AUSTIN, Texas - Retailers will be able to benefit from a reduction in support costs and speedy implementation of frontline customer service devices, such as scanners and printers, as Wincor Nixdorf becomes the first major original equipment manufacturer (OEM) in Europe to deliver plug-and-play functionality for retail peripherals verified to run on Microsoft Windows Embedded for Point of Service, Microsoft's retail-optimized software platform.

"Retailers are choosing to upgrade their point-of-services systems to take advantage of new technology and provide better customer service," said Dilip Popat, managing director of Retail Industry Solutions Unit for Microsoft Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). "Historically, however, integration and management of peripherals has been costly and time-consuming, which are issues we have been able to significantly reduce with Windows Embedded for Point of Service."

Michael Schulte, head of software marketing for Wincor Nixdorf, said, "The plug-and-play aspect to retail peripherals is a key priority for retailers, who are looking to reduce the cost of configuring and maintaining point-of-sale (POS) systems. This is why Wincor Nixdorf decided to become an early and active member of the group that helped develop Windows Embedded for Point of Service, which we saw as the best delivery vehicle for this function. We will continue to develop solutions on the platform and are committed to implement POS for .NET on our BEETLE platform within the next year."

Windows Embedded for Point of Service is a core technology within the Microsoft Smarter Retailing initiative, which provides an innovative, open-standards-based approach that allows retailers to easily create next-generation point-of-service systems that connect the store to the consumer. These future systems also will support emerging technologies such as RFID and biometrics.