Decoding the power of this essential standard

In the fast-paced world of retail, delivering a smooth and efficient checkout experience is essential. Moreover, for businesses operating in the European market, understanding the Concert protocol is crucial. PayXpert is committed to educating merchants, partners, and industry professionals on the value and evolution of this vital standard, while demonstrating how its advanced support can significantly enhance any omnichannel strategy.

What is the Concert protocol?

Concert protocol is a widely adopted communication protocol, designed to standardize the interface between payment terminals and electronic cash register (ECR) systems at the point of sale. In essence, it ensures reliable and consistent communication between payment devices and cash registers, resulting in faster, more streamlined checkout processes and centralized control over payment operations.

Moreover, the Concert protocol is widely recognised as a standard in France for the integration of payment solutions across various platforms. Its extensive use within the French market is a testament to its reliability and adaptability. Moreover, the protocol is increasingly being adopted in other countries, demonstrating its international relevance and potential for broader application.

A key advantage of the Concert protocol is its flexibility, which allows it to be extended and customised to suit the specific requirements of individual clients and integration scenarios.  

PayXpert serves as a committed ambassador of the Concert protocol, actively promoting its implementation not only within France but also across international markets. The company consistently seeks opportunities to integrate the protocol with its clients, regardless of their geographic location, thereby enabling them to benefit from its proven efficiency and interoperability.

How does the Concert protocol work?

The Concert protocol is designed to allow two-way data exchange between the cash register and the payment terminal (POS). It first allows that the cash register application must be able to act via “outbound messages”, particularly on:

  • The transaction (debit, credit for refunds, cancellation, etc.)
  • Clearing action 
  • Ticket printing
  • The masked card number (PAN).

PayXpert’s commitment to the Concert protocol

As a technologically advanced payment provider, PayXpert supports a range of Concert protocol versions, including V2.0, V3.0, V3.1 and V3.2 . This commitment includes embracing the latest enhancements offered by Concert protocol, which bring greater flexibility, faster processing, and improved compatibility with modern omnichannel infrastructures. Recognising the importance of seamless integration, PayXpert provides comprehensive support to meet these needs.

Key features of Concert protocol integration with PayXpert

  • Standardised communication: Ensures consistent and reliable data exchange between POS terminals and cash registers.
  • Comprehensive version support: Includes support for Concert protocol V2.0, V3.0, V3.1, and the latest V3.2.
  • Enhanced transaction management: Facilitates ticket printing, refund synchronisation, and improves in-store operations.
  • Full integration with PayXpert’s gateway: Offers a robust gateway and omnichannel tools that work in harmony with Concert, delivering a holistic payment solution.

Supported POS Devices

This integration is supported by Castles and SUNMI Devices, Fixed devices or Mobile Device.

Transaction Flow

The Concert protocol API allows the cash register to communicate with PayXpress (who in turn, communicates with the back end), to handle all aspects of the payment request (and tickets).

Concert protocol supported connections

There are two different ways a cash register can establish physical communication with the POS terminal:

  • A USB cable connected to the PC, or
  • Via IP/Ethernet (RJ45) connected to a router or via IP/Wi-Fi.

Concert protocol data structure

Depending on the Concert protocol specifications version, the structure of the data changes very significantly.

Tangible benefits for retailers

Implementing a payment solution that fully leverages the Concert protocol provides numerous advantages. It simplifies the integration of payment terminals with ECR systems, reducing technical complexity and allowing retailers to focus on their core business. It also enhances control over transaction flows and cashier operations, improving accuracy and efficiency. Additionally, Concert protocol enables easy configuration and management of multiple terminals with shared settings, optimising store layout and customer flow. Crucially, it ensures compliance with industry standards. A reliable payment process ultimately contributes to a seamless and positive checkout experience for customers.

PayXpert’s custom mapping solution

PayXpert’s solution goes beyond the specification of the Concert protocol by enabling integration of any tag or field, regardless of the value that this represents in the specification , with our own flexible mapping system. Moreover, PayXpert’s solution provides advanced functions like transaction abortion for an ongoing transaction and payment status retrieval, catering to the needs of highly demanding merchants who require more control and real-time interaction.
Furthermore, if the merchant needs to add new fields which are not supported by the Concert protocol specification, PayXpert’s solution could also add them dynamically, remotely and without the need to create new version of the payment app. All this flawlessly.

Optimising in-store payments

In an increasingly competitive retail environment, every advantage matters. The Concert protocol offers a proven path to optimising in-store payment processes, reducing friction, and improving operational efficiency. To discover how PayXpert can streamline in-store operations with advanced Concert protocol support, contact us: https://www.payxpert.com/contact/