Square Register for iPad offers full point-of-sale system for merchants
Paired with the existing free credit card reader that plugs into an iPad's headphone jack, the new Square Register application allows vendors to input a custom product inventory. Items available for sale can be identified by names, photos and prices, and popular items can even be added to a "favorites" list.
As with the previous Square application for transactions, the company takes 2.75 percent of sales. The service accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express. The system also supports manual input of cash transactions.
Merchants can also store customer names and photos in the system, allowing salespeople to more easily get to know regular customers on a first-name basis. With Square Register, vendors can create their own custom loyalty program to keep customers coming back.
The system also gives customers the ability to quickly and easily provide a tip, while vendors can personalize receipts and offer them to customers either on paper, via text message or e-mail.
Square Register also keeps track of sales, and offers detailed analytics that are synced and stored in the cloud. Merchants can log in to Square's website from anywhere to see their transaction details in real time.
And employee permissions are also available to restrict access to specific features, settings or sensitive information that might be contained in sales reports.
Square Register (iTunes link) is a free application available for iPad on the App Store. The company's card reader hardware is also free.
61 Comments
1) 2.75%? Yet another reason why I think Apple will want to spearhead an NFC-based system through their iTS. Square's Card Case is somewhat in the vain I hope Apple goes.
2) It's great that they shows the square for their reader. It's good idea for a simple handheld unit that might not get used often, but when you have a register system you are expanding to a higher usage scenario that could be used by a lot more people. That 3.5mm jack can only take so much force. At this point I think Square should offer a new system that would limit the potential force applied to the jack. There are plenty of CC readers for the iPad that are more sturdy:
* They chose a square because they couldn't use an acorn.
Before anyone pops up to say it's available for Android too, this isn't the regular Square Reader and app that's been there for months. Register is exclusively for the iPad for now.
just an other company collecting data on your shopping habit. Not only does you CC company know, this company is playing middle man between the merchant and the CC company, so you you have EUA with them on what information about you that can share.
1) 2.75%? Yet another reason why I think Apple will want to spearhead an NFC-based system through their iTS. Square's Card Case is somewhat in the vain I hope Apple goes.
2) It's great that they shows the square for their reader. It's good idea for a simple handheld unit that might not get used often, but when you have a register system you are expanding to a higher usage scenario that could be used by a lot more people. That 3.5mm jack can only take so much force. At this point I think Square should offer a new system that would limit the potential force applied to the jack. There are plenty of CC readers for the iPad that are more sturdy: * They chose a square because they couldn't use an acorn.
Not bad for a first cut at a POST system .
Deleted. More proof required to substantiate accusation. Mods.
You do realize that there is always a merchant bank gateway with credit card purchases.
Generally a small/medium sized retailer has both an online and a brick and mortar swipe machine. In both cases the info goes to a merchant gateway account and then upon approval of the charge, the merchant account moves the funds to the retailer's commercial bank account. There are several merchant gateway banks to choose from but you must have one. In this case Square is providing the service.