How to Select a Receipt Printer for Mobile POS · To produce an image, thermal printers selectively...

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How to Select a Receipt Printer for Mobile POS Is your restaurant or retail store ahead of the technology curve? Be honest – is it even close? In this day and age, customers expect to see their favorite restaurants and stores using technologies similar to the ones they use on a daily basis. That’s why today’s top retailers and restaurateurs are turning to tablets and Apple™ iPads® to run their businesses. In 2014, this concept of mobile point of sale (POS) is very flexible. Mobile elements, such as mobile POS devices and mobile POS printers, can be mixed and matched with your existing assets to accommodate your specific business and/ or budget needs. Mobile POS can include: • A mobile device secured on a stand, integrated with a stationary printer and cash drawer • A mobile device integrated with a magnetic stripe reader and a portable printer In both retail and restaurant environments, a combination of stationary and portable printers can be used to enhance your employees’ capabilities and maximize the effectiveness of your POS system. For example, Apple retail stores use a stationary printer at the counter and equip their salespeople with portable iPod Touch® devices enabling them to engage with customers and complete transactions on the sales floor. Depending on your specific business needs, you can choose from a range of applicable printers to gain the necessary mobility to improve your operations. For example, your business may integrate mobile devices with stationary printers or equip employees with portable printers to be used on the sales floor. This eBook will outline the benefits of a mobile POS solution, as well as the first steps you will need to take in selecting a receipt printer for your mobile POS solution. eBook

Transcript of How to Select a Receipt Printer for Mobile POS · To produce an image, thermal printers selectively...

Page 1: How to Select a Receipt Printer for Mobile POS · To produce an image, thermal printers selectively heat coated thermal paper as it passes over the print head. Their advanced design

How to Select a Receipt Printer for Mobile POS

Is your restaurant or retail store ahead of the technology curve?

Be honest – is it even close?

In this day and age, customers expect to see their favorite restaurants and stores using technologies similar to the ones

they use on a daily basis. That’s why today’s top retailers and restaurateurs are turning to tablets and Apple™ iPads® to

run their businesses.

In 2014, this concept of mobile point of sale (POS) is very flexible. Mobile elements, such as mobile POS devices and

mobile POS printers, can be mixed and matched with your existing assets to accommodate your specific business and/

or budget needs. Mobile POS can include:

• A mobile device secured on a stand, integrated with a stationary printer and cash drawer

• A mobile device integrated with a magnetic stripe reader and a portable printer

In both retail and restaurant environments, a combination of stationary and portable printers can be used to enhance

your employees’ capabilities and maximize the effectiveness of your POS system. For example, Apple retail stores use a

stationary printer at the counter and equip their salespeople with portable iPod Touch® devices enabling them to engage

with customers and complete transactions on the sales floor.

Depending on your specific business needs, you can choose from a range of applicable printers to gain the necessary

mobility to improve your operations. For example, your business may integrate mobile devices with stationary printers or

equip employees with portable printers to be used on the sales floor.

This eBook will outline the benefits of a mobile POS solution, as well as the first steps you will need to take in selecting a

receipt printer for your mobile POS solution.

eBook

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Benefits of Mobile POS

Mobile POS solutions allow you to extend your reach and streamline your sales operations. They are ideal in stores and

restaurants where technology is valued, space is limited and mobility is vital. Think about it: a state-of-the-art mobile

POS system – complete with a printer – can perform end-to-end transactions in the time it might take a customer

to travel to a traditional point of sale at the counter. With an effective printing solution, employees can complete

transactions and generate receipts from handheld units.

Here are a few ways the technology can improve your productivity and profitability:

1. Increased functionality for a fraction of the traditional cost.

When comparing the cost of mobile POS devices with traditional enterprise POS systems, retail and

restaurants can benefit from significant savings. Your business can be operated by simply purchasing a

mobile device, a POS printer and an app, which costs about $1,500 to $2,000. A traditional POS system

could cost $5,000 or more and doesn’t allow mobility.

2. Speed up the checkout process.

Mobile POS devices allow customers to complete transactions right from the sales floor so they can “skip

the line.” Speedy, streamlined checkouts allow retail and restaurant businesses to increase transaction

turnover.

3. Improve customer service.

Employees can not only improve the accuracy of order entries, but also focus more on the customer than the

transaction. In a restaurant setting, the wait staff can send order tickets to a kitchen printer straight from their

mobile POS device to speed up preparation times. Rather than taking extra steps to enter data on a desktop

computer, they help guests straight from the sales floor or at the table – making sure orders are correct and

the customer is satisfied.

4. Expand your selling capabilities.

With mobile POS devices and printers, transactions can be completed anywhere with a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth

connection – patios, tent or sidewalk sales, catered events, pop-up shops, etc. By expanding your selling

capabilities to include outdoor areas and remote venues, you can expand the audience of your restaurant or

store.

Not to mention, through tableside ordering and more time spent with customers, employees can take

advantage of upselling and cross-selling opportunities to increase the average ticket size and tip amount.

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Defining Your Business Needs

Defining your business is the best way to start the buying process. It not only helps you to avoid overlooking vital

requirements, but also to narrow your list by ruling out options that don’t meet your criteria. To do so, think about what

processes or features are unique to your restaurant or store – specifically, what aspects do you seek to improve with

your printing solution?

1. Involve your team in the buying decision.

Your sales team or wait staff will be using your new hardware the most, so it’s crucial for them to be on

board with your buying decision. If they aren’t, operational and organizational issues can result. They may

not understand what the printer does or how it works.

To ensure that you make the most out of your new mobile POS solution, ask your employees about their

strengths, weaknesses and challenges of your current system. This will help you determine the amount of

flexibility your mobile POS printer needs, how intuitive and user-friendly it should be and how many printers

are needed to accommodate your store or restaurant.

2. Determine which printer type fits your goals.

As mentioned, there are two ways to go about selecting a printer for mobile POS applications. Retail and

restaurant businesses can either use mobile handheld devices connected to stationary printers or portable

printers. Depending on each printer’s design and connectivity, their functionality and mobility varies.

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Thermal printers

To produce an image, thermal printers selectively heat coated thermal paper

as it passes over the print head. Their advanced design makes them ideal

for modern, fast-paced restaurants or stores with a mobile strategy.

Impact printers (for kitchen printing needs)

Impact printers use pins and ink ribbons to produce a series of dots.

These printers can usually print black and red ink as well as graphics.

Restaurants might favor this type of printer for their kitchen environments,

as the paper used with thermal printers can be affected by extreme kitchen

temperatures.

Portable printers

The sleek, compact and lightweight design of portable printers allows the

operator to step out from behind the counter and engage the customers on

the floor. They can be worn by retail or restaurant employees on a belt or

shoulder strap, allowing their hands to be free to operate a mobile device

for payment processing, tableside ordering and line busting applications.

Because they are purpose-built to be used with smartphones and tablets,

they are compatible with iOS, Android and Windows mobile devices.

They are able to print wirelessly using either Bluetooth or wireless LAN

connectivity.

Bluetooth and LAN connectivity

Bluetooth and local area network (LAN) technologies both provide

wireless communication, but are designed and used differently. Bluetooth

technology is a wireless technology that utilizes radio waves to allow

wireless communication between devices, limited to a short range of about

30 feet. Bluetooth-enabled devices communicate with other Bluetooth

devices (paired one to one), whereas LAN devices allow a network of

devices to communicate with one another with a much wider range.

With Bluetooth or wireless LAN connectivity, receipts can be printed from

the sales floor to the kitchen or other areas in your retail store to streamline

operations and improve productivity.

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Considerations for Your Selection

Your value-added reseller should provide you with printer options that will seamlessly integrate with your new mobile

POS system and allow the mobility needed to bolster your store or restaurant operations. The following are a few of the

necessary requirements of a printer to be used in mobile retail or restaurant environments.

Connectivity

To be able to print receipts while away from a stationary POS system, it’s necessary for your printing solution

to include Bluetooth or Ethernet printing capabilities. The point is to perform store operations without

limitations, so your receipt printer should allow you portable or flexible printing options with the development

tools available for use with popular mobile platforms.

As mentioned, it’s important to understand that Bluetooth connectivity is paired one to one, acting as a

single connection between two Bluetooth-enabled devices. Ethernet/LAN connectivity allows wireless

printing on a local area network -- a helpful feature in environments where many printers are deployed

and used at once, or where printers must travel distances further than 30 feet. Consider these factors to

determine which option more closely matches your mobility needs.

Portability

If your retail store or restaurant requires employees to bust lines and check out customers, be sure that

your portable printer model will be able to support mobile payments. For full mobility, your portable printers

should have a small, lightweight design so they are easily carried by employees of varying sizes and

strengths; a long battery life so they are able to last the length of a full shift; and an integrated magnetic

stripe reader with encryption for secure credit or debit card payments.

Compatibility

If you plan on using a Bluetooth-enabled printer with Apple products – as many modern retailers and

restaurateurs are choosing to do – it must be certified by the Apple MFi (“Made For iPhone®/iPod®/

iPad®”) licensing program. This program allows manufacturers to get the hardware components, tools,

documentation, technical support and certification required to create devices that connect to iPod, iPhone

and iPad. Make sure your wireless LAN printer selections are also compatible with popular mobile platforms

such as iOS, Android and Windows.

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(800) 782-7636 x107 www.starmicronics.com [email protected]

Vendor Support

Be sure to choose a hardware vendor who can offer the appropriate training for your staff so that you are

able to maximize user adoption and minimize training time. Not to mention, it is critical to have access to IT

integration and support services that will keep you running smoothly and with little disruption to your daily

operations.

Mobile POS has revolutionized the food and retail industries, enabling them to make more sales in more

places and in a shorter amount of time. Now that you have the proper knowledge to begin your purchasing

process, it’s time to propel your restaurant or retail store to a higher level of productivity and profitability.

About Star Micronics

Star Micronics America, Inc. is a subsidiary of Star Micronics Company Ltd., one of the largest

small printer manufacturers world-wide. Star Micronics also manufactures high-precision

machine tools and precision parts. Star Micronics Company Ltd. is ranked as one of the Top 50

“Most Stable” Japanese companies on the Japanese Nikkei. For more information, visit www.

starmicronics.com or call 800-782-7636.

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