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Target's registers suffered a nationwide outage
Target can't quite escape its technical woes, apparently. The retail giant's registers suffered a roughly two-hour nationwide outage in mid-day on June 15th, preventing customers from making purchases (including in self-checkout lines) right before Father's Day. The company has only described it as an "internal technology issue," but stressed that an early review indicated this wasn't the result of a data breach or other "security-related issue." Customer wasn't compromised "at any time," Target added.
Heckler Design unveils attractive WindFall Cash Drawer for iPad point-of-sale systems (Updated)
For shopkeepers who want to keep their cash and receipts straight when they're using an iPad-based point-of-sale (POS) system, there are a few choices available for cash drawers. Back when Square announced the Business in a Box bundle, they company chose an iPad stand designed by Tempe, Ariz.-based Heckler Design. Now Dean Heckler and his team have announced availability of a full-fledged cash drawer. The WindFall Cash Drawer for iPad (Updated: will be part of a bundle priced at US$399) would look great in any store, and comes in black grey, grey white, bright red and hand-polished stainless steel. Heckler Design will be selling the WindFall Cash Drawer as part of its Modern Shop Hardware line, and store owners can also work with ShopKeep.com for a full point-of-sale solution that's an alternative to Square Register. As part of the bundle Heckler will sell, they're planning to include the new Star Micronics DK-AirCash wireless cash drawer controller and Star Micronics receipt printers. More info is included in the full press release below. Show full PR text Heckler Design Introduces a Sleek, Next-Generation Cash Drawer for iPad POS The WindFall Cash Drawer offers an innovative alternative to the traditional cash register PHOENIX (Aug. 6, 2013) – Heckler Design, a made-in-the-USA product design company, today introduced a stylish, modern alternative to the bulky, commonplace cash drawers currently available for tablet-based point-of-sale systems. The new Heckler Design WindFall Cash Drawer offers the smallest footprint and sleekest design of any cash drawer on the market today. The new drawer will be available to purchase through ShopKeep POS, a launch partner for the WindFall Cash Drawer. Made in the USA, it features heavy steel construction, an automatic drawer, innovative till layout, integrated mounting options, and compatibility with a variety of currencies. The drawer also integrates seamlessly with the WindFall stand for iPad, complete with secure mounting and cable management. WindFall Cash Drawer is a part of the WindFall Modern Shop Hardware collection by Heckler Design. It will be available in black grey, grey white, bright red, and hand-polished stainless steel. "The sheer size of the conventional cash register made them more of a barrier between the shop owner and customer and limited the ability to have a personal checkout experience," said Dean Heckler, founder of Heckler Design. "The WindFall Cash Drawer was designed to free up counter space, serve as a conversation piece, and deliver the best checkout experience possible. Now there is a sleek, aesthetically pleasing alternative to the traditional register." "Tablet-based point-of-sale has changed the look of the countertop forever, so it makes sense that the cash drawer should modernize too," said Jason Richelson, Founder and CEO of ShopKeep POS. "The WindFall Cash Drawer turns a functional piece of hardware into a stylish countertop design feature, following the same sleek lines as the classic WindFall iPad stand. "ShopKeep has been proud to offer Heckler Design products to our customers for almost two years. We were the first to sell the WindFall iPad stand, and we're excited to be the first to offer the WindFall Cash Drawer." This fall, in addition to its WindFall Modern Shop Hardware bundle, Heckler Design will offer a complete bundle for next-generation iPad-based point-of-sale, which will include the newly released Star Micronics DK-AirCash and Star Micronics receipt printers. The WindFall Cash Drawer will be available through ShopKeep POS with other popular point-of-sale solution providers to follow. It will also be available through www.HecklerDesign.com. About Heckler Design Heckler Design, known for its renowned OneLessDesk, creates beautifully simple, commercial-grade products for design-conscious consumers and businesses. Heckler Design's products currently include office furniture, desk accessories, iPad stands, and point-of-sale hardware. Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Tempe, Ariz., all of Heckler Design's products are designed by Dean Heckler and made in America. More information is available at www.HecklerDesign.com. About ShopKeep POS The simplest way to make smarter business decisions, ShopKeep POS is the affordable, complete platform for running a shop from an iPad with real-time reporting on the web or from your smartphone. Backed by award-winning customer care, the ShopKeep POS iPad App rings sales, accepts card transactions and mobile payments, prints and emails receipts, and can print orders remotely to the kitchen. At only $49/month merchants can manage inventory, employees, and customers and view ClearInsight® Reports from any web browser. Find out more at www.shopkeep.com.
The rising popularity of iPad as cash register
Over at Wired, writer Marcus Wohlson points out that the novelty of using an iPad or other mobile device as a cash register is beginning to disappear as that particular use case turns mainstream. The act of handing your credit card to an iPad-toting store clerk or coffee shop barista was unthinkable a few years ago and increasingly the norm in 2013. Wohlson brings up a recent study by UK industry firm Timetric that notes that between 2011 and 2012, the number of mobile point-of-sale systems used worldwide more than doubled. While Timetric's researchers don't believe that the rate of uptake will be as high in the future, it is expected that the percentage of checkout counters using such system will increase from about one in five last year to almost half by 2017. Wohlson posits that the popularity of some systems may put a damper on the use of near field communication (NFC) for payment systems in the future since the omnipresent iPad-mounted card reader makes continued use of traditional credit and debit cards more likely. The ability to use smartphones for multiple purposes and their ubiquity in pockets and purses around the world might some day make a cashless, cardless society a reality, but for the foreseeable future the plastic card being swiped at an iPad cash register seems much more realistic.
Isis partners with VeriFone, Ingenico, ViVOtech and Equinox, prepares to take over the world
So, you've got the carriers on board, and the banks and even the handset makers. Problem is, without compatible registers and point of sale terminals, your mobile payment tech is worthless. Thankfully Isis, the NFC wallet system that aims to crush Google's buzzed-about platform, just scored a host of partners including VeriFone and Equinox that make a pretty large chunk of world's payment terminals. Those companies, along with Ingenico and ViVOtech have agreed to support Isis on future hardware and, in some cases, update the software on machines in the field to communicate with the app. For a few more details hit up the PR after the break and prepare for the Isis invasion to kick off sometime towards the middle of the year.
Square wants Square Register and iPad to be your POS solution
Square is looking to expand its reach into retail using its new Square Register app for the iPad. This solution promises to replace the cash register and let small retailers process credit card payments, accept cash payments, list store products and track customer purchases. Similar to Square for the iPhone, the Register app and the credit card reader are available for free. Merchant must pay 2.75% per swipe for Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express. The new Register app works on iPads running iOS 5. There are no plans to bring the POS system to Android.
ShopKeep point-of-sale mixes iPad with cloud service for small retailers
WNYC reported this week on the emergence of the iPad for point-of-sale terminal use, particularly in small establishments that want to minimize the space requirements of a traditional register while adding a bit of Apple cachet to go with their cash drawer. Stephen Nessen's story highlighted a Brooklyn artisanal ice cream parlor, Ample Hills Creamery, which has deployed the ShopKeep POS system to handle the counter. Rather than requiring an in-store server to process transactions, ShopKeep's iPad app sends the sales data directly to the company's cloud service for reporting and accounting purposes. While the data transfer requires Internet access, an outage won't shut down your checkout line; the app will store all the transactions locally while offline and then batch them up to the cloud when service is restored. The company also suggests going with a hybrid Cradlepoint router that can instantly switch from conventional to 3G/4G wireless connectivity as needed, or work in mobile-only mode for food trucks or craft fairs. Basic service covering one register starts at $49 a month (that's BYOiPad, and you still need to buy your cash drawer, printer and other gear). ShopKeep, launched in August of this year, is reportedly intuitive and easy to use, but it's suited primarily for outlets with 20 270 items of inventory or fewer; large and complex stores apparently aren't a good match. While the iPad probably won't replace the vast majority of POS systems anytime soon, the fact that the 17-month old device has shown up subbing into retail contexts ranging from wine lists to menus to cash registers shows just how flexible this Swiss Army Tablet has become.