens, and Display Screen Branding™ provides off-axis brand promotion by manufacturers and retailers.

Rain Technology will subsequently be adapted to further define the future of AR and VR in gaming, business, medical, and military defense. Its patented approach, Anamorphic-XR™, which relies on common, easy to manufacture materials, delivers fundamentally superior capabilities to existing AR and VR optics to improve user experience, performance and comfort. It has the potential to significantly increase consumer adoption as well as time spent engaged with devices, opening new opportunities for consumer, enterprise, military and industrial uses.

A Big Leap in Visual Privacy for Every Device

Identity theft and data breaches are on the rise, compounded by mobile work, whether remote or simply in transit. Shoulder surfers, visual hackers, and snoopers are omnipresent. Although the market for adhesive-based privacy screens for smartphones, laptops and monitors is valued at over a billion dollars and set to double in five years, it is a stopgap, lacking the ability to be controlled by enterprise IT and security policy and compromising device performance and usability.

Consumers will begin to see device and display manufacturers as well as enterprise IT departments and application developers placing a higher priority on integrating software solutions with new embedded display technologies to deliver increased privacy and control at the source. This newfound level of security will put mobile privacy in everyone’s pocket and across laptops, point of sale, automotive, tablets, and other devices.

Rain Technology is powering this change. Its patented Switchable Privacy controls the viewing angle to protect enterprises and individuals from visual hacking, data fraud, and identity theft. Switchable Privacy is applicable across the displays for smartphones, laptops, POS and ATM terminals, automotive dashboards and in-cabin displays, and medical kiosks. See more about Switchable Privacy here: https://youtu.be/4IzHUionehY.

Key Advances in AR and VR Performance to Spur Mass Adoption

AR and VR devices have been hyped for decades but have yet to realize their potential. To achieve mass adoption, the device hardware must significantly improve in weight, power efficiency, brightness, image quality, and eye comfort. Rain Technology’s Anamorphic-XR represents a crucial advancement in the evolution of AR and VR features, functionality and performance.

Rising consumer interest and commercial long-term strategies from the major players in AR and VR will be complemented by substantial government investment in these innovations, particularly in headsets and navigation and targeting systems. This dual trajectory of technological enhancement, spurred by Anamorphic-XR, and strategic funding will propel the industry forward. This will effectively pave the way for broader integration by the leading AR and VR manufacturers into various sectors, ultimately transforming how people interact with their digital and physical environments. As these improvements are integrated, a surge in user engagement can be expected in terms of session time and application diversity, from entertainment to surgery to day-to-day interaction with the environment.

Opportunities to Capitalize on Display Innovations Today

  • Smartphones – Rain Technology is working with smartphone manufacturers to integrate its embedded Switchable Privacy display technology, ensuring peak performance in optical clarity, color and luminance, while providing Privacy Mode for optimal protection and Share Mode for collaboration. Available now for smartphone brands, display manufacturers, and component suppliers from Rain Technology.
  • Laptops, Tablets and Monitors – Rain Technology’s Switchable Privacy enables viewing in Share Mode and Privacy Mode as well as delivering best-in-class performance for image clarity, color and luminance. Available now to laptop brands and manufacturers from Rain Technology.
  • Retail POS – Customer and staff-operated POS terminal numbers are expanding rapidly, and customers are increasingly sensitive to their data being “visually hacked” or even their privacy compromised during cart review, transaction or tipping at point of sale. Optimizing POS devices for both retailers and consumers, Rain Technology’s Switchable Privacy enables manufacturers to deliver a Privacy Mode for consumer transaction security as well as a Share Mode for brand promotion. Now available to retailers from POS manufacturer Datecs and direct from Rain Technology.
  • Bank ATMs – With more than 3 million ATMs around the world, shopping, dining and withdrawing cash puts consumers as well as merchants, retailers and bankers at risk. Rain Technology’s Switchable Privacy enables ATM manufacturers to ensure financial service providers can mitigate the risk of data breaches, meet regulatory compliance, and foster consumer loyalty and trust. Available today to ATM manufacturers and supply chain providers direct from Rain Technology.
  • Medical Kiosks – Private patient information, governed by HIPAA regulations, is often displayed on screens across the medical environment, from check-in kiosks to registration desks to hospital nurses stations, pharmacies and more. Rain Technology’s Switchable Privacy enables manufacturers of monitors and tablets to deliver a Privacy Mode for patient privacy and Share Mode for collaboration. Now available to manufacturers and display providers across the healthcare industry through Rain Technology.
  • Automotive Displays – Bridging the gap between passenger infotainment and safe driving while meeting evolving legislative safety standards, Rain Technology’s No-Driver-Distraction controls the viewing angle and luminous levels so the display screens within the cabin can only be viewed by the intended audience (driver or passenger). Rain Technology’s Display Screen Branding delivers a unique in-cabin design and branding opportunity for marketers. Available today to automotive suppliers, tier one integrators, and brands both directly from Rain Technology and via display manufacturer Tianma.
  • AR and VR – The future of AR and VR relies at least partly on hardware device advances. Rain Technology is the first to introduce a patented optical design approach — Anamorphic-XR — that holds significant advantages over existing systems in the areas of image quality, color, field of view, brightness (up to 10x improvement), weight, and comfort. Currently available as a proof-of-concept demonstrator, Rain Technology is actively engaging with partners to integrate this technology into future device and wearable offerings.

To learn more, visit www.raintechnology.com.

CES 2025 news

Revolut launches Revolut Terminal, its new POS device

Revolut, the global fintech with more than 45 million customers worldwide and hundreds of thousands of business customers, has today announced the launch of Revolut Terminal in the UK and Ireland, with pre-orders beginning today in the UK and in the next month for Ireland. A new point of sale device optimised for speed, Revolut Terminal will allow businesses to accept payments in seconds and meet the growing demand for quick, reliable point-of-sale (POS) devices.

With its Terminal device, Revolut Business aims to deliver 99.9%+ platform uptime for uninterrupted sales even during the busiest periods. Integrated WiFi and SIM connections and a battery that lasts all day ensure the device is always ready to take payments on the spot when it matters most.

Available on exclusive pre-sale,* Revolut Business customers can access the Terminal at a cut price rate of €139 +VAT down from €189 +VAT and receive the device in time for the busy retail season; with Black Friday and Christmas on the horizon meaning merchants need a terminal they can rely on to take payments without downtime. While high demand for payments on Black Friday can occasionally cause digital outages for many providers, Revolut Business’ payment processing technology achieved 100% platform uptime on Black Friday last year.

The all-in-one solution offers Revolut Pay, a unique payment method where Revolut customers can pay directly from their Revolut app, earning RevPoints** — loyalty points accumulated from spending on Revolut — in the process at no cost to the merchant. When paying with Revolut Pay, customers can redeem their earned points for discounts on their spending. In turn, Revolut Pay transactions give merchants access to lower fees (0.5% + €0.02 for Revolut Pay transactions).***

Revolut Terminal integrates seamlessly with Revolut Business technology, aiding cash flow with funds accessible within 24 hours. It can be paired with our Point of Sale software to give merchants access to advanced analytics, table mapping, multi-location management and customer catalogues, streamlining the process of dealing with multiple service providers and making expense management easy. 

The launch follows the publication of Revolut Business’ annualised revenue surpassing $500M globally as the group commits to doubling down on its B2B offering and driving investment into product innovation to better serve business customers. 

Alex Codina, General Manager of Merchant Acquiring at Revolut, commented: “We’re excited to be offering Revolut Terminal as an all-in-one, powerful POS solution for our business customers. This launch comes as we continue to invest into our B2B offering and particularly double down on the hospitality and retail industries as an acquirer. A truly reliable payment solution is the difference between closing the sale and losing money – with Black Friday round the corner, Revolut Terminal is built to withstand high customer demand; and it could be yours in time for the busy season at an exclusive, reduced rate.”

James Gibson, General Manager of Revolut Business, commented: “We’re continuing to see lots of momentum in Revolut Business, having this summer surpassed $500M in annualised revenue and onboarding over 20,000 new customers per month. Revolut Terminal marks the latest investment in our business customers, with merchants of all sizes now able to easily accept payments directly into their Revolut Business accounts, without juggling multiple providers.”

Revolut Business customer, The Mulligan Room, added: “We started taking payments 10 minutes after setting up the Revolut Terminal, it was that easy! Now we benefit from lower costs with great rates and having a merchant and business account in one. The Terminal lets us process payments fast, has robust design and great features like custom tipping.”

Certa first to open 10 HVO sites as demand for renewable fuel rises across Ireland

Certa, which is part of DCC plc, has become the first fuel operator in Ireland to make HVO available at ten of its forecourts as demand for the renewable fuel continues to rise among motorists nationwide.

One in five of Certa’s network of 49 unmanned, pay@pump forecourts now offers HVO alongside other fuels as Certa continues to make the biofuel more widely available to motorists seeking a renewable alternative to diesel.

Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) is produced from waste plant matter and can be used as a direct replacement for diesel without any need for vehicle or engine modifications to help motorists lower their carbon emissions by up to 90%.

Last November, Certa began the process of upgrading its network to make HVO available alongside diesel and unleaded petrol and it has achieved the milestone of opening its 10th HVO site after introducing HVO pumps at its forecourt in Corofin in county Clare.

HVO is now available at the Certa forecourts in Liffey Valley, Dundrum, Clarehall and Finglas (Clearwater) in Dublin, Lee Tunnel in Cork, Ballyhaunis in Mayo, Maynooth in Kildare, Trim in Meath, Moyne in Longford and Corofin in Clare.

Certa has provided the new HVO pumps alongside diesel and petrol pumps and the fuel is distinguished through the use of a pink nozzle to stand out from the traditional black diesel and green petrol nozzles.

Orla Stevens, Managing Director, Certa Ireland said:

‘Certa is leading the way in making HVO more widely available to motorists across Ireland. Our goal is to make it easy for motorists to transition to HVO as a renewable alternative to diesel to help them to lower their carbon emissions.

‘Our success in upgrading our network to offer HVO at 10 sites is an important milestone for Certa and our customers. The demand for HVO has grown as we have opened each new site, and our plan is to complete the upgrading of our entire network into next year as we continue our journey towards a net-zero future’.

Certa has also helped a growing number of businesses and events to decarbonise and to transition to HVO as a renewable fuel, including Amazon Web Services (AWS), John Sisk & Son Ltd., Dublin Airport, Dublin Port, The National Ploughing Championship, the Irish Open and Bloom.

Certa has already transitioned its entire fleet of 100 delivery vehicles from diesel to HVO in line with its commitment to reduce its carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 or sooner. It is also installing Solar PV panels across its network to enable its forecourts to generate their own power from solar energy.

Certa was one of the first HVO suppliers in Ireland to be awarded International Sustainability Carbon Certification (ISCC) which provides full transparency and traceability throughout the supply chain. This certification enables Certa to create and assign Proof of Sustainability (POS) certification to the businesses that it supplies with HVO.

Certa’s work to make HVO more accessible and more widely available to motorists and businesses was also recognised when it received the prestigious Green Award at the 2024 UK and Ireland Fuel Distributors (UKIFDA) Awards.

Revolut Business backs Irish businesses with new Point of Sale (POS) platform

Revolut POS, a Point of Sale iPad app, is now out of beta testing and is packed with clever tools and an easy-to-use interface that rivals the rest.

Aimed at every business from small boutiques to large restaurant chains, Revolut’s POS app streamlines operations, enhances customer experiences, and drives growth like never before.

Revolut is helping small businesses move beyond the cash register, needing only their iPad to take customer orders and payments — going a step further than Revolut Reader, which launched in 2022.

Jesus Romo, General Manager of In-Person Payments at Revolut, said: “Revolut values the trust from all our Irish account holders and we are actively working to simplify their financial needs. For businesses having to deal with multiple vendors on payments and POS software, we have created Revolut POS. Simple, and everything under the Revolut Business umbrella.”

For additional information about Revolut Business’ latest offering, read more below:

Revolut acquired London-headquartered point-of-sale software provider Nobly in 2021.  It has on boarded hundreds of thousands of monthly active businesses since.

5 Essential Features of Modern POS Register Systems

Thriving and succeeding in the ever-changing realm of retail requires businesses to remain ahead of the game. With the dawn of 2023, the significance of the Point of Sale (POS) register system takes on an increasingly paramount role.

Today’s modern POS system surpasses the mere processing of transactions; it serves as a central hub for effectively managing sales, inventory, and customer data. Nevertheless, selecting a retail point of sale (POS) system can be overwhelming, given the plethora of available features.

In this article, we will look into five key elements that will affect the retail sector in 2023 to help merchants quickly identify the most important characteristics of a POS register system and provide them with the tools for further POS development.

These capabilities, which range from effective inventory management to strong security measures, are ready to expedite operations and improve the general client experience. Join us on this adventure as we reveal the essential features that will ensure success in the changing retail environment of 2023.

5 Must-Have Features for Modern POS Register Systems

1. Inventory Management

Effectively overseeing a vast array of products within an inventory can pose a formidable challenge. It entails diligently tracking items, closely monitoring stock levels, and guaranteeing precise inventory counts to uphold seamless operations.

This is precisely why resilient inventory management functionalities are significant in a retail Point of Sale (POS) system.

A suitable retail POS system must encompass comprehensive capabilities for managing inventory and catering to the diverse needs of businesses. These include:

  • Real-Time Inventory Management and Metrics: Attain immediate visibility into your inventory levels, enabling real-time tracking and data-based decision-making.
  • Extensive Database of Items and SKUs: Effortlessly store and manage a comprehensive repository of products and stock-keeping units (SKUs) to ensure precise inventory tracking and organization.
  • Mobile Inventory Management with Handheld Devices: Harness the power of mobile devices to streamline inventory tasks, including stock counts, receiving shipments, and updating product information, resulting in enhanced efficiency and accuracy.
  • Automated Purchase Orders with Reorder Thresholds: Establish predefined reorder thresholds and implement automated purchase order generation when stock levels reach the specified limits, guaranteeing timely replenishment.
  • Efficient Vendor Management: Seamlessly oversee supplier relationships, monitor vendor performance, and optimize the procurement process to facilitate a seamless inventory replenishment cycle.

2. Hotkeys to Streamline Operations

In a rapidly evolving retail landscape, maximizing efficiency is of utmost importance. This is precisely where the flexibility of customizable hotkeys within a retail or restaurant POS system proves invaluable.

These hotkeys empower users by granting swift access to frequently sold items or non-barcoded products, thereby reducing the time spent searching for specific items and reducing the occurrence of user errors.

The incorporation of hotkeys in your business offers numerous advantages, such as:

  • Efficient Item Retrieval: Customizable hotkeys empower users to quickly find products or non-barcoded items by assigning dedicated keys to them.
  • Streamlined Inventory Management: With hotkeys in place, team members can expediently locate and retrieve items from a large inventory, bypassing the manual sorting of product codes or PLUs.
  • Error Minimization: Hotkeys eliminate the need for manual entry of product codes or names, significantly reducing the risk of user errors during sales transactions.

3. Cultivating Customer Loyalty

The success of any business heavily relies on customer loyalty. Studies reveal that 59 percent of U.S. consumers spread bad experiences to others, highlighting the importance of delivering exceptional customer experiences.

Many business owners and managers leverage robust customer loyalty programs to foster and maintain customer loyalty, and a reliable POS register system can be a game-changer.

The market offers a wide range of possibilities for loyalty programs. However, the integrated customer loyalty capabilities of POS Nation’s technology are a standout benefit. This solution makes it simple to develop and maintain a client loyalty program.

With just a few steps, you can easily track a customer’s progress toward loyalty objectives while processing their orders and encouraging them to make more purchases.

By employing a strong POS register system’s client loyalty features, you can:

  • Boost Customer Retention: Implementing a rewards program that gives clients special deals, limited-time incentives, or personalized prizes can engage your clientele. This encourages customers to pick your company over rivals and cultivates a sense of loyalty.
  • Encourage Repeat Sales: By offering incentives and awards for their continuous support, use a built-in loyalty program to encourage clients to make repeat purchases. This enhances total income while also boosting extra sales and client retention.
  • Use Consumer Insights: You may compile useful consumer information, such as purchase history and preferences, with the help of a complete loyalty program connected to your POS system. Utilizing this information will allow you to target your advertising, provide more relevant promos, and improve your customers’ experience.

4. Label and Barcode Features

Effective labeling and barcode management are essential for retail enterprises to run smoothly and accurately. A dependable POS register system should offer wide label and barcode printing capabilities to support effective, hassle-free procedures.

Fast and powerful label and barcode tools put you in control of inventory management and consumer checkouts, ensuring smooth operations and removing any doubt about item price.

Here are some main advantages of a POS register system’s label and barcode features:

  • Fast Label Creation: Users may quickly produce labels for items using integrated label printing capabilities, which makes price tagging and product identification simple. This saves time and effort, especially when you need to service clients quickly during busy times.
  • Correct Pricing and Inventory Management: Using barcodes, you can guarantee proper pricing and faster inventory management. Real-time access to product information, including price, stock levels, and product characteristics, is made possible by scanning barcodes, which also eliminates human entry mistakes. This improves transaction accuracy overall and aids in maintaining accurate inventory records.
  • Increased Customer Satisfaction: Customer wait times are decreased through faster, more efficient checkout processes made possible by barcode scanning. A great shopping experience is guaranteed by accurate price information on labels, which removes any uncertainty or conflicts.
  • Enhanced Productivity and Efficiency: Employees can rapidly discover items thanks to label and barcode functionality, saving time on inventory searches. Automating pricing and inventory management procedures also boosts productivity and operational effectiveness overall.

5. Protecting Your Business with Security Features

In today’s digital environment, ensuring the security of your client’s sensitive data is crucial. A trustworthy point-of-sale register system should have strong security measures to guard against fraud and data breaches.

Whether you’re using iPad rentals or other equipment, investing in secure technology solutions can help protect confidential information and maintain customer trust.

Retailers must prioritize security measures and adhere to industry regulations like the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) in light of the rising frequency of POS data breaches.

The most critical security features of a POS register system are listed below:

  • PCI DSS Conformity: Your POS system needs to comply with the PCI DSS specifications, which include putting encryption, password protection, and other security measures in place to secure client credit card information. Following these standards makes sure that your company is operating according to industry best practices and helps to lower the risk of data breaches.
  • Encryption of Data: Data encryption methods are used by a reliable POS system to safeguard sensitive data, including credit card details, while it is being transmitted and stored. Customer data is kept private and shielded from unauthorized access thanks to encryption’s additional degree of protection.
  • Access Limitations: To limit system access to authorized individuals exclusively, effective access control measures should be in place. These mechanisms should include user authentication and role-based permissions. This makes it harder for unauthorized people to alter sensitive data or conduct destructive deeds inside the system.
  • Security Integrations: A POS system with support for security integrations, like security cameras, is what you should look for. By integrating security cameras, you can keep an eye on what goes on within your business, adding an extra layer of security and allowing you to spot any suspicious or fraudulent activity.
  • Permanent Security Updates: Patching and updating software on a regular basis is essential to address any vulnerabilities or new security risks. Ensure the company providing your POS system does frequent upgrades and aggressively addresses security issues.

Conclusion

Finally, for retail enterprises to succeed in today’s competitive landscape, POS register systems have evolved into essential instruments. The five crucial features covered in this article jointly contribute to the success and expansion of retail businesses.

Businesses may turn to organizations like Edvantis, a reputable technological solutions provider and software development provider, to get the most out of these fundamental features.

Retail organizations may position themselves for success, simplify processes, and create outstanding customer experiences in today’s competitive retail market by embracing these crucial features and collaborating with reputable vendors.

Storm Technology partners with NaviPartner to distribute specialised retail solutions

With a strong reputation for the successful design and implementation of ERP software solutions, Storm Technology is one of Ireland’s preferred suppliers of Microsoft Dynamic 365 Business Central.

By partnering with NaviPartner, Storm Technology is now able to offer four new specialised omnichannel solutions to all existing and new clients, further enhancing its current solution range and reenforcing its commitment to the retail sector.

NaviPartner has a long history as a Microsoft Dynamics 365 partner on the Danish market. Its many years of expertise has led the company to funnel its knowledge of its clients’ needs and challenges into a strong product innovation focus. The result is four well-documented and tested omnichannel solutions – namely NP Retail, NP Ecommerce, NP WMS and NP Entertainment.

NP Retail is a cloud-based retail software solution (SaaS – Software as a Service) for all types of retailers that combines point-of-sales (POS), financial management, bookkeeping, order management, inventory management, reports and statistics in one complete package.

The solution supports more than 250 payment methods, delivering payments across online, mobile, and in store. That makes NP Retail a future-proof solution that is easy to implement in multiple countries, when a business expands into new markets.

Speaking on the partnership, Karl Flannery, CEO of Storm Technology, stated: “We are very excited about this new partnership. NaviPartner has built an excellent reputation for the supply of high-quality POS, e-Commerce, Warehousing and Ticketing solutions built on top of Microsoft Business Central and we are confident that this partnership will deliver considerable advantage to both new and existing clients.”

Closely connected to NP Retail is the online e-commerce solution NP Ecommerce based on Magento. NP Ecommerce seamlessly integrates into Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and is the backbone that ensures real-time integration between the online store, the ERP system and the physical store and makes sure the inventory is always up to date. As an extension of the NP Retail solution, the NP Entertainment solution is aimed at the entertainment segment with specialized modules perfect for ticketing and membership.

To complete the omnichannel offering, NaviPartner has also developed a fourth solution – NP WMS, which is intended for the effective management of warehouse operations. NP WMS is a 100% mobile WMS solution with RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology for Dynamics 365 Business Central. The implementation process is extremely cost-efficient, as customers can configure the solution themselves and thus get started in a matter of hours. End users will only need a minimum of training for this easy-to-use app. All that customers need to get started is the NP WMS app and access to Business Central SaaS.

NaviPartner is happy to see their product portfolio brought to market with extra manpower. “We have spent a lot of time and resources on developing and refining these solutions, and we are proud to be able to offer them worldwide through strong partnerships. We find that Storm Technology with their expertise and client base is a perfect match for us, and it will mean that our solutions can be presented to a whole new segment of customers,” says CEO of NaviPartner, Mark Stewart Pedersen.

How Technology Helps Restaurant Owners Manage Payments More Quickly

Technology impacts almost every aspect of our lives. It has been an important part of the hospitality industry for a long time. Today’s technological advancements are being used in restaurants around the world to great success. These advancements are helping restaurant owners to expand their businesses. Nowadays, creating a website for your restaurant is simple, even if you don’t have any experience building websites. With a restaurant website maker, you can easily create a professional-looking website that showcases your menu, hours, location, and more in just a few minutes.

This article will tell you how technology helps restaurant owners to manage payments more quickly:

Touchscreen POS Terminals

Implementing smart retail technology, such as touchscreen POS terminals, is highly efficient. They are used in most businesses nowadays. Touchscreen terminals are powered by POS software, like the micros restaurant system, which operate with an easy-to-use interface. POS software simplifies the order-taking process, so that staff can take orders at a quicker pace. Most POS systems also have customer-facing screens that allow customers to see their orders being placed in real-time.

Higher-end POS terminals also allow for payments to be made through a reader integrated with the terminal itself.

Pay at the Table

For several years now, businesses have encouraged the use of pay-at-table applications. These applications display a restaurant’s menu and allow customers to order directly from their phone, without having to communicate with staff.

Due to strict COVID-19 regulations introduced to the hospitality sector by governments from around the world, restaurants have made pay-at-table applications mandatory.

Pay-at-table applications give a restaurant’s guests the ability to order and pay for their meal without having to break social distancing guidelines and without having to come into contact with other people. This gives your staff and your guests peace of mind. It also allows your restaurant to run more efficiently. If you need some furniture you should check out what is on offer here for restaurants 

Some restaurants, like Yo! Sushi, for example, have used conveyor belts for many years. Now they use them in combination with pay-at-table applications to further reduce the chances of viral transmission taking place inside their restaurants. Guests order from their phones, and their meal is delivered by conveyor belt.

Contactless Payments

Contactless payment is very important to customers. It is fast, efficient, and easy. They don’t have to bother counting out notes or writing a check, and instead, can tap their card and get back to entertaining their guests.

Contactless also allows customers to avoid physical contact with people, which is very important in the wake of the pandemic.

The only downside to contactless payment machines is that there are often limits to how much people can spend. While this does stop fraud, it also makes them less helpful in preventing the spread of viruses.

Self-Order Kiosks

Self-order kiosks are very popular in large fast-food restaurants like Burger King and McDonald’s. They are also growing in popularity among smaller businesses. They allow guests to pay for their food without having to interact with other people. They also make it easier for guests to review a restaurant’s menu and customise their order.

If self-order kiosks are used correctly, then they can actually increase the amount of money that your customers spend. They can also reduce queue times and help your staff to manage orders more efficiently.

Because multiple people will use a self-order kiosk, it’s important that it is regularly disinfected and cleaned. You should also offer bottles of antibacterial hand gel at tables next to each kiosk.

KDS

KDS or kitchen display systems are another great technological addition to the hospitality sector. They do not process payments but are still very effective. In busy restaurants, screens are used to display orders. This helps kitchen staff to keep on track and get orders out to guests quickly.

They are typically mounted on the wall, which allows all kitchen staff to view open orders on a single screen. These screens display orders in real-time, so staff can begin putting meals together the minute that the order is placed.

Receipt and Kitchen Printers

After payment has been processed, most customers will expect to receive a receipt. A receipt will tell them what they have ordered and, in most cases, give them an order number. Receipt printers are used by the front-of-house staff. In busy restaurants, printers are very important.

Kitchen printers are used as an alternative to the above-mentioned kitchen display systems. They are less common nowadays but are still used in smaller restaurants. Kitchen printers print out orders as they come in. These receipts are then stuck to a board. The kitchen staff will begin preparing orders after the receipts have been stuck to the board.

Cash Drawer

While cash is used less and less, more so in the wake of the pandemic, cash drawers are still important. They are also vulnerable to theft. It’s important that you invest in the highest quality cash drawer that you can.

You can find high quality, modern cash drawers that utilise the latest technology to secure your money. You should make sure that you empty out your cash draw every night, keep it locked, and do not leave it unattended.

Food-Delivery Applications

With the first COVID-19 lockdown came a huge surge in the food-delivery industry. Restaurants that had never previously offered takeout began using applications like Just Eat, Uber Eats, and Deliveroo just to keep their doors open. Most businesses are still relying on food-delivery applications, even after lockdowns have finished. Food-delivery applications are now a must-have for all types of restaurants, especially since the government cannot rule out further lockdowns taking place.

Some restaurants have also designed their own native food-delivery applications. This gives customers the ability to order from a business without using a third-party application and having to pay the fees and costs associated with using these applications.

Prebooking Applications

Prebooking applications have existed for a long time. They allow customers to book tables from the comfort of their homes, without having to worry about walking in and not finding a table or battling through busy phone lines. Some of these applications also allow customers to order drinks and starters to be brought to them after they arrive. This allows them to relax upon arriving and gives them time to collect themselves before they begin looking through the menu and selecting main course meals.

Technology has allowed businesses to streamline their payments. As time goes on, more and more incredible technological innovations will be introduced into the hospitality sector. For restaurants, this is fantastic.