POS And AIDC News

Vantiv To Acquire Moneris USA

The trend of payment company consolidation continues. Vantiv recently announced its agreement to acquire Moneris Solutions (Moneris USA) from Moneris Solutions Corporation (Moneris) for $425 million US, subject to certain adjustments. Upon closing the transaction, Vantiv will begin servicing Moneris USA’s merchants and other business relationships, including its relationship with BMO Harris Bank, which operates approximately 600 branches in the United States. Moneris USA processed approximately $12 billion in U.S. transaction volume in 2015.

Vantiv, the nation’s second largest payment processor, serves more than 800,000 merchant locations and 1,400 financial institutions. Due to the amount of lead time required to print this issue of Business Solutions magazine, we are unable to comment on whether this acquisition closed at the end of 2016 as planned. For full complete coverage, visit BSMinfo.com.

Zebra Introduces New Touch Computers

Zebra Technologies Corp. has unveiled its new TC5 Series of mobile computers. Developed for retail, manufacturing, and field mobility applications, the TC51 (802.11 Wi-Fi) and TC56 (Wi-Fi and 4G LTE cellular-enabled) have been designed to address a variety of needs.

The units accommodate a removable and replaceable battery pack which delivers up to 14 hours of usage, as well as a 14 MP camera, and 1D/2D scanner. The camera can be used to document proof-of-condition, proof-of-delivery, proof-of-service, and more. A 1.8 GHz hexa-core 64-bit processor runs within, allowing enterprise apps to run up to five times faster while consuming 15 percent less power than other devices running on quad core platforms. The 5-inch touch screen has a couple tricks up its sleeve. First, the sunlight-readable display utilized capacitive touch technology that allows multi-touch operation that works when wet, with a gloved finger or a stylus. Second, Zebra’s twist on Android 6.0 added customizable “Active Edge Touch Zones” that give users one-touch access to the most frequently used device features and apps. The devices themselves run on Android 6.0 (Marshmallow), furthering Zebra’s foray into Android-based solutions. Security of Android is beefed up to Enterprise-class via Zebra’s Mobility Extensions (Mx).

BarTender Releases App To Print From Mobile Devices

Seagull Scientific recently revealed its new BarTender Print Portal App, allowing for enterprise label printing via a smartphone or tablet. The BarTender Print Portal App works with any iOS or Android device to enable printing of BarTender documents. BarTender controls and monitors access to labels and documents, while the BarTender Print Portal App enables users to input print-time data or select options through customizable forms, and print from their mobile device to IP and Bluetooth printers. The app works exclusively with the BarTender Enterprise Automation Edition and is available for download from the Apple App Store for iOS devices, or Google Play for Android devices.

Seagull Scientific paints a compelling picture of how this app can be used. In the warehouse, workers equipped with a mobile printer can enter label data via the app to generate supply chain and shipping labels where the labels will be applied — no need to return to a central printing station. Healthcare workers can access and print patient labeling at the bedside. And in field service applications, where drivers increasingly travel with small footprint portable printers, the most up-to-date labels can be printed on-demand at remote locations.

RevChip Earns Quick Chip Certification With Vantiv, Adds Gift Card

TranSend, an infrastructure provider to the payments industry, recently announced that its RevChip EMV software has achieved Quick Chip certification with Vantiv. Quick Chip is a recent EMV update that truncates certain processing steps which apply in other global markets, but are not necessary in the United States. Transactions remain equally secure, but the time savings for U.S. merchants and their patrons can be dramatic.

Quick Chip functions are crucial to many VARs and ISVs, particularly those operating in the quick service and fast casual restaurant segments. RevChip’s software architecture accommodates the rapid pace of innovation and makes it easy to deploy technology enhancements, like Quick Chip, in a secure and timely manner.

Additionally, TranSend announced that it has added gift card support to its Quick Chip implementations in the United States. Store gift cards are ultra-important to retailers because they drive store visits, brand awareness, and cash flow. Unfortunately, some merchants are now getting cut off from their own gift cards. The reason has to do with newly installed EMV card readers, more precisely, the faulty software on which some are running.

Some outdated EMV software doesn’t support more than one application on a card reader and cannot be easily customized. This means that programs like gift card, frequent shopper, and patron enrollment are all dead in the water. RevChip EMV software enables numerous operations at the POS. Existing POS programs are readily supported and new ones can be configured into card readers.

Datalogic Announces Pocket-Sized Imager

There are certain expectations that come along with every new mobile device that hits the market. Small size, broad connectivity options, and ample power are just a few that stand out. In releasing its new RIDA DBT6400 area imager, Datalogic hopes to hit on all these requirements.

Designed for retail and healthcare applications, the RIDA DBT6400 is a cordless area imager with Bluetooth connectivity in an ergonomic, pocket-sized form factor. The RIDA DBT6400 imager pairs with Android, Apple iOS, and Windows Mobile devices as well as standard laptops equipped with Bluetooth wireless technology. 1D and 2D bar codes that are low contrast, damaged, poorly printed, or displayed with low back lighting on mobile phone screens are able to be read by the RIDA DBT6400 imager.

Key features of the RIDA DBT6400 imager include a compact design (3 oz. with batteries), 3,000+ readings per charge, the ability to store 2,000 linear codes in memory for batch download, and a depth of field and motion tolerance of 25 IPS. Healthcare models have disinfectant ready and anti-microbial enclosures that are ISO22196 compliant.

Zapper Certifies Epson POS Printers

Epson America recently announced that Zapper, a mobile marketing and payment platform, has certified the Epson OmniLink TM-T88V-i smart printer and TM-m30 POS receipt printer, to bring an integrated customer loyalty and mobile payment solution to restaurants and their customers.

In 2015, $8.71 billion in mobile payments were made in the U.S., according to an October 2015 report from eMarketer. The total for 2016 is expected to surpass $27B. According to a report from Forrester Research Principal Analyst Brendan Miller, it is estimated that U.S. consumers will spend $83 billion via mobile payments in 2016, a figure that’s expected to increase to $142 billion by of the end of 2019. Zapper and Epson are tapping into this increase with their bundled solution.

Zapper is a QR code-based mobile insights and payment platform that enables restaurants to build a loyal and engaged customer base. The company creates customizable in-app marketing campaigns and loyalty programs for restaurants based on their customers’ transactional history. The app enables restaurants and diners to expedite the check-paying process allowing greater wait staff efficiency and increased table turnover. When the customer requests the check, it’s printed with a QR code at the bottom. The customer can then scan the QR code through the Zapper app and pay immediately. Zapper’s application leverages Epson’s ePOS Print and Server Direct Print technologies to manage tasks as well as payments from customers’ smartphones and tablets.