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IBM Brings the Internet to the Cash Register - SurePOS 700 POS system - Company Business and Marketing

Designed to connect retailers' stores, catalogs and online operations for improved customer service, this next-generation cash register - the SurePOS 700 Series - incorporates Internet-based technology to deliver access to customer data from every selling channel.

More and more traditional retailers are establishing e-commerce sites. However, often the systems for the traditional channel -- the store -- are not linked with those of the web site. For example, consumers who make purchases online cannot always return that merchandise to a physical store, even though the online site and store are part of the same retailer.

With Internet technologies at the checkout terminal -- known in the retail industry as point-of-sale (POS) -- retailers can integrate data from all channels -- web, store and catalog. A key benefit of the new technology is that consumers are guaranteed access to the same shopping experience no matter which selling channel they select.

Online shoppers can enjoy the same benefits they have in the store, such as loyalty points and discounts. The same is true of a consumer shopping in a store -- the cashier would have access to the consumers' purchases made online or through a catalog.

A shopper can even check on a catalog order while in the cataloger's store, change a catalog or online order while in a store, and even return merchandise purchased online or from a catalog to the store.

"As consumers now have more retail choices than ever before, retailers have to do more than provide a satisfying shopping experience to maintain and accrue customers," said Karl Lohmann, manager store systems, Karstadt, one of the first customers for the new system. "We consider the SurePOS 700 Series a valuable e-business tool that will enable our sales associates to access and update a wide range of information, offering consumers point-of-service in addition to point-of-sale."

Karstadt is the largest department store chain in Germany, and one of the largest retailers in Europe.

Technology Benefits to Retailers: Choice, Reliability and Investment Protection The IBM SurePOS 700 Series is the first POS system to feature Universal Serial Bus (USB), the new industry standard in connectivity. The USB interface gives retailers the ability to choose from a wide variety of industry standard POS peripherals, such as printers and scanners. The USB standard calls for delivery of five volts of power and a signal in single cable. On the SurePOS 700 Series, IBM has adhered to the standard of delivering five volts of power, but has enhanced the port by allowing for two other power levels -- 24 volt and 12 volt.

"Retailers want to have a choice of solutions for their store system" said David V. Evans, senior vice president and chief information officer, JCPenney. "By supporting the latest in industry standards, connectivity and systems management, the SurePOS 700 Series offers retailers the opportunity to mix and match application software with system software and I/O devices."

"From the IT point of view we see the special benefit that we can keep 4690 thin client environment and have access to a wide range of standard hardware via USB and open software-products running under Java," said Karstadt's Karl Lohmann.

To further enhance choice, the SurePOS 700 Series -- made up of the 750, 730 and SureBase models -- offers numerous features so retailers can customize for their retail format, adding power and function as needed. The 730 and 750 offers dozens of options for features such as hard disks, disk drives, memory, displays, and processors. SurePOS 750

The IBM SurePOS 750 is designed for retailers who need PC-based solutions with a lot of function. Department stores and specialty stores, for example, often require a lot of functionality at the POS. These systems would provide the processing power and flexibility for retailers to use it as a full-function POS or a combined POS/backoffice applications. SurePOS 750 supports three operating systems: Windows 2000, Windows 98 and IBM 4690 OS V2 R3. It is designed to take advantage of key Windows 2000 features such as advanced power management and built in USB support.

IBM's 4690 OS is IBM's POS-specific operating system used in over one-half millionPOS terminals worldwide. IBM's 4690 OS gives retailers the flexibility of Java technology at the POS without sacrificing the proven reliability of 4690. SurePOS 730

The IBM SurePOS 730 is designed for use as a thin client, and would be used by retailers that need limited functionality at the POS. Supermarkets and mass merchandisers, for example, are typically focused on the speed of checkout and need little function. Like the 750, the 730 supports 4690 OS V2 R3, Windows 98 and Windows 2000. SureBase

The IBM SureBase is a platform designed to connect POS peripherals to a separate PC, offering the level of dependability typically found in a traditional POS system. Designed for specialty stores, SureBase operates in a Microsoft Windows environment.

The SurePOS 700 Series can also support multimedia retail applications, including programs for instant advertising, merchandising and other customer service activities that can increase sales. Digital Video Disk (DVD) and Digital Visual Interface (DVI) allow retailers to run commercials on units that are unattended or to add an interactive video help desk, which can assist the cashier when a problem arises during a transaction. The application is also capable of running an employee training program.

IBM Retail Industry IBM's Retail Industry provides retailers with consulting, focused on business transformation, IT strategy and planning, store operations improvement, and supply chain optimization; with services, such as outsourcing, managed operations, systems integration, and application development and design; with solutions; and with technology.