Effective June 2024, Zippin stores can work without any issues even when the network is offline. All of the cameras and the AI have the ability to handle temporary internet connectivity losses, as they can buffer data locally for several hours. Of course, the transaction processing cannot complete until the network is back up and relevant data can be pushed to the cloud. But on the ground, shoppers can continue to shop the store as if nothing happened.
There is no activation or maintenance fee to enable this mode.
| Note: There is no change to store operations workflows when the the network is offline. |
The main consideration for the retailer is that the terminals are configured to switch to "offline auth" mode automatically when they cannot connect to the internet. I'm assuming you are already familiar with offline auth. It means the payment reader will only check that the card is valid, but won't really have the ability to check the availability of funds in real time. So there is a theoretical risk that a credit card without even your designated pre-auth amount might be authorized by Shift4 or Freedompay in the offline mode. FAQ's are attached.
Retailers should inform their Customer Service Advocate of their choice to either:
a) Allow offline transactions . If and when Zippin store is experiencing internet connectivity issues, allow Shift4/Freedompay to process offline auths.
Please note that if the network connection ever goes down, there should be no change to how the store operates. Only if the network is down, will Shift4 or Freedompay do offline auths
OR
b) Do not allow offline transactions. In other words, the gates will be shut for shoppers and the store will be inoperable when the network connection is down.
| Note: The activation requires 3 business day lead time. Ideally, no events should occur during these 3 business days, however Zippin will provide custom guidance. |