The second article in our retrospective series explores the evolution of a payments industry mainstay: the POS. Once a humble manual imprinter and paper receipts with carbon copies for parties to the transaction, the POS has evolved into sophisticated hardware and software systems capable of handling numerous form factors in diverse environments—from traditional in-person retail sales to ecommerce and mobile commerce solutions. Pricing, which began as a simple affair, has also grown in complexity along with the full-featured, speedy POS solutions we've come to rely on. Those of us who've been in the industry for a long time can journey down memory lane while reading this issue's lead article; those new to payments can get a sense of how far we've come. All can gain insight into what the future may bring.
The Inspiration feature in this issue is also a retrospective, looking back to 2003, when readers were thirsty for information on how to get the most from Microsoft Excel, which was relatively new on the scene. In 2003, ISOdesk, cloud-based software designed for ISOs, also launched, and Google Apps and Amazon Web Services were in development, neither one destined to launch until 2006.
Contributors to this issue keep us apprised of present developments in a range of areas, including the need to upgrade back offices from systems designed for bath processing to those capable of handling real-time payments; a disturbing trend involving agents going from giving merchants a deal of a lifetime to paying them to take deals off their hands; how body language can help you drive a point home or reassure someone that you mean what you say—or do the opposite; the ways advanced technology is transforming the hospitality industry; how the Direct Express prepaid debit card offers a low-cost alternative to check cashing services; and concerns that todays increased number of payment channels and reduced settlement times have opened new vulnerabilities to address.
News highlighted in this issue includes Mastercard and Visa's agreement to debit card routing choice—in Australia; Toast's controversial new fee for online orders of $10 or more; praise for New York's updated fintech regulations; GTRC's new majority stake in Worldpay; and studies on inflation's impact on consumers and merchants.
We hope you find much within these pages that informs and encourages you. We will welcome your comments at greensheet@greensheet.com, and your press releases at press@greensheet.com. 
The Green Sheet Inc. is now a proud affiliate of Bankcard Life, a premier community that provides industry-leading training and resources for payment professionals. Click here for more information.
Notice to readers: These are archived articles. Contact names or information may be out of date. We regret any inconvenience.
Prev Next
