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BlueStar Retail & Hospitality Newsletter Q2.26

BlueStar Retail & Hospitality Newsletter Q2.26

Building Better Experiences, One Solution at a Time

by Amy Masterman

This issue highlights the solutions helping retail and hospitality businesses move faster, serve customers better, and operate more efficiently.

We have new developments in payments, with PAX joining our portfolio alongside our partnership with Viva Bank. We also explore a digital signage case study with Deneva, who is part of our ISV programme, showcasing how signage is evolving to support frictionless omnichannel experiences.

You’ll also find updates on the latest POS innovations and a look at why self-service is critical during the busy summer period.

 

Payments

New in payments: PAX joins the portfolio alongside our Viva Bank partnership, expanding your options for flexible, future-ready transaction solutions.


 

Introducing PAX


 

 

PAX logo_Color Solid Version+Slogan

PAX is a global leader in Android-based payment technology, powering millions of devices across more than 120 markets worldwide. Known for combining secure payment processing with flexible, app-driven functionality, PAX has become a go-to platform for businesses looking to modernise how they take and manage payments.

We have partnered with PAX to complete our entire offering for Point of Sale and we will focus on two key devices:

The A920 Pro is PAX’s flagship handheld: sleek, modern, and built for fast, on the go payments. With its large 6.5” display and premium design, it’s ideal for tableside ordering, queue‑busting, pop‑ups, outdoor service and high‑end hospitality environments.

The A35 is perfect for fixed till points and self‑service areas. Compact but powerful, it supports chip & PIN, contactless, magnetic stripe and QR payments - making it a reliable, space saving choice for busy stores.

Discover PAX

 

Digital Signage

 A closer look at Deneva in action, showing how next-gen signage is driving more connected, omnichannel customer experiences. 


 

Deneva-digital-Signage-WEB-DefaultLogo-2Kayanee’s flagship store in Riyadh is a great example of DENEVA’s impact in a real retail environment. DENEVA does not just power screens but connect everything together in a high-end retail experience.

At the core, DENEVA links the in-store hardware with Shopify. So whether a customer is online or standing in the shop, they’re seeing the same product info, availability and content. It’s what makes the whole experience feel joined up and smooth, cutting out the mixed messages and friction between online vs in store.

The Smart Mirror is a good example of this in action. Customers can check product details, get recommendations and contact staff – so if they prefer the item in another colour they can request staff to bring it to their fitting room. That’s where you start to see hardware actually driving sales and having a trackable return on investment.

Deneva Feature

With Place & Learn, products trigger content on nearby screens as soon as they’re picked up or placed down. It keeps things simple for the customer but also gives store staff better tools to support the sale - all pulling from the same central data.

What’s important here is how it all comes together. There are multiple partners involved, but DENEVA is the layer that connects the hardware, the content and the commerce platform so it all works as one seamless customer experience.

Restaurant Display Trends:

From Screens to Smart Options


 

Restaurants are no longer just digitising, they’re operationalising display technology.

Most venues now run multiple screens, and 87% have expanded their display networks in the past year. But the real shift lies in how they’re being used.

From Visibility to Performance

Displays are now central to:

  • Speeding up service (top priority at 45%)
  • Enhancing brand experience
  • Delivering operational insight in real time

The Next Wave: Intelligent Restaurants

The future is already taking shape:

  • Nearly 9 in 10 operators plan to adopt AI-driven tools
  • Displays are becoming part of broader smart ecosystems (forecasting, personalisation, scheduling)

    At the same time, many restaurants are beginning to monetise their screens, with around 30% already running third-party advertising.

As networks grow, content management is becoming critical—88% cite it as their biggest pain point.

The winners will be those who combine automation, integration, and reliability into a seamless system.

Key Takeaway

Digital displays are evolving from standalone tools into strategic platforms that power smarter, faster, and more adaptive restaurant operations.

POS

 

The latest POS updates and product highlights designed to boost performance, speed up service, and support evolving in-store needs.

 


 

The Citizen CT-E301


 

The CT‑E301 is a compact and reliable entry-level POS printer, designed for seamless integration into kiosks and space-constrained retail environments. Its intuitive design ensures easy media loading and quick maintenance, minimizing downtime and improving operational efficiency. Equipped with USB, LAN, and Serial interfaces, it offers full connectivity for smooth system integration. In addition, its anti-microbial casing provides enhanced safety for both operators and customers, making it an ideal solution for modern retail and high-touch environments.

Find out more: Citizen CT‑E301 – Exclusive promotion available only through Bluestar

CT-E301-Black

 

The new E-Series 3 is in stock now.

I am, against my better instincts, quite excited about it.


By Richard Austin

Most POS terminals make a lot of promises and then quietly fall over during a Saturday lunch rush. The Elo E-Series 3 is refreshingly uninterested in drama. It's a 15.6-inch all-in-one touchscreen built for the realities of retail and hospitality — high traffic, busy staff, and IT teams who'd rather not drive to a third site this week. It runs Windows 11 IoT or Linux, connects to nearly every peripheral your customer already owns — cash drawers, barcode scanners, payment devices — and comes with a three-year warranty as standard. It does the job, and it keeps doing it.

Where it really excels is flexibility. The E-Series 3 comes with or without its adjustable stand: parked on the counter at a traditional till, or stripped of the stand and wall-mounted on a VESA bracket for a self-service kiosk. The Elo Edge Connect system lets you snap up to two peripherals — barcode scanner, card reader, fingerprint reader, RFID — straight onto the edge of the screen, no cables, swappable as needs change. A single USB-C cable adds a customer-facing display, carrying touch, data and power in one connection. It's the same base unit configured a dozen different ways — which is more than can be said for me before my second coffee.

There's more on the way, too: an Android model is due to follow later this year, opening the range up to customers standardising on Android estates and EloView device management. For now, we’re holding good stock across the current line-up — Windows and Linux builds, with and without stand, standard and higher-spec memory options.

If you've a customer mid-evaluation or a rollout on the horizon, have a word with me and I'll talk through which SKU fits and what's ready to ship. I can even sound enthusiastic about it, if that helps close the deal.

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN OTHER PRODUCTS? ️

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Self-Service

 

 Why self-service becomes critical in the summer rush, and how the right setup helps handle higher footfall without adding pressure on staff.

 


 

Turning Peak Pressure Into Performance


 

Coming into the summer season, with higher demand and surging sales at peak times, many businesses will struggle to manage. They would benefit from using self-service to ease pressure on service staff and support queue-busting actions. We support many types of businesses with kiosks for a variety of use cases; in this edition, let’s focus on a couple of key solutions that will be particularly important for summer.

Hybrid wall mounted self-service/digital signage:

With space often limited and demand increasing, particularly in high-footfall environments, businesses need solutions that deliver both efficiency and impact. Hybrid wall-mounted touch screens combine self-service ordering with digital signage, allowing end users to maximise their technology with advertisements showing by default and switching to kiosks in peak times to reduce queues.

These solutions are well suited to environments such as quick-service restaurants, transport hubs and hotel lobbies, where customers can browse, order, and pay while also being exposed to promotions and seasonal messaging. By merging ordering and marketing into a single screen, businesses can reduce queues, increase average order value, and make better use of available space without adding complexity.

 

 

self serv rh q2

 

Recommended Hardware

iseries4-21.5_landscape_front_nologo_hero_gallery_update_1400x800_2

 

Elo 22" Android I-Series 4

t88vii

 

Epson TM-T88VII

A35主图

 

Pax Payment Device

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Elo wall mounted Wallaby Pro

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Ergonomic Solutions payment arm and mount

Pop up self-service:

During the summer months, many businesses face temporary spikes in demand driven by events, tourism, and extended trading spaces. Pop-up self-service solutions using mobile devices such as a rugged tablet are perfect for use by staff or as a self service ordering station in busy periods.

Ideal for festivals, outdoor venues, hotel overflow areas, and seasonal retail, these setups can be deployed rapidly with a tablet and payment device. This supports businesses handling high volumes of transactions efficiently, helping maintain service levels even during peak periods to ensure service staff can fulfil orders while customers place their own.

Recommended Hardware

M1-101RT-A1-Front-500x500-1

 

Microtouch Android 10.1” tablet

M1-101IC-AA3

MA-STAND-A2

 

Microtouch desktop stand

A35主图

 

Pax Payment Device

From the Studio


Fresh content and insights straight from the team, covering new products and relevant discussions on the Digital Signage landscape.

UNBOXED | APG Note Acceptor

Richard Austin & Amy Masterman get into the APG Note Acceptor and what you can expect to find in the box. 

 

Expanding Digital Signage with Brightsign

Jamie Mitchell & Brightsign's Matthew Webster tell us all about BrightSign and  expanding your Digital Signage offerings.

 

Ask Blue Podcast #47 Digital Signage

We brought in two people who know the market inside out: Aferdita from BrightSign and Nils from Sharp Display Solutions.  

 

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