Vanguard Awards: POS Systems

Leaders within the POS Systems category are driven to build reliable networks and keep the sweeping pet industry connected all while finding cutting-edge and practical ways to support pet retailers. Delivering methods to streamline and organize a critical component of operating a pet business allows for these manufacturers to assist retailers with staying competitive and sharp in an increasingly cutthroat area of the industry. 

Franpos entered the POS Systems category with a clear vision: to build a connected platform tailored specifically for the pet industry. 

“While generic POS solutions existed, they lacked the depth and integration needed by pet retailers, groomers and boarders,” said Founder and CEO, Subodh Gupta. “Our goal was to go beyond transaction processing—to streamline operations, personalize customer engagement and support growth in a vertical we knew was evolving fast.”

“When we started, the pet industry lacked a true all-in-one solution,” Gupta continued. “Key areas like grooming service tracking, subscription management, payroll, inventory automation and mobile accessibility were fragmented or missing. Retailers had to patch together multiple tools, which hurt efficiency and customer experience. We focused on bridging these gaps with purpose-built features—from AI-driven inventory management to boarding automating—creating a platform that grows with the unique needs of pet businesses.”

“FieldStack was born of retail,” Marketing Manager Caitlyn Andrews said. Fieldstack Founder, Brett Wickard, opened his first business, a record store company called Bull Moose, in 1989 while he was still in college. “His first POS was a cash register on top of a cardboard box,” she said. “He realized then that this set up wouldn’t last long and that he needed to understand his customers to grow the business. The retail industry was missing software that really understood forecasting or customer preferences, so he set out to fix that. It was more than knowing what was selling but more about the actual person that was buying the goods. That would determine what was most likely to sell. Insights like these were captured and automated in the software he wrote. The software enabled Bull Moose to become the top entertainment retailer in Northern New England. We knew that our retail platform would work across retail verticals, so FieldStack was founded to help other retailers thrive.”

“We set out to create wildly successful customers—just like we have since the beginning,” Andrews said. “It’s one of our core values. We do so by always listening to our customers and constantly looking for ways to iterate on our software. Together, we help our clients adapt to evolving customer expectations and optimize their whole retail chain through continuous innovation.”

Franpos is dedicated to strengthening the bond between pets and pet parents. 

“What makes Franpos unique is that we don’t just serve the business—we enhance the pet parent experience,” Gupta said. “From SMS reminders and digital report cards after grooming, to lost pet recovery through FindMyPet and seamless subscription ordering for food and essentials, we help retailers build stronger relationships with their customers. Our platform empowers pet businesses to deliver personalized, convenient and trustworthy service that today’s pet parents expect.”

“We are always educating retailers on the importance of looking ahead at the bigger picture,” Andrews said. “At FieldStack, we think about what consumers are buying tomorrow, not just today. The forecasting capabilities of our POS and unified commerce software are critical for this reason. Retailers should always be looking further down the road and asking themselves, ‘What’s next?'” 

Franpos recently launched FindMyPet, a first-of-its-kind pet recovery solution integrated directly into its platform. 

“It empowers pet parents to locate their lost pets through scannable tags while driving customer engagement for retailers,” Gupta explained. “No matter the challenge, our mission stays the same: to empower pet businesses so they can better serve pets and pet parents. By staying agile, listening to our customers and leading with purpose, we ensure our technology always supports healthier, happier lives for pets and the people who love them.”