“Stickiness” is often discussed as a retention strategy. But retention by itself is not the goal. The better question is why a merchant chooses to stay. The strongest merchant relationships are not built by making it difficult for customers to leave. They are built by making the relationship too valuable to replace. Integrated payments can…
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When Retail Technology Stops, So Does Business A retailer can lose access to its systems in seconds. The real test is how long it takes to get them back. That risk is becoming harder to ignore. Verizon’s 2026 Retail Snapshot found that the number of retail breaches nearly doubled from the previous year. Across Verizon’s…
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The first sign you have outgrown your POS is rarely a broken register. More often, it shows up in the small workarounds that become part of the day. Pricing gets entered in more than one place. Deli scale updates take extra time. Payments run through a separate terminal. Specialty or weighed items are harder to…
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Auto-Star was proud to attend RSPA RetailNOW 2026 in Las Vegas, where the retail IT channel came together to explore new technology, strengthen partnerships, and discuss the future of retail innovation. This year’s event took place during a period of significant change across the retail technology industry. Inflation, global trade disruption, hardware price increases, acquisition…
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Ask most Canadian pharmacy owners where their profit comes from, and they will likely point to the dispensary. Ask their accountant, and you may get a different answer. Prescription dispensing will always be the foundation of community pharmacy. However, it also operates within a highly regulated reimbursement environment. According to IBISWorld’s Pharmacies & Drug Stores…
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Across North America, tariff activity, trade uncertainty, and shifting foreign policy are putting pressure on grocery costs, supplier relationships, and shopper expectations. At the same time, food retailers continue to operate on thin margins. According to FMI’s The Food Retailing Industry Speaks 2025, financial performance remains a key pressure area for food retailers, making it…
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Smoke shops, cigar retailers, and vape stores are no longer simple checkout-and-shelf operations. Today’s specialty retailers are managing more product categories, more detailed inventory, more pricing changes, and more age-restricted sales workflows than ever before. From premium cigars and vape products to accessories, nicotine alternatives, and convenience items, the modern smoke shop needs more than…
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Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming one of the most important innovations in retail POS (Point of Sale) technology. In fact, the Global Artificial Intelligence in Retail Market size was estimated at $22.4 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $148.7 billion by 2035. While AI is often viewed as an emerging technology, retailers are…
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The Pharmasave Conference & Trade Show 2026 transformed the Metro Toronto Convention Centre into a hub for pharmacy innovation, technology, and industry connection. The event brought together Pharmasave members, vendor partners, and pharmacy professionals from across Canada for several days of networking, collaboration, and conversations focused on the future of community pharmacy. A Pharmasave Convergence…
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The retail industry is currently navigating a momentous transition as the long-awaited AI (8112) Universal Digital Coupons (UDCs) shift from experimental pilot programs into full-scale market saturation. For decades, the coupon landscape was defined by the legacy paper coupons or the AI (8110) barcode, a data format that is riddled with inefficiencies and a staggering…
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