POS LABELLING IN RETAIL
a complete shift and recharged outside of opening hours,” says Jay. Fuelled by the pandemic, kiosk systems are also becoming increasingly popular, Jay adds. “These self-service solutions typically come with two types of printers, either a packaged printer or a kiosk mechanism, which are chosen based on the kiosk design and user requirements. Typically, stand-alone unmanned solutions are fitted with kiosk printing mechanisms that use a presenter, allowing for larger paper rolls to be used, which require fewer changes and thus less maintenance.” Data and security But these machines are not just about physically printing labels, customers are also looking to the data they can produce, which can provide valuable insights such as buying patterns or peak time periods, enabling retailers to forecast activity and plan. “Retailers need to know what inventory is being sold and when to restock,” says Jay. “Smaller companies can keep a written tally; however, larger companies link their electronic point of sale systems (EPOS) with their enterprise resource planning to allow a seamless reordering of supplies, which can be crucial when used in conjunction with a more sophisticated just-in-time stock control method.” Of course, security is also an important consideration, and this is also covered in PoS printers. “With reporting done through the cash register, fiscalisation is always done through software,” says Jay. “However, measures can be put in place which cover both software and the PoS hardware.”
lower-priced models. “A lower price doesn’t always provide quality and typically when you buy cheap, you buy more,” he says. “With industry-leading manufacturers offering two- year warranties as standard, reputable printing products often provide higher reliability which can be complemented with manufacturer warranty extensions.” Ones to watch Jay adds that while there are many types of solutions on the market, he feels that mPOS, Mobility and Kiosk are the ones to watch. “The days of traditional bulky PoS setups are dead, mPOS solutions are now taking centre stage as more compact, cost-effective solutions,” he says. “These interchangeable setups typically consist of a tablet, printer, card reader, scanner, customer display and cash drawer, which are commonly bundled together by resellers with additional EPOS software. These interchangeable solutions provide a cost-effective solution that can be upgraded as your POS estate evolves. But these types of solutions now require more intelligent printers, which can seamlessly connect to the host tablet device while supporting a charging port and up to four USB peripherals. This solution is a great way to use existing peripherals that are operated through the printer as it communicates to the tablet device via Bluetooth.” Meanwhile for busy seasonal retail periods and pop-up stores, the need for accessible printing is becoming more popular and mobile printers are an ideal solution as they easily connect to a smart device and can print receipts or labels. “As batteries continue to improve, many printers can now be used for
Jay Kim managing director
bixoloneu.com
The days of traditional bulky PoS setups are “
dead, mPOS solutions are now taking
centre stage as more compact, cost-effective solutions.
”
CONTINUED
printinthechannel.co.uk
27
Powered by FlippingBook