RetailNOW 2025 has officially wrapped, and what a show it was! Held at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, this year’s event brought together over 1,600 industry professionals and featured a sold-out show floor with more than 160 exhibitors. Auto-Star took our place among top innovators with one clear message: the future of point-of-sale solutions, AI, and automation isn’t written by faceless corporations, it’s crafted by companies that bet everything on their channel partners.
Standing Out in a Crowded Market
This year’s RetailNOW theme focused on competing with margin-obliterating, VC-backed, one-size-fits-all POS providers. These tech giants often bypass the channel entirely; but for solution providers who value relationships, service, and custom-fit tools, RetailNOW 2025 proved there’s still a strong competitive edge.
The Power of the Channel
One of the most exciting takeaways from RetailNOW 2025 was the energy and momentum behind the channel-first approach. With 134 new member companies joining the Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA) in the past year, the show highlighted a renewed focus on innovation through collaboration.
Key Takeaways from RSPA’s RetailNOW 2025
- AI & Automation: From built-in AI assistants to AI receiving, artificial intelligence took center stage as a game-changer for operational efficiency.
- Follow the Recipe for Success: In the general session, dessert (cake to be specific) was the topic of discussion. Jim Roddy explained that RSPA members who engage in the community by:
- Participating in regular customer health checkup surveys
- Attending and sponsoring shows
- Creating regular content
- Working to create a positive company culture and focusing on customer service
Companies with all these ingredients are seeing year-over-year growth and continued retention in both partners and customers. Auto-Star’s success was featured in an example of how these ingredients have proven to be a recipe for long-term success in gaining market share in competitive marketing against retail giants.
- Communication is key: Becoming a trusted advisor to your customers and potential customers gives you a leading edge against the enormous marketing budgets of competitors. Keep in touch by sending regular newsletters, providing timely content on compliance and taking the time to make personal calls to check-in. Other methods included: Initiating joint marketing efforts with partners, as well as offering and utilizing MDF to widen the reach of your message.
- Maximum Flexibility: With growing demands for flexible payments, ISOs and Agents are looking for POS system offerings to take to market to create customer stickiness. Additionally, POS systems must remain flexible and hardware agnostic to meet the unique demands of a variety of verticals and retailers.
With educations sessions titled,” Winning Against One-Sized Fits All POS: How VAR’s Can Compete on More Than Just Price” and “Underdog Advantage: SMB VAR/ ISV Strategies That Beat the Big Guys”, there was a lot of discussion on evaluating loses in the sales funnel, and focusing on solving customer’s problems rather than the final sale. Many are having success using sales software tools to keep track of customer relationships. There was a huge focus on taking the time to stop visiting customers, to get to know them personally and find and address pain points.
Knowing your competitors equally well was another theme. Knowing the outs of your competitors’ contracts was great advice as well as a note to keep it classy by not disparaging the competition.
Auto-Star at RetailNOW 2025
Our team had a fantastic time connecting with partners, resellers, and new faces at Booth #324. We showcased some of our latest features in Star-Plus, introduced attendees to our new AI HelpBot and Store Layout Editor, (with sales heat mapping) and demoed the sleek PartnerTech Self-Checkout. Attendees had fun scanning promotional items for a chance to win gift cards. Congratulations to all the winners!
Looking Ahead
With another successful RetailNOW behind us, we’re more excited than ever about where retail tech is headed. As the retail technology landscape continues to evolve, we invite you to join Auto-Star and our growing community of retailers and partners who’ve discovered what happens when technology meets genuine partnership. Schedule time with our team, because the best solutions come from understanding your unique story, not just your specifications.
See you at RetailNOW 2026!
