Island Pacific Turns iPhone Into POS Device

December 4, 2012 Alex Woodie

Imagine being able to check out of a store this Christmas shopping season by completing a transaction with an iPhone app, as opposed to lining up at the check-out counter. That future is becoming a reality at retail chains that are customers of Island Pacific, a developer of merchandising and point of sale solutions.

Island Pacific recently announced that it has received accreditation from a payment network provider for use of its Island Pacific Mobile offering, which utilizes software running on an iPhone or iPod Touch and the Ingenico iSMP mobile payment cradle.

Ingenico’s iSMP device turns an iPhone into a mobile card point of service (POS) terminal.

It was the final piece in the puzzle to allow Island Pacific customers to complete secure EFTPOS (electronic funds transfer at point of sale) transactions from anywhere on the store floor with their iPhone or iPod Touch devices. The store workers simply attach an iPhone or iPod Touch version 4 devices to the Ingenico iSMP device, connect the adapters, and start processing card transactions from the iSMP/iPhone combination. The iSMP device handles various forms of payment, including magnetic stripe, barcode, chip, PIN, and near field communications (NCF).

Island Pacific says the offering will be generally available after final testing by a small group of customers. “It’s already clear that sales mobility is becoming a crucial differentiator between stores. What the Ingenico iSMP and Island Pacific Mobile solution offers is a way to transition from a fixed register to full, secure, retail service using a mobile phone,” states Clive Klugman, CEO of Island Pacific Australia, in a press release.

In other news, Island Pacific announced a multi-million GBP (Great British Pound) deal involving its flagship IBM i-based Island Pacific Merchandising System (IPMS), with Primark, a retailer with 250 locations in the UK, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany.

The budget clothing store had already implemented Island Pacific’s Planning and Assortment Manager, and expects to see more benefits by implementing the core IPMS product.