“Smart terminal” has actually been around in the payment industry since the emergence of the first smart card, i.e., chip (EMV) card. An EMV (Europay, Mastercard, Visa) card has an embedded chip acting as a security token for the card machine to verify electronically. Terminals processing such cards with an inbuilt microprocessor – which could also use NFC (Near-Field Communication) and other contactless technologies – are referred to as ‘smart terminals’ regardless of how they look.
Today’s smart terminals may have both a touchscreen and physical keypad for PIN entry, or just a touchscreen (or two). The familiarity of a standard PIN pad puts some customers at ease, as it is still unusual for many to enter a PIN code directly on a screen.
The software features available to the terminals are offered through the manufacturer’s own Android-based app market, usually with the option to integrate other software or build new applications for the terminals.
Examples of features include offers displayed on the terminal screen, customer loyalty functions, barcode scanning, product library and registration of parcel deliveries for couriers.
Most smart POS terminals can still be integrated with a POS system, external barcode scanner and other equipment if you need it.