New £5 polymer notes featuring Sir Winston Churchill’s image are due to be launched in the second half of 2016, with new £10 notes – featuring Jane Austen

Source: www.talkingretail.com

The transition to polymer banknotes – which are around 15% smaller than existing notes – poses a number of challenges for retailers.

First and foremost is the need to upgrade or replace cash-handling equipment – such as note validators, cash counting equipment, ATMs, vending/self-service machines and smart safes.

Certainly, self-fill ATMs, which are replenished by retailers with daily takings, will pose the biggest headache. ATM cassettes can hold either polymer or paper notes, but not both. So, during the ‘co-circulation’ period when both notes types are prevalent, retailers may not receive the volumes of polymer necessary to replenish their new polymer-dispensing ATMs.

The upgrading of self-filling ATMs poses two issues. Firstly, retailers that don’t have enough polymer notes to fill their ATM will have to purchase extra notes from the bank. Secondly, retailers with (upgraded) machinery will have to bank all paper notes received from customers, as it will not be possible to recycle notes through their ATMs. Both scenarios incur a cost.

Retail Vending Automation – Aramark Leverages Micromarkets In Growing Healthcare Sector

Source: www.vendingtimes.com

Building on its relationship with the 1,200-bed Einstein Healthcare Network in Philadelphia, Aramark has introduced its Vibe micromarkets, providing employees and visitors with grab-and-go food items at any time of day or night. The company has provided patient and retail foodservice for Einstein Healthcare Network since 2009.

At southern New Jersey’s 607-bed Kennedy Health, Aramark has a new contract to provide both patient and retail foodservice at the system’s Cherry Hill and Stratford facilities and its Washington Township campus. The patient dining program at all three locations will undergo a transition to Aramark’s “room service” model, which works like a hotel, enabling patients to call orders for custom-made foods from a full menu at any time throughout the day. Food services will also include Aramark’s Healthy for Life program, designed to offer and promote better-for-you food choices.
– See more at: http://www.vendingtimes.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=EB79A487112B48A296B38C81345C8C7F&nm=Vending+Features&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&tier=4&id=DC9C1463008645EAA6EB4B4EC375472A#sthash.kgCnADze.dpuf

The report titled “India Retail Automation Market Outlook to FY’2019 – Driven by increase in FDI, Elevated Local Production and Demand from Small-Scale Retailers” provides a comprehensive analysis of the various aspects such as market size of the India retail automation industry, cash registers, point of sale terminals, barcode scanners, vending machines and automated fuel dispensers The report also covers the market dynamics of major retail automation hardware manufacturers in India.

Source: www.prnewswire.com

Retail automation industry in India, which is hugely driven by sale of cash registers and point of sale terminals, registered revenues of INR ~ million in FY’2014. The advent of new players in the segment along with accelerated demand has led to a stupendous growth rate of retail automation industry inIndia. Each segment in this market has been subject to a gamut of different factors such as foreign investments and adaptation of technology by the people that play an important role in determining their respective revenues. The retail automation industry in India has grown at a CAGR of ~% from INR ~ million in FY’2009 to INR ~ million in FY’2014.

The retail automation devices in India comprise of instruments such as cash registers, POS terminals, barcode scanners, vending machines and automated fuel dispensers and have witnessed a variety of players in each segment. Companies such as Motorola, Honeywell, VeriFone, IBM and TVS electronics are some of the major players in the retail automation sector in India. Moreover, the presence of SMEs in this market has escalated competition and led to the astounding growth of this industry. India has been an importer of major automation devices due to lack of manufacturing capacity. The manufacturing potential of the country has been under-utilized due to lack of confidence and technological capabilities. However, with the pro-business policies of the government to attract foreign direct investments in the country, local manufacturing of retail automation devices is expected to bolster in the future.

With 92% unorganized retail sector, the manufacturers of these devices have a promising opportunity to capitalize and generate revenues. SMEs will play a critical role in the development of retail automation in the coming years. It is more likely that the presence of numerous SMEs will disbalance the market dynamics of this industry.

Vietnam and China were the leading import partners of cash registers in India in FY’2014. The year FY’2014 witnessed a spike in volume sales of cash registers due to a higher demand from nations such as France, Australia and the UAE. Automatic vending machines in India have witnessed a growing demand from the FMCG sector. In the year FY’2014, food and beverages vending machines have accounted for volume share of ~% in the overall vending machines.

The market of retail automation devices in India has been changing at a brisk rate. Technological solutions at extremely competitive prices have significantly impacted the market. Revenues from the sale of retail automation devices are expected to expand to INR ~ million in FY’2019, growing at a CAGR of ~% from FY’2015 to FY’2019.

Key Topics Covered in the Report:
– The market size of the India retail automation market.
– The market size of the cash registers market.
– The market size of the POS terminals market.
– The market size of the barcode scanners market.
– The market size of the vending machines market.
– The market size of the automated fuel dispensers market.
– Market segmentation of retail automation on the basis of products, demand from end user industries, demand from metropolitan and non-metropolitan cities
– India Retail automation market trade scenario
– Trends and Development in the India retail automation market.
– Competitive landscape and detailed company profiles of the major manufacturers of India retail automation market.
– Future outlook and projections of the India retail automation market 

Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/3328513/

Given the huge importance of small merchants worldwide, it’s impressive how little attention has been paid to how inappropriate chip and PIN is for those merchants. (Note: There are 29 Million small businesses in the us. There are 55 million small businesses in Indonesia.

Source: paymentfacilitator.com

In the wake of the U.S. EMV liability shift that kicked in on October 1, there’s been no shortage of debate about Chip and PIN vs. Chip and Signature. Once again, our old friend, the Durbin Amendment, is having its say. And for all the high-minded security-oriented thoughts being dished out, along with the many biased special interests trying to influence the debate, the small and micro-merchant have been left out, as usual.

Make no mistake. I love EMV – its far better than mag stripe, but EMV is not synonymous with Chip and PIN, which i like far less.

There are very practical reasons why the U.S. EMV powers-that-be have shunned chip-and-PIN for chip-and-signature.  It’s primarily about putting the importance of adoption above security, given that security without adoption doesn’t do anyone much good, But small merchants need to avoid chip-and-PIN for a very different practical reason: they simply can’t afford it.

Chip and PIN is not conducive to very small merchants. It’s the chip part that obliterates counterfeit fraud and it’s the PIN part that is so very expensive for these smaller merchants. Mobile payments is not only where all of payments is headed, but it’s a far more cost-effective and immediate option for small merchants. They can use a chip-card reader plugged into a mobile phone or a tablet and it doesn’t need a PIN interface at all.

This gets even worse for restaurants, which on top of everything else have to deal with pay-at-the-table devices. Restaurants have a huge burden to upgrade and mobile is how to reduce cost or, at the very least, increase utility. The PIN in small merchants often amounts to wasted infrastructure and impressively expensive wasted infrastructure at that.

A payment facilitator, ISO or acquirer needs to think more innovatively, rather than just dishing out whatever products their partners are pitching this month. Unless they starting focusing on specific verticals, size categories and custom-built options, they are not going to capitalize on the changes that EMV is forcing. Those are some compelling opportunities they are leaving on the table.

It’s easy to see that large merchants get an excellent business case to accept Chip and PIN. We’ve seen large merchants agitating for a 100 percent PIN market in the U.S.. But there are disadvantages of PIN, especially for small merchants. As it is, in most of the world, the small merchants are the last to accept cards. Although Square has famously helped merchants in the U.S., there are much bigger challenges in markets that have Chip and PIN. Those merchants would have to spend more money for a Chip and PIN reader than would ever make sense. Let’s do some math.

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Overstock hopes the “smart” windows in its new headquarters will save money and help workers.

Source: fortune.com

Amazing stuff.

The Under Armour logo shows up on a lot of clothing and gear these days.

Source: www.baltimoresun.com

Under Armour is not in the phone charging business. Rather, the company has teamed with ChargeItSpot to provide kiosks where shoppers at Under Armour’s  Brand House stores, including in Baltimore, can store and charge their phones for free while shopping.

ChargeitSpot says it provides charging stations for retail stores, casinos, hospitals, malls, stadiums and other venues. The arrangement was confirmed by Under Armour.

Each kiosk contains eight charging compartments.  Shoppers enter their phone numbers and charge the device while shopping, then retrieve it by entering the phone number again.

Philadelphia-based ChargeItSpot offers a mobile app that can alert users when their phone battery is running low.

Current installation totals exceed 150 3D Savings Center Kiosks in NYC and LA retail locations CHATSWORTH, CA – October 27, 2015. Provision Interactive Technologies, Inc. (“Provision”),…

Source: kioskindustry.org

Current installation totals exceed 150 3D Savings Center Kiosks in NYC and LA retail locations

The ATM of the future could mean no card reader, no PIN pad and no touch-screen display.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Diebold said the entire transaction could be completed in less than 10 seconds. The new system is more secure than traditional ATMs, in part because you wouldn’t need a card and wouldn’t have to punch in a PIN, the company said.

Since Irving is only in the testing phase, it’s unclear when — or if — these devices will be rolled out on a broader scale. Citi didn’t immediately return a call for comment.

Diebold also unveiled a second futuristic banking concept on Monday that it calls “Janus.” It’s a dual-sided terminal that can serve two customers at the same time for in-branch customer service.

Related: Beyond the Wallet: Apple Pay ‘Cements the Future’ of Mobile Payments

“Our latest concepts embody a new era of banking and put the user experience at the top of the pyramid to connect consumers with their money when and how they see fit,” Frank Natoli, Diebold executive vice president, self-service technology, said in a press release. 

Poynt is bringing its Smart Terminal to market after securing $28 million in Series B funding.

Source: www.pymnts.com

Been waiting for this one — The Poynt Smart Terminal builds upon the trend of tablets being used as the point of sale, featuring two touch screens, the ability to integrate with existing payment systems and the ability to accept the latest payments technologies, which Poynt said makes it a “future-proof multi-purpose device.”

The company also announced that both the hardware and software of its Smart Terminal received PCI PTS, PCI-DSS and EMV certification.

The Poynt Smart Terminal builds upon the trend of tablets being used as the point of sale, featuring two touch screens, the ability to integrate with existing payment systems and the ability to accept the latest payments technologies, which Poynt said makes it a “future-proof multi-purpose device.”

The company also announced that both the hardware and software of its Smart Terminal received PCI PTS, PCI-DSS and EMV certification.