Innovation is baked into the world of digital technology. Part of the purpose of ‘digitisation’ is pushing boundaries and finding new and better ways to do things.
As modern POS systems are well and truly digitised, that means innovation is hard-wired into the design philosophy of POS manufacturers like ourselves, too. The market we operate in demands it. For retailers and hospitality businesses, refining the customer experience is not only a top priority. It’s an ongoing necessity as they navigate a world of continually shifting consumer demands, emerging competitive threats, and external macroeconomic and geopolitical factors they have little control over.
In short, when it comes to the POS systems at the centre of their businesses, retail and hospitality clients are looking for solutions that meet their own need to adapt to change. They are increasingly looking for adaptability and flexibility. So that’s what we set out to deliver.
One of the things we’re doing with some of our latest product additions is blurring the distinctions that have grown up between POS hardware categories. For the past decade or so, it’s been the norm to classify POS hardware as fixed-position ‘checkout’ terminals, mobile devices, and self-service kiosks.
But those distinctions no longer always fit the needs of brick-and-mortar operators. One drawback is cost. For small restaurant or shop owners, making a triple investment in a till system, kiosks and tablets that can be carried around the store or back and forth to tables is often not feasible. And yet they, too, want the benefits of flexible service. They want to be able to offer choice to their customers in terms of how service is provided. Increasingly, their customers demand it.
So, the latest generation of POS hardware is breaking out of those old categories. Instead of a self-service unit, a mobile unit, a fixed checkout unit etc, we’re thinking in terms of different functionalities. And then building multiple ways of operating into single products.
Multi-purpose POS
Take, for example, the USC 513. This integrated POS endpoint, designed specifically for retailers and food counters, pushes the ‘all-in-one’ concept to a new level. It’s not just that it incorporates a touchscreen interface, processing unit and peripherals such as printer, barcode scanner and MSR in a single unit. It also features a dual touchscreen configuration, with a unique gravity sensor board that enables automatic reorientation through 180 degrees.
The result is a POS terminal that is both customer and staff-facing at once – it can operate as a traditional ‘staffed’ checkout terminal, and as a self-service kiosk. All with a footprint smaller than an A4 piece of paper!
Another example is the expansion of our panels PC range – or what we like to call ‘touch computers’. These all-in-one units are designed to provide robust, reliable POS functionality in touchscreen form. But with a range of mounting and connectivity options available, along with a wide choice of processing specifications, they also offer supreme flexibility, giving businesses the power to deploy POS their way, to suit the needs of their businesses and, most importantly, their customers.
For more information about the exciting and ongoing expansion of our POS range, please contact our sales team.