Use EMV As A Springboard For Other Sales

By The Business Solutions Network

Today we held a preview Webinar for our upcoming Retail IT VAR of the Future event (May 12-13 in Las Vegas). During the presentation, we outlined the education that was planned for the two-day event. In addition, we had one of our conference speakers, Randy Roe, founder and president of Retail Technology Services, on the Webinar to share some specifics about his company’s success selling customer experience solutions to retailers.

Roe made a very interesting point during the Q&A portion of the Webinar, when one attendee asked how VARs can make money off of EMV. Rather than fall back on the standard “EMV deadline is approaching and retailers need to comply” soapbox, Roe explains to retailers that EMV will require a new customer-facing payment device. That device will not only make transactions more secure (let’s not debate to what degree here), but it can also be used to engage customers. That is, it can present coupons, have them sign up for loyalty programs, and more. Simply, it can create a better customer experience and drive sales. Indeed, there is a new niche for applications developed for payment terminals that add a great deal of value to the retailer.

This is a fantastic way for a VAR to look at EMV. Some VARs aren’t big on the idea of EMV, thinking their retail customers are too small to suffer a breach. Some retailers feel the same way. However, if you can take an EMV upgrade and turn it into a revenue generator for the retailer, you’ve got something compelling for retailers to get behind. This is just one example of why EMV is so important. Sure, it’s ultimately about securing payments, but the topic is a conversation starter that can lead to new business.