Ten years ago, small businesses hired first and automated second. Today, it's the reverse.
That shift in mindset was a central theme at this year’s panel on AI and POS innovation for small business growth, hosted by Matt Nicholas of Fiserv. Speakers included Matt Austin (COO, Payroc), Bob Legters (Chief Product Officer, Paysafe), and Will Karczewski (COO, Clover).
Across the board, speakers agreed: technology no longer sits at the edges of small business operations. It powers the centre. AI and integrated point-of-sale systems are no longer secondary features. They are foundational.
Consolidation over complication
Most small businesses now run six to eight software solutions at any given time. Payroll, inventory, ordering, marketing, and payments each require separate logins and workflows. According to Clover’s Karczewski, the next wave of growth will come from convergence.
He pointed to examples like Clover’s all-in-one platform, which allows owners to manage payroll, access capital, process returns, and take payments through a single interface. For many merchants, the value isn’t in having more tools. It is in managing fewer.
AI makes scale personal
All three panelists discussed AI’s growing role in supporting decision-making. Clover, for example, uses AI to speed up catalog creation. A restaurant owner can upload a menu PDF or photo, and the system builds item entries without manual input.
Paysafe is working on dynamic ordering and inventory tools that respond to supply and balance data. These tools adjust timing and stock recommendations based on real-world conditions.
Legters noted that most merchants aren’t seeking artificial intelligence for its own sake. They want solutions that remove friction. If those happen to be powered by AI, so much the better.
Efficiency is more than speed
The panel agreed that automation matters. But intelligence matters more.
Austin described how AI allows small teams to act with the same insight and precision once reserved for enterprise-scale operations. Predictive recommendations, adaptive pricing, and peer benchmarking all become accessible to firms with five or fewer staff.
Karczewski added that the most valuable systems in the future will be the ones that know when to act. Timing is just as important as insight.
A smarter version of the point of sale
Looking ahead, the panelists framed the POS not as a checkout device, but as a nerve centre.
Legters predicted that future systems would use AI to manage customer experience, fraud prevention, and real-time marketing. He described a model in which the POS becomes the platform that understands each customer’s preferences and context.
Karczewski agreed. The next generation of systems will not only power transactions. They will help merchants anticipate needs and make better decisions before problems arise.
The Unofficially ETA Transact Team
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