4 Critical Considerations when Purchasing a POS System

Point of Sale Systems

So, you are considering a POS system purchase? The company that you choose to purchase a system from will become your new business partner.

Consider the fact that all of your revenue will flow through this system and your success or failure will depend on this system serving you and your customers. That’s a very important position within your organization!

Selecting the proper system and the proper systems provider is extremely important for your business success. Consider the following points before you select your new POS partner.
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EMV “Chip and Pin” & “Chip and Signature” Coming to the US in October 2012.

Merchants accepting VISA and MasterCard can greatly reduce fraud and increase card data security due to new technology designed to ensure secure smartcard payments, assuming you upgrade your POS system.

This smartcard technology, long used in Europe, is finally coming full swing to the United States.

That means merchants will have to upgrade point-of-sale systems to accommodate the new technology, known as EMV. EMV, which stands for Europay, MasterCard and Visa, adds dynamic data to transaction process to prevent skimming and other fraudulent practices. EMV will apply to “chip and PIN” and “chip and signature” payment cards.
Continue reading EMV “Chip and Pin” & “Chip and Signature” Coming to the US in October 2012.

3 ways POS mobile technology can increase customer experience and fatten your wallet

By now you have probably heard about the rising trend in mobile technology in the retail environment.

A survey done by IHL Group found that 61% of retailers rate mobile technology as their top priority. This increased interest in mobile technology has spurred retailers to begin moving beyond basic transaction processing and begin integrating POS systems with marketing, merchandising, inventory, and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) data. This allows retailers to provide a personalized and interactive experience for consumers. Nearly two-thirds of retailers have identified the mobile POS device as central to this shift, extending the customer’s experience outside of the traditional shopping lane and onto the floor, decreasing wait time while increasing employee/consumer interactivity through integration and engagement.
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Easter sales will jump past $16 Billion, According to NRF

Kathy Grannis
www.nrf.com/consumertrends

Washington, March 20, 2012

It seems even high prices at the pump can’t keep the Easter Bunny away this year.

According to NRF’s Easter spending survey, conducted by BIGinsight, Americans will shell out an average of $145.28 on everything from apparel and candy to food and decorations this year, up 11 percent from $131.04 last year. Total spending is expected to reach $16.8 billion.*

“Though the price of gas is on everyone’s mind, Easter is one of the few holidays some consumers are willing to stretch their budgets, especially because many children look forward to treats and new outfits on Easter morning,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. “Retailers will make sure to offer plenty of promotions on candy, apparel, food and decorations in the coming weeks for eager holiday shoppers.”

Retailers and Restaurants will benefit

According to the survey, those celebrating Easter have a hefty appetite for candy and new spring clothes. Nearly half (48.5%) will head to the stores to take advantage of retailers’ spring sales on colorful fashions and accessories, with total spending on those items expected to reach $3.0 billion. Most though, will head straight to the candy aisle (89.3%), shelling out more than $2 billion on traditional favorites such as chocolate eggs and jelly beans. The average person will spend more on these items as well: $26.11 on apparel, up from $21.51 last year, and $20.35 on candy, up from $18.55 last year.
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Top 5 reasons a point of sale system is better than a cash register system

One thing all business owners have in common is the need for some type of cash management system to process sales. The typical cash management system has a life span of between 10-15 years with upgrades every 5-7 years. Due to the many years of service a business owner can expect from their system, it is important to choose the best option now and for the future. But what should you choose a cash register system or a point of sale (POS) system?
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Restaurants expected to reach record sales in 2012

National Restaurant Association’s 2012 Restaurant Industry Forecast Reveals Economic, Workforce, Technology and Consumer Trends

February 01, 2012

(Washington, D.C.) Despite sluggish recovery by the nation’s economy, the restaurant industry is projected to expand in 2012, according to the National Restaurant Association’s 2012 Restaurant Industry Forecast released today. Total restaurant industry sales are expected to reach a record high of $632 billion in 2012 – a 3.5 percent increase over 2011, marking the second consecutive year that industry sales have topped $600 billion.

In addition, the restaurant industry will continue to fuel U.S. employment in the year ahead as the nation’s second largest private sector employer. Overall restaurant industry employment will reach 12.9 million in 2012, representing 10 percent of the total U.S. workforce.
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POSitouch 2012 webinar now available online – See what you missed!

DCR POSitouch 2012 Webinar video is now available!

For those who might have missed it or might want to review the topics covered, we have cut the video into 3 parts to make finding the content you want easier. This year we dicussed PCI general info, ways a breach occurs, consequences of a breach, PCI-DSS requirements and rTools remote management suite.

Watch the webinar now!

POSitouch Webinar 2012

DCR is excited to invite you to our annual POSitouch Webinar!

Jan. 10th 2012 – 9:30 am CST

This year we will be covering PCI compliance, how you can safeguard your business against a breach, as well as from the potential fines and fees associated with non-compliance. We will also talk about Quick Menu options, use, features and more!
RSVP Today!

RSVP today to reserve your spot and get 25 free mag cards for registering before January 3rd and attending the webinar

http://dcrpos.com/blog1/positouch-2012-webinar-rsvp/

Revised payment-processing guidelines will go into effect Jan. 1 for restaurateurs accepting credit or debit cards

Excerpt from QSRmagazine.com

Author: Barney Wolf

Restaurants and other businesses that capture and store credit and debit card data on their computers will be required to meet updated security standards beginning next year.

Version 2.0 of the guidelines, developed by the PCI Security Standards Council, doesn’t include major new requirements. Instead, it contains some revisions and clearer guidance for merchants and others who must make sure that security meets the council’s criterion. The new version was announced in late October and becomes effective January 1. Systems that met the standards’ previous version have additional time to make sure they comply.

Data theft can have severe repercussions for merchants. They may suffer financial losses, fines from card providers, and, more importantly, damage to their reputations, which would create long-term consequences, such as losing customers and sales.

To help small businesses comply with PCI standards, the council updated its website, www.pcisecuritystandards.org, to include more user-friendly language, forms to help merchants self-evaluate their compliance, and a list of software that meets the guidelines.

The updated PCI standards will be covered in greater depth, followed by a question-and-answer period, during a webinar at 3 p.m. (Eastern Time) November 16 and at 11 a.m. (ET) November 18. To register go to https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/training/webinars.php.

Read the whole article here!

DCR is commited to providing our customers with validated payment applications and RSPA PCIwise certified technicians to assist in maintaining PCI compliance.

NGA calls for action to oppose legislation to repeal swipe fee reforms

Representatives Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) and Bill Owens (D-N.Y.) are introducing legislation in the U.S. House to repeal the Durbin Amendment, the debit-card interchange fee regulation in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform & Consumer Protection Act. In comes H.R. 3156.H.R. 3156 is the latest attempt to repeal swipe fee reforms which recently went into effect on October 1, 2011 to the benefit of Main Street merchants and consumers. The swipe free reform places a cap on per-transaction swipe fees that banks charge retailers when purchases are made via debit cards. The old fee was approximately 44 cents per transaction. The amendment limits this to about 21 cents per transaction.

The legislation would cost consumers more than $6 billion a year in savings that merchants plan to pass along to their customers, the National Retail Federation (NRF) said. “This misguided legislation would take billions of dollars in savings away from American consumers,” added Duncan, chairman of the Merchants Payments Coalition (MPC) and senior vice president and general counsel of the NRF.

“The banks tried to stop this law from being passed, they tried to delay it once it was passed, and they managed to water down the amount merchants and consumers will save. Now that it’s just barely taken effect, they are trying to repeal it before anyone can benefit. Congress needs to stop doing the bidding of the banks and think about the people who paid for the bank bailout not so long ago–consumers and Main Street merchants.”

N.G.A. President and CEO Peter Larkin wrote Members of Congress recently urging opposition to this misguided legislation and urges those concerned to contact their Representatives.

Sources:
CSP Daily News, Bill Would Repeal Swipe-Fee Reform, Oct. 13 2011
http://www.cspnet.com/news/services/articles/bill-would-repeal-swipe-fee-reform

National Grocers Association

www.nationalgrocers.org/