eThor Software Hooks Into Multiple Merchant POS Systems

Point-of-sale (POS) integration platform eThor provides software that creates a two-way communication between local merchants’ POS systems and user devices. In a recent podcast interview, eThor Founder and CEO Gary Ziegler told Karen Webster, CEO of Market Platform Dynamics, that the company has also built an application-programming interface (API) that helps mobile developers to easily hook their app to a local merchant’s POS system.

As such, a wide range of companies may use the eThor technology, he said.

Ziegler, who originally started a company that built customized solutions for online restaurant ordering, said he found that many customers were asking eThor to hook their online system to its POS systems.

(jump to: 1:50) “As I met with a lot of the larger restaurant chains, I found that they had fractured point-of-sale infrastructure,” said Ziegler. “We found that it was a huge mess.” At that point, Ziegler noticed a big problem that had yet to be solved, and he changed the company from a services firm to a product.

As the infrastructure “mess” frequently arises, Ziegler noted that a lot of people ask why nobody else has done what eThor has done. While there are companies like OpenTable, for example, that put separate servers and screens in a store, none hook into existing POS systems as does eThor.

(jump to: 4:20) “There’s hundreds of POS systems out there. They’re all very different, they’re all built differently. And even within one system, there are all different ways to set up menus, pricing, and more,” noted Ziegler. “It’s not an easy problem and I think most people to date have just avoided it.”

But eThor has focused on solving it. In the last four months, after the launch of its API, over 500 developers from around the world have signed up to use the product. While many types of companies could benefit from the technology, Ziegler said that eThor is most interested in the payments space.

(jump to: 7:48)“I think payments, to us, is the biggest opportunity that we see,” said Ziegler. “That’s the one that we’re most interested in pursuing.”

To learn more about eThor and its POS integration platform, listen to the full podcast by clicking below.