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Ringing Up Retail Savings and Services
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Intriguing ApplicationsRinging up retail savings and services

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Intelligent, connected point-of-sale (POS) transaction terminals use Intel® architecture processors and sophisticated market analytics software to monitor inventory and enhance revenue by alerting shoppers to special promotions and locations of favorite products in the store. The new POS systems also ring up big energy savings for retailers.

Why it’s a game changer

At checkout time, a POS terminal can use market analytics software to advise shoppers about other offers that may relate to their existing and previous purchases, allowing the retailer to make additional sales suggestions, similar in ways to their on-line shopping programs.

The platform can also operate as an intelligent shopping assistant—helping shoppers locate hard-to-find items and recognizing each customer in order to promote special offers and build consumer loyalty through customer loyalty programs. The applications can even go so far as to send and receive electronic savings "coupons" using the shopper’s cell phone during check-out.

What’s so intelligent about it?

Instead of keeping their systems running 24/7, IT departments use Intel® Active Management Technology (Intel® AMT)¹ to remotely power-down their POS devices when stores are closed. They can run remote diagnostics to ensure maximum reliability, install patches, and update software over the network, without the need to provide an on-site technician or pay for expensive truck-rolls. Power-stepping in the Intel® architecture platform can result in dramatic power savings on the order of 70 percent².

Key technologies

At the most basic level, Intel® platforms that support mobile technologies are developed to minimize power consumption, helping retailers with their bottom line. In addition to Intel® AMT, Intel® Core™2 Duo processor-based platforms support Intel® Virtualization Technology (Intel® VT)³, which allows one platform to run independent virtual machines, each with its own operating system. Intel® Trusted Execution Technology (Intel® TXT)4 provides a secure partition to protect valuable financial data and guard against software-based attacks.

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¹ Intel® Active Management Technology (Intel® AMT) requires the computer system to have an Intel® AMT-enabled chipset, network hardware and software, as well as connection with a power source and a corporate network connection. Setup requires configuration by the purchaser and may require scripting with the management console or further integration into existing security frameworks to enable certain functionality. It may also require modifications of implementation of new business processes. With regard to notebooks, Intel AMT may not be available or certain capabilities may be limited over a host OS-based VPN or when connecting wirelessly, on battery power, sleeping, hibernating or powered off. For more information, see www.intel.com/technology/platform-technology/intel-amt/.

² Langdoc, Scott. Advanced CPUs: The Impact on TCO Evaluations of Retail Store IT Investments, Global Retail Insights (An IDC Company), September 2008

³ Intel® Virtualization Technology requires a computer system with an enabled Intel® processor, BIOS, virtual machine monitor (VMM) and, for some uses, certain platform software enabled for it. Functionality, performance or other benefits will vary depending on hardware and software configurations and may require a BIOS update. Software applications may not be compatible with all operating systems. Please check with your application vendor. For more information, see http://www.intel.com/technology/advanced_comm/virtualization.htm?iid=ce_prodtech+virtualization.

4 No computer system can provide absolute security under all conditions. Intel® Trusted Execution Technology requires a computer system with Intel® Virtualization Technology, an Intel TXT-enabled processor, chipset, BIOS, Authenticated Code Modules and an Intel TXT-compatible measured launched environment (MLE). The MLE could consist of a virtual machine monitor, an OS or an application. In addition, Intel TXT requires the system to contain a TPM v1.2, as defined by the Trusted Computing Group, and specific software for some uses. For more information, see www.intel.com/technology/security.