Groupon Launches iPad-based Gnome Point-of-Sale Console

[Maura]

AppleInsider reports today that Groupon has launched an iPad-based point-of-sale console, Gnome, which it is urging its participating retailers to adopt in order to speed up and improve the in-store experience for both Groupon retailers and their customers.

Once a retailer has the Gnome installed in their store, it will recognise when a customer enters the store with the Groupon app on their phone, and they will then be able to redeem the goods or service that they have paid for without having to hand over a printed receipt, or even show the retailer their phone.

Groupon will also use Gnome to process payments, charging 1.8% and 15 cents for each transaction, along with the $10-per-month Groupon fee.

AppleInsider says that the Gnome can be used as a standalone POS, with the ability to log payments by cash, or credit or debit cards, and then issue either printed or email receipts, calculate sales tax, and manage the store’s inventory.

"When it's complete, Gnome will serve as an operating system for merchants to run their entire operation and enable them to create real-time promotions that bring customers into their business when they need them the most," Groupon CEO Eric Lefkofsky said in a release. "Gnome is an important step towards our long-term mission of creating a world where merchants are constantly connected to the Groupon local commerce platform."

Groupon will now start to roll out the Gnome to tens of thousands of merchants in the US. It’s not known when, or indeed, if, the Gnome will also be available to Groupon merchants worldwide.

Source:
Groupon eyes massive rollout of new 'Gnome' iPad-based POS system