Don t Miss Your Chance to Become an Android POS Trusted Advisor Your retail and hospitality customers are anxious about how they can capitalize on the latest POS platforms and solutions to improve their customers experience. Are you prepared to help them?
You don t have to dig too deep into the latest news headlines to discover there s a major revolution happening in the retail and hospitality vertical markets. Consider these analyst statistics for starters: 1. IHL Consulting predicts that by 2015, more than 2.7 million tablets per year will be sold to retailers for use as POS devices and consumer information tools. 2. An Aberdeen Multi-Channel to Cross-Channel benchmark report revealed 34% of retailers are pressured by customer expectations of relevant promotional offers and other business and personal information, regardless of channel. The second highest POS-related pressure was growing consumer dependence on the mobile device as a primary consumer shopping vehicle. In this report, we ll explore the challenges and opportunities facing VARs (value added resellers), systems integrators, and ISVs (independent software vendors) as they try to adapt their IT hardware, software, and services offerings to meet their customers evolving POS needs. In addition to examining some of the latest research, we ll explore the options and advantages for selecting a POS platform built on a mobile platform and show you why this is a good fit for many retail and hospitality businesses.
The POS Platform Debate (A.K.A Choosing Your Religion) For years, the Windows OS has been the de facto standard for most POS solutions. Anyone who s familiar with Windows is also familiar with the shortcomings of this platform: constant virus threats, frequent security and software update patches (i.e. Patch Tuesday ), inconsistent performance, and long POS operator learning curves. Contrast this experience with the mobile computing world of the smartphone and tablet PC, which are so intuitive to use that they typically don t even require instructions. Not only are such devices easy to use, their popularity is growing at a staggering rate. A study conducted by isuppli, for instance, predicts the number of smartphones shipped per year will double between 2009 (approximately 200 million units shipped) and 2013 (450 million units will be shipped). Could the wild popularity of smartphones hold a secret to success in other IT categories like point of sale? If so, where would one even begin such a search? Unlike the desktop PC world, there are a myriad of platforms to choose from. The top six mobile platforms include: Windows Mobile, Windows CE, ios, Android, Palm, and Linux. The mobile platform is a highly debated topic, and it s almost certain to one day be added to the list of things you shouldn t discuss at the dinner table, like religion and politics. You ll find champions for Palm s operating system, citing its low energy consumption. Linux advocates will preach passionately about the value of the open source community. Others are big advocates of the Windows CE mobile platform, which claims a whopping 57% market share, according to a 2012 study on rugged handheld/pda form factor shipment study conducted by VDC. However, just because a platform has become well established in the manufacturing, warehouse, and distribution arenas, doesn t mean it s necessarily the best choice for your retail and hospitality customers needs. Consider what s been the primary driver behind the explosion of smartphones and tablets among consumers. It s the apps. So, what does that fact have to do with your customers IT solutions? Those apps are playing a key role in how consumers are interacting with retailers and making buying decisions. Here s a common scenario: a customer walks into a store, finds a product that interests them, and then uses their smartphone to scan the item to see where they can find the same item cheaper either at another brick and mortar store or online. Many retailers are lamenting the fact that their customers are now more informed than their store associates. Even though Windows CE developers may dominate this traditional space, their range of application offerings pales in comparison to Android s and Apple s app stores, which boast more than 600,000 apps each. Building an app on one of these platforms will help retailers get on the same playing field as their customers.
Apple Vs. Android And, if you re an ISV that s really on your game, you may be able to help your customers by developing apps for the Android and ios app stores that they can share with their customers and boost customer loyalty in the process. So, the next big decision you have to make is whether you re going to offer a POS solution based on Apple s products and platform or whether an Android solution makes more sense. Let s take a look at a few key considerations for each option. APPLE With Apple products, your ios and most of your application choices are already made for you. Apple s decision to control the hardware and software has been a driving factor in its success. Apple products are well made, and because of their popularity, the learning curve for training is short. While all these positives are nice qualities in a solution, consider the following downsides: 1. Apple is first and foremost a consumer manufacturer, not a B2B company. You won t be able to earn profit margins on the hardware, and there s not much differentiation you ll be able to offer on the software side either. 2. Apple products are built with consumers in mind; they re not designed for more demanding commercial use. For situations involving exposure to high or low temperatures (e.g., fast food restaurants), or if the devices will be used over concrete floors, you ll need to consider the cost of downtime to your customer and factor that into the cost of your solution. 3. Apple s iphone, ipad, and ipod touch all lack USB ports, which seriously limits your choices of peripherals such as bar code scanners, cash drawers, printers, and mag stripe readers you can bundle with the devices. 4. Device theft is another key consideration. When a store associate sets an ipad down and becomes distracted, the device can be easily slipped into a thief s jacket and within a few minutes of leaving the store, the device can be wiped clean via the built-in hard reset feature.
Apple Vs. Android ANDROID Android, on the other hand, is a Linux-based operating system that was developed by the Open Handset Alliance, led by Google, and is used on several manufacturers devices. As an operating system, it allows ISVs to create managed codes in Java. Not only does Android provide an operating system (including a development environment via the Play Store), it also offers a virtual machine for running applications and acts as the middleware between the OS and code. Android supports 2D and 3D graphic libraries and advanced network capabilities such as 3G, Edge, wireless LAN, and a customized SQL engine. Here are a few more reasons to consider an Android-based solution: 1. Android is used by a lot of hardware manufacturers. And, unlike with Apple, resellers are not limited to just using consumer-grade hardware. 2. With Android, VARs, integrators, and ISVs have the option to choose among several off-the-shelf software applications, or they can develop their own customized software for the Android platform. 3. Unlike ios, Android is starting to appear on hardware devices designed for the workplace. In many cases, these devices are sold by channel-friendly companies, which allow channel partners to earn margins on the hardware. 4. The latest Gartner statistics show Android having a 37% market share advantage over ios (52% to 15%, respectively). What s more, Android is continuing to grow in popularity, which means there will be even more software and hardware experts and choices in the future. 5. Because of the array of choices available, resellers can more easily differentiate themselves and earn additional profit margins on software and services. Even though there are several compelling reasons listed above highlighting the benefits of an Android-based POS solution, there are a few important pitfalls you need to be aware of: 1. Security. Resellers and ISVs need to ensure their Android based systems are protected by the latest antivirus, firewall, and password authentication solutions to ensure customer data is protected. Also, because many of these devices will be prone to theft, it s important to incorporate software that can remotely shut down and/or wipe clean a device in the event it is stolen. 2. Hardware. One of the downsides of going with an open standard is that among the many hardware choices there are bound to be some lemons in the mix. Even though an Android-based POS solution is a good, low-cost solution for many of your retail, hospitality, C-store, and grocery customers, make sure you select hardware from a reputable vendor, to avoid costing your customer more money in the long run in repairs and lost productivity.
How The Casio VX-100 Fits Your Customers POS Needs As point of sale technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, channel partners will be challenged to align their product and service offerings with POS solutions that meet evolving customers needs. Future-proof POS solutions will rely on flexible technology platforms that allow resellers and ISVs to offer greater customization and enhanced functionality while ensuring the solution is reliable and meets the latest mandates for payment security. As a pioneer in the development of Android based POS solutions, Casio created the VX-100 with resellers and ISVs in mind. The VX-100 is an Androidbased POS terminal designed specifically for the POS industry that offers both an embedded application and an open platform. The embedded application out of the box is a powerful application with new features not found on previous models, and it is designed specifically for hospitality and retail applications. The open platform also allows the option for software companies to develop and run their software on the VX-100. In addition to featuring state of the art Android technology, resellers also get the assurance of providing their customers with a secure, energy-efficient solution. The VX-100 incorporates flash ROM technology, and therefore does not require a cooling fan, nor does it use a hard drive. To top it off, the VX-100 supports the latest security standards. Highlights of Casio s embedded application include a customer loyalty database file, a reservation application, and the ability to e-mail reports. Standard table service and quick service functionality can be found on the standard software, also. On the open platform side of the VX-100, Casio provides a software development kit (SDK) to POS software companies. The open platform side of the VX-100 allows the terminal to leverage a variety of software applications to run on the VX-100 that are designed for various businesses. Casio s SDK facilitates a variety of software application development opportunities for independent software vendors. Casio is one of the first to market POS systems offered on an Android based platform. To find out more contact Casio at www.casio.co.uk
Conclusion There s no stopping the POS revolution and its impact on your retail and hospitality customers. Smartphones and ubiquitous connectivity are empowering consumers like never before and retailers and hospitality businesses are looking for new ways to keep these customers engaged. This can be a daunting reality for POS VARs that have become used to a business as usual approach to selling POS. However, those VARs, integrators, and ISVs that are willing to look into new solutions now and select and implement hardware, software, and services that meet their customers evolving needs will find new business opportunities and new streams of revenue for years to come.