ScaleFactor: the Antidote to Mid-Month Accounting Blues

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A former employee of a Big Four accounting firm was frustrated with the lack of innovation in the accounting and financial sectors.  His solution? Quit his job and start something new.

In 2014, Kurt Rathmann began ScaleFactor from his living room table in Austin with the vision of making traditional back office functions more efficient, especially in accounting and payroll. Rathmann carried out field research, essentially going door-to-door to investigate the needs of small businesses and incorporated his findings to develop a state of the art accounting software solution.

From bookkeeping, invoicing, to tax filings, ScaleFactor automates these time-consuming tasks to make them more efficient and to offer small business owners greater insight into the health of their business.

One of the startup’s key features is real time reporting. Most accounting firms release financial statements at the end of the month, making the first 10 to 15 days of the month “crazy busy,” explained Rathmann. “That forces the accountant to get into a phase of just trying to get it done. There are long hours, they’re not making it home for dinner, they’re just trying to complete the work.” On top of that, the data is about 30 days old and may not be as relevant. Instead, by using real time data analytics, a company can get advanced insight into its business. Rathmann said, “The data cycle gets cut from 30 days to just one or two days, and the business owner can really dictate some future actions they’ll make, and tactically navigate the business, rather than just react to it.”

Rathmann identified other bottlenecks in traditional accounting. “A lot of people dread interacting with their accountant, for whatever reason,” he said. “We’re really trying to change that.” When an owner has a pressing question, they don’t want to wait for their accountant to respond in one or two days – they expect immediate answers. Using machine learning, ScaleFactor determines how to send real-time notifications to facilitate better communication between the small business owner and the accountant.  Important messages will be sent via text message while less urgent correspondence would be sent by email.

“It’s a response to a younger generation and less personal relationships that are part of a millennial-type generation,” Rathmann said. “It’s also that people are less patient for access to data and to information that is theirs. If there is something financial-related to their business, it’s very personal to entrepreneurs and small businesses. It’s more of, ‘I want it now,’ and, ‘Why can’t I have it now? I’m supposed to have it now.’ That’s a lot of the reactions we get in the connected world we live in. People expect faster.”

Are you developing new solutions to optimize office operations? Did you know your R&D activities could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you could receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is Texas’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

 

 

There’s no stopping its growth: Texas Business is Still King

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The results just in: Texas Business is still King!

CNBC’s “America’s Top States for Business” 2018 study has declared the Lone Star State as No.1. The study ranked American states based on 10 metrics ranging from economy to quality of life. Data was collected from official government sources, business and policy experts, CNBC Global CFO Council, and other sources. The verdict? 2018’s study proved that Texas Business is still King.

Texas is the only state to have ever received the top spot four times. The last time Texas was declared No.1 was in 2012 though the state consistently scores well across the board, having never ranked below the top 5.

The energy sector is a major driving force for the economic boom in Texas business, with oil prices rising 60% and the sector creating over 350,000 jobs just last year. According to its rankings in specific categories like infrastructure (the state ranked No.1), access to capital (No.3), technology and innovation (No. 9), and cost of living (No.11), Texas business is looking pretty good.

CNBC isn’t the only one that’s recognized Texas’ economic dominance. A “2018’s Best & Worst States to Start a Business” study by WalletHub also acknowledged that Texas Business is still King. After evaluating all 50 states according to business environment, access to resources, and business costs, the study determined that Texas was the ideal location for new businesses.

Are you engaging in research activities to keep Texas businesses at the leading edge of the competition? Did you know your research activities could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you could receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is Texas’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

This Will Make Your Tail Wag: Atlanta-based PuppyFax to connect responsible breeders, owners

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Not much is cuter than a puppy, as they (usually) come with a wagging tail and unconditional love. But when searching for a pup, how can you be sure they didn’t come from a puppy mill or have hidden health issues? An Atlanta-based startup via the University of Georgia wants to give potential dog owners piece of mind with its newest app, PuppyFax.

Like searching for a new-to-you car, PuppyFax, founded by Tommy Naranjo and co-founded by Preston Tucker, provides prospective dog owners with a pup’s lineage and owner history. In an article for The Red & Black, Tucker’s family bought a German Shepherd, only to experience health complications with the new pup. The dog, according to the family’s vet, came from an irresponsible breeder, likely one who was operating a puppy mill. For context, a puppy mill is defined as an establishment that breeds puppies for sale, typically on an intensive basis and in conditions regarded as inhumane. According to the American SPCA, puppies who are reared in a puppy mill can come with health and behavioral problems that are difficult or impossible to treat–comparable to a car that has been ‘abused’ by a previous owner.

“PuppyFax is basically a platform, kind of like Airbnb, that connects people who are searching for a puppy, and they’re wanting a purebred dog or are going through a breeder, to responsible breeders,” Naranjo said. The app will allow owners to view a puppy’s verified health documents and pedigree information. All PuppyFax breeders must meet the guidelines set by the platform.

Naranjo hopes to expand the PuppyFax application nationwide to help breeders, buyers and dogs across the U.S. The app is set to launch “very soon.” The PuppyFax website can be located by clicking here.

Working on innovative platforms like PuppyFax? Did you know that you can receive up to 14% back on your research expenses with the R&D Tax Credit? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is a Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

Callbox Storage: The Dallas-based startup that does the heavy lifting

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Is your home overflowing with furniture, clothes, books, pets, Christmas decorations and a plethora of other items? Thinking of an extreme minimalist purge but can’t bear to part with some much-loved items?

Enter: Callbox Storage.

This Dallas-based company offers a game-changing system that takes the hassle and anxiety out of self-storage.  Many are reluctant to use self-storage services because they’re afraid they’d lose track of all their worldly possessions or it would be too difficult to drag everything from Point A to Point B. As Marty Sabota of the Star-Telegram noted, “There’s loading, hauling and keeping track of everything from trash to treasures. And the headache of trying to retrieve something can be frustrating.”Founders Dan Slaven and Kyle Bainter understood this and were keen on using a tech-based approach to improve storage systems.

From pick-up, itemization, organization, storage, and even delivering requested items, CallBox Storage is disrupting the self-storage market. Customers can easily track every item in their storage unit using CallBox Storage’s online and secure photo inventory. If a customer wanted to retrieve his or her Christmas decorations, for example, the customer can request items through Callbox and the company delivers it to and from the customer’s storage unit, similar to Amazon. Items are given a barcode and are scanned multiple times throughout the transportation process, ensuring that nothing disappears unexpectedly.

“To date, we haven’t lost a single item,” Bainter proudly said.

Founded in September 2016, Callbox Storage focused initially on North Texas in Dallas and eventually expanded into Austin and Houston. This month, it will run its services in Phoenix, Arizona, the first venture outside of its Texas home base.

Bainter explained, “Real estate prices are going up, home values are going up, which means the space people can afford is going down, so this type of option becomes very valuable to them because we can be that extra closet, we can be that extra garage so people can live in smaller quarters and have more space.”

Are you developing new technologies to improve self-storage? Did you know that you can receive up to 14% back on your research expenses with the R&D Tax Credit? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is Texas’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

Apple’s disassembly robot Daisy makes striking gold a little easier

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1,900 kg of aluminum, 770 kg of cobalt, 710 kg of copper, and 11 kg of rare earth elements – that’s just a fraction of what Apple’s disassembly robot Daisy can recover from old iPhones.  Crucial to the construction of circuit boards, batteries, cameras, haptics and other pieces that keep our smartphones running, these precious metals are often left untapped because consumers aren’t recycling their old electronics or facilities don’t have the means to easily recycle them. Apple, however, is trying to change that with its recent commitment to minimize its negative impact on the environment through initiatives like its trade-in “GiveBack” recycling program and investments in R&D to create machines like Apple’s disassembly robot Daisy. The recycling robot was five years in the making and was unveiled last week in Austin, just in time for Earth Day 2018.

Lisa Jackson, Apple’s VP of Environment, said, “What we’ve learned is that the technology for recycling hasn’t really advanced much. (Daisy) is one of the ways that we’re going to make real progress in our goal to mine less from the Earth and use more recycled and renewable materials in-product.” And boy, is recycling worth it. Experts note that “urban mining” or recovering materials from discarded electronics is more efficient than extracting metals from natural mining. Frederico Magalini, an e-waste researcher and managing director at UK sustainability firm Sofies, explains that there is 80 times as much gold in one ton of recycled cellphones than in a gold mine. He also adds that recycling electronics is more sustainable than plastic recycling: “Historically, metals have value, and you can recycle metal forever. For plastic, it’s different because every time you recycle the plastics, the mechanical properties don’t necessarily remain the same.”

As the benefits of recycling electronics become more apparent, the way we recycle those devices will improve as well. Two years ago, Apple’s recycling robot Liam was 100 feet long and composed of 29 robots. Now in 2018, its successor, Daisy, is a third of the size and made up of only five robots. In fact, old parts from Liam were used to construct Daisy. More compact and efficient, Daisy is able to dismantle nine different versions of the iPhone at a rate of 200 iPhones per hour, unlike Liam which could only deconstruct the iPhone 6.

Currently, Apple’s disassembly robot Daisy is one of a kind in the world. A second Daisy is expected to be installed in the Netherlands and the disassembly robot will likely be rolled out in other parts of the Apple global empire. Apple CEO Tim Cook said, “We’re going to keep pushing the boundaries of what is possible with the materials in our products, the way we recycle them, our facilities and our work with suppliers to establish new creative and forward-looking sources of renewable energy because we know the future depends on it.

Developing ways to improve recycling of electronics? Did you know your R&D experiments could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is Texas’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative

Smart Glass at DFW Airport: It’s more than just looking through rose-colored glasses

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Waiting for your flight under the blistering Texan sun? The heat making the waiting experience even more unbearable and excruciating? Well, if you’re one of the lucky few by Gate A28 in Dallas-Fort Worth Airport where smart glass was installed last autumn, you’d be happy to know that you’re safe from the glaring heat. The electrochromatic smart glass at DFW Airport, America’s fourth-busiest airport, adapts its opacity levels to sunlight and can better manage temperature than regular glass, which prevents overheating and provides a cooler atmosphere for the comfort of weary travellers.

Located near a burger joint’s east-facing bar in the airport, the smart glass creates a noticeably chiller vibe. In fact, the burger restaurant saw a boost in alcohol sales over the past year, up 80 per cent in October 2017 from October 2016. The smart glass at DFW Airport was the only difference to the restaurant. Turns out travelers are more willing to order a second pint from the burger joint if they are relaxed and not uncomfortable from the heat.

The smart glass is manufactured by the Silicon Valley-based company View Inc. The company claims its product will contribute to lower cooling costs and improve customer satisfaction, thanks to the more natural light and better thermal comfort created by the glass’ transitional tints. A study from Cornell University of the smart glass at DFW Airport confirms View Inc’s claims. Researchers found that surface temperatures of seats by Gate A28 were 10 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit lower, making them more comfortable to sit on. There were also an 83 per cent increase of dwelling time and a 102 per cent increase in concession spending by Gate A28 compared to areas where the smart glass was not installed. Evidently, installing the smart glass at DFW Airport was a lucrative move.

Rahu Bammi, View Inc’s chief business officer, said, “We spend 90 per cent of our time indoors. The things that really matter are light, air quality, temperature and sound. We impact at least three of those in a positive way.”

Are you also engaging in research activities to improve the light, air quality, temperature and sound of our great indoors? Did you know your experiments, even those that were unsuccessful, could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you could receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is Texas’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative

Heinz is bringing Mayochup to America, but who really invented the mayonnaise-ketchup matrimony?

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Famous for ketchup and baked beans, the Heinz Company is now dead-set on introducing to American audiences what it claims is a novel concoction: Mayochup. Think of it as a union between ketchup and mayonnaise.

“Want #mayochup in stores? 500,000 votes for ‘yes’ and we’ll release it to you saucy Americans,” Heinz tweeted. Of the 930,000 votes on the Twitter poll, 55 percent gave their approval. That means the company will soon bring the bottled Mayochup onto American shelves.

Heinz’s rendition of Mayochup is already sold overseas, particularly in the Middle East. However, for many, Mayochup isn’t anything new and stories have peppered across the Internet on how the combination first came into existence.

Legend has it that in 1925, a young man was eating prawns with friends at a golf club in Mar del Plata, Argentina. As a joke, the young man requested different condiments from the kitchen to mix with the traditional aderezo of mayonnaise. The spontaneous experimentation resulted in a union between mayonnaise and ketchup, plus a dash of cognac and Tabasco. The friends called it “salsa golf” and found it was delicious with the prawns. “It was just a bunch of bored kids doing what bored kids do,” said Victor Ego Ducrot, author of The Flavors of the Homeland. Forty years later, salsa golf exploded in popularity with big brands, from Fanacoa to Hellman’s, producing the mix commercially. The young man who originally invented salsa golf was Luis Federico Leloir, the 1970 Nobel Prize in chemistry winner for his discovery of sugar nucleotides and their role in the biosynthesis of carbohydrates. Leloir reportedly said, “If I had patented the sauce, I would have earned much more money than as a scientist.”

The mayonnaise-ketchup creation is popular across Latin America. Costa Rica, Colombia, Venezuela and others call it “salsa rosada.” Puerto Ricans call it “mayoketchup”. Variations also exist across other parts of the globe, from Eastern Europe to the Middle East. Even the Brits have their own version, known as “Marie Rose sauce”.

In fact, America already has a home-grown mayo-ketchup origin story. Utah’s Don Carlos Edwards allegedly began serving mayonnaise-ketchup concoctions to his customers back in the 1940s, calling it “Fry Sauce”. It is now a staple in Utahan society.

So while Mayochup isn’t necessarily re-inventing the wheel, it does bring a new twist to the condiment by putting it in a bottle. Admittedly, this has raised scepticism among critics. Samantha Schmidt asserted in The Washington Post, “But whatever it’s called, wherever it’s consumed, many lifelong lovers of the sauce agree on one thing: it’s disgraceful to squeeze the stuff out of a bottle.” NPR station reporter Nadege C Green raised doubts about the ability of Heinz to produce a tasty concoction: “Yeah, you have to custom mix it. Gotta have the right mayo to ketchup ratio. I don’t trust this at all.”

We can’t know for sure until Mayochup hits the supermarkets. But one thing’s certain: Heinz knows how to put the “sauciest” in its sauces.

Are you experimenting with different condiments and packaging to add something new to the food market? Did you know your experiments could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can get up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is Texas’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative

R&D Tax Credit Eligibility AI Tool

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What is the R&D Tax Credit?

The Research & Experimentation Tax Credit (or R&D Tax Credit), is a general business tax credit under Internal Revenue Code section 41 for companies that incur research and development (R&D) costs in the United States. The credits are a tax incentive for performing qualified research in the United States, resulting in a credit to a tax return. For the first three years of R&D claims, 6% of the total qualified research expenses (QRE) form the gross credit. In the 4th year of claims and beyond, a base amount is calculated, and an adjusted expense line is multiplied times 14%. Click here to learn more.

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R&D Tax Credit Preparation Services

Swanson Reed is one of the only companies in the United States to exclusively focus on R&D tax credit preparation. Swanson Reed provides state and federal R&D tax credit preparation and audit services to all 50 states.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call or email our CEO, Damian Smyth on (800) 986-4725.
Feel free to book a quick teleconference with one of our national R&D tax credit specialists at a time that is convenient for you.

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creditARMOR is a sophisticated R&D tax credit insurance and AI-driven risk management platform. It mitigates audit exposure by covering defense expenses, including CPA, tax attorney, and specialist consultant fees—delivering robust, compliant support for R&D credit claims. Click here for more information about R&D tax credit management and implementation.

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Swanson Reed offers R&D tax credit preparation and audit services at our hourly rates of between $195 – $395 per hour. We are also able offer fixed fees and success fees in special circumstances. Learn more at https://www.swansonreed.com/about-us/research-tax-credit-consulting/our-fees/

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“Diamonds are Forever” – Eterneva turns loss into jewels to celebrate loved ones

April 19 2018 loss

Saying goodbye to loved ones is never easy. Loss is as intimate as the relationship we had with the person we lost. We each cope with it differently. Some cherish invaluable memories. Others seek tangible means to commemorate their loved ones. Many want to keep their loved one’s story alive from generation to generation.

When Adelle Archer lost her business mentor Tracey Kaufman to cancer in 2015, Archer hoped to honor Kaufman’s legacy in her own way. Archer was working for a diamond growing lab at the time. During a conversation with a technician at the lab, she conceived the idea of transforming some of her mentor’s cremated remains into a yellow diamond to give to Kaufman’s family. The idea then spawned Eterneva, a startup that takes ashes and turns them into unique diamonds and jewels.

Human remains contain carbon, a key component for diamond processing. Based in Austin, Eterneva uses a cup of ashes, approximately an eighth of the average amount produced from cremation, to create a diamond.  These diamonds are customizable by weight, color and cut, allowing customers to personalize diamonds unique to their loved one. Archer made a yellow diamond in honor of Kaufman since yellow was her mentor’s favorite color.

Eterneva’s approach is taking a different spin on loss and death. As Archer said, “A diamond lasts more than a single generation, the way an urn of ashes won’t. Nobody wants to inherit that, but they of course want to inherit their great-grandfather’s diamond.” One of Eterneva’s customers was a mother whose 19-year-old daughter died in a car accident. She chose to have her daughter’s ashes turned into a blue diamond ring. Archer explained, “She told me that she wants people to comment on it. It gives her an opportunity to talk about her daughter. People don’t want their loved one to be forgotten–they want to talk about them. They want them to be remembered and celebrated.”

Are you developing new ways to commemorate loved ones? Did you know that Eterneva’s research expenses could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit? Yours could too. To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is Texas’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative

ICON’s Vulcan 3-D printer packs a punch against homelessness

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With 1.2 billion people worldwide without access to adequate shelter, one Texas start-up hopes to change that. On Monday, March 12, Austin-based ICON unveiled the world’s first permitted 3-D printed home. ICON’s Vulcan 3-D printer built the home in just under 48 hours and for less than $4,000, a fraction of average construction costs.

The 350 sq foot building will serve as ICON’s office, allowing the company to witness firsthand any issues with the home and make necessary modifications before going into full scale production. The home is complete with a living room, bathroom, and office space. Unlike other companies that have built 3-D printed homes that “look like Yoda huts”, ICON was intent on constructing a home that was functional and modern. Jason Ballard, one of ICON’s three founders, asserted, “For this venture to succeed, they have to be the best houses.”

The Vulcan 3-D printer used durable yet cheap materials and produced little waste in the making of the Austin house. According to ICON’s other co-founder Evan Loomis, the concrete mixture used in the Vulcan is three times stronger than traditional concrete. The Vulcan can produce single-story, 600 to 800 sq ft homes in under 24 hours. Andrew Logan at Logan Architecture, the head designer for the project, added that the Vulcan 3-D printer allowed for more creativity compared to conventional construction. “When you’re talking about standard methods of construction, the guys in the field have a really hard time building that [unique] geometry,” Logan explained. “It’s difficult getting it all lined up properly. But if you have a machine doing it, it’s going straight from the computer to the field. You have infinite design ability to get crazy with your angles and curves and forms.”

Because the Vulcan 3-D printer can build homes faster, more affordably, and sustainably, ICON has high hopes for the tool to be used in humanitarian applications, especially in the developing world. The company is teaming up with the non-profit New Story to address homelessness and global housing shortages. Together, they will construct a community of 100 houses in El Salvador next year using the Vulcan 3-D printer technology.

Loomis said, “We just think homes are not obtainable and affordable and they certainly aren’t sustainable. So we thought that the convergence of robotics, material science, and software would have a novel way for people to afford a basic human need: shelter.”

Working on technological solutions to address some of the globe’s most pressing problems? Did you know your experiments could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

 

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is Texas’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative

Texan Grocery King H-E-B launches Self-Checkout Mobile App

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Waiting in those long lines and fighting for the best deals can make grocery shopping a real hassle. While self-serve checkout counters have sped up the process, they have inadvertently encouraged theft and thievery. Amazon’s new Seattle warehouse may have overcome those issues with its Amazon Go grocery store but Texas-based H-E-B’s new self-checkout mobile app could give the retail giant a run for its money.

The app allows customers to freely peruse the shelves and scan items they want to purchase. When they’re ready to checkout, users can pay via the mobile app and just need to show the digital receipt to an H-E-B employee before existing. More than just a self-checkout mobile app, H-E-B Go also tells customers the aisles where they can find certain items, a handy feature especially if you’ve ever been inside one of H-E-B’s massive grocery stores. The mobile app keeps track of users’ shopping lists to provide recommendations and reminders on future shopping trips. It offers coupons too, helping users save even more on their shopping trips.

Currently, H-E-B’s self-checkout mobile app is in use at two locations: the South Flores location in San Antonio and the De Zavala Road location near Shavano Park. The app is still in its pilot stage and not yet ready to roll out to other stores, but it’s already a hit among users.

Are you working on experiments to improve the efficiency of grocery shopping and other day-to-day activities? Did you know your experiments could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is Texas’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes.  

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative