The new Casio Business Portal for today's retailer

This article is brought to you by Retail Technology Review: The new Casio Business Portal for today's retailer.

Casio has announced the launch of its new cloud services Casio Business Portal and the VX Tablet, its first Android platform tablet computer. This follows the recent launch of Casio's VX-100 Android platform EPOS terminal.

 
The new Casio Business Portal will offer retailers limitless opportunities to take advantage of Android's application-based platform. The business portal will provide retailers with on-demand, low-cost Apps and services, as well as the opportunity to trial applications and to roll-out with a phased programme. Retailers are free to create their own Apps, increasing ways to interact with customers, upsell, generate new revenue streams and handle stock control more efficiently.
 
Potential App ideas include mobile phone receipts instead of paper receipts, electronic discount vouchers and SMS marketing direct from the local EPOS device. Remote management of the VX-100 point-of-sale terminal can be achieved from anywhere in the world using automated email access.  Signing up to the Casio Business Portal allows a retailer to consider a packaged hardware and software solution, which is tailored specifically to their retail store requirements. Combining this with direct access to a wide choice of software integrators will provide a very versatile solution that can develop and grow with the retail business.
 
Benefits of the new business portal from Casio include

• Providing retailers with more, on-demand, low-cost apps and services
• A versatile solution with mobile hardware taking the POS to the consumer
• Minimal initial investment with a low Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
• Retailers can add new applications when required, and as budget is available
• Special customer promotions for upselling and attachment sales
• Promotes customer loyalty and sales growth
• It decreases operating costs and increases bottom-line profits

The launch of the new Casio VX Tablet will give retailers the power to take service direct to the customer.  Highlights of the VX Tablet include: 

• A tough ruggedised chassis making it both drop and splash proof
• Large 10.1 inch colour touch screen
• Full complement of communication options with integrated GPS for accurate positioning
• Long battery life designed for extensive overlapping work shifts in retail

Computer tablets can be delicate objects; however, the Casio VX Tablet is rugged and especially designed for the store front-of house operations.
 
Guy Boxall, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Casio explains, "The possibilities of using an Android platform tablet in an EPOS scenario are almost entirely unexplored. Together with the release of the Casio Business Portal, this is especially exciting for the high street retailer today. As the consumer market has seen with mobile phones, there is huge potential for a greater range of EPOS apps and services to help the retail sector."
 
The Casio VX Tablet will be available in the autumn of 2012.