Cloud-based retail inventory management

This article originally appeared in The Green Sheet Issue 19:03:01

Global retail solutions provider Vend launched Vend POS, a cloud-based technology suite designed for modern retailers. Vend is easy to deploy and can integrate with ecommerce and hardware platforms. The solution works with Apple and Windows devices, company representatives stated.

"Vend has a solution for each stage of the retail lifecycle," said Jake West, director of North American business development at Vend. "Vend Lite can help start-up merchants get on their feet and naturally evolve into Vend Pro and Vend Enterprise as they grow and scale their businesses. The platform is continuously enhanced and updated, providing existing customers with leading-edge features and capabilities."

Vend is committed to delivering a remarkable retail experience by providing retailers with easy, modern ways to manage their businesses, West stated. End-users can sign in to the cloud-based POS software from anywhere to access sales, products, reports and real-time data. The solution will even work offline in the event of a power failure or loss of connectivity, he noted.

Seamless integration

As an open platform that was built on the Internet, Vend seamlessly integrates with retail tools and ecommerce, payments and accounting platforms. Software developers can use the Vend API to create custom extensions. The company has forged partnerships with Epson, Xero, Square, Shopify and is part of Apple's global Mobility Partner Program. "Vend is a feature-rich retail POS platform," said Tom Kettell, director, commercial channel, North America at Epson America Inc. "Their dedication to integrating with the best solutions in the market gives retailers the ability to choose the tools they need to make smart decisions."

Vend retailers can connect their ecommerce sites and stores to manage inventories and customer profiles. A customized dashboard provides a single-access view of product inventories, order fulfillment and business operations across a global enterprise, the company stated.

The unified platform simplifies in-store and online selling, reducing administrative and business processes. The company pointed out that Vend is a simple, inexpensive way for merchants of all sizes to manage operations, add staff, lanes and locations with a single click. The solution supports iPad, Mac or PC and a variety of ancillary hardware such as payment card reader peripherals, scales, barcode readers and printers.

ISO, agent partners

Vend is processor-agnostic and works closely with resellers and sales channel partners, including Cardconnect, EVO International, Worldpay and North American Bancard, West stated. Vend partnerships help ISOs and merchant level salespeople grow their merchant portfolios while protecting residual streams and increasing customer retention, because Vend merchants are not likely to leave, he added.

"We provide resources and training to ISOs and MLSs to help them quantify our value and sell on benefits, not features." West said. "For example, they can use our calculators to show prospective customers how much they would save."

West cited the following additional partner and reseller benefits:

• One-to-many payment gateway: MLSs and ISOs can work with every backend processor using Vend's free, direct integration. Vend absorbs gateway transaction costs.
• Commercialized accelerator program: Vend has been shown to help payments providers scale their recurring residual streams by simplifying activations.
• Technical Implementation teams: Once a new merchant has been signed, Vend's dedicated team of specialists will assist with onboarding, software training and uploading inventories.
• Educational library: Vend provides ISOs and MLSs with educational resources and training to help them become successful. The company continually updates its resources, tools and collateral.

"Through the combination of Vend's modern retail platform and NAB's simplified payment experiences, merchants can expect to save time and create the seamless checkout experience that consumers demand," said Ryan Malloy, vice president of Partner Relations at North American Bancard. "We're very excited to be working with a visionary partner that is so focused on providing the merchant community with best-in-class services and solutions."