CHICAGO -- Wireless point-of-sale (POS) devices, loyalty options and gift card programs took center stage in a products-and-services showcase put on by First Data Corp., a data-processing and payments-technology firm based in the Denver area.
The three-day exposition, which ended this past Friday, featured its technology options housed in six mock storefronts set up in the Fairmont Hotel in downtown Chicago. Jody Soper, vice president of marketing communications for the Greenwood Village, Colo.-based First Data said about 600 clients from the convenience-store, [image-nocss] specialty boutique, hypermarket, restaurant and grocery industries attended the event.
We originally thought of taking a smaller version of what we have here out to different regions of the country, Soper said, commenting on the storefronts that each resembled a different client segment (c-stores, groceries, big-box retailers, etc.). But then we said, Why don't we just have it all in one place and bring everyone here.
Two of the more unusual options featured on the Innovation Boulevard show floor included wireless POS options, one designed as a mobile station and the other for restaurants with waiter service.
The CellTrek Mobile Merchant device used a cell phone to initiate transactions, with the card-swipe and printer housed in a compact box attached to the cashier's belt. Kim O'Conner, who demonstrated the device, said that the product works well for suppliers on trade show floors who want to initiate a live credit-card transaction in a convenient way. Retailers conducting off-site or forecourt transactions may also find uses for the technology.
A second device in the pilot phase used wireless technology to allow restaurant customers to complete the payment process themselves on a portable terminal. The benefits include the security of not having to give the waiter a credit card, a faster transaction (and possibly a higher table-turnover rate) and potentially better tips for the wait staff. The device walks the customer through adding pre-calculated tips (10%, 15%, 20% or other), all the way through printing out the signature slip and receipt.
The exhibition floor included a number of other products as well:
POS. A high-speed POS solution that can accept contactless forms of payment. ATM. An automated teller machine (ATM) option that has the capability of doing additional types of transactions such as money orders. Loyalty. A loyalty program that can use automated clearinghouse (ACH) debit transactions as a way to bypass high credit-card fees. Prepaid. Custom-designed, proprietary gift cards and debit cards tied to direct-deposit and payroll checks. Checks. Check-handling services that incorporate the electronic imaging.Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.