New in Infinity — February 2026

Here’s new functionality across the Infinity platform that will help you and your team reduce operational complexity and create a differentiated omnichannel customer experience.

Infinity is a modular platform and you may need additional components or licensing to access some functionality.

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INFINITY+

Bring the back office to the front of house with Infinity+

As stores evolve to become dynamic fulfilment centres, your retail technology platform needs to give store staff the power to manage stock on the go so they can meet customers’ expectations for fast-paced, responsive service.

We’re excited to announce that our new web-based solution, Infinity+, delivers on that promise and more.

Available on any device that has a web browser, from phones and tablets to desktops, Infinity+ brings the back office to the front of house and enables your store team to respond to inventory demand from wherever they are.

Using the mobility of Infinity+, they can request stock from another branch at the counter as soon as a customer requests it or create a purchase order for stock that’s running low at the shelf where the items reside. They can then receipt the stock from wherever it’s delivered and immediately create any returns and adjustments. 

And for added flexibility, your team can use Infinity+ to check prices for customers on the spot and run stock takes at any time of the day without having to close off aisles or run counts after hours.

Please get in touch if you’d like a demonstration of how Infinity+ could work for your business.

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INFINITY API

Reprioritise customer orders and reallocate order lines for quicker fulfilment

Delivering on customers’ expectations for speedy service is vital to maintaining your reputation for excellence, while falling short of those expectations can do lasting damage. The Sales Orders API now gives you a way of delivering customer orders on time by letting you change an order’s priority from normal to high. So, for example, if stock is delayed you can make an order high priority so your store team are alerted and can move quickly to pick and complete it.

And to make sure that stock is available when it’s needed, the Sales Orders API also now lets you reallocate an order line to another store for fulfilment and switch between pickup and delivery, so you can offer your customers an endless aisle shopping experience and deliver the swift service they demand.

Send product- and inventory-level update notifications

You can now use an event as well as APIs to apply products on your website using the Infinity Cloud Events Service. Two new processors monitor inventory- and product-level changes in Infinity and publish event notifications when items are created or updated, giving you access to the latest stock information and reducing API calls.

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INVENTORY

Enjoy easier searching

We’ve added an improved search feature across a range of Infinity functions, including Demand Forecasting and Field Permissions, so your team spend less time finding the branches, departments and other information they’re looking for and more time focused on getting results.

Use the Amazon S3 cloud storage service to send POs

If you use our EDI function to send purchase orders to suppliers, you can now use the Amazon S3 cloud storage service to send files, as well as using email (SMTP) and sFTP, giving you greater flexibility when it comes to how POs are delivered.

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ORDER MANAGEMENT

Protect revenue with smarter order cancellation

Order cancellations in Infinity can now be handled more safely and consistently thanks to intelligent order-level and line-level locking, protecting critical revenue, reducing costly errors and giving store staff the flexibility to manage changes without risking sensitive or committed order lines.

If an order line has been locked then it can’t be cancelled, with orders protected while any locked line is in place. Once all lines are unlocked, the order cancellation can proceed smoothly.

Note that this change is designed to be used in conjunction with the Sales Orders API. 

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POINT OF SALE

Offer improved service to customers with Adyen

If you use our Adyen integration, you’ll find we’ve enhanced the payment information available to your store team. They can now more easily identify why a payment has been declined and share this with the customer, thereby improving the overall quality of service.

And if you use our extended returns function, your team can also see the payment type used to make the original purchase so they can follow the correct business process for refunds.

Seamlessly process payments with Tyro

There are few things your store staff fear more than being trapped in a doom loop where a payment freezes and they wait for a response from the system that never arrives as the customer wonders what’s happening to their money.

Users of Infinity’s Tyro Payment Integration can now rest easy that when a payment fails, the system will automatically unfreeze after a configured wait period and that they’ll be able to cancel out of the payment screen. They’ll just need to verify that the payment hasn’t already gone through before reprocessing it.

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TECHNOLOGY

Leverage a wider range of EFTPOS solutions

If you're a New Zealand retailer, you'll be able to enjoy our expanded support for Skyzer Nitro EFTPOS, giving you greater flexibility when it comes to choosing an EFTPOS provider. By incorporating the latest software from Skyzer, our integration now supports the ability to charge surcharge fees for payments.

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To find out more about any of these enhancements and add them to your Infinity platform, contact us. 

If you’d like to get our regular ‘New in Infinity’ updates in your inbox, sign up to our newsletter.

Winning in 2026: The four forces reshaping retail

Change has been a regular part of retailers’ lives for years now, beginning with the shift to ecommerce that accelerated during the pandemic. This year, the pace of change looks set to intensify and has the potential to set 2026 apart from even the most disruptive of recent years.

The widespread adoption of AI, together with customers’ escalating demand for seamless, speedy buying experiences, means retailers face almost unprecedented pressure to keep up.

Here we take a look at four trends that we think will shape retail in 2026 and that retailers will need to navigate in order to maintain currency and profitability.

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1. AI adoption will take off

Any commercial forecast for 2026 has to start with the potentially revolutionary impact of AI. As Deloitte put it, “AI’s journey from pilot initiative to the heart of retail operations is accelerating, with an overwhelming majority of retailers either already using, or set to use, AI in the next 12 months for core operational capabilities.” They found that 48% of retailers are currently using generative AI for pricing and promotion optimisation, while 33% are using it for personalised recommendations and product search, with most others planning to use it for these tasks within a year. Other common use cases include demand forecasting and supply chain visibility.

If 2025 was the year when generative AI began to bed in, 2026 is shaping up as the year of agentic AI. Deloitte found that 68% of surveyed retailers were planning to deploy AI agents within one to two years. Most commonly, this will mean using a “proactive digital concierge” to curate and purchase products in response to customer prompts without human intervention at each stage of the process.

But the move to pervasive AI recommendations comes with warning signs as well. As shoppers begin to rely more heavily on AI agents to identify brands, traditional advertising spend could become less effective for retailers. As the National Retail Federation (NRF) in the US points out, “Whether or not a retailer’s brand shows up will depend on AI optimization — not just SEO or paid ads — flattening long-standing competitive advantages.”

Retailers also need to be mindful of trust and legal compliance implications. Privacy concerns around the information that agents gather and how that data will be used and stored need to be resolved, while the potential for malicious actors to exploit agentic commerce flows might curb the enthusiasm some shoppers feel for this new technology.

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2. The need for speed accelerates

Customers’ expectations for speedy service and real-time engagement have been rising for a number of years now. In 2026, those expectations will be central to how shoppers judge their experience.  

 As Australia Post says, speed is now everything, with consumers expecting faster and faster deliveries and speed becoming a key driver of customer satisfaction. “Retailers who optimise fulfilment and embrace express options will win loyalty in 2026.”

Timeliness is making itself felt in other ways too. According to Inside Retail, “Customers are increasingly judging experiences by timing and context. A message that arrives too late, or ignores what they are doing right now, quickly feels irrelevant. Whether someone is browsing, comparing products, or waiting for an order update, they expect brands to respond in the moment, not hours or days later.”

Triquestra’s CEO, Greg Cantlon, agrees that meeting customers’ speed expectations will be a defining factor in retailers’ success this year, and the onus will be on them to anticipate and respond quickly to demand. “The consumer demand for speed will see retail cycles compress, meaning that retailers will have to adjust their offering on a daily or weekly basis. Speed won’t just be about how fast you process a sale; it will be about how fast you change a price, launch a promotion, replenish stock or identify a problem before it impacts your margins.”

All of this means that retailers need to understand their customers and what motivates them on a granular level so they can engage with them in near real-time.

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3. Bricks and mortar rebounds

If there’s one thing that can be said about consumers in 2026 it’s that they are full of contradictions. They’ll prioritise price and value for money for one purchase and then splurge on another.  And while they demand speedy deliveries and convenience, they are apparently also returning to the more leisurely shopping experience offered by malls and bricks-and-mortar stores in growing numbers.

In the US, for example, shopping mall traffic increased during 2025 and is set to grow further this year.

While on the face of it these trends seem to be at odds with each other, understanding consumer preferences explains this seemingly conflicting behaviour. Shoppers are willing to choose the channel that suits them best on any given day or for any given purchase. And at a time when traditional retail shopping centres are transforming themselves into destinations for entertainment and socialisation, customers are seeking out not only tactile product experiences but interaction.

As NRF says, “In a world increasingly starved for connection, human interaction and new experiences, shopping malls can bring together people and create spaces that are an antidote to screen time.”

For retailers, the secret to success will be understanding and catering to these preferences across all channels.

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4. Data lays the foundation

As has been the case for a number of years now, understanding customers and offering them the experiences that meet their needs and expectations will require sound, accurate, real-time data.

That’s as true for understanding how to build a compelling in-store experience as it is for implementing AI agents and delivering timely personal engagement.

In fact, having high-quality data has never been more important than it will be this year. Without it, you can’t deliver the right message at the right time and curate a personalised shopping experience. In 2026, it could be the thing that sets you apart and makes your brand discoverable at a time when search methods are rapidly evolving.

And as Greg Cantlon says, the uncomfortable truth about AI is that it can only amplify the data you already have – good or bad. “If you want smarter ordering, better demand forecasting and personalised loyalty offers but you’re feeding AI with incomplete POS data, siloed systems and manual stock adjustments, then you won’t get the competitive advantage you’re looking for.

“Retail trends come and go. What lasts is the foundation you build beneath you.”

— Greg Cantlon, CEO Triquestra NZ Ltd

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Want help to prepare for the future of retail? 

If you’re looking for help to prepare for the data-intensive, speed-focused future that will shape customer interactions and meet their expectations, get in touch. We’d love to help you develop the solutions you need now and guide you to where you’re headed next.

Retail reboot: Strategies for unlocking IT investment

Countless ideas, a great deal of discussion, yet no progress on moving to a modern tech architecture. Does this sound like your retail business?

In a recent blog we asked if your retail business is spending enough on IT and shared some critical indicators that can mean you’re underspending. At a time when retailers are increasing their IT budgets, when technologies like AI are moving at pace and when your competitors aren’t just local but global, getting stuck in disagreements over where and how much to invest can leave you playing catch-up, at best.

Today technology isn’t just there to “keep the lights on” – it’s a crucial driver for efficiency, customer satisfaction and sustainable growth.

The problem, of course, is that any increase in IT spend needs to come from somewhere and must be balanced against other priorities.

So how can you push tech investments to the top of the agenda and make sure your business can become stronger, smarter and prepared for the future? In this blog, we look at what gets in the way of scaling up investment and how to make the case for increasing spend.

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Retailers face three challenges when it comes to adopting new technologies:

Challenge 1: Money’s tight and priorities are stretched

In today’s competitive environment, budgets are under pressure and retailers often need to prioritise expenditures that ensure immediate survival, such as inventory, rent and staffing. The pressure to focus on immediate competitive tactics, such as price wars, maintain low prices and manage operational costs can leave few resources for innovative IT spending, with execs opting to chase quick wins instead of playing the long game with investment. It’s all about juggling priorities, and sometimes tech just doesn’t make it to the top of the list.

Challenge 2: Risk aversion and wanting to stick with the tried and true

Even at times when a new technology such as AI takes off, or when the benefits of adopting a unified commerce approach are clear, retailers can suffer from risk aversion. They fear not achieving the anticipated return on investment, especially if they’ve been burned by failed tech projects in the past. This scepticism is fuelled by rapid technological changes and a market flooded with new solutions, making it difficult to tell whether the investments will achieve the touted benefits.

Challenge 3: Desire to avoid downtime and disruption

Upgrading IT infrastructure can be a complex task involving downtime and retraining. For some retailers, the disruption to current operations presents an operational challenge they’d rather not face, especially if it means missing out on precious revenue while incurring extra cost. On top of everything else, compatibility issues with existing and future systems can make the transition to a modern IT infrastructure seem a daunting task.

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So how do you navigate the budget blocks to start over?

Making a business case for increasing IT spend involves a mix of strategy, foresight and clear communication.

Here's how to justify the investment:

1.   Understand the solution: Make sure you understand the solution you’re proposing. Know its features and benefits and be confident that it’s the right fit for your business. You won’t convince the c-suite to spend money on a solution that doesn't address the issues you face and that can’t deliver the benefits they expect.

2.   Show real ROI: Demonstrate how the investment will help achieve your strategic business goals by allowing you to take advantage of new opportunities. Illustrate its benefits with concrete data and case studies. Show how a modern tech infrastructure increases revenue, reduces costs over time and enhances operational effectiveness.

3. Check out the competition: Highlighting what others in retail (and other sectors) are doing is a powerful motivator, especially if they're gaining a competitive edge through technology. Show how changing consumer preferences and rising expectations for speed, convenience and personalisation are creating new growth opportunities, with retailers that deliver a tailored omnichannel CX best positioned for long-term growth and loyalty.

4. Include a roadmap that addresses risk aversion: Any implementation plan needs to address the presence of risk aversion in the c-suite. Present a clear, phased plan for how the IT investment will be rolled out that minimises disruption and leaves store staff ready to roll. Include timelines, milestones, budget requirements and expected outcomes. Show you know how to select the right technology that delivers the expected returns for your retail business, and that you have a plan for what to do if things go wrong.

5. Highlight the importance of compliance: Detail how IT investments will ensure compliance with data security and privacy standards. Demonstrate the operational necessity and legal imperatives for the IT upgrade that will protect against the reputational damage that comes with data leakage.

6. Showcase scalability and sustainability: Explain how investing in IT is not just a short-term expense but a step towards making the business scalable and future-proof. Demonstrate how the solution you’ve chosen will adapt and scale as the business grows, rather than acting as a brake on expansion and flexibility.

7. Present data-driven insights that support efficiency: Show how a better IT infrastructure can lead to more effective data collection and analysis, which can shift your business strategies from guesswork to smarter, data-driven decisions. You’ll have insights into how your new solution can help you get a real-time view of stock levels and sales patterns, predict trends, deeply understand your customers' behaviours and optimise your operations for efficiency and satisfaction. This optimisation leads to a reduction in tied-up capital, freeing resources for other strategic investments.

By focusing on these seven strategies, you can craft a compelling case for increasing investments in IT, showing it’s a crucial driver for efficiency, customer satisfaction and sustainable growth.

Originally published in February 2024 and republished in January 2026.

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If you want to ensure your retail business accelerates innovation while lowering costs and risk, get in touch. We’d love to help you navigate the budget blocks and craft a compelling business case.

New in Infinity — December 2025

Here’s new functionality across the Infinity platform that will help you and your team reduce operational complexity and create a differentiated omnichannel customer experience.

Infinity is a modular platform and you may need additional components or licensing to access some functionality.

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INFINITY API

Seamlessly create and update item details in bulk

We’ve made creating and updating stock items in bulk using APIs more seamless and cost-effective. Product dimensions are now supported, as are kitsets and custom product options, meaning you can update a wider range of granular item detail without having to drown in complex spreadsheets. 

You can also retrieve and update site-specific variations for a master product and update site-specific item configurations.

Take the hassle out of processing cancelled orders

You’ll no longer have to waste effort doing a manual refund at the POS when a customer cancels an online order. Instead, cancelled lines can now be handled automatically via the Infinity Sales Order API, saving you time and streamlining the process.

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INVENTORY

Easily find the right supplier when entering invoices

If you have to enter invoice details manually after goods have arrived, you’ll now be able to find the right supplier much more quickly and easily, instead of having to search through a list that includes suppliers you no longer use.

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CUSTOMER AND LOYALTY

Protect against fraud when using epay digital gift cards

If you’re a New Zealand retailer who uses epay gift cards in conjunction with Infinity, you can now offer your customers the flexibility of using either plastic or digital cards.

To make the move to digital cards more secure, we’ve implemented a layer of fraud protection by allowing you to define the digital cards that can be scanned at the POS. If a customer scans a card that isn’t on your permitted list, then it needs to be swiped on the magnetic reader instead. And as an added layer of protection, a PIN needs to be entered when a card that is on your permitted list is scanned during balance enquiries and redemptions.  

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PRICING AND PROMOTIONS

Offer ‘spend more, save more’ discounts

Offering customers discounts based on the total value of a transaction is a great way to reward their decision to shop with you. Our new total sale discounts let you scale your promotion, meaning the more a customer spends the greater the reward.

You can decide which customer types to includes in the promotion, how long you want a promotion to run, which products you want to include and whether you want to reward customers with a dollar-off or a percentage-off discount, giving you flexibility over how the reward is designed and delivered.

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REPORTS AND ANALYTICS

Easily customise point of sale documents

Customising point of sale documentation is an effective way to communicate both your brand and the vital information your need to give to customers. We’ve made it easier to get those essential documents just right by introducing an integration with FastReport.

Using standard templates, you can customise your customer order and tax invoice layouts to easily add logos, QR codes, barcodes and custom fields such as customer emails, as well as lines of text in the font of your choice.  You can also create your own templates, although you’ll need to obtain a licence from FastReport first.

The integration is designed to use A4 layouts, but you can use thermal layouts by resizing them as required.

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POINT OF SALE

Refund prepaid sales without losing revenue

If you use Infinity’s enhanced returns module, you can now prompt your store staff to refund items to a specified payment type. So, for example, if the customer paid with a gift card, you can prompt staff to issue the refund as a gift card balance, so it will be spent with you in the future instead of being given away as cash.

Easily locate scheduled stock takes

Completing stock takes is all about getting the details right. If your store staff carry out scheduled stock takes at the POS, they’ll be able to locate the right stock take more easily now that they’re listed alphabetically by name, speeding up the process and letting the team get on with what really matters – entering accurate stock counts.

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TECHNOLOGY

Get the latest SQL Server support

On 19 November, Microsoft announced the general release of SQL Server 2025. To keep pace with these latest changes, we’ll be adding Infinity RMS support on SQL Server 2025 by 1 April 2026.

We also need to let you know that Infinity RMS support on SQL Server 2012 and SQL Server 2014 will end on 1 April 2026.

Existing Infinity installations operating on current SQL Server versions will remain functional, but support for issues related specifically to SQL Server 2012 and SQL Server 2014 will no longer be provided.  If you’re running either of these versions, you’ll need to upgrade to access new releases of Infinity RMS after 1 April 2026.

Simplify upgrades using the Infinity Upgrade Service

You have more options when it comes to upgrading Infinity now that you can use the Infinity Upgrade Service on a Restricted Back Office and on POS stations that connect directly to the Back Office, simplifying automatic upgrades across a wider range of environments.

We’ve also made using the Upgrade Service easier and more reliable by enhancing the EventLog Report to let you confirm that the Linker is running as a service before you begin the upgrade.  

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To find out more about any of these enhancements and add them to your Infinity platform, contact us. 

If you’d like to get our regular ‘New in Infinity’ updates in your inbox, sign up to our newsletter.

Triquestra brings out the (competitive) Christmas spirit

Here at Triquestra, we pride ourselves on our diligence and dedication to delivering the best software. Come December, we add a new target to our laser-focused quest for quality – Christmas.

Around here, Christmas isn’t just a chance to eat mince pies, it’s also a way to win prizes. This year’s celebrations came with some extra competitive edge, with not two but three opportunities to score victory over our colleagues.

As always, we went out for a Christmas dinner at a local Auckland eatery to enjoy good food and company. And, as always, dinner was preceded by a fiercely fought contest. This year, we put away the child’s play of last year’s mini-golf, turned up the adventure dial and went axe-throwing. Upper-body strength and mental fortitude were tested as one by one the field narrowed to our CTO Mike Baxter and Product Owner Nevin Betts, with Nevin prevailing. We’re not sure Mike’s quite got over it.

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Then last week we enjoyed our annual Christmas barbeque, during which the winner of the newly inaugurated Best Decorated Desk competition was announced. An intense battle played out between the traditionalists like Sales and Marketing Manager Victoria Crossfield, who went for the snow and simulated fireplace effect, and the modernists like Tech Analyst Tom deBorst, who brought in a young Pohutukawa tree and decorated it with toy New Zealand birds such as kiwi and piwakawaka (fantails).

The decision was made by voting, and when all the votes were counted the winner was Developer Joel Sevilla, with his beautifully crafted gingerbread village. Congratulations, Joel!

We finished up with a round of Secret Santa, with the usual TQ twist. Instead of simply buying a present for an allocated colleague, we do the competitive version where we can either take something from under the tree or take a present from someone who’s already chosen a gift. It’s a white-knuckle ride to the end to see if you’ll hang on to that gift you really want or be left with the one you’re going to have to give to your great-uncle.

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Greg Cantlon looks back on 2025 and forward to 2026

Triquestra Christmas BBQ

While this has been a challenging year for many businesses, it has been inspiring to see the progress and resilience across the retail sector. Several of our customers have spoken about the plans they have to grow in 2026, and at Triquestra we are no different. This year we've been focused on setting the foundations for future growth, and our whole team are excited for what lies ahead.

This year we said goodbye to long-term team members Vidula Kulkarni (Programme Manager), Aby Thampi (Technical Analyst) and Vlad Nikolsky (Head of Development). I am grateful to all three for their contributions over the years and I’m excited to follow their progress. I'm also proud of the depth of talent we have at Triquestra which has allowed others to step up and maintain the stability and quality of service you expect from us, while also introducing changes that will help you thrive in an ever-changing landscape.

After several years in development, Infinity+ is now running in production, enabling retailers to manage inventory more seamlessly than ever before. We have also begun to leverage AI to deliver changes more efficiently across our software, a capability that we see as a major driver for the future.

Looking ahead, 2026 will be a year of growth, both for Triquestra and our customers. We are planning to help you stay ahead of the curve and turn complexity into opportunity. In the coming weeks we'll share two new case studies that highlight how retailers are already using Infinity to innovate and drive results, and we’re excited to help you write your own success story.

As we head into the festive season and the summer break, I hope you take the time to relax, recharge and enjoy time with friends and family.

Thank you for your trust and support throughout 2025, and on behalf of the entire team, have a great Christmas. We look forward to partnering with you in 2026 and beyond.

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Low tech, high risk: why you need to keep pace with IT investment

It used to be a truism that the retail industry spent less on IT compared to other industries such as health and banking, mostly thanks to its focus on physical stores where IT played a less vital role and its lower dependence on data storage.

But times have changed and retail’s IT budgets have changed along with them. In 2024, over 72% of global retail chains reported increasing their IT budgets compared to the previous year.

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What’s driving investment?

The driving force has been consumer demand for seamless omnichannel shopping, along with the proliferation of cloud-based services, integration of AI and investment in cybersecurity. As retailers have gone online not only have they had to invest in robust cloud servers and CRMs, they’ve also needed to up their game when it comes to securing customer data.

The store, too, has seen new investment. As our recent blog said, retail POS platforms need to keep pace with customers’ ‘phygital’ expectation that their instore experience will be harmonised with the shopping they do online, while mobile apps and self-service kiosks have added another layer to retailers’ store spend.

Meanwhile, edge computing is gaining traction in high-volume environments. A recent study found around 22% of Tier-1 retailers globally have integrated edge computing to manage instore data processing and address latency issues during peak hours.

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The upside to investing

For retailers in the Asia-Pacific region, the benefits of IT investment are clear, given the rapid uptake of new technologies among shoppers. For example, three-quarters of Australians use their phone to shop online and a third use dedicated shopping apps, meaning that investing in mobile solutions is now the retail equivalent of table stakes rather than a nice-to-have.

Technology spend has come with other tangible benefits, too, in terms of both sales and cost savings. Retailers in Southeast Asia experienced a 24% increase in sales after deploying cloud-enabled logistics, while cutting-edge inventory systems have reduced shrinkage by 14% 

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The constraints

Of course, investment also comes with risks and challenges, the most obvious being the significant capital outlay that IT projects require, particularly at a time when retailers are already experiencing revenue and cost pressures.

The fear of losing revenue through potential disruption that comes with implementing a new POS is multiplied when applied across channels, while globally 36% of retailers experienced a failed IT deployment in 2023 after trying to integrate legacy systems with new solutions.

But not spending comes with risks, too, most obviously the risk of being left behind as competitors invest in the solutions and experiences that customers not only expect but demand.

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How much should retailers spend on IT?  

The simple answer is it depends. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution and the right number depends on a retailer’s specific circumstances. IT spend can vary greatly by retail category, company size and growth stage. 

Our anecdotal experience suggests that most retailers spend only 1–3% of their revenue on IT, although one study found that retail and ecommerce IT spend was 10% share of company revenue in 2023 (up from 7% in 2022), while another suggests that deploying multi-store cloud-based IT infrastructure costs between 14–22% of the annual revenue of mid-sized retail enterprises.

We’re not suggesting retailers need to invest at these levels, but they do need to scale their IT spend for opportunities that make their businesses stronger, smarter and ready for the future. 

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This blog was originally published in February 2024 and updated in December 2025.

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Want help to find the right systems to build your unified commerce business model? 

We can help you build a foundation for operational efficiency and continuous, innovative growth. Get in touch.

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Are you ready for Black Friday?

Since arriving in the Australia and New Zealand markets around a decade ago, Black Friday has become one of the biggest occasions on the retail calendar.

As well as being a major event in its own right, Black Friday, along with Cyber Monday, marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. And it seems to get bigger every year, with deals being advertised earlier and the sale period getting longer.

In 2024, Black Friday and Cyber Monday set a new record in Australia of $2.2 billion spent online, despite a tight cost-of-living environment. Meanwhile, in New Zealand, they saw $94.6 million spent online and $734 million spent instore. Overall Q4 retail spending came in at $16.1 billion, with mid-to-late November showing the biggest increase in spend.

Clearly, the Black Friday and Cyber Monday period is an opportunity for retailers to build momentum heading into Christmas, but the returns won’t come without thought and strategic planning.

Here we look at how you can make sure you’re ready to take advantage of the Black Friday splurge so that it sets you up for end-of-year success.

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Is your inventory ready?

Perhaps the most important question you need to answer is: what are you hoping to sell? Are you showcasing a new product line, promoting tried-and-true items that you know will sell or are you trying to move excess stock?

With this question answered, you need to be sure that you’ve planned for demand and contingencies.  Use reports and analytics to gauge the volume of stock you will need on hand, and make sure your inventory management system alerts you to when minimum stock levels have been reached.

Getting stock to the right places is vital. Have you maximised shelf use, so that you’ve filled shelves with product you want shoppers to buy? Do you need to transfer slower movers into the storeroom for the duration of the sale?

And if you’re running a multi-store operation, have you planned for variation in demand across stores, and are you able to move stock across your network to meet that demand during the sale period?  

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Are your suppliers on board?

Once you know how much stock you’ll need and where you’ll need it, make sure you’ve either got what you need on hand or that your suppliers can provide it.

Have you got agreements in place with suppliers that allow you to meet demand? If you aren’t able to physically store all the stock you’re planning to sell, are suppliers able to hold more stock for you in case it’s needed?

And if you run out of stock during the sale, are you able to place customer orders with the supplier so that demand can be met in the coming days or weeks? Alternatively, are suppliers able to dropship to your customers to speed up fulfilment?

You’ll also want suppliers to help you out if you find yourself with product left over at the end of the sale, so have you come to an agreement to return unsold stock?

Finally, are your suppliers on board with your pricing strategy? Can they offer you tiered pricing that you can pass on to shoppers?

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Does your pricing strategy align with inventory?

When you’ve decided what to discount you need to get the pricing right so that you’re selling stock at required levels without compromising revenue or brand value.

Use reports to identify the price points at which discounts should be offered that maintain profitability while also attracting customers.  

Experience from the US indicates that discounts in the 10–15% and 20–25% ranges performed better than steep price cuts, suggesting consumers were more interested in getting the right product from their chosen brand rather than merely prioritising the lowest price.

If you’re opting for pricing bundles and tiered discounts, does your POS allow for a seamless pricing experience for customers so that they know they’re getting the best price?

And when it comes to those shoppers who belong to your loyalty scheme, consider whether you’ve put enough emphasis on nurturing them through exclusive offers, bonus points and early access to deals.

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How are you going to manage queues?

There’s no point having inventory and pricing in place if people walk out because the queue isn’t being managed.  

Look at last year’s analytics and work out when the peak times were and then make sure that you have enough people on deck to handle those busy periods.

If you offer a click-and-collect service, consider suspending pick-ups at busy times so that shoppers aren’t waiting around to collect orders, preventing your staff from serving bargain hunters and compromising overall service.

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Is your POS up to the task?

Once you’ve decided how many of your people need to be available, are you sure you have enough POS lanes, or do you need to scale up the number of lanes?

Are you also sure that your POS can handle high transaction volumes? Once again, slow service at the POS will flow on to queue length, which could result in lost sales.

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How will you keep customers coming back?

Black Friday and Cyber Monday can see record numbers of shoppers engaging with you across all touchpoints, from instore to web store. Are you ready to reward them for their business and retain them as loyal customers?

Limited-time promotions can result in a huge spike in customers coming through the door or visiting you online never to be seen again. But giving them a reason to come back means that a single purchase on Black Friday can be the start of a long-lasting relationship that bolsters your loyal customer base and fortifies revenue streams. 

Have you thought about how you keep in touch with new shoppers through email or txt exchanges so you can offer them complementary products or services? Do you have a retention strategy in place to bring new shoppers back again and again?

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Are you ready for next year?

Getting everything in place so you can take best advantage of Black Friday can be daunting, but having the right tools at hand takes some of the pressure off.  

If you don’t have the data you need to make informed decisions about which products will perform best and how to price them, then it might be time to upgrade your systems so that you’re ready for next year.

Infinity allows you to report on inventory sales so you can see what performs well and when, while other reports give you a clear understanding of profit and loss. You can even see how well each of your employees is doing over a given period so you make sure your top performers are on the floor.

You can easily move stock around stores so that stock gaps are filled, and if items do run out you can create customer orders to be fulfilled from the warehouse, the supplier or from another store.

You also get to make complex pricing simple, so that tiered pricing becomes a breeze. And Infinity’s proven ability to perform complete transactions at speeds of less that 20 seconds on a single POS means you get the throughput and accuracy you need.

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Need help to get ready for busy sale periods?

If you’re looking to get on a solid footing for the sale season, get in touch. We’d love to show you how Infinity can help you deliver the bargains customers expect while maximising revenue.

Infinity drives U-GO’s launch into the market

Key results

• Fast rollout of unattended fuel sites
• No need to run multiple systems across channels
• Easily repurpose existing systems and infrastructure

When Z Energy (Z) launched the U-GO fuel station brand in New Zealand earlier this year, it was looking to meet the needs of customers who want to match great value with fast and convenient self-service. It was also building on its reputation as a leading fuel retailer in the New Zealand market.

With a nationwide network of retail service stations, Z offers customers a range of full-service amenities, including hot food, snacks and coffee, car washes, EV charging and trailer hire, as well as the Z Rewards loyalty programme.

By converting select existing stations into U-GO sites that offer only pay-at-the-pump fuel delivery, the company was able to keep serving its customers in a way that best suited them but without incurring the cost of building new locations from the ground up.

As Z’s Customer General Manager Tim Bailey said, “We've identified a small number of locations in our current network where a self-service fuel station would better meet customer needs. We're working to convert these into U-GO branded sites now.  Z and U-GO have different offers and are designed to appeal to different customers.”

In making the transition, Z turned to its long-term partner Triquestra to provide the retail solution that would underpin the new offering, via the Infinity retail management system.

Triquestra has worked alongside Z to deliver a range of services and offers at its attended sites, including the Pumped and Z Rewards loyalty schemes, virtual fuel solution Sharetank, as well as comprehensive wet stock and dry stock POS functionality. Infinity’s flexibility meant that U-GO could use the same underlying retail solution, stripped back to suit the needs of unattended sites.

It also meant that U-GO sites could be up and running quickly. Implementing a single, modular platform across all retail channels allowed Z to scale efficiently and avoid the usual complexity that comes with managing multiple systems. The result has been a quick and seamless rollout at unattended sites.

“We’ve been able to roll out technology quickly by configuring existing tools instead of building custom solutions. This has allowed us to tailor the solution to the market in just a few days.”

— Callan McLaughlin, Z's Retail Platform Manager

By leveraging the power of Infinity, U-GO has brought greater competition into the self-service fuel retail market in New Zealand, offering competitive local fuel pricing for all U-GO customers.

For Z, partnering with Triquestra and Infinity has allowed them to build on an existing relationship to deliver for all their customers, wherever they are and whatever they need, in a seamless, cost-effective way.

Changing your POS? 7 questions to ask before taking the leap

In a recent blog, we talked about how the retail store is and will likely remain vital for customers who value trusted advice, social engagement and tactile product discovery. And those customers will continue to have high expectations of the instore experience, including the expectation that it will be harmonised with the shopping they do online.  

As your store evolves to meet a future where it can serve as an experiential hub and as mission control for customer fulfilment, you need to ensure that your retail platform is keeping pace rather than holding you back.  

Here we look at the challenges retailers experience when making the shift to a new POS, and the important questions you need to ask before choosing a new platform.

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 The POS upgrade challenge 

Preparing the point of sale for a future where tech-savvy consumers expect ‘phygital’ omnichannel experiences can be daunting.  

Retailers need to keep up with shoppers’ demand for a unified, cross-channel buying journey, but many have outdated point of sale systems that aren’t suited to the task. 

Making the shift to a new point of sale comes with challenges, though, especially when margins are tight. Fear of losing revenue through potential disruption to current operations and having to invest in staff training while perhaps not achieving anticipated returns can deter retailers from taking the leap.  

You don’t want a project that fails to deliver the desired returns because the wrong product was selected. 

So how do you select the right system for your business requirements? 

Here are the 7 questions to ask when looking for a new POS.  

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1. Can it be implemented and deployed rapidly?

The number one priority for most of the retailers we speak with is speed of deployment.

To minimise the operational disruption, you’ll need a platform built on a modern architecture. All your core requirements need to come out-of-the-box, along with the ability to customise and easily add new functionality.  

When you choose a partner with a mature platform, they can focus on delivering innovation because the core functionality you need already exists. 

Check the provider has recent and proven success planning, implementing and managing complex, large-scale deployments across multiple stores, formats and geographies. They’ll need to understand your fast-paced, data-intensive environment where any significant level of downtime is unacceptable. And their people will need to be skilled in helping you plan and implement your projects so that they work for you now and into the future.

Our client Z Energy was able to quickly and seamlessly convert some of its existing fuel locations into unattended self-service U-GO sites.    

“By using a modular platform, we’ve been able to roll out technology quickly by configuring existing tools instead of building custom solutions. This has allowed us to tailor the solution to the market in just a few days.”

— Callan McLaughlin, Retail Platform Manager at Z Energy

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2. Will it support your unified commerce business model?

Today, the store is the epicentre for all your unified commerce activity. 

That means you’ll want a point of sale system that supports endless aisle, click and collect, store fulfilment, pricing and promotions, clienteling and loyalty, as well as functions that allow customers to search, transact, acquire and consume products across all your channels.  

You don’t want to be tied to a point player that can only provide parts of a total solution.  

“The reason unified commerce resonated with me is that it would give us one core platform to do the heavy lifting and a single source of truth to manage the customer data, inventory and order orchestration, rather than relying on too many systems to push and pull data everywhere.”

— Shane Lenton, previously Cue’s Chief Information and Digital Officer

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3. Does it allow your store team to deliver exceptional service?

The new solution needs to empower store teams to deliver a superior, frictionless customer experience that maximises their productivity, no matter where they are in the store.

An easy-to-use UX and straightforward setup will enable new employees to quickly learn the system and begin selling almost right away. By removing the frustrations caused by complex technology, you'll also help lower staff turnover. 

In addition, by consolidating store technology onto a single POS-based retail system, your teams can do everything in a single view, from sales transactions, customer loyalty, pricing, product and promotions through to virtual appointments and endless aisle access to stock.

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4. Will the system work offline?

Delivering exceptional customer service is irrelevant if your staff can’t complete sales. 

When inevitable network outages happen, you need to know that your POS will keep all your stores operational without any disruption.  

When implemented correctly, the offline POS experience should be so seamless that your staff may not even realise the system is offline. 

Though some features may be limited, it's essential to know what transactions can still be processed during the loss of connectivity. For example, the system should handle card and cash payments, process returns, capture customer data and link it to profiles, and continue scanning products for smooth checkouts. 

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5. Can it grow with you, and adapt to change?

Whether you're expanding into new locations or launching pop-up stores, your POS system must be scalable and adaptable to change. While it might seem obvious, scalability can easily be overlooked in the excitement of cutting-edge technology. 

Your growth plans should account for how your physical stores can complement your online presence, so that your POS solution can function across channels in the same way as your ecommerce platform. 

It should operate seamlessly across tablets, phones and fixed tills, allowing transactions to flow between devices effortlessly. This flexibility not only opens up possibilities for innovative store layouts but also provides the practical benefit of better backup strategies for your devices. 

Your partner should let third-party solutions connect via APIs so that you are free to focus your development efforts on the front-end. You can be more agile and create a community of third-party apps and systems that work together in an ecosystem. As a result, you’ll reduce integration and maintenance overheads, increase real-time accuracy and enjoy virtually limitless scalability and agility. 

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6. Will it make complex sales simple?

Enterprise retailers with multiple brands, B2B operations or franchises will need a POS system that makes complex sales simple. 

You’ll want the power to set pricing and promotion rules, permissions, return and refund validation, discounting and cash management from either head office or at store level. 

And you’ll want to ensure the solution supports complex sales like charge-to-account, quote management by channel, debtor management, loyalty and all types of pricing, including retail, trade, contract, promotional, project, customer-specific and rules based.  

“Infinity is one of the few platforms able to accommodate our diverse business model, with both retail and wholesale customers requiring multiple volume breaks and bulk purchasing. And Infinity’s New Zealand presence gives us an out-of-the box solution with local capabilities that can be customised to our requirements.”

— Amanda Thompson, General Manager of Moore Wilson’s

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7. Can you rely on the vendor for new functionality and ongoing support?

Working with the right people and processes will make the rollout of your new point of sale much easier and deliver results much faster. 

A partner located in the Australia-New Zealand market means you’ll have direct access to second- and third-level support, as well as direct contact with people committed to your success. 

You’ll also have more influence on the product roadmap and have to deal with less bureaucracy to get things done. And a mid-size partner is more likely to view you as an important customer of influence.

This blog was originally published in September 2024 and updated November 2025.

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Want help to modernise your point of sale? 

As you transform your customer experience to deliver the seamless and personalised buying journeys your customers crave, your point of sale system must transform as well. If you’re looking for help to shape your strategy and extend your omnichannel capabilities, get in touch. We’d love to help you develop the solutions you need now and guide you to where you’re headed next. 

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For more on how a move to a unified commerce strategy gives you the flexibility and agility you need to keep in step with consumers’ changing needs, download our ebook: