Xero and point-of-sale platform Vend join Apple's app elite

Cloud point-of-sale platform Vend and small business accounting software developer Xero have both revealed that they are among a select group of business app developers Apple is working with to drive iPad use in business.

In a move widely seen as an effort to bolster flagging iPad sales, Apple said in April that it was working with a group of up to two dozen select app developers to identify further business opportunities for the iPad.

During its Q2 2015 earnings call, Apple CFO Luca Maestri said that in addition to IBM, Apple was working with a group including Box, DocuSign, MicroStrategy, Revel, and ServiceMax "to bring a broad range of innovative mobile solutions to more customers on the iPad".

New Zealand-based Vend, which claims more than 15,000 retail customers in 140 countries, said today that it is part of that effort.

Vaughan Rowsell, founder and CEO of Vend, said the platform enables retailers to get out from behind the counter to deliver customer experiences.

"iPad is increasingly becoming an essential business tool for retailers as sales associates grab an iPad and go mobile inside the store -- wherever the customer is on the shop floor," he said.

Vend said it is expanding its platform on iOS to take advantage of the operating system's innovative business features, including the security and productivity features in iOS 8.

Xero chief executive Rod Drury said there has been tremendous demand for iOS solutions from customers seeking to transform the way they manage their businesses.

Over 70 percent of Xero users access Xero Touch through the iOS platform, Xero said. Many small business owners and accounting providers also use Xero on both an iPhone and an iPad.

Xero is also working with Vend and cloud-based employee scheduling and people management platform Deputy, the company said.

In April, Maestri said Apple had sold 12.6 million iPads in its second quarter, compared with 16.4 million in the same quarter the year before.

Vend is privately owned and has raised more than $30 million from international investors. Xero, which has 500,000 subscribers across 180 countries, is listed on both the NZX and ASX.