Four years after selling its point-of-sale terminal business, IBM Corp. is reportedly having second thoughts. Sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg this week that the technology giant is looking to acquire a retail automation startup called Revel Systems Inc. in a bid to re-enter the market.

The outfit offers a subscription-based platform that lets cashiers, servers and other brick-and-mortar workers process purchases with their mobile devices. One of its biggest selling points is a customizable interface that enables organizations to pick and choose the functionality they need. A stadium operator, for instance, might want to install the software on iPads and have food vendors use them as mobile order trackers, while a restaurant could employ Revel to manage table reservations. Revel even makes it possible to turn tablets into digital signs that can be installed on a stand to show promotions, discounts and other offers that would otherwise have to be manually communicated by staff.

The customer management functionality is paired with an expansive set of automation features designed to streamline the backend activities involved in running a brick-and-mortar operation. The platform addresses everything from inventory tracking to salary calculations, as well as more niche tasks like delivery route planning are only needed in certain industries. This broad feature set has helped the startup land numerous big-name customers including Cinnabon Inc. and Goodwill Industries International Inc., a user base that should give IBM a useful beachhead from which to launch its expansion plans. But that’s only assuming the acquisition rumors are true, of course.

Bloomberg’s sources say that the buyout talks are in such an early stage Big Blue hasn’t even had a chance to properly test Revel’s software yet. And even if the technology proves up to snuff, there’s no guarantee that the negotiations will culminate in an acquisition. The startup has raised $127 million in funding from a group of seven backers who can be expected to demand a return on their investment, which means that Big Blue is probably facing a nine-figure price tag. As a result, it’s too early to start seriously speculating about the company’s retail ambitions.

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