Custom POS software development: 5x faster transaction speed and 15% increase in restaurant attendance

Innowise has built a full-fledged application for a restaurant chain to process NFC payments via mPOS terminals.

Customer

Industry

HoReCa, Food

Region

Client since

2022

Our client is a restaurant chain in one of the European countries with plans to expand hospitality business. Detailed information about the client cannot be disclosed under the provisions of the NDA.

Challenge

Hospitality industry is considered to be highly competitive. In addition to delicious food and convenient location, restaurants should provide first-class service to stand out from competitors and attract new guests.

Our client runs five restaurants in a picturesque part of the old town, where attendance is high and revenue is solid. Authenticity and gourmet cuisine make them extremely popular with locals and tourists alike.

However, the customer’s well-being was obscured by a serious technical flaw. Namely, our client had obsolete POS terminal equipment with legacy software that required manual supervision, failed to withstand high loads, and suffered from unpredictable freezes and glitches. Oftentimes, waiters, cashiers and managers struggled with billing, causing visitors to wait extra time until the transaction completes and wasting time they could have spent on taking orders and delivering food. This all led to hampers at checkouts via plastic cards and a growing number of unsatisfied visitors.

Solution

Upon analyzing the customer's data, we concluded that updating mPOS terminals equipment would speed up the customer’s transactions rate. We suggested replacing the client’s outdated billing portative devices with powerful Android-based NFC POS machines, which allow restaurant owners, cashiers and waiters to accept bill payments by card and reduce employee errors in order-taking.

MPOS terminals for NFC payments

Innowise compiled a mobile pay-at-the-table application integrated into the PAX A920 standalone terminal that includes an NFC chip for instant transactions. The near-field communication (NFC) technology allows visitors to tap or wave a plastic card or smartphone with a mobile wallet app near the device to complete the operation, making payments quick and easy. This solution allows for prompt, contactless checkouts right at the table, so customers don’t have to leave their seats. In addition to NFC, PAX 920 supports advanced connectivity options and accepts alternative payment methods, including QR code scan, mobile and wallet payments, Chip & PIN and Swipe.

Once restaurant visitors are ready to pay, they swipe their plastic cards at the terminal which processes data, approves the transaction and transmits data via HTTPS protocol – so that transaction details can be easily tracked and restored. In essence, every transaction is recorded in both bank’s and restaurant owner’s databases, where all interested parties can see the history of payments. When money is debited from the account, the POS app for Android sends payment data to servers, a notification about successful completion to the cardholder, and prints a receipt.

We used Android frameworks and tools to create colorful, user-friendly layouts in contrast to Linux’s monochrome interfaces.

Through custom API, we ensured the seamless integration of new features and extensions (e.g., customer plans to plug ordering and inventory tracking modes into the Android POS app in the future).

Technologies & tools

Platforms

Android

Kotlin, Moxy, RxJava, Toothpick, Cicerone, Retrofit, Custom Views

Integrations

PAX SDK, NFC

Databases

Postgres, Room

PAX sandbox, Manual Testing, Charles Proxy, Postman

Process

Innowise started the project in January 2022. Our client opted for our company as we have vast experience and expertise in delivering mobile solutions for startups, SMEs and big businesses of any complexity and scale.

To start, we assembled a project team that included a project manager, a business analyst, an Android developer, a UI/UX designer, and a QA engineer. They worked based on the Scrum methodology with 2-3 week sprints and met all the time frames, finishing the scope of work by September 2022.

To ensure the successful outcome of joint efforts, the project team started with requirement elicitation and specification configuration for the subsequent POS software for small business development.

During the discovery stage, our vetted team determined functional requirements and estimated the scope of work. Following the development phase, we compiled a powerful mobile POS terminal application enabling clients to instantly accept payments via plastic cards. Currently, the solution is deployed, and Innowise provides post-launch maintenance and support.

Team

Project Manager

Business Analyst

Android Developer

UI/UX Designer

QA Engineer

Results

As a result, Innowise improved customer’s obsolete POS software for restaurants by developing a mobile application integrated into client’s SDK. Proceeding from the client’s requirements, we suggested utilizing PAX A920 standalone terminals for quicker, more convenient, and more secure payments that streamline servers’ workflows and enhance customer experience.

Summarizing, our company presented the solution that provides:

faster, more efficient payments
increased table turns
free up staff for other tasks
lower risk of fraud
fewer chargebacks
better customer service

From now on, our client accepts credit card payments through a custom mobile app integrated into the PAX A920 Android POS terminal. The solution has become an easy-to-use tool that helps streamline daily routines, accelerates employees’ performance, and attracts new restaurant guests.

Project duration

January 2022 - September 2022

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