Questions and Solutions

By George L. Koroneos
Flashback to 2003: I was the associate editor at VSR Magazine and was tasked with digging up the hottest innovation in POS technology. I spent close to a month interviewing VARs, vendors, and analysts who tried their best to make cash drawers and display poles seem sexy. In the back of my mind I knew I had to tell my editor that the words “hot” and “innovation” were just not going to happen, so I think we just settled on a top 10 list of printers.

Today, I barely have enough pages to contain all the groundbreaking products that are being installed in the retail and hospitality environments. At this year’s Motorola Solutions partner conference, I listened to Moto VARs and ISVs talk about the tough decisions they must make in terms of balancing their product portfolios and meeting customer demands. The fact is, retail clients are willing to spend money on new products, including digital displays, mobile solutions, and consumer-facing apps.

The conundrum for solution providers is whether to jump on the bandwagon and make money now, or wait to see what trends pan out when the smoke clears. It’s the age-old question: Should I cash in with risk, or should I play it safe and follow? The tough news is that there really is no easy answer. Hindsight being 20/20, I’m sure plenty of barcode VARs wish they weren’t so quick to advocate RFID, but just as many solution providers probably wish they were selling more services before the recession hit.
 
While the staff at VSR doesn’t claim to have all the answers, we try to ensure that solution providers have the right material in hand to make an educated decision when the time comes to sell new products. Case in point, this month we have dueling feature articles about digital touch point solutions and retail POS trends. Both stories are filled with cool new technologies, but more importantly, we help you decide what makes sense for your business. At the end of the day, hot products are just tools—It’s your solutions that pay the bills and better your customers’ businesses.