Smart Suggestion
Smart Suggestion is an intelligent upsell and cross-sell capability built into the Verifone petroleum point-of-sale platform.
Revision History
07/13/2026
Initial Release
07/23/2026
Fixed review comments.
Overview
Smart Suggestion is an intelligent upsell and cross-sell capability built into the Verifone petroleum point-of-sale platform. The feature surfaces contextual product recommendations to the cashier (or self-checkout customer) at the moment of totaling a transaction, enabling convenience-store operators to increase basket size and drive incremental revenue without requiring manual cashier training or memorization of promotions.
Smart Suggestion has demonstrated uplift of upsell conversion rates by up to 40% and total store sales by up to 5% in real-world deployments.
Industry context: Convenience stores typically operate on thin margins (2–5%). Increasing the average basket size through automated, data-driven prompting is one of the highest-ROI levers available to operators without adding labour costs.
Business Value
Revenue Impact
Smart Suggestion delivers measurable uplift across key retail KPIs:
Upsell conversion rate
Up to 40% increase over baseline
Total store sales
Up to 5% incremental lift
Average basket size
Grows without increasing customer count or visit frequency
Cashier dependency
Reduced — system prompts replace manual product knowledge
Operator Benefits
Automated, transaction-specific prompts eliminate the need for cashiers to memorise promotional items.
Offers are derived from real market-basket analytics, improving relevance and acceptance rates.
Centrally configurable from Commander — no POS software updates are needed to change active suggestions.
Works across cashier-assisted (C18), self-checkout (C18 SCO), and PIN pad customer-facing channels.
Supports image-based product tiles, custom prompt messages, and per-product pricing to maximise visual appeal.
Feature Behaviour
Suggestion Types
Five suggestion types are supported:
PLU suggestion
The Smart Suggestion panel offers individual PLU products with images, names, and prices. Selected products are added directly to the basket.
Menu suggestion
The Smart Suggestion panel offers a menu, including multi-select and express menus. The cashier or customer selects items from the menu, which are then added to the basket.
Message-only suggestion
The Smart Suggestion panel displays a promotional message with no selectable products. The message can be a reminder, marketing prompt, or sign-up prompt, such as a loyalty sign-up. The transaction proceeds after acknowledgement.
NAXML - Combo Deals
If items added from the Smart Suggestion panel are subject to applicable NAXML promotions, such as mix & match or combo deals, the Smart Suggestion panel communicates applicable price, amount, percentage discounts, and tax rebates.
NAXML - Mix & Match Items
If items added from the Smart Suggestion panel are subject to applicable NAXML promotions, such as mix & match or combo deals, the Smart Suggestion panel communicates applicable price, amount, percentage discounts, and tax rebates.
Supported Platforms & Prerequisites
POS terminal
Verifone C18, in both cashier-assisted and SCO modes
PIN pad display
The PIN-pad-screen suggestion type is supported on customer-facing M400 and later payment terminals.
Only PLU and message-only suggestion types are shown on PIN pads
Site controller
Verifone Commander (on-premises), Base 57.01 or later
Feature Restrictions
The following items cannot be configured for upselling:
Age restricted items
Open PLUs
Fractional quantity items
Serial-number-prompting items
Only one Smart Suggestion can be shown per transaction. If the user cancels one and adds more items that qualify for a NAXML combo or mix-and-match deal, another Smart Suggestion related to those items will be shown.
Interaction With Other Features
Age Verification in POS
Age check is resolved before the Suggestion Panel appears; age-restricted items offered in the Sales Panel raise the standard ID CHECK when added.
Blue Law / Not-Sold Restrictions
Time-of-day and not-for-sale restrictions are enforced on suggested items exactly as in regular sales.
Subtotal Required Flag - enabled or disabled
Adding items from the Suggestion Panel requires a second Total press before tendering.
Discounts / Promotions (NAXML)
Items added from the Suggestion Panel are subject to applicable NAXML promotions -- mix & match, combo deals, new-price/amount/percentage discounts and tax rebates -- after being added to the basket. The suggestion panel disclaimer communicates this.
Loyalty / Charity / Tips
Works together in a single transaction, including fuel with debit cash-back.
EMV / Payment Types
Payment-agnostic. The Suggestion Panel completes (accept or decline) before the payment type is selected. All tender types work normally after panel dismissal.
Fuel Transactions
The Suggestion Panel is not shown during prepay underrun completion. The Smart Suggestion Panel is also not shown for Rest in Gas, Commercial Fleet and Fill Up transactions.
Self-Checkout (SCO)
Suggestion Panel renders in SCO mode with identical UI and behaviour. No cashier involvement is required except for age verification checks when age related items are added to the sales panel. Suggestion Panel appears when Checkout is pressed. In Cashier mode on SCO, the Suggestion Panel appears only after the MOP is pressed.
Menu Items (Expanded / Overlay)
Trigger items can be menu-based as well as PLU-scanned. Both expanded menus and overlay menus are supported as basket entry points for rule matching.
Configuring Smart Suggestion
A maximum of 100 smart suggestions can be configured.
Smart Suggestion configuration from Commander Central
Log in to Commander Central. Go to Promos and Discounts > Smart Suggestions to configure Smart Suggestions.
Go to Smart Suggestions > General Settings to enable or disable smart suggestions.
Go to Smart Suggestions > Offer Configurations to configure smart suggestions.
Click Add to add a Smart Suggestion.
Select Enable. Enter the name, description, and priority for the Smart Suggestion. A lower number means a higher priority. Leaving the field blank or entering 0 gives the highest priority.
Configure the next section: Offer Parameters.
In the Prompt Appearance section, add the prompt message and image. If you configure this section without prompt items, the Smart Suggestion is a message-only suggestion.
In the Prompt Items section, select the prompt item.
Selecting PLU and clicking Add displays a list of PLUs. Use filters for UPC, description, or price.
Selecting Menu and clicking Add displays a list of menus. Use filters for menu ID, menu name, or menu type.
Selecting Mix & Match and clicking Add displays a list of Mix & Match items.
Selecting Combo and clicking Add displays a list of combo items.
Multiple items can be selected for each prompt type. Make your selections and click Add/Confirm.
For the PLU prompt type, use Allow Qty Selection. This adds plus and minus controls beside the PLU, letting users increase or decrease the quantity.
For PLU and menu prompt types, you can add images to the Smart Suggestion panel.
After configuring all fields, click Create Offer.
Use Duplicate to copy a configured Smart Suggestion, then make the required changes.
PIN Pad Configuration
On the POS, go to CSR > Maintenance > Device Configuration > PIN Pad Configuration. Select EPS PINPAD with swipe-ahead disabled.
Using Smart Suggestion on the POS
Everyday Use -- Accepting a Suggestion (Cashier Quick Steps)
Good to know: If items were added from the panel and the site uses the Subtotal Required flag, the POS shows 'SUBTOTAL REQUIRED' at tender — just press Total once more and tender normally.
Items accepted from the panel appear on the receipt as regular sale lines. In the example below, ITEM E ×3 was added from the Suggestion Panel and prints alongside the normally rung items:
Receipt from an upsell transaction -- 'ITEM E 3 29.94' was added via the Suggestion Panel; NAXML discounts and tax rebates apply after the items enter the basket.
Transaction Flow
1 -- Cashier / Customer
Items are added to the transaction basket (scanned, tapped on the item panel, or selected from a menu).
2 -- Cashier / Customer
The Total button is pressed to initiate payment.
3 -- Commander
The VIP/NAXML engine evaluates the basket against active Smart Suggestion rules. If a match is found, the suggestion payload is returned to the POS.
4 -- POS
The Suggestion Panel overlay is displayed over the payment screen: a title image, a configurable prompt message, up to four suggested product tiles (image, name, price), a disclaimer line, and the 'Add To Cart' / 'No, Thanks' buttons plus a close (X) icon.
5a -- Accept path
The cashier or customer taps one or more product tiles, optionally adjusts quantity with the inline Quantity Bar (+ / −), and taps 'Add To Cart'. The selected items are added to the basket.
5b -- Decline path
The cashier or customer taps 'No, Thanks' (or the X close icon). The panel is dismissed without modifying the basket, and the transaction proceeds to payment immediately -- no second Total press is required.
6 -- POS
Payment flow continues normally (cash tender, card insert/tap/swipe, etc.).
Message Only Smart Suggestion Prompt
Menu Smart Suggestion Prompt — Selecting any item opens that menu.
PLU Smart Suggestion Prompt - Selecting a product tile reveals the inline Quantity Bar with '−' and '+' quantity controls
Combo Smart Suggestion Prompt
Quantity Management
When a cashier or customer selects a product tile, a Quantity Bar appears inline within the tile. The default quantity is 1. The cashier may increment using the '+' button up to the configured maximum, and decrement with '−'. Multiple different products can be selected within a single panel interaction; each accumulates its own quantity before the final 'Add To Cart' confirmation. Items configured as non-adjustable are added at quantity 1 without an adjustable bar, and fractional-quantity items follow their PLU configuration.
Decline Behaviour
Tapping 'No, Thanks' (or the X close icon) immediately dismisses the Suggestion Panel. The transaction basket is unchanged, and the POS transitions directly to the tender/payment screen without requiring the cashier to press Total a second time. This is a deliberate UX design decision to avoid penalising cashiers who offer the suggestion and have it declined.
Age-Restricted Items
If the transaction basket contains an age-restricted item, the POS displays the age-verification prompt before the Suggestion Panel is shown. Once the cashier confirms age compliance, the flow proceeds normally and the Suggestion Panel is displayed as usual. If an age-restricted product is offered within the panel and added to the cart, the standard ID CHECK prompt is raised for that item just as it would be for a regular sale. Blue-law and not-for-sale restrictions are likewise enforced on suggested items.
Subtotal Required Flag
When the site is configured with the 'Subtotal Required' flag enabled, adding items from the Suggestion Panel changes the basket total. In this scenario, tapping the Cash or Card tender button after adding upsell items displays a 'SUBTOTAL REQUIRED' message, prompting the cashier to press Total again to refresh the subtotal before tendering. This is standard behaviour consistent with how the flag operates for any mid-transaction item addition. Sites with the 'total required' flag disabled proceed straight to tender.
Basic Sales with PLU Suggestions
Scan items, press Total, add one suggested product, pay cash
Panel shows prompt message, four product tiles with prices, disclaimer, and both buttons; selected item added at qty 1; receipt and transaction log correct
Add one suggested product with quantity raised to 3 via '+'
Quantity Bar increments correctly; all 3 units added and priced on the receipt
Ring a product normally, then add 4 more of a suggested product
Regular and upsell quantities combine correctly in the basket
Scan an item, accept a suggestion, pay by EMV credit
Panel completes before card flow; EMV insert/tap proceeds normally
Select multiple different products in one panel session with individual quantities
Each tile keeps its own quantity; all selections added on one 'Add To Cart'
Trigger the suggestion from an expanded-menu item instead of a scan
Menu-based basket entries match rules identically to scanned PLUs
Trigger from an overlay-menu item, then decline
Panel appears for menu triggers; decline leaves basket unchanged
Department sale in the basket alongside suggestion-triggering items
Department sales co-exist with the panel; upsell items added normally
Repeat of the core accept/decline flows with the 'total required' flag disabled
With the flag off, tender proceeds without a second Total press in all paths
Declining and Prompt Behaviour
Tap 'No, Thanks' at the prompt
Panel dismissed, basket unchanged, tender screen shown immediately -- no second Total needed
Select a tile first, then tap 'No, Thanks'
Selection discarded; nothing added; straight to tender
Tap 'Add To Cart' repeatedly without selecting any product
Presses are ignored safely; panel stays open until a product is chosen or the offer declined
Decline, keep selling, press Total again
The panel reappears on subsequent Totals while the trigger items remain in the basket
Multiple trigger products in the basket, then decline
Single panel shown; decline path identical regardless of how many triggers matched
Press Help while the panel is on screen
Help overlay works; suggestion flow resumes correctly afterwards
Add more products to the sale after completing an upsell
Post-upsell item entry unaffected; totals correct
Quantity Limits and Special PLU Types
Increment the Quantity Bar past the configured maximum
'+' stops at the maximum; extra taps have no effect
Accept a suggested PLU configured as non-adjustable quantity
Item added at fixed qty 1; no adjustable bar offered
Increase then decrease quantity before confirming
'−' works symmetrically; final confirmed quantity is what is added
Suggested PLU with a sales quantity restriction
The POS enforces the PLU quantity limit even when added via upsell
Open-price PLU offered in the panel
Price-entry prompt raised when the open PLU is added from the panel
Fractional-quantity PLU offered in the panel
Fractional quantity handling follows the PLU configuration
PLU configured to prompt for a serial number
Serial-number prompt raised for the upsell item, as in a regular sale
Change the quantity of a basket item before and after the prompt
Quantity edits outside the panel do not corrupt the upsell selection
Restricted Items
Age-restricted item in the basket, then accept a suggestion, pay credit
ID CHECK runs before the panel; upsell and EMV payment proceed normally after age confirmation
Age-restricted product offered inside the panel
Adding it raises the standard ID CHECK for that item
Blue-law-restricted PLU offered in the panel
Blue-law time restrictions are enforced on suggested items
PLU flagged 'not sold' offered in the panel
The not-sold restriction blocks the item exactly as in a regular sale
Suggested PLU with no exception flags
Baseline: unrestricted PLUs add without any extra prompts
Corrections, Voids, Suspends and Refunds
Void Line on an item added from the panel
Upsell lines void like any other line; totals recalculated
Void the whole ticket after an upsell
Full void supported after upsell acceptance
Press Void while the panel is on screen
Void takes precedence; panel handled cleanly
Press Error Correct while the panel is on screen
Last line corrected; suggestion flow remains stable
Suspend the sale while the panel is on screen
Sale suspends; panel state does not block the suspend
Suspend then recall a sale involving upsell
Recall restores the basket; suggestion behaviour consistent on recall
Refund transactions, including suspend/recall of a refund
The Suggestion Panel does not interfere with refund flows
Accept an upsell with the Subtotal Required flag enabled
'SUBTOTAL REQUIRED' shown at tender; a second Total refreshes and tender completes
Fuel Transactions
Prepay fuel sale, accept a suggested product
Panel shows on prepay; item added and fuel authorised normally
Prepay with an underrun (customer pumps less than paid)
No suggestion prompt during the underrun completion -- by design
Prepay fuel, decline the suggestion
Decline path identical with fuel in the basket
Postpay fuel sale -- accept and decline paths
Panel appears when totaling the fuel due; both paths verified
'Rest in gas' -- remainder of cash put to fuel after an upsell
Rest-in-gas amount calculated after upsell items are included
Suggestions on the PIN Pad
With the PIN-pad-screen suggestion type configured, the offer is presented to the customer on the payment terminal instead of (or alongside) the cashier screen:
Customer-facing suggestion, sale paid with cash
Suggestion renders on the PIN pad; cash tender completes
Suggestion accepted, paid with debit and cash-back
Debit and cash-back flow is unaffected by the upsell
Void Line after a PIN pad upsell, paid with debit and cash-back
Corrections work after PIN pad acceptance
Different trigger PLUs for the PIN pad offer
Rule matching identical to the POS panel
Customer cancels on the PIN pad / cashier cancels on the POS
Either side can cancel; transaction continues to tender
Customer declines; verify the prompt dismisses
Decline dismisses the PIN pad offer cleanly
Prepay, postpay, and rest-in-gas fuel sales with PIN pad suggestions
All three fuel flows verified with the customer-facing offer
Swipe-ahead disabled and enabled during PIN pad suggestions
Card swipe-ahead behaviour respected in both configurations
Menu and Message-Only Suggestion Types
Basic sale with a menu-type suggestion
Panel offers a menu; chosen menu items added to the basket
Menu suggestion with subtotal required / not required
Subtotal flag behaviour consistent for menu-type offers
Decline a menu offer; reopen behaviour; empty menu selection
Panel reappearance rules verified for menu type
Multi-select menu, including NAXML discount on a sub-item
Multiple menu selections added; sub-item discounts applied
Express menu offered in the panel
Express menus supported as suggestion content
Prepay (incl. underrun), postpay, and rest-in-gas with menu suggestions
Fuel flows verified for the menu suggestion type; no prompt on underrun
Message-only suggestion, paid cash / credit
Message displays with no product tiles; sale completes normally
Continue scanning while a message suggestion shows
Message prompt removed as further items are scanned/selected
Message-only suggestion on the PIN pad
Customer-facing message variant verified
Self Checkout (C18 SCO)
Switch the lane POS ↔ SCO via App Selector
Suggestions work on either side of the mode switch
Customer scans items and checks out; validates all panel prompts
Panel renders to the customer with identical layout and text
Customer declines via 'No, Thanks' or the X icon; reappearance checked
Both decline routes verified; checkout proceeds without a second press
Customer orders a menu normally, adds multiple upsell products
Menu + multi-product upsell verified in SCO
Checkout press requirements after decline vs after accepting items
Decline: no re-press needed. Accept: press Checkout again to refresh the total
Panel dismiss/reappear across repeated Checkout presses
Customer can still add suggested items on a later Checkout
Help pressed during an SCO suggestion
Help available mid-offer; flow resumes
Age-restricted upsell in SCO (cashier-assist mode)
Age check routed to the attendant as required
'Pay at counter' chosen before / after adding upsell items
Both counter-payment paths keep the upsell items intact
Adjustable vs non-adjustable items, maximum quantity, quantity limit in SCO
Quantity rules enforced identically on self-checkout
SCO prepay fuel with a PLU suggestion
Fuel prepay from the SCO with upsell verified
Menu and message suggestion types on SCO, incl. age verification from a menu
All three suggestion types function in self-checkout mode
NAXML Deals (Combos & Mix / Match)
Suggestions frequently offer the item that completes a deal. The disclaimer '*Discounts applied after items added to the cart' reflects that the NAXML engine re-evaluates the basket after the upsell items land:
Combo-based suggestions: car-wash combo, age-verification combo, multiple PLU triggers, several combo deals, new-price combos, multiple combos, trigger items, logout/login persistence
Combo deals form correctly when the completing item is added from the panel; rules survive cashier logout/login
Combo priced by new price, discount by amount, discount by percentage
All three NAXML pricing methods apply to panel-added items
Combo with tax rebate (single and two items added)
Tax rebate calculated on the discounted combo price (see receipt example in 5.1)
Multiple combos in one transaction; adding one more combo from the offer
Deal stacking and repeat combos verified
Refund of a combo formed via upsell; declining a combo offer
Refund totals match; declining leaves prior deals intact
Car-wash combo via suggestion
Car-wash code issued with the combo discount applied
Mix & Match offers: pick a deal item from the panel (incl. bottom-panel selection, 'Show More' list, department-item trigger), dismiss via X or 'No, Thanks'
Mix & Match deals complete from panel selections; N-item 'Show More' lists and both dismissal routes verified
Loyalty, Charity and Tips
Sale with upsell, loyalty card, and a charity donation
Loyalty discounts and charity prompts co-exist with the Suggestion Panel
Prepay / postpay fuel with upsell, loyalty, tip and charity, paid with debit and cash-back
The full stack -- upsell + loyalty + tip + charity + cash-back -- completes with correct totals
Reporting: Automated case PETROCORE-137130 verifies the Flash (Summary) report after upsell activity — items added via Smart Suggestion appear as standard line items in the period totals. See Section 10.
Known Behaviours & Edge Cases
'Add To Cart' tapped without selecting a product
The button press is accepted but no items are added. The panel remains open. The cashier must select a product tile or tap 'No, Thanks' to proceed.
'No, Thanks' tapped after selecting a product tile
Selection is discarded. No items are added. The panel closes and the transaction proceeds to payment without a second Total.
Panel dismissed via the X close icon
Equivalent to 'No, Thanks' -- nothing is added and the transaction proceeds.
Maximum quantity reached on Quantity Bar
The '+' button stops incrementing at the configured maximum. Additional taps have no effect.
Void / Error Correct / Suspend pressed while the panel is open
The register operation takes effect; the panel is handled cleanly and the transaction remains consistent.
Prepay fuel underrun
No suggestion prompt is shown while completing an underrun refund -- by design.
Suggestion Panel appears on SCO
Panel is rendered for the customer on the C18 touchscreen in self-checkout mode with no cashier input required.
Basket does not match any active rule
No Suggestion Panel is shown. The transaction proceeds directly to the payment screen after Total.
Multiple products selected in one panel session
Each product tile maintains its own quantity. All selected products are added to the basket on a single 'Add To Cart' tap.
Rule propagation in-flight
Rules pushed via the API take approximately 18 seconds to propagate. Transactions initiated within this window may not yet see the new rules.
Reporting
Smart Suggestion transactions are captured in standard Verifone period-based reports available on the Verifone Commander. The primary report used to verify upsell activity is the Flash Report (Summary Report).
Flash Report / Summary Report
The Flash Report provides a cashier-level and period-level summary of all transactions processed during a shift or reporting period. When Smart Suggestion items are added to a transaction, they are recorded as regular sale items in the transaction log and appear in the period totals within this report.
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