Back in November 2011, Greg Buzek, President of IHL Group, provided our tekSESSIONS attendees with valuable insight into the way mobile solutions typically unfold in 4 stages:

1)    Store Managers
2)    Store Associates 
3)    Mobile POS
4)    Consumer Engagement

While Buzek explained that Stages 1 and 2 usually serve as an enhancement to an existing POS solution, it’s Stage 3—Mobile POS—that he said would be the real game-changer for retail.

And, so far, it appears that Buzek was spot-on with his presumption. Since then, a number of mobile POS payment solutions have hit the market and begun ushering in a new era of retail.

As a matter of fact, just this past week, Isis—the joint venture between AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless—announced a roster of national merchants that will be joining the mobile commerce solution’s network this summer.

This past week, I attended the annual IBM RS4 event at the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego, Calif. While the tone of this year’s conference was a bit subdued in light of the recent IBM/Toshiba TEC acquisition, it was still packed with informative sessions and insight into the future of retail technology and IBM Retail Store Solutions (RSS). While it may not have been “business as usual,” most of the attendees I talked to are optimistic about the promise of the recent acquisition.

Yet despite the prevailing optimism throughout the industry, there are still retailers who have come to us with significant concerns.

What had been an obscure rumor throughout the retail industry over the past few months was made official this week: Toshiba TEC will acquire IBM’s Retail Store POS Solutions (RSS) business. The $850 million deal is expected to close around June-July 2012.

Although there had been speculation over the past few years, the groundbreaking announcement is causing quite a stir throughout the retail industry.

And, with good reason. For years, IBM’s reputation as the global leader in advanced retail store systems technologies has made the brand synonymous with POS. Last year, in particular, was an especially strong year for IBM, according to IHL Group’s recent report POS Terminal Shipments By Vendor. Worldwide POS terminal shipments grew 7% in 2011, with IBM doubling that growth rate and significantly extending their market share position.

It’s true that IBM enjoys many strong relationships in the U.S. marketplace—particularly from a legacy perspective. IBM POS is very important to our client base, as well, and represents about 20% of our overall hardware revenue.

But, what does this all mean for retailers? If the acquisition is expected to push Toshiba TEC into the coveted position as the “world's foremost retail point-of-sale systems company,” what happens to IBM?