Paderborn, Germany — 25 Jan 2005 — The joint value proposition between Microsoft and Wincor Nixdorf, focusing on Microsoft’s Smarter Retailing Initiative (SRI), has resulted in more than 15 major retailers, including Axfood, ICA, Metro Cash & Carry and Superdrug ordering a total of over 60,000 licences of BEETLE point-of-sale (POS) systems that use the Microsoft® Windows® XP Embedded operating system.
The decision to invest in new technology for the store and back office illustrates the growing view among European retailers that their existing POS solutions, many of which are between seven and 10 years old, are not able to perform the tasks that smart retailers deem essential, such as providing an enhanced consumer shopping experience.
Included among the benefits that retailers using Microsoft XP Embedded enjoy are enhanced performance at the checkout, with significant improvements in transaction times, and the opportunity to offer a consistent level of service, whether a customer is shopping in the store or online.
“The debate around which new point-of-sale system to select is shifting from being simply around the selection of a till device to tackling the much broader question of how to implement the best point-of-service offering,” said Dilip Popat, managing director, Retail Industry Solutions Unit for Microsoft Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). “Retailers are being driven to upgrade their systems to take advantage of new technology that can provide better customer service, with lower total cost of ownership.”
To this end, Microsoft has been working closely with Wincor Nixdorf. According to Michael Schulte, head of software marketing for Wincor Nixdorf, any replacement hardware and software has to address value-added customer service scenarios and integrate multiple device formats such as self-checkouts and information kiosks, in addition to traditional checkout lanes.
As a result of customer and development partner feedback, Microsoft will soon be shipping a retail-optimised software platform, Windows Embedded for Point of Service, designed for easy setup, use and management of point-of-service systems. Wincor Nixdorf has been an early and active member of the Joint Development Program for Windows Embedded for Point of Service, which will be available in the first half of 2005.
“We are committed to supporting Windows Embedded for Point of Service and developing solutions that deliver greater value to retailers by allowing them to take advantage of their legacy systems, while providing plug-and-play functionality for retail device peripherals, which is the single most requested feature by retailers,” said Schulte.
As further evidence of this commitment to delivering greater value to retailers, Wincor Nixdorf will soon deliver its Store Communication Framework, a product that will simplify the connectivity and data management issues inherent in today’s retailing infrastructures. Key elements of Store Communication Framework will be built upon the Microsoft .NET platform and leverage the Microsoft enterprise connectivity toolset.
Wincor Nixdorf has also chosen Microsoft .NET as the platform for TP.net, its newest point-of-sale solution. “This decision was taken based on four key factors: the relative simplicity of developing, maintaining and extending solutions; the speed and effectiveness with which solutions can be deployed worldwide; the low cost of developing and modifying web services-based concepts, and the strength of our relationship with Microsoft as our technology partner,” said Schulte.
Windows Embedded for Point of Service and the Microsoft .NET Framework are core technologies within Microsoft’s Smarter Retailing Initiative, which provides an innovative, open standards-based approach that allows retailers to easily create next-generation point-of-service systems that connect the store to the consumer. These future systems will also support emerging technologies such as RFID and biometrics.