Once again, BFA Technologies, Inc. attended the annual LightSpeed Retail partner conference. For this year’s event, held May 5th - 7th, BFA sent (3) employees to Miami, FL to learn all about of the new and exciting products from LightSpeed and to even hear about some yet unannounced products!  These partner conferences have been a great way for BFA to solidify it’s relationship with LightSpeed and to meet the many other LightSpeed partners / resellers, some of whom shared some creative, out-of-the-box solutions for unique client opportunities. Also, at the conference,  BFA was able to meet many new LightSpeed API developers who have created some fascinating plug-ins that enables the LightSpeed software to easily communicate with other third-party software packages. 

Since LightSpeed’s infusion of capital in the summer of 2012, it has doubled the number of internal developers enabling Lightspeed to more quickly produce new products and software releases. The most notable releases were added to LightSpeed Cloud. Among the announcements were new reporting features in Cloud that allow for companies to better understand which products are most popular as well as the types of clients who are purchasing them. One of the most interesting features of reporting is it’s ability to work across different store locations (previously not possible in LIghtSpeed Pro).

Another product that was teased at the conference was a new iPad app for LightSpeed Cloud. This app, also called LIghtSpeed Cloud, features a beautiful new interface for the Lightspeed Cloud product.  The app takes full advantage of the recent addition of photos to Cloud, enabling a sales associate to completely check out a client from the new iPad app, check stock levels, and have customized branding within the app. This app brings the beauty of LightSpeed Pro to LightSpeed Cloud and clearly shows that the direction the company is headed:  Cloud & mobility. 

I believe that after the (3) days at the conference, it’s clear that LightSpeed is positioning itself to remain among the leaders in the retail POS space. Their Cloud software is completely versatile because it is a web-based POS solution. Although it’s designed for iPad, companies can use their product on any device; all that’s required is a web browser and internet connectivity. The addition of the iPad app shows that they are still thriving to incorporate design into the retail POS business and I believe that many boutique shops will love the new app as it will allow them to showcase their inventory to both prospective and existing clients.