Mobile Retail Technology

The adoption of Mobile devices for POS transactions is exploding worldwide as retailers and consumers alike get more accustomed to retailers asking for payment on mobile devices.  According to IHL Group, growth of new Mobile POS device shipments is expected to be over 95% worldwide and will surpass 108% growth in North America in 2014.

Not surprising that Lowe's has opted for dedicated mobile site. Catering to those technology groups (smartphone, tablet, desktop) is smart way to go.

Locations of items within a store much improved (though unverified).  Lowes is very much committed to improving the mobile app and their entire web integration though.

Smartphone penetration is higher in Canada than in the US. Couple that with Chip & Pin overhead at POS and easy to see mobile POS becoming the next standard (and then in US).

The iBeacons will reportedly be used in conjunction with an updated Apple Store app to provide location-based product information to customers. Notifications would then be sent to customers' mobile devices when they walk near items. At the point of sale, iBeacons would be used to inform customers about workshops, Genius bar appointments and in-store pickups.

To much talking about mobile, not enough doing something about mobile. Major retailers still can't seem to get it right, including Apple surprisingly.

Kohl's gets serious about mobile marketing in-store

A day afer Casey Carl of Target blog writeup here are some numbers to back up Carl.

Microsoft announced today that Delta Air Lines has handed out Windows Phone handsets to more than 19,000 flight attendants worldwide. The attendants will use the Nokia Lumia 820 with Windows Phone 8 to access an Avanade point of sale (POS) app that was built on the Microsoft Dynamics for Retail mobile POS platform.

Last autumn, Nordstrom implemented in-store technology that followed Wi-Fi signals of smartphones and other mobile devices to track customers' movements throughout the store. Much to displeasure of customers.

Walmart continues to ramp up its mobile in-store Scan & Go program by giving users the ability to clip coupons by tapping their smartphones and having the savings automatically applied when they check out.

The overwhelming presence of antiquated point-of-sale systems and infrastructure is currently preventing mobile from realizing its full potential in-store.

Consumers can transmit images directly from their ANDROID and APPLE Smartphones to a KODAK Picture Kiosk while in-store. Most recently, Target in the U.S. added wireless connectivity to its fleet of KODAK Picture Kiosks.

The retail chain works to tie its e-commerce technology closer together with an Oracle platform. The Top 500 web merchant aims to better serve consumers no matter whether they use computers or smartphones, or visit stores

NEW YORK - A Walgreens executive at Forrester's Forum For Customer Experience Professionals East said that the retailer has acquired 72 million loyalty members in the past nine months by focusing on mobile and digital as key components to an omnichannel approach.

Jack Dorsey interview includes new transaction flow with his mobile where he walks into a coffee shop and pays for his coffee without ever touching his mobile phone in his pocket.

S4 includes NFC capabilities and will be the first Samsung device to come pre-loaded with the Visa payWave applet in the embedded secure element. 

Users of the online city guide can take part in real world missions that let them collect rewards by visiting, say, three different art galleries in a six hour period or three participating bars in twelve hours.

Retailers that collectively account for $1 trillion in annual sales have shaken up the hotly competitive mobile wallet space by forming Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX), combining the "convenience of paying at the register with customizable offers," according to a statement released today.

The Hertz Corporation (NYSE:HTZ) announced today that its Hertz Gold Plus Rewards members may now select an upgraded or different rental vehicle via their smartphone. Hertz Gold Plus Rewards members are offered a range of cars on their smartphone which they can instantly rent in lieu of the reserved vehicle. 

With the surging mobile user segment coupled with cloud computing, we have a host of new options for touchscreen friendly interfaces.

Intercede announced the availability of its MyID CardChecker App for Apple iOS. This app enables government agencies and enterprises to read and display electronic information from PIV, PIV-I, commercial identity verification (CIV) or TWIC smart cards on an iPhone or iPad.

Publix Deli Online Easy Ordering, an initiative enabling online order placement of custom sub sandwiches, wraps, and sliced meats and cheeses in the Southeast grocery chain's deli department, has rolled out to 50 stores in select markets within its operating area.

Here is company moving aggressively..."We are planning to invest 10 percent of our global marketing budget in mobile activations and channels across the entire consumer journey. Our goal is to become one of the top mobile marketers in the world. And Mobile Futures demonstrates how committed we are to get there."

McDonald's customers will now be able to order and make payments via Apple's Passbook. AIRTAG, the company behind the fast food chain's mobile ordering and payments application, GoMcDo, is integrating Passbook. Prepaid orders are retrieved at McDonald's by scanning a QR Code or smartphone on the NFC compatible unattended "Easy Check-In" kiosk.

Monica Hachem, from the NCR solutions marketing team, and Jennie Johnson, from the NCR human factors engineering group -- did a Q&A on the evolving self-service marketplace and growth areas worth watching.

Walgreens will launch its customer loyalty program, Balance Rewards on September 16, 2012. Shoppers can register online or in stores to accrue points based on purchases at Walgreens and Duane Reade, filling prescriptions, receiving immunizations, or even through participating in the retailer's wellness initiatives

With engineering and product talent from places like Adobe, IAC, LinkedIn, Zynga and Yahoo and a head of platform from SecondLife, Grant has built an industrial strength, highly intuitive web product with an analytics back-end that convinces health plans to pay lots of money to engage their members in this clever new way.

QThru™ announces the launch of its mobile platform--a new technology for retailers that enables shoppers to scan items with a smartphone as they shop, facilitating an incredibly efficient checkout from their phone. The QThru system has had a successful test market deployment in the Seattle area.

Article on BI describing the missteps of Microsoft and Phone 8.  Specifically no upgrade path from 7 to 8 so their advice to consumers is do not buy Windows Phone 7 phones in the meantime. Wait till October.

Related articles

• Microsoft announces Windows Phone 8 (brslifestyle.wordpress.com)
• Sorry, But Microsoft Screwing Windows Phone Fans Is the Right Thing To Do [Windows Phone 8] (gizmodo.com)
• Microsoft Windows Phone 8 Preview. (ramanan50.wordpress.com)

New retail technology by IBM lets shoppers scan items to purchase with a smartphone and then head directly to a self-checkout station to pay.

California's The Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA) are launching a free app for iPhone and Android that enables FasTrak accountholders to access and manage their Toll Roads' account via mobile phone (view press release). The solution, claims the TCA, is the first of its kind in the US

In June, NCR is slated to launch NCR Silver, a new product that will enable merchants to accept payments via iPad or iPhone, just like solutions from Square, Intuit, and PayPal.

Following a successful 51-store pilot program, Home Depot will roll out PayPal's mobile payment option chainwide to 2,000 stores by the end of March, according to published reports. 

Only in Beverly Hills can you stop and pick up a cupcake at an ATM

VendScreen, developed at his Northeast Portland operations base a half-mile from his alma mater, is an Android-based platform that connects vending machines to 3G technology. The touch-screen device accepts payments, displays ads and manages inventory, connecting manufacturers to consumers at the point of sale and giving operators a direct, cloud-based connection to their machines. 

Article by Zebra on CSNews Retail Technology. Shortening time for customer checkout and enabling your own sales labor force to be more effective are the twin points.

Proximiant's platform makes it simpler to manage rewards, refunds or exchanges. Plus rewarding the user.

ShoWare™ by VisionOne, Inc. today announced two new innovative additions to its ticketing software system, including the introduction of mobile ticketing and a ticketing kiosk product. 

ArmorActive Inc., a tablet kiosk hardware and software development company from Utah, is the first company in the market to design and manufacture sleek kiosk enclosures for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Kindle Fire.

Article on best mobile apps + video of new Shopkick 

Here is complete article off digitalscreenmedia with my predictions.

According to MEC, 200 posters equipped with NFC chips or stickers have been installed in "NFC shelters" around Singapore. NFC phone users can tap their handsets against the posters or scan a QR code to download content.

Turns out Galaxy S Androids won't be able to move up to Ice Cream Sandwich. Froyo users are stuck.

i Display, an innovative Digital Signage solutions company, announces the launch of the new i View Android a revolutionary interactive retail digital display powered by the Android

Across markets, smart phones are being used for more than phone calls, texts and email. It is easy to focus on brand new functions, but the biggest impact may be in the way people interact with long-standing services. Handsets are changing banking, retailing, marketing, health care, public service delivery and virtually every other aspect of modern life-including campus card programs.