How HypeLabs for PoS Can Help Maintain Consumer Confidence During COVID-19

When it comes to payments, the COVID-19 pandemic became a massive change accelerator.

That change has had a significant impact on businesses using PoS (Point of Sale) systems to accept payments and run other parts of their operations. Before the pandemic, consumers in the United States were slow to adopt cashless and contactless payments. Pew Research survey results from 2018 showed 29% of adults saying that they did not use cash during a typical week. Global fin-tech organization Rapid, found that things had changed quite a bit by August of 2019. According to their survey, over half (54%) of consumers were concerned about touching cash and coins due to COVID. Even more (60%) planned on making the move to cashless and touchless payments due to concerns related to COVID.

The Challenge Facing PoS Systems

While many businesses embrace the move to digital and touchless payment, the swift shift can be a challenge for companies already struggling during the pandemic. Now more than ever, some of the businesses most heavily impacted, such as restaurants and hotels, rely on Point of Sale PoS systems. Many of these businesses are struggling to keep their doors open due to lockdowns and changing consumer habits. Now, with even more people leaving their homes without cash, they simply can’t afford a system failure. Unfortunately, all it takes is a network or internet outage to bring everything to a halt.

Even in businesses with up to date network architecture in areas with reliable internet access, network problems happen. With most PoS systems, a network outage means accepting payments becomes risky due to the lack of a real-time connection to the credit card gateway. Payment information is stored locally, and business owners hope for the best when the connection is restored. There is also no way to process orders, which can be a nightmare in hotels and restaurants that depend on devices communicating. Kitchen displays, room inventory systems, keycard encoders, and other devices lose connectivity. This means that this becomes more than just a payment problem.

Not only does this temporarily cease operations, but it also impacts something that is more important than ever — customer trust and satisfaction. People are already leery about being outside of their homes. They are looking for safe opportunities for food and hospitality, but flaws in the customer experience can quickly send them back home. This can be fatal to businesses that are barely getting by.

HypeLabs for PoS

Fortunately, there is now a way to ensure business continuity, even during a network outage. Business owners can keep things running, ensure a flawless customer experience, and accept payments with confidence.

Now with HypeLabs for PoS, devices can seamlessly connect via a peer to peer (P2P) mesh in the event of a network outage. Most PoS systems and their integrated components (such as payment processing and order displays) communicate via the cloud using an internet connection. With HypeLabs, they can instantly switch to a P2P mesh connection meaning that they can stay synced no matter the status of the internet connection. In a restaurant situation, this means that, in the event of a network problem, orders entered into the PoS system can still appear on the kitchen display system.

Even more critical right now, this means that businesses can continue to securely take and process cashless and contactless payments even when the network is down. In the past, advanced systems that allowed offline payments would simply encrypt and store the information locally. There was a limit to how much could be stored, and there was no way to confirm credit card approval.

With HypeLabs for PoS, secure, encrypted P2P mesh, if there is any device connected to the local mesh, payment data can be relayed to that device. That device can transmit the data to the internet credit card gateway, receive the response, and send it back to the PoS system.

How HypeLabs for PoS Works

First, HypeLabs is installed on the PoS system. It can run on a wide array of devices running iOS, macOS, Android, Windows, or Linux. It uses the system’s built-in wired and wireless technology to begin making connections. Next, it scans for other devices and automatically connects. When the standard network goes down, HypeLabs searches for a device on the network with internet connectivity and uses it to transmit and receive data.

Better Technology for a Changing World

HypeLabs for PoS is a solution to challenges faced by modern businesses. Unchained from the internet, P2P connectivity ensures business continuity and flawless customer experiences.

Interested to partner or learn more? Email me directly at ks @hypelabs.io