point of sale system

Target Since 1902 Target was Founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1902, the Target Corporation is one of the largest discount retailers in the United States and third largest in the world (based on sales). The company primarily generates most of its revenue from its U.S. division. However on January 22, 2011, Target expanded into Canada and as of the...

Although, California has remained faithful to our own In-N-Out burger chain, we have seen other East Coast joints like Five Guys have a prominent standing in the market. The New York based chain restaurant started out as a cart in Madison Square Park in July of 2004. Shake Shack, staying true to its name, is best know for its delectable...

Franchising is booming, both here and across the pond. FRANdata says demand for franchise units in the U.S. is expected to increase more than 12 percent in 2014, the highest rate of increase in five years. The UK has over 900 franchise operations. "The diversity on offer is substantial," writes Paul Stafford, public relations manager at the British Franchise Association...

Randy Vlasic and Alex Veinot have known each other since high school. After graduating from college, the two best friends ended up working together as sales executives for the same company. However, the two longed to open their own business. In a recent Franchise Players Q&A interview, Vlasic and Veinot talk with Entrepreneur.com's Kate Taylor about how they decided that...

In a series of posts on his website, KrebsOnSecurity.com, famed cyber security professional Brian Krebs, has written about Bebe, the latest retailer to suffer from stolen credit and debit card data at the point of sale (POS). "The most common way that thieves steal this type of card data is by hacking into cash registers at retail locations and planting...

  It has been nearly one year since the infamous Target breach that took place at the height of the 2013 holiday shopping season, resulting in the digital theft of 70 million consumer credit cards. And what a year it has been for consumers. In 2014 the disturbing trend of point of sale (POS) breaches in major retailers, and smaller...

Retail breaches at the point of sale have security vendors scrambling to better understand the situation ahead of the holiday shopping season. A recent post on eWeek.com looks at one report, issued by Cyphort, which analyzes some of the main culprits of point of sale malware. As the only full-service point of sale provider — from software development to franchise...

As consumers are poised at the advent of the holiday season, the recent security lapses at the retail point of sale continue to reverberate, and according to Wayne Rash writing for tech observer eWeek.com, it isn't looking great for brick-and-mortar retailers. Buyers continued to be worried about credit card security breaches to the point that Target revenue dropped dramatically after...

Retailers share the view that retail point of sale is under siege from online criminals. And now, ahead of the holiday shopping season, they're being asked to deploy a variety of new solutions designed to improve the retail experience for their customers. "And that puts an undue burden on retailers of all size," says Merchant Warehouse Chief Revenue Officer, Ken...

Security lapses at the retail point of sale continue to make news. The latest involves CurrentC, one of Apple's competitors in the hotly contested mobile payment space. In a business news website CNBC.com post on the recent breach, technology reporter Cadie Thompson writes that CurrentC, a mobile payment system backed by the Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX), "sent out an email...

As news about retail point of sale (POS) breaches continues unabated, information about how to better protect customers, and reputations, becomes paramount. The information technology channel observer Business Solutions Magazine (BSMinfo.com) ran a recent guest column by Andrew Bagrin, Founder and CEO, My Digital Shield is on topic in this regard, but his focus is more on the users than...

Particularly for the retail industry, the staggering amount of payment card theft at the point of sale is a hallmark of 2014. As such, in terms of consumer confidence and loyalty, validated cybersecurity is becoming a market differentiator. In a post by Tara McGraw Swaminatha and Aravind Swaminathan, both with the DLA Piper law firm, found on the business advisor...

As news about point of sale data breaches continues unabated, it is perhaps worthwhile to consider the issue from the criminal's point of view. One such example is a slideshow prepared by Russ Spitler, vice president of product management at the security management firm AlienVault, and part of a post on the website ITBusinessEdge.com, "From a Hacker's Perspective: How to Breach...

The nation's business press is taking note of Amazon's efforts to create tools and services for traditional brick-and-mortar retailers. "The recent launch of Amazon’s in-store credit card reader and checkout software was one of Jeff Bezos’s most deliberate acts to date to grab a slice of the 85 percent to 90 percent of total purchases that still happen in the physical world," writes Re/code columnist Jason...

The nation's pivot toward better-burger restaurants continues to gain momentum as rumors surface that Danny Meyer's Shake Shack is considering an IPO this year. In her online post, "Shake Shack Considering An IPO," Nation's Restaurant News editor and restaurant finance expert Lisa Jennings says, "The news follows an earlier rumor that the parent to the West Coast’s Habit Burger Grill chain...

Many businesspeople today are considering frozen yogurt franchising, and it can be helpful for them to read the story of how someone else found success in that arena. Brian Trager, for example, spent 20 years as an international businessman, a producer-exporter in Costa Rica, consulting in Vietnam and working in New York City startups before getting into frozen yogurt franchising...

The franchise formula has a proven track record, but many potential entrepreneurs may be wondering if they have exactly what it takes to become a successful franchisee. To find answers, consider Joel Libava's "10 Habits of Highly Successful Future Franchisees" post at Entrepreneur.com. "In order to be a successful franchise owner, you have to do a lot of things right...

Gourmet Hamburgers Fast food burgers are, well, done. In "Americans Are Totally Over Fast Food Burgers," the title of an interesting online article on The Huffington Post, Jillian Berman writes, "Some day soon, a burger and fries will no longer be the quintessential American fast-food meal." Berman's claim is supported by a recent report from analysts at Janney Capital...

What lessons may be learned from the problems plaguing Sbarro, RadioShack and Quiznos? In their recent post, " Why These Once Thriving Franchises Have Fallen on Hard Times," Entrepreneur.com looks at how the once-thriving franchises are facing bankruptcies, store closures, disgruntled franchisees and nightmarish marketing scenarios. "There are many aspects of franchising that have nothing to do with chance, such...

S&H Green Stamps set the foundation for the customer loyalty programs we see today. Beginning in 1896, participating retailers purchased the stamps from S&H that were then passed along to customers in accord with the dollar amounts they spent in stores. Customers then redeemed their stamps once they had accumulated enough for the item or items they wanted. Those who...

Restaurant franchising continues to be an attractive career change consideration for many Americans, in part because of proven business plans and methods. Therefore, it is imperative that potential franchisees understand what it takes to be successful within a given restaurant chain's franchising framework. Just as we happily share our vast point of sale experience and expertise with startup owners in...

News has arrived of "Backoff," another point of sale (POS) malware now plaguing retailers. In an Arstechnica.com post, "Stealthy New Malware Snatching Credit Cards From Retailers’ POS Systems," Backoff is described as a variant of the malware installed on point of sale systems that was used in a series of recent attacks by cyber criminals.  The post notes that the...

You're dreaming you heard about a hot "Product X" franchise opportunity. You see your future and follow your gut instinct. In the dream, you're a freshly minted franchisee, standing proudly in front of your new business beneath beautiful, crimson banners. In their post, the experts at BlackEnterprise.com suggest that, if you're dreaming of franchising, it's time to wake up to...

Dreaming of franchising? Fantastic! You're ready for a life change and the market is heating up. But before you take the plunge, make sure your due diligence includes interviews with existing franchisees who can say, "Been There, Done That." We strongly agree with an Entrepreneur.com post we spied, "Interviewing Existing Franchisees," and subtitled "When investigating a franchise, don't forget to...

FoxBusiness.com is reporting on how, in the response to the recent high-profile hacking incidents over the past year, technology is being developed to further security for credit card purchases. Expect to see a newly established global standard for credit cards called EMV, the acronym for Europay, MasterCard and Visa. The new EMV cards harbor computer chips and work with authentication...

Franchises can fail, but how and why? And how may failure be avoided? Franchising, licensing and intellectual property lawyer Tony Wilson shares some thoughts on the subject in an online report, "Why So Many Franchises Fail," at TheGlobeandMail.com. Just as we happily share our vast point of sale experience and expertise with startup owners in order to help them make...

News has arrived of the arrest being of one of the world's most prolific traffickers in stolen financial information. The U.S. Department for Homeland Security has announced that the Secret Service has arrested Roman Valerevich Seleznev. The Russian national known as "Track2" was originally indicted in the Western District of Washington in March, 2011 for allegedly carrying out breaches of...

Retailers have been tracking traffic and measuring conversion rates for decades, but are franchisors and their franchisees on the same page? And if so, who pays for it? Author Mark Ryski, CEO and founder of HeadCount, says, "I see a consistent disconnect between franchisors and franchisees when it comes to analytics, especially store traffic and conversion analytics." As the only...

Forbes.com is reporting on how, in the aftermath of the recent high-profile hacking incidents over the past year, technology is being developed to further security for credit card purchases. The hacks perpetrated against the likes of giant retailers such as Michaels, Neiman Marcus and Target have opened a view into the multi-million dollar business of credit card attacks designed to...

The Franchiser/Franchisee relationship is a lot like a marriage. Do You Take This Franchiser?Before you say, "I do," you may want to hear yourself say, "Due Diligence." We spotted just that sentiment in the article titled "Franchisees: Don't Say 'I Do' to a Franchisor Unless the Chemistry is Right," posted on Entrepreneur.com. Just as we happily share our vast point...

The National Restaurant Association (NRA) has released a new version of its Restaurant TrendMapper, an online subscription service that helps interested parties keep up-to-date with the latest economic indicators and trends in the restaurant space. We spotted the news in an item titled "NRA Releases New Version of Trend Mapper," at QSRMagazine.com (QSRM). Just as we share our vast point...

Most people imagine cybercrime as involving hackers from remote locations on the other side of the globe, breaking into servers to steal information and, as such, our involvement comes when the bank places a freeze on our credit cards. "Shockingly, this is not the case," reports ITPortal.com in their post, "How to Defend Against Physical Point of Sale Attacks." In...

USAToday.com has reported that P.F. Chang's China Bistro is investigating a possible data breach involving credit and debit card data that may have been stolen from its restaurant locations nationwide. The report in question comes from Brian Krebs' website KrebsOnSecurity.com, the same cybersecurity blogger who uncovered data breaches at Target earlier this year. As the only full-service point of sale...

Managing the time, money and resources you need to start your own business is not easy. From deciding on a business, creating a business and marketing plan to finding a location and getting a loan, securing an entrepreneur's rewards means first taking on plenty of risk. Or does it? For many individuals seeking to become their own boss, a better—and...

The appeal of franchising includes the fact that there are many, many franchising options available for consideration. That simple fact also means that the process of finding the right opportunity can be time-consuming. Fortunately, for an article titled "The Top Franchise in Every Industry," Entrepreneur.com has prepared what it refers to as its "Best of the Best list: the 97...

Gift Card Reports Today Sintel Systems is addressing what happens to your money and your reports when you sell gift cards. If you've made any gift card sales today you won't be receiving any of that money when you make your settlement for the night. Gift cards are a liability and should be looked to as a different entity from...

Image courtesy of FastCompany.com of article Starbucks's Shoddy Square Rollout Baffles Baristas, Confuses Customers Are you making plans to open up your prospective business? Sintel Systems understands that clients are always looking for the most cost efficient ways to open up their store by cutting costs where it is necessary. Many times clients come to us describing that they...

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) will continue to be affected by trends, some new and some continuing, according to the experts queried by ERP observer EnterpriseAppsToday.com. "The Top 8 ERP Trends for 2014," EnterpriseAppsToday.com's recent blog post is a fascinating read on the changes, and challenges, ahead for ERP. Time to start planning — for how you'll be making resource plans...

Change in the point of sale (POS) landscape is fast-paced and fraught with the creative destruction typified by new enabling technologies and business models. Take, for example, a post we spotted at PointofSale.com, "The New POS Model: Direct to End User?" The post states that the existing model of value added resellers (VARs), that of being middlemen between point of...

For today's retailers, taking care of business means enterprise resource planning (ERP); efficient, tightly integrated systems, including accounting, point of sale (POS), inventory control and forecasting. "The Top Five Signs Your Business is Ready for an ERP System," a recent article on ERP provider NetSuite's website NetSuite.com, provides a quick summary of the problems and frustrations addressed by enterprise resource...

The good news is that your merchandise is flying off the shelves. The bad news is, your merchandise is flying off the shelves — thanks to shoplifting. For this blog post, we flip things around and give you the bad news first, followed by some good news about how a robust POS systems from Sintel can be your greatest ally...

Based upon "Retail IT Forecast 2014: It’s All About the Consumer," a recent article at Business Solutions' IT Channel-focused website bsminfo.com, retailers proclaiming themselves as "consumer-focused" seem ready to walk the talk. Business Solutions surveyed its over 40,000 newsletter subscribers about their 2014 technology plans over a broad variety of disciplines, including in-store hardware and software, marketing & operations and...

With many of today's style-savvy retailers demanding both lower prices and higher aesthetics in their point of sale (POS) solutions, many value added resellers (VARs) recommend an iPad, or some other mobile tablets, in this style-starved market. From our insider perspective, that approach is unsustainable, penny-wise and pound foolish. Given the strong presence Sintel Systems has in the retail restaurant...

For today's retailers, taking care of business means mobile point of sale (MPOS). Cash registers have left the building, or are on their way out the door. "The Cash Registers Days Are Numbered," a recent article citing a Onepoll study on POS industry website PointofSale.com, states that over half of Americans believe the cash register is "outdated" and will be...

As retailers' information technology focus shifts from the front-of-house cash-collection to integrated systems with stock management and accounting capabilities, their Point of Sale (POS) systems, historically a standalone, front-end technology, are now being folded into Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. In an iStart.com feature, "Integrating POS with ERP Changes Face of Retail," Anthony Doesburg writes about the reasoning behind this...

The phenomenon and randomness of the Yelp user review continues to rattle small businesses, and restaurants in particular. Restaurants account for the largest slice of the Yelp pie (with shopping a distant second and nightlife an even-more-distant third), and estimates are that more than 40% of restaurant patrons review their experiences on Yelp.  Clearly, this is a topic that needs...

As a provider of integrated merchant accounts or credit card processing services, Sintel Systems is always working to bring value to our customers. To that end, here is a summary of some recent thinking on merchant credit card fees. No Free Lunch Do you know why merchant account fees cannot be guaranteed? Or why merchant account fees seem to have...

Given the horror stories of stores nearly crushed by deal-hungry customers, small business owners may be forgiven for their wariness over the daily deal. And yet, success stories abound — so the question is: How to strike a balance and achieve a daily deal program that works for a small business and its clientele? An answer may be found in...

Charged with adding value to any transaction, point of sale (POS) resellers see new opportunities in loyalty programs stemming from mobile payments and other commerce applications. As the only full-service POS provider — from software development to franchise incubator to ongoing support — part of Sintel's commitment to our customers and industry is to share ideas and information. Whether you're...

Call it a Tech-tonic Shift. Consumer devices are storming into organizations, causing great disruption and leaving entrepreneurs and corporate executives feeling less in control over what happens within the company's walls. It's a big challenge, but one that, if met successfully, will redefine how companies retain employees, engage consumers and make profits. As the only full-service point of sale (POS...

Louis Sullivan, the great American architect, coined his famous dictum, "Form ever follows function" — although across time, the word "ever" was dropped. Although Sullivan likely never ate frozen yogurt, the spirit of his phrase lives on in frozen yogurt entrepreneurial ingenuity. Take, for example, the recent story published on the Nation's Restaurant News (NRN) website, "Fro-Yo Chain Looks to...

Given the broad awareness of certain entrepreneurs' early success in their late teens or 20s (Gates, Jobs, Ellison, Dell, Zuckerberg, Brin and Page), expectations for entrepreneurial success would seem to skew in favor of the old saw, "Youth must be served." Lately however, that outdated adage is being tested and found wanting. In an earlier Sintel blog post we referenced...

If it ain't broke, don't fix it! The truth of this old bromide is found in modern franchising, and in particular, the retail frozen yogurt segment. "Although the popularity of the frozen yogurt franchise industry suffered a decline in the late 1990s, the category has been making a colossal comeback in the last decade, with a new generation of flavors, toppings, and...

Once upon a time, Samuel Goldwyn said, "I'll take fifty percent efficiency to get one hundred percent loyalty." So what's up with loyalty lately — specifically in the restaurant industry? Loyalty programs have grown to become an important driver in creating value for customers of many quick-serve and fast-casual restaurant brands. According to a report by Technomic, 82 percent of...

"Think you're past your prime?" asks Inc.com. "Think again." In an article entitled "Never Too Old To Start A Business," Inc.com references the Kaufman Foundation's annual Index of Entrepreneurial Activity, which points out that the number of new businesses started by older entrepreneurs aged 55 and over has risen to 23.4 percent, up from just 14.3 percent in 1996. We...

Call it Reta(i)liation. Five9, the Cloud contact center provider, recently released an infographic on what companies can do to prevent "customer rage." We came across a blog post discussing the infographic at VentureBeat.com. Retailers may want to sit down before considering the following findings: - 85 percent of all consumers say that, if their customer service needs are not met...