Retail Therapy? Using PoE Computers to Increase Sales and Ease Management

How has the retail industry changed in the past decade or so? One answer stands out - Electronic POS (Point Of Sale) systems. Like ‘em or hate ‘em, they are always on, efficient, and are a big relief to people (myself included) who would prefer not to interact with other humans!

Electronic POS systems are prevalent in the retail industry and have played a major role by reducing costs, increasing sales and improving customer experience for the sector. The industry has already embraced digital catalogs, interactive touchscreen kiosks and customer aids to improve customer experience, footfalls and repeat store visits. Retail kiosks and POS systems can add 10-40% more sales to a store (Source: Sapient), with focus maintained on both software and hardware.

Thinlabs has a range of devices that could help retailers enhance store displays - there's a number of reasons why you should choose them for your retail establishment:

  1. All-In-One form factor - Thinlabs’ All-In-One computers come in 17, 19 and 22 inch WXGA screen sizes and feature a compact, space saving design.  All wires are hidden (with the exception of the power and ethernet cables), significantly improving the look and feel of the display.
  2. Touch / Non-touch screens - Thinlabs’ All-In-One computers come with touch and non-touch options. Featuring optical and infrared (IR) touch screens, these offer touch performance similar to what customers expect after using their smartphones and tablets, thereby enhancing their experience when compared to other touch technologies.
  3. Power over Ethernet (PoE+) - Thinlabs’ All-In-One POE Computers are the first and only computers in the world to run a full Windows 7/ 8 OS under PoE+ (conforming to IEEE’s 802.3at standard - 30W). This not only enables the kiosks to be powered using just an ethernet cable, but also eliminates the need for separate electrical power and cabling.
  4. Low power / high performance - Consuming under 30W for an integrated, All-In-One computer, Thinlabs’ devices are designed for efficient operation. These systems feature AMD’s Quad-Core processors and provide excellent performance that can run most retail applications. The devices also have multiple port options (including serial, parallel, USB 2.0 / 3.0), and can be used with card readers and scanners.
  5. Windows software - Thinlabs’ All-In-One computers have been extensively tested with Windows Embedded Software and are equipped for use with WES 7/ 8. Windows Embedded is easy to manage and well established as a base OS for many retail POS software offerings. The Enhanced Write Filter (EWF) facility locks down the computers and prevents unauthorized people from making system changes.

For more information on our All-In-One computers, check out our complete line of products or contact a Thinlabs representative today!