SAP, Dell join forces

SAP AG and Dell are set to work together on retail hardware and software systems, reports Computer World.

The alliance promises to deliver systems that help retailers run their business more cheaply and efficiently. SAP software will be installed on Dell point-of-sale systems and servers, allowing retailers to better track customer behaviour and buying trends, and process transactions faster, the two companies said.

"The combination of two leaders within this industry can alleviate many of the challenges our joint customers wrestle with daily," says Jem Mattecheck, head of SAP America's retail division, in a statement.

Fujitsu Australia and New Zealand unveiled the U-Scan Genesis family of self-checkout systems, reports Web Wire.

Large store retailers, such as mass merchandisers, do-it-yourself (DIY) and warehouse stores, to more space-constrained discount and specialty retail stores, are expected to find the new U-Scan Genesis features and compact design a significant improvement over other self-checkout options.

Vaughn Clair, retail industry director of Fujitsu Australia and New Zealand, said: "Self-checkout is the fastest growing and most successful in-store self-service technology. We are also experiencing considerable interest in a new self-payment option, which allows multiple checkout scanning lanes that don't handle payments, to feed into an unattended ATM-like self-payment terminal."

NCR recently announced it is applying radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to cartons and pallets of retail technology products shipped from its Atlanta Customer Fulfilment Centre, reports B-Eye Network.

The service is made possible by the implementation of NCR TransitionWorks Retail RFID Compliance, a turnkey application package offered by the company's Automatic Identification and Data Collection Solutions Group.

"We are currently sending RFID-tagged shipments to a major retailer and look forward to extending this value-add service to other NCR retail and hospitality industry customers," said Dale Grant, VP, Americas, for NCR Retail and Hospitality Solutions.