The point-of-sale terminal has entered a period of dramatic change, according to the latest report release by the Mercator Advisory Group. And the next few years in the industry promise to be a period of even greater change and development than the last.

In the report, entitled “POS Terminals: On the Cusp of Change,” Mercator touches on the developments regarding capabilities of the terminal, including EMV, NFC and non-payment capabilities such as loyalty.

Other highlights include a projected forecast of developments over the next few years; with analysis of how well today’s terminals will meet the future needs of merchant, as well as a schedule of when U.S. merchants will convert to include EMV capability.

The 31-page report features six exhibits with company mentions including Ingenico, VeriFone, Hypercom, Equinox Payments, Gemalto, Visa, MasterCard, Google, Isis, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon; among many others.