Going green cuts retailers' overheads

Retailers adopting a green strategy in their stores or warehouses ordinarily turn to a number of well-known solutions, from solar panels and wind energy to energy-efficient lighting and refrigeration technologies, says Supermarket News.

But there is a less obvious way they can save energy and reduce their carbon footprint: deploy green IT.

Many retail technology suppliers have taken pains to market energy-efficient, environmentally friendly systems in recent years. Retailers that make use of these devices will be able to cut their utility bills, help protect the environment and impress their shoppers, all at the same time.

Retail technology giant E-PoS is targeting high-value customers to distinguish the company in an increasingly competitive market, states ITP.net.

"We used to have a monopoly, but now there are a lot of other players in the retail technology market. E-PoS has to keep up with the competition and one of the ways to do this is by attending exhibitions like Gitex," says E-PoS product development manager, Rolly Martins.

The primary strategy to differentiate the brand from its rivals is to target the upper-tier of the market with the launch of a premium point-of-sale range, says Martins.

iPass, a global provider of services that unify the management of enterprise mobility, unveiled a companion offering to its iPass Retail Office service that allows franchise store owners and key personnel to securely access corporate applications, such as point-of-sale, customer loyalty and store surveillance systems, over any high-speed connection, reports Retail Solutions Online.

The new service provides retailers with an easy-to-deploy and cost-effective way to meet strict payment card industry (PCI) security standards that are mandated by major credit card companies.

The Secure Franchise service is the only PCI-compliant remote-access solution that does not require retail franchisees to use the infrastructure of their corporate parent company.