m-POS Options Bubbling with Square-Staples Promo, Sprint-Vantiv Venture (Nov. 5, 2013)
Square Inc. is turning up the heat in the m-POS race with a major promotion with Staples to drive sales of its Square Stand POS solution to smaller brick-and-mortar merchants. Square this week announced it will sell Square Stand, its hardware that converts an iPad into a POS device, at 1,000 U.S. Staples stores and at Staples.com. Customers may sample how Square Stand and Square Register work at many Staples stores as part of the promotion, and those that purchase a Square Stand this month will receive a $200 Staples gift card.
Square is aiming to lure “neighborhood retail locations” looking to adopt or expand their use of its m-POS service, the company said in an announcement. Square also sells its m-POS readers at retail outlets, including Apple Inc. stores, Best Buy and Starbucks in the U.S., as well as at London Drugs locations in Canada and Lawsons outlets in Japan.
In other m-POS news, Sprint and Vantiv Inc. today announced the rollout of a cloud-based tablet POS system powered by NCR Silver. Vantiv Mobile Checkout, which Sprint will sell through its retail, online and dealer channels, includes a suite of services enabling business owners to accept payments using a proprietary tablet with wireless connectivity to accept all types of payment cards with a cash drawer and countertop receipt printer, according to the joint announcement. The service also includes tools to develop email and social media marketing campaigns. Vantiv serves about 400,000 merchant locations nationwide.
