RETAIL AND TECHNOLOGY NEWS

NCR has expanded its relationship with PayPal to provide small and medium-sized businesses with technology that provides additional revenue opportunities and enables greater customer intimacy. NCR has also joined PayPal's "Cash for Registers" program, providing small merchants and businesses with incentives to modernize POS systems. 
 
There are currently eight million small merchants in the U.S. alone, according to NCR, that are underserved and could benefit from innovative POS technology. The experience with providing end-to-end solutions for enterprise companies, as well as the innovations it is driving through tis software platform, position it well to compete in this market alongside partners such as PayPal.
 
According to a study by IHL Group, 28% of North American retailers intend to "adopt mobile POS in some form by the end of 2014." The study also predicted that the mobile POS market will exceed $2 billion dollars in hardware and software sales this year. 2012 research by McKinsey and Company also found that up to 50% of small and medium-sized businesses are considering moving to a tablet POS or mobile POS system.

The founders of barHappy are pleased to announce the release of barHappy.com 3.0 and its corresponding iPhone app. BarHappy helps users quickly and easily locate food specials, happy hours, and entertainment events in their cities. With a growing network of approximately 115,000 users and a database of over 17,000 bars, clubs, and restaurants in 18 cities, barHappy offers something for everyone.

The website features a simple and stylish interface that allows users to conveniently find the information they're searching for and plan events with friends. Registered site users have the opportunity to earn barHappy rewards in exchange for rating and checking into establishments, creating outings, and adding establishments to their wishlist on the site. Furthermore, business owners are encouraged to manage their own profiles so that the information on the site is kept as current and accurate as possible.

The iPhone app works in conjunction with the barHappy website and allows users to search for local establishments based on any of the following criteria: special type, event type, establishment features, atmosphere, and sports teams. Matching results are displayed on a map along with the user's current location. The app is available for free on iTunes.

The most recent updates to the website and iPhone application include

• New specials search for finding the best specials and events as well as filtering results by time and location.
• A neighborhood filter that allows users to search within specific neighborhoods from both the 'Find' and 'Specials' search.
• A dynamic map layout providing users a new way to view and refine search results.
• An improved geo-located search providing results by nearest location.