Groupon Expands Point-of-Sale Suite With New iPad App

Groupon  (NASDAQ: GRPN  ) has launched a new iPad app to replace cash registers, reduce credit card transaction fees, and become more than a deals site for local businesses.

Dubbed "Breadcrumb POS," Groupon touts the software as a point-of-sale, "easy-to-use solution" for restaurants, bars, salons, spas, and retail merchants. Most businesses should be able to set it up within a few minutes. From there, they can log cash transactions, accept credit card payments, print or email receipts, manage menu items, view transaction history, and issue refunds. Added features include daily and monthly sales and product mix reports, 24/7 customer service from Breadcrumb POS, and deposits within 24 hours.

Breadcrumb POS comes with a low-price guarantee to beat out comparable plans on credit card transaction fees. Payments that use it are charged rates of 1.8% plus $0.15 per transaction (MasterCard, Visa, and Discover) with no hidden costs or monthly fees and free processing on the first $5,000 in credit card transactions (promotional offer).

Breadcrumb POS is the third software solution offered by Groupon. Other services include Breadcrumb Pro, which caters exclusively to restaurants and bars that require a more extensive feature set, and the Groupon Merchants App, which lets businesses process credit card transactions, accept and redeem Groupon vouchers, and measure the performance of Groupon deals.

The Breadcrumb POS app is available for download on iTunes now.

More Expert Advice from The Motley Fool

The Motley Fool's chief investment officer has selected his No. 1 stock for the next year. Find out which stock in our brand-new free report: "The Motley Fool's Top Stock for 2013." I invite you to take a copy, free for a limited time. Just click here to access the report and find out the name of this under-the-radar company.