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Casio Launches app Store for Business Applications
Business Portal opens with five applications designed to help the high street fight back
London, August 14th , 2012 — Casio has launched its new Business Portal, casiobp.co.uk with five new software apps designed to help businesses get the most from their Android™ platform based EPoS systems. In addition to software apps, the on-line store provides access to Casio’s UK dealer network and product information about new hardware and services.
The first five apps (listed below) will help retailers fight off growing competition from online shopping by improving ways to interact with customers, make upselling simpler, help generate new revenue streams, and handle stock control and sales reports more efficiently.
Using the new business portal, users can access and download trial software for each of the AndroidTM business applications from the Casio Business Portal using their computer or directly onto the new Casio VX-100 EPoS terminal, the world’s first electronic point of sale terminal to run on Android. Autumn 2012, retailers will be able to download apps directly onto the new Casio V-T500 Tablet. The apps can be trialed free-of-charge and installed without the need for an engineer to visit. When retailers are ready to buy an app for roll-out to a number of PoS terminals, the apps can be purchased directly through the Casio portal.
Guy Boxall, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Casio Business Solutions explains: “The first apps on our Business Portal will allow our customers to start offering new services in their shops quickly. Sending personalised email receipts to a customer, Twitter and email marketing, offering new ways to pay and adding dedicated buttons to their tills for the most popular transactions, won’t mean reconfiguring the system with lots of time spent on implementation.”
Casio is now looking for additional business innovations and services to join the launch partners, YReceipts, EPOS Partners, Hospitality Technology, AirPOS and AlfaRichi – in support of this brand new initiative, that will help retailers and businesses in the UK drive an improved level of sales and service.
“The possibilities of using Android-based apps in an EPoS scenario are endless.” Boxall added. “As we’ve seen with mobile phones, the only thing that limits what these apps can do is the imagination of the developer. Retailers are looking for ways to compete with the ultra-personalisation and convenience of online shopping, and our technology is changing things on the high street. This is a real world-first.”
Casio’s new business portal will be a Cloud-based solution that is hosted by IT services firm Phoenix, via its data centre based in Welwyn Garden City. John Hall, sales and marketing director at Phoenix commented, “With a longstanding history in the retail sector, where we currently support over 50 per cent of all high street retail PoS in the UK, Phoenix is ideally placed to support Casio’s business portal.”
Hall explains “From our initial conversation it was clear that flexibility, security and uptime were key requirements, and therefore by hosting this new Cloud based solution at our Welwyn Garden City data centre, we are able to provide Casio with the necessary hardware, managed services and support to grow and scale the business.”
About the apps
YReceipts
The YReceipts app enables retailers to offer custom designed email receipts in retail stores. Retailers can run targeted campaigns on each receipt to generate incremental revenues. With every YReceipt, retailers can capture email addresses, receive real-time customer feedback, encourage social media buzz and do more to get the most out of the consumer. Shoppers simply ask for an email receipt at the till. A purse or wallet of paper receipts is no longer required.
EPOS Partners
Cervello-lite is the latest in the modular Cervello suite of products; designed for touchscreen POS terminals, delivering an entry level modern alternative to the traditional cash register. Out of the box, Cervello-lite delivers fast entry keys – ideal for FMCG, bars, cafés and convenience stores, with in built basic sales reporting analytics. Additional features of Cervello-lite include, item enquiry and price override functionality, as well as dynamic ‘fast selling lines keys’ to quickly complete transactions. Businesses can optionally add e-receipts for a more environmentally friendly retail system that can better connect them with their customers.
AirPOS
AirPOS is portable, affordable cloud EPoS and e-commerce software that provides retailers with a complete solution to easily manage a multichannel sales environment. Unlike EPoS systems of old, AirPOS is an integrated cloud-based platform, providing real time visibility across inventory, financial data and customer information. Costs are also minimised by removing expensive maintenance contracts and installation engineers. By making big retail style technology affordable, AirPOS offers even the smallest merchant the ability to sell on multiple channels and scale their operations.
Hospitality Technology – Hotelier Lite
Hotelier Lite is an easy-to-use but comprehensive reservation management software solution incorporating a Graphical Booking Calendar showing all your reservations, unconfirmed, confirmed, check-ins, and check-outs. It includes Guest Billing, Financial Reporting, and many other tools to help with the day to day tasks within a hotel. Hotelier Lite is ideal for single-site hotels, guest houses and B&B’s that need a simple to use system, but with sophisticated features.
AlfaRichi
AlfaRichi was originally designed for bakeries, but is also ideal for cafés, coffee shops, and takeaway food. Once AlfaRichi software is installed and configured it will permanently communicate with the cloud server so that all sales data is instantly available anywhere and any changes to products, prices, screen layouts are immediately updated on the terminal. When there is no internet connection, the software will continue to work and sales can be made normally. When internet is available again, all data is transferred to the server and is available on line. AlfaLine web based back office is an integral part of the software and is used to create product and price data, and to view sales and stock in real time. Business can optionally add e-receipts for a more environmentally friendly retail system that can better connect them with their customers.
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About Phoenix
Established in 1979, Phoenix is one of the UK’s leading Cloud and hosting providers, delivering IT infrastructure services through a compelling portfolio of end-to-end IT solutions focused on optimised availability for both Cloud solutions and more traditional environments. Fully listed on the London Stock Exchange, Phoenix has a turnover of £264m and employs over 2,300 people. For more information, please see: http://www.phoenix.co.uk/
About Casio
Since the launch of the Casio Computer Company in Japan in 1957, the company has been guided by the core principles of ‘Creativity and Contribution’. Casio is a vibrant, energetic and innovative brand that sustains its competitive edge by seeking new and improved approaches to meet customer demands. Well-known around the world for its consumer electronics products such as calculators, watches, digital cameras and electronic pianos, Casio also has a strong business to business heritage. Our objective is to improve people’s lives by developing groundbreaking technology, rugged and energy efficient products and delivering this with a level of customer service which is second to none. It is this constant pursuit of excellence which helps us to meet our customer’s expectations.
For more information on this product launch, please contact:
CASIO Electronics Co. Ltd.
Unit 6, 1000 North Circular Road
London
NW2 7JD
Guy Boxall
Senior Product Marketing Manager
Tel: 020 8208 7846 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting
