EuroCIS 2025, the largest retail technology event in Germany, took place at the end of February. Over 14,000 guests from 95 countries attended, with more than 500 companies presenting their solutions at the exhibition. Participants had a unique opportunity to learn about cutting-edge innovations that are influencing the future of the retail sector. The conference and exhibition brought together industry leaders and solution providers to discuss the latest innovations and their impact on the retail industry. Such topics as point-of-sale (POS) systems, mobile payments, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, and SoftPOS solutions attracted special attention.
Vadzim, this is your first EuroCIS conference. What was memorable for you?
I want to note that I am delighted with the atmosphere at EuroCIS – a huge number of professionals, a lot of new ideas, useful acquaintances, and productive meetings. I was pleasantly surprised by the dynamics of innovation and various new and non-standard approaches to automating processes in retail. All this shows that the industry is developing – entrepreneurs, trade and service enterprises, equipment manufacturers, and IT product suppliers are creating win-win-win solutions. I look forward to seeing how these innovations can be used in all points of trade and service, from small convenience stores to hypermarkets.
VP Fintech Services at IBA Group
What insights have you been able to gain?
Of course, I was interested not only in the new opportunities offered by modern approaches to organizing trade processes but also in innovations in the area of payment for goods and services. Undoubtedly, innovations in trade are becoming smarter and more technological. The introduction of artificial intelligence, as well as the use of various smart gadgets, contributes to the rapid technological development of the industry.
VP Fintech Services at IBA Group
How would you rate the networking at the event? What kind of meetings did you have?
I am grateful for the constructive exchange of views with our current partners, as well as all competitors. We had a productive conversation about the future of SoftPOS in the current market conditions. I also had several meetings with potential customers who are interested in using tapXphpone. I am sure that this will lay the foundation for successful cooperation in the future.
VP Fintech Services at IBA Group
Does SoftPOS have a promising future? Did the conference confirm this?
The past three days at EuroCIS confirmed that SoftPOS is developing and taking its place among all payment acceptance technologies in trade. At the same time, the interest in this technology is growing both on the part of equipment manufacturers and entrepreneurs.
EuroCIS contributes to raising awareness of the SoftPOS technology, its advantages and features. This benefits the whole industry. I am sure that large retailers will soon appreciate the advantages of a flexible, quickly expandable payment acceptance system that works equally well everywhere – in fixed points of acceptance, self-service cash desks, delivery, and other cases.
SoftPOS is especially appreciated among micro, small, and medium-sized businesses, including mobile cases like delivery of goods, spontaneous sales, roadshow trade, and so on. However, familiar payment acceptance methods still dominate in other industries.
Another factor in favor of the rapidly growing popularity of SoftPOS is the changes in payment terminals. About five years ago, only certified payment terminals offered the possibility to pay with a contactless card when you put it to the device from the front. SoftPOS terminals could not boast such a feature. But now everything has changed. The number of COTS terminals with the ability to tap a card on the front side or from both sides has significantly increased. This confirms the support of SoftPOS by manufacturers of specialized devices for retail. I am sure that this trend will influence SofPOS implementation by large retailers as well.
SoftPOS solutions have already become an integral part of the European retail industry. I believe that every year the share of payments via COTS terminals will only increase. For example, tapXphone’s figures for 2024 showed a steady leap forward. The number of transactions through the application has doubled and the amount of payments has increased by about two-fold. Transformation is happening there and now and we are proud to contribute to this evolution. I am sure that even more significant achievements are ahead of us.
VP Fintech Services at IBA Group
