Groupon announces Gnome, a sales management system for merchants and customers

Groupon today announced Gnome, a tablet-based platform which will provide an interface that will help merchants to run their businesses more effectively.   It will let merchants recognise their Groupon customers as they redeem Groupons with a simple point of-sale system. Gnome will soon integrate popular accounting software programs such as QuickBooks and Xero and offer a wide range of customer relationship management tools, which will also enable the merchant to customize marketing campaigns based on the customers purchase history. It will enable the merchant to access customer feedback via social media and respond to customer inquiries and comments.   Eric Lefkofsky, CEO of Groupon, said  “When it’s complete, Gnome will serve as an operating system for merchants to run their entire operation and enable them to create real-time promotions that bring customers into their business when they need them the most. Gnome is an important step towards our long-term mission of creating a world where merchants are constantly connected to the Groupon local commerce platform."   Gnome is already in the market and will see a wider roll out in the coming months.   Thanks to Gnome, merchants can automatically authenticate Groupons using Bluetooth or search for customers by name, Groupon barcode or voucher number. Customers no longer have to present a printed voucher or even show their mobile device with the Groupon. The system includes ability to log cash transactions, accept credit and debit card payments, print or email receipts, calculate multiple tax rates, manage menu items, view transaction history and issue refunds.   Accounting software integration with popular programs like Quickbooks and Xero, provide merchants with a familiar way to upload sales data for bookkeeping and tax purposes.   The point of sale unit is customisable and comes with preloaded menus and inventory lists for the most popular types of businesses. Groupon says this enables ‘merchants to start running their systems within minutes.’   Additionally, Gnome will come with 24/7 support and a payments service with competitive rates on credit card processing fees, backed by a low-price guarantee to protect merchants’ revenue.