Liven has introduced Australia’s first Android point-of-sale (POS) system engineered in Australia specifically for local hospitality and grocery businesses.

Traditional POS systems have long burdened restaurant and café owners with hidden transaction fees, expensive hardware, complex management, and additional charges for essential features. All of these expenses trickle down to higher prices for customers.

According to Liven its new solution, Abacus Android POS, significantly reduces hardware costs and incorporating features that others charge extra for.

In the past month, Australian hospitality operators experienced disruptions with Square POS platforms – and other POS vendors introducing surcharges where their possibly more expensive transaction services weren’t used.

In response, Liven has launched the Liven Relief Package, allowing operators to switch from Square and other POS vendors to Abacus Android with free migration, lifelong zero subscription fees, and no commission options. Operators can either use their existing hardware or upgrade to Abacus Android hardware for less than 50% of the cost of iOS alternatives.

Liven founder and co-CEO Shahrooz Chowdhury said: “Hospitality is under constant pressure to lower costs. POS alone can set an operator back many thousands of dollars with endless hidden surcharges and fees – and when it’s down for days, that just squares the pain. Abacus Android POS was purpose-built here in Australia for Australian hospitality and grocery. It’s a first-of-its-kind solution that delivers a world-class customer experience at a fraction of the cost of alternatives. Unlike offshore vendors, we’re 100% committed to the Australian market.”

Abacus Android POS supports simple and complex needs, including electronic shelf labels, cash machines, and support for over 100,000 SKUs.

Liven Chief Customer Officer Andy Lark said: “Innovative brands like Foodle are powered by the Liven One platform, including Abacus Android POS  – giving them all the tools and advantages that would have otherwise only been available to the biggest brands. The Abacus Android POS is a bulletproof solution for all their customer touch-points – from the sushi bar to the bakery and grocery. It’s provided them with next-generation loyalty capabilities and a much lower cost POS without sacrificing customer experience or functionality.”

Liven recently announced the completion of the acquisition of Australian-based OrderUp and Abacus, Singapore-based Zeemart and Silicon Valley-based Copper for $152million.

Combined with Liven – Australia’s largest loyalty and customer engagement provider, the acquisitions have created the Asia Pacific’s largest end-to-end, vertically integrated hospitality group providing best-in-class software, services and hardware, which aims to to maximise operational efficiency and growth for hospitality, hotels, pubs and more.