RETAIL AND TECHNOLOGY NEWS

Heartland Collaborates with PAX to Offer Secure EMV Terminals

Heartland Payment Systems, announced it has teamed with PAX Technology, Inc. to provide Europay, MasterCard, and Visa (EMV)-compliant payment terminals through its Heartland Secure™ card data security solution and comprehensive breach warranty.
 
EMV chip-based “smart cards” and terminals are considered to be safer than credit or debit cards featuring a magnetic stripe because they contain computer chips that are used to authenticate each transaction. On Oct. 1, 2015, the financial liability shifts to merchants who are not EMV-compliant in cases where a smart card is used for a fraudulent transaction at a standard terminal that only accepts a magnetic stripe. Fuel merchants have until October 2017 before the financial liability shifts to their industry because of the complexity of the point-of-sale (POS) terminals.
 
With Heartland Secure, a card data security solution that combines EMV, Heartland E3™ end-to-end encryption and tokenization, PAX can now provide merchants with the highest level of security available to protect against card-present data fraud. By removing card data from the transaction, Heartland Secure provides businesses with protection against POS intrusions, insider misuse and other common sources of data fraud by eliminating the opportunity for criminals to monetize card data.
 
PAX POSLink is part of the Heartland Secure suite of products for businesses, independent software vendors (ISVs) and value-added resellers (VARs) that wish to eliminate card industry data standards and implement EMV without the expense and effort to develop or certify. The PAX EMV-ready terminals are semi-integrated with the host POS system so card data does not enter the POS. Rather, transactions are securely routed through the Heartland Secure-certified PAX terminal to Heartland for authorization. This solution allows merchants to seamlessly meet EMV recommendations.
 
Key Highlights/Facts
Heartland recently certified the PAX POSLink out-of-scope solution with the S300 signature capture PIN pad on the Exchange front-end authorization system.
 
Certified configuration will provide both contact and contactless EMV, as well as support near field communication (NFC) for mobile payments, such as Apple Pay.
 
Heartland Secure combines:
EMV electronic chip card technology to authenticate that a consumer’s card is genuine;
 
The Heartland E3 end-to-end encryption technology, which immediately encrypts card data as it is entered so that no one else can read it; and
Tokenization technology, which replaces card data with “tokens” that can be used for returns and repeat purchases, but are unusable by outsiders and have no value.

Nationwide Starbucks POS Glitch Demonstrates Register Importance

A point-of-sale register outage caused a nationwide failure at company-operated Starbucks stores in the U.S. and Canada late Friday afternoon, as well as Evolution Fresh and Teavana stores.  The outage was caused by an “internal failure during a daily system refresh,” according to Starbucks, and was resolved by 5 a.m. last Saturday with stores opening for business as usual. 

Reports on how individual stores responded to the systems failure varied, with some stores giving away free products or accepting cash only. Many stores closed early Friday, according to a statement posted on Starbucks' website.

The national scale cash register malfunction shines a light on the sophisticated importance of such POS systems, which vary greatly in their capabilities. To give an idea of the size of this failure, there were 7,303 company operated stores in the U.S and 983 in Canada in 2014, according to Statista.com.

While POS systems have traditionally been used by retailers to scan merchandise and generate basic transactions, modern systems are much more complex than the cash registers of previous years. They now allow retail associates to support multiple operations and comprehensive omnichannel process flows such as sales tracking, inventory management, promotion management, strategic planning and budgeting, accounting, and loyalty management.

Top Retailers Race to Launch Apple Watch Apps

Kohl’s launched its app for the Apple Watch April 24, the same day the smartwatch officially became available. The Kohl’s Apple Watch app delivers customers access to savings on-the-go.

With the app, customers are able to scan Kohl’s coupons, Yes2You Rewards and Kohl’s Cash in retail stores during checkout.  The retailer seeks to offer a simple, yet highly personalized, shopping experience to its customers, tailored to their individual savings offers.

Amazon offers its customers a way to purchase goods in seconds, with the Amazon shopping app for the smartwatch. First available on Apple Watch in Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, U.S. and U.K., the shopping app offers voice search and quick tap features including 1-Click purchase and save to Wish List.

The app allows customers to search the Amazon catalog and find glanceable product information, such as product name, price, shipping information, product images and star ratings.

With the 1-Click purchase feature, Amazon customers can go from search to purchase in seconds, making it even easier to order millions of eligible items. If customers want to save an item for later, they can add any item to their Wish List. There is also the option to speak a shopping idea and save it as a note for later.

Apple Watch wearers will also have a new option for finding a caffeine fix. Starbucks released an update to its Starbucks app for iPhone that allows users in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. to synch with Apple Watch.

With the Starbucks app for iPhone® v3.2.5 installed and synced with Apple Watch, customers at participating stores will be able to quickly pay with their Apple Watch using Passbook.

Customers will also be able to view My Starbucks Rewards Star balance and track earned rewards, find nearby stores, including those with a drive-thru or Starbucks Reserve coffees, and see Starbucks Card balances and details.

Starwood Preferred Guest App for Apple Watch Enables Keyless Entry

Apple Watch lets you order an Uber, check into your flight, make a dinner reservation and now for the first time ever you can open your hotel room door all with the flick of the wrist. Starting today, members of Starwood Preferred Guest® (SPG®), the award-winning loyalty program from Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. have instant access to the #spglife thanks to the SPG App for Apple Watch.
 
Marrying high-tech and high-touch, the SPG app for Apple Watch is designed to anticipate and respond to the in-the-moment needs of guests from mobile check in, to opening their guest room door, to providing information like the hotel address, room number, confirmation number, and directions and SPG account information with just a glance of the wrist.
 
A tap of the finger gives instant access to in-the-moment features including:
Navigate like a Native: Leveraging state-aware technology, guests receive the hotel address and directions in both the default and the local language upon arrival in their destination city. Throughout a guest’s stay, the app shares transportation options including estimated costs.
 
Hassle-Free Check-in: Reservation details and confirmation number are front and center, ensuring a smooth check-in.
 
Unlock Your Stay: After registering for SPG Keyless, the Apple Watch will automatically send guests their room number and will function as their hotel room key at any SPG Keyless enabled Starwood hotel allowing guests to bypass the front desk (where available).
 
See into the Future: The app will display the hotel name, photo, and stay dates for up to four upcoming Starwood stays.
 
Track Your Status: Members can access their SPG account information, receive alerts about newly posted Starpoints, and get congratulated when they graduate to elevated statuses
 
You’re Speaking My Language: Currently available in English, the SPG App for Apple Watch will feature Chinese, Japanese, and Spanish languages.
 
SPG Members Increasingly Ditch the Key Card – SPG Keyless Up and Running in 100+ Hotels
In November, Starwood redefined the age-old way guests arrive and check-in to their rooms with the introduction of SPG Keyless, the hospitality industry’s first mobile, keyless entry system allowing guests to use their smartphone as a key. Starwood partnered with ASSA ABLOY, the global leader in door opening solutions, to create an all-new, Bluetooth-enabled lock and keyless software, which are designed to securely recognize and connect with a guest’s mobile device and now Apple Watch.
 
More than 130,000 SPG members in 130 countries have registered for SPG Keyless. Currently available in more than 100 Aloft, Element and W hotels, SPG Keyless is rapidly rolling out and will soon be available on 30,000 doors in 150 Aloft, Element and W hotels around the globe.