Tag Archives: Star

Why Shoppers Prefer Brick-and-Mortar Stores

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Oro — Singapore.

Written by Michael K. Spencer

 

While in parts of Asia e-commerce is really catching on, in North America especially, brick-and-mortar shopping experiences still dominate. However consumers have new expectations regarding convenience, discounts, personalization in retail, and in particular, the interactions at the POS like mobile payments and offers on receipts.

As stores are learning the kinds of experiences their audience enjoys, physical retailers are getting better at adapting and boosting store traffic and engaging with their customers in contemporary and complementary ways. Enabling a better experience is key by marrying the human with the technology.

  1. Cater to experiences.
  2. Create human-interaction that’s educational and fun.
  3. Do seasonal campaigns better, promote community, and leverage unique product, lifestyle and cultural niches.

We live in an era where online sales are booming and a lot of retail growth occurs online, however, the majority of shoppers still prefer visiting stores in person. Why is that?

Local retailers provide a grass-roots way to connect with the community, culture, and vibe of a neighborhood, culture, and social life of a district. Retail and the marketplace is about connecting with our roots.

It’s Not Just About Convenience

While online shopping has never been easier, in a mobile-addicted world, younger consumers are showing a preference to experiences over the acquisition of stuff, goods, and material products.

Many younger consumers live in an era of discount shopping, price-wars, and comparative shopping impacted by the likes of mobile search, causing them to make different kinds of choices that retailers are still discovering in efforts to keep up with.

Smart small businesses and independent and local retailers are leveraging this to create a whole new retail culture around their products, staff, and locations. At Star Micronics, we’re creating products that reflect this. Sleek POS hardware at the cutting-edge of reliability and innovation.

We Are a Species of Touchers and Feelers

The more mobile is starting to impact every aspect of our lives, the more, as consumers, we crave tactile, human, intimate, empowering, and genuine interactions with local retailers. Human beings thrive not just with good customer service, but with customer experiences tailored to them in-person.

Small Businesses Are Learning to “Hack” The Experience Economy

Fostering the “experience economy” that has been related to Millennials (shoppers under 40) means how small business retailers engage with their audience through education, classes, in-person local influencers, events, and creating social relevance of their locations in the community, is a huge deal!

If the modern shopper associates the big-box retailers with price, speed, and fulfillment, what then are the equivalent characteristics of their favorite SMB local retailers? Small business-love and shopping local as trends, it can be argued, are at all-time highs. Consumers want to support family-owned businesses and retailers they consider more like them and in sync with their own values.

Men and Women Shop Differently — Why it Matters

According to Retail Dive, the way men and women approach shopping experiences might be different.

In particular, female shoppers overwhelmingly want to see, touch and feel products before buying them. Males, on the other hand, skew more toward the immediate satisfaction of taking items home with them.

If this is true, in-store enhancements that are design-orientated are catering to Millennials, including digital influence that is good for the planet such as Star’s Micro Receipt that saves paper on receipts. In fact, when stores show they care about sustainability and corporate social responsibility, their female customers gravitate more to them, showing how valuable from a loyalty and marketing perspective CSR and sustainability is for stores to embed in customer journeys.

How we Do Customer Experience is Changing

The way we do customer experience is shifting to the preferences of the new consumer. Retail tech must shift to being customer-centric, giving more choice and augmenting a store’s ability to connect with their customers on the most human basic emotional level.

With more than a third of consumers shopping online at least once a week, physical retailers and small business owners need to find ways to be more personable, unique, and offer better customer service than ever before. For these are the true differentiators that will build a loyalty customer base that generates revenue and improves margins.

Brick-and-mortar stores are beginning to incorporate mobile technology that humanizes their retail brands, such as Instagram stories, mobile coupons, digital receipts, and QR code-based technology. This technology marries the human with the resonating digital influence that is starting to permeate our society that can no longer be seen as separate from the emotional experience of our love of shopping in stores.

Physical stores are going through a wonderful transformation and a retail renaissance, and are still at the core, the center of our urban commercial experiences. This is even more true for small towns and local communities. Shoppers prefer trips to stores since they deliver experiences and not just stuff.

 

 

 

10 Ways to Increase Foot Traffic for Small Businesses

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Written By Michael K. Spencer

 

Getting customers in the door is a challenge for most brick and mortar retailers. Customers aren’t going to leave their homes to visit a physical store unless the company is offering them something they can’t get online. And that something needs to be relevant to the customer’s lifestyle and shopping patterns. In fact, relevance is the most overlooked component to success in retailer efforts to increase foot traffic. The following 10 tips will help your store increase foot traffic by catering offerings to customer demand

1. Add a personal touch

Why do you think fine dining chefs walk around and introduce themselves to everyone at the restaurant? People want to connect with the person behind the scenes. Connecting to your customers will humanize your brand, but it needn’t always be done in person. Respond to Instagram photos and customer posts on social media to connect with your customers in a time efficient way. Also, regularly post photos of your offerings that portray the lifestyle marketed by your brand, and offer prizes for the best customer photos of your product.

2. Get that local flavor

Make products relevant to customer locales is pivotal to boosting foot traffic in your store. Make a calendar of major music, culture, and sporting events near your store and narrow the list down by which local events cater to your customer base. In other words, a sporting goods store probably shouldn’t throw an event based on a ballet production, but could definitely increase visibility by sponsoring the local 5k. From there, pick a few events to use as focal points for your store’s philanthropy, store events, or promotions.

3. Seasonal Marketing

Seasonal marketing is an easy way to personalize your offerings for your customer base. Whether your store is exposed to all four seasons or the temperature only drops 10 degrees during the cold months, there’s opportunity to connect with your customers through shared experience via signage and promotions. Offer fun seasonal discounts, such as, “10 percent off if you come wearing earmuffs,” or “free coffee to anyone who shows us their umbrella!”

 Photo: Thirdshelf

4. Keep ’em coming back

Customers expect to be rewarded for their loyalty. No matter the size of your store, some sort of loyalty reward program is imperative to show your customers that you value their business. Customer relationship management software (CRM), similar to the loyalty program builder and communications automation technology offered by Thirdshelf, can help to track and identify the results of your loyalty programs to maximize the traction of your marketing spend. This shows you areas that are working and areas where you can to improve.

5. Throw in freebies

If you feed them they will come and if you give them something for free they will spend. Time Magazine lists 5 reasons why customers spend more when you give stuff away. The list includes when customers get something for free they’ll pay more for it later, and that people talk about freebies more than anything else. Whether you’re offering samples of your newest hand lotion or free appetizers at a store event, giveaways immediately increase foot traffic and make a lasting impact on your customers.

6. Create an experience

Since millennials value experiences over things, it follows that to sell things to millennials, retailers need to tap into experience. In 2015, more than 3 out of 4 millennials said they would rather spend money on an experience than accruing more things. With that said, even the most frugal shopper will make a purchase as a reminder of a one-of-a-kind in-store experience.

7. Be Disruptive

You can only create foot traffic in a market of breakneck retail evolution by adopting a business model that’s as disruptive as the market itself. Fashion trucks and pop-up shops generate enthusiasm due to their transient nature. The “get it before it’s gone” mentality generates the excitement that most customers find lacking in traditional department stores. Social media marketing is huge for mobile retail, so customers know where to find you and a bit about your offerings. And if you think big companies can’t pull off a disruptive retail model, check out what Zappos is doing with their “Friends With Benefits” roadshow.

8. Build a community

Most retailers cater to consumers with a shared interest, whether you are a home goods store with customers who love to cook, or you sell apparel to Instagram-obsessed teens, there’s an opportunity to bring your customers together over a shared interest. By offering your customers relaxing social spaces and online forums to voice share their experiences, you can create a community in which a love for your brand is the unifying thread.

9. Teach your customers

Shared interest can also be utilized to create foot traffic by offering your customers classes or seminars on topics related to your products. For instance, outdoor retailer REI is famous for the hiking and camping events they facilitate for their customers. Once you realize what lifestyle you’re selling with your inventory, you’ll have a better understanding of what type of education you can offer customers to get them in the door.

10. It comes down to people

Of course, the most thoughtful marketing initiatives don’t count for anything if your customers are greeted by a rude or poorly-trained staff. Know your employees’ strengths and weakness. If you aren’t able to spend much time at your store’s physical locations, invest in a staff augmentation platform like the insights you can get from Dor for hour by hour data that will help you make informed staffing decisions.

The US Census Bureau reported that e-commerce counted for only 8.3% of total retail sales in the fourth quarter of 2016. Since most purchases still take place in brick and mortar stores, it’s imperative that retailers cater promotions and marketing to individual customers to boost foot traffic and maximize marketing spend.

 

RetailNOW 2018 Recap

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This year, RetailNOW 2018 ran from August 5th to 8th at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention center in Nashville, Tennessee. In this post, we’ll do a short recap of some of the trends and our own experience of it at Star Micronics and our growing ecosystem of partners.

RetailNOW was buzzing this year on Twitter under the hashtag #RetailNOW2018. It’s held by RSPA, a trade association comprised of resellers, ISVs, manufacturers, payment processors, distributors, and other POS and tech ecosystem participants.

Star Micronics had some exciting new products to showcase such as our mCollection including new printers and scales, which got a fair amount of attention at RSPA.

RetailNOW is an important event for POS tech since it combines resellers with both hardware and software ecosystems. The point of sale industry is being challenged right now with channel sustainability and thus the role RSPA plays is crucial.

Star Micronics’ booth was #803 and our set-up looked like this:

 

We held a contest where those who entered could win an Amazon Echo Spot. Our new mCollection series was well received, especially our scales.

With over 160 exhibitors and a packed agenda, RetailNOW 2018 was the ideal event for us to showcase our mCollection series that has been designed with the latest tech to deliver products that are especially compact in size, sleek, and offer the easiest setup in the industry with a reliable and remarkable user experience. Where our mCollection truly shines is in connectivity–each printer has multiple connectivity options including Bluetooth, CloudPRNT, Ethernet, and of course, lightning USB and traditional USB options.

 

RSPA speakers had warm receptions that looked like this:

                          Image credit: RSPA Twitter.

The inaugural RSPA women of the year in 2018 was Abby Sorensen. On the ISV insights panel, the importance of finding partners who need your software but who also have the same DNA was mentioned. The RetailNOW 2018 event also included golf, free head-shots at the photo booth on the show floor, and many other perks. Many speakers added value around the best practices for ISVs, VARs, and Vendors.

 

Tips for Value Added Resellers (VARs)

POS VARs are evolving how they see the emerging ecosystem:

                       Image credit: Jim Roddy on Twitter

RSPA is really committed to providing year-round education on topics relevant to its community with everything from tech boot camps to regional events and global expansion. VARs are also increasingly relying on automation tools to streamline their business.

                  Image credit: Jim Roddy on Twitter

VARs know what works for them in terms of the top lead generation tools. For many of them, product catalogs, software overview videos and educational content such as buyers guides, e-books, lists, and live chats work really nicely. RetailNOW 2018 was full of educational content for VARs, Vendors, and those in related POS tech industries.

 

3 Things to Consider When Selecting a Scale for Cannabis Retail

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One of the most important elements of cannabis retail compliance is accurately selling products by weight. A dispensary’s inventory may include a variety of cannabis offerings, including packages of marijuana buds or flowers, edibles, vaping supplies, or containers of shatter (cannabis concentrate), topicals (ointments and creams) and marijuana extracts. Scales for cannabis ensure you are not over- or under-charging customers and assist in inventory tracking at a medical marijuana dispensary or cannabis retail outlet, regardless of the product you sell. Running a business that sells products by weight is impossible without the proper scale, so make sure you choose the one that addresses your business needs and adheres to local and state cannabis laws.

The standards and regulations for cannabis scales vary by state, so choose the scale that will keep you in compliance and accurately serve your customers. Here are three main features you should look for when shopping for a scale for cannabis:

  1. Weigh to one-hundredth of a gram: Anyone shopping for a scale for cannabis should brush up on the metric system. Metric isn’t standard in the U.S., but scales for cannabis measure in grams. Although it’s commonly thought that an ounce of is 28 grams, it’s actually 28.349 grams—so don’t short your customers by rounding. Most scales will weigh to the tenth of a gram, but it’s recommended that scales for cannabis weight to the one-hundredth of a gram (0.01) for a higher degree of accuracy. This is important because it tells the customer they are receiving the exact amount of product they’re paying for, it ensures the cannabis retailer is receiving the correct payment, and it maintains accurate inventory records.

 

  1. NTEP Certification: The National Type Evaluation Program (NTEP), overseen by the National Conference on Weights and Measures, covers every aspect of a scale’s use, including capacity, accuracy and the effects of temperature fluctuations on the scale’s operation. The standards are developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). A local weights and measures official will use NIST standards when inspecting your scale and sealing/certifying it for legal use. Every NTEP approved scale will have a NTEP certificate of conformance (CoC) number that an inspector can use to verify the scale has been certified. However, a CoC doesn’t mean plug and play—call your local regulatory agency for the proper procedure before using the scale.

 

  1. Class II NTEP Balance: A NTEP CoC means the scale is legal for trade and able to be used to sell product by weight. However, there are different classes of accuracy. Class II is a higher accuracy scale that applies to lab scales as opposed to industrial or retail equipment. This higher class of scale can be used in medical or scientific uses such as pharmacy, laboratory, and compounding, which require precise measurements. Most states require cannabis retail stores to have a Class II digital scale.

 

Medical marijuana and cannabis retailers are legal in more than half of the U.S., but requirements for how you run your business will vary depending on your location.  With products sold by weight and strict regulatory requirements, investing in the right scale will be vital to your profitability and compliance. Carefully evaluate your options and make the right choice for your business.

4 Ways to Use Offers, Coupons, Discounts and Deals to Drive Revenue and Customer Loyalty

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Photo Credit: Burst.  

At Star Micronics we’re a POS tech engagement company obsessed with adding value to retail stores and small businesses. We became a leading global manufacturer of mobile point of sale (POS) and customer engagement technologies through many years of building simple-to-use and reliable products such as receipt printers. In 2017 we created innovative partnerships at  Star Micronics Cloud (formerly called Star Cloud Services) which have helped solidify our position with tens of thousands of independent business users and hundreds of thousands of devices sold.

Today we want to present to you how to use promos, discounts, coupons, and deals to generate ROI and increase basket size at your store and local business. Creating offers cheaply that engage customers at the POS and at the time of sale is key for developing memorable offers that lead to repeat customers and long-term customer loyalty.

1. CREATE PROMOS EASILY ON RECEIPTS

The physical receipt is now a key marketing real estate in 2018. With the advent of our solution called PromoPRNT, you can easily create ads at the POS that quickly and efficiently create marketing campaigns on your store’s best deals, offers as well as QR-code-based coupons.

With Promo Maker and Promo Manager, retailers can create in-store ads on receipts that convert shoppers and get eyeballs with the greatest ROI and also improve word-of-mouth benefits for your small business. Since PromoPRNT allows for the customization of the offer, receipt-based promos can drive revenue 24/7 automatically with POS ads. The solution is available to registered users on the Star Micronics Cloud.  

Source: screenshot from Sophatar Webinar hosted by Star Micronics.

2. SYNC DIGITAL SIGNAGE WITH POST AND RECEIPT DATA

Sophatar is a Digital Signage startup with whom we have created an innovative solution with Sophatar® POS Signage™.  Easy-to-install digital screens help increase basket size, enabling retailers to produce more ROI from their top selling products. This means that through a simple software subscription, small businesses can easily create discounts, promos, and deals that integrate with POS data from Star Printers, directly and automatically creating contextual and dynamic signage that shoppers can see at physical locations.

This essentially enables any retail or hospitality business to implement professional digital signage that’s smart and can easily integrate with mobile coupons and loyalty cards, with no need for customers to install a mobile app. This not only creates customer loyalty, through engaging customer experience in-store but also deals that shoppers cannot resist. As the offers are generated and displayed, based on existing sales data, the best selling items can be displayed, driving higher revenues and increasing average basket sizes at your location.

3.  MOBILE LOYALTY OFFERS PAIRED WITH SEASONAL CAMPAIGNS

For promotions and loyalty offers that sync with a retailer’s Email and SMS marketing campaigns, it’s essential to onboard top customers into a customized loyalty program. From here, retailers and brick-and-mortar stores can drive ROI from events, seasonal campaigns, free product giveaways, birthday messages and other strategic discounts where loyalty points can drive in-store traffic.

Automated customer communications inside loyalty programs build and strengthen existing relationships with a retailer’s best shoppers. Thirdshelf is the ideal software for independent retailers to accomplish this:  

  • Creating a loyalty program out-of-the-box
  • Segmenting customers and tracking loyalty analytics
  • Automating Email and SMS marketing offers

Nurturing high-value customers can drive revenue and increase customer loyalty through tailored and highly segmented marketing campaigns that reach the smartphones of shoppers.

4. CREATING AN OMNICHANNEL LOYALTY EXPERIENCE

In an era when retailers need to create customer experiences in-store, at Star Micronics we believe that creating immersion in-store at the POS — via promos on receipts, via digital signage and mobile that can all work together to create promotions whose benefits stack, generating ROI at physical locations and increasing sales.

This is also a seamless loyalty strategy that is affordable even for retailers who operate from a single physical location. Secondly, the offers created via PromoPRNT, Sophatar® POS Signage™ and Thirdshelf complement different touch-points of the customer journey that create irresistible offers while boosting customer loyalty.

What the three solutions mentioned all have in common is that they exist to help retailers automate marketing at their retail location and at the POS, in-store, and via mobile, to create the best customer engagement at the lowest cost.

3 Things Cannabis Retailers Need to Know About Cannabis Receipt Regulations

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Running a marijuana dispensary requires in-depth knowledge of the local laws and meticulous recordkeeping including retaining copies of each cannabis receipt.

Running a medical or retail marijuana dispensary requires in-depth knowledge of the local laws and meticulous recordkeeping including retaining copies of each cannabis receipt. As of April 2017, 29 states have legalized medical marijuana, which can be used to treat several illnesses, including multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, inflammation, pain, mental disorders and substance abuse, among others. In addition, 9 states have legalized recreational use. That means cannabis retailers are legally operating in more than half of the U.S.

Their businesses can be very different, however, depending on the states in which they are located.  One difference is startup costs. For example, annual licensing fees range from $3,000 in Colorado to $75,000 Connecticut. States may also require a minimum of liquid capital, some places as high as $250,000, so it’s imperative you protect your investment with perfect recordkeeping of every transaction. Retaining a copy of every cannabis receipt ensures your dispensary follows state and local laws and protects your business in the event of an audit.

What should the receipt include? How can you prove your business is operating in compliance with state and local laws? The cannabis receipt provided to the customer proves you are collecting all the relevant taxes and dispensing marijuana legally.

If you are considering opening a marijuana dispensary or you want to make sure your business is operating in compliance with your state’s laws and make sure you are correctly formatting and recording cannabis receipts, your point of sale (POS) system is the perfect tool to manage this requirement.

1. Check the Specific Requirements in Your State

Understand your state’s tax laws to ensure you are charging the correct amount. For example, in California, retailers charge a consumer-excise and sales tax, while in Colorado, cannabis is subject to different taxation, whether it’s classified as medical or retail marijuana. It’s important to stay up to date on changing tax laws to ensure you are collecting the correct percentage. Failure to comply could subject your business to fines and added scrutiny.

 2. Manage Copies of Cannabis Receipts

Use your POS system to send a backup copy of each cannabis receipt to the cloud or store the backup offsite. If you are issuing receipts with carbon copy paper, staple or clip the receipts together. It’s also a good idea to keep important financial records, licensing information and other sensitive financial paperwork in a secure place outside of the dispensary. Retain all records for a minimum of three years in case of an audit.

 3. Include All Required Information on the Cannabis Receipt

Although the exact information you include will depend on your state’s laws, most receipts will include store name and address, the category of taxable products or product category name/product name. Receipts should also include a code or other identifier for the product’s taxes. There may be additional requirements, however. In Oregon, it’s required to list the sale subtotal before tax, amount of state tax, local tax, total sale amount and identifying receipt number. A disclaimer stating that receipts are required for customer tax disputes is also required.

The cannabis industry is promising for dispensaries, but it is tightly regulated by the states where marijuana has been legalized. Give your business the best chance for compliance and success with a POS system equipped with state-of-the-art printers to meet regulatory requirements while providing convenient customer experiences at the checkout.

Contact the experts at Star to learn more about ideal solutions for the cannabis industry.

3 Reasons Why Merchants Should Choose Hybrid Tablet POS

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Some retailers are shifting away from a legacy point of sale (POS) terminal toward flexible, scalable tablet-based solutions. And for good reason. Tablet POS solutions are affordable, powerful platforms that increase mobility, generate comprehensive analytics and securely store data. Many tablet POS systems are cloud-based Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions that update automatically.

Although SaaS solutions are easy to use, some merchants have been hesitant to implement them because they rely on an “always on” internet connection. A cloud-based system won’t function if the connection is spotty, which could wreak havoc during a big sale or holiday shopping time.

Cloud-connected or hybrid POS solutions are a smarter choice for store owners who want the convenience and mobility of a cloud-based system, but can’t give up the reliability of a wired POS network. Sounds good? We think so, too. Here’s why you should consider a hybrid tablet POS system for your store:

  1. Versatility: A hybrid tablet POS system gives you all the benefits of a cloud-based system, including real-time reporting — with one essential difference. If your store loses its internet connection, your hybrid tablet POS system will still run, but the real-time updates won’t sync until the internet connection is restored. A hybrid system can be used in any position: with the tablet mounted on a counter or wall or carried on the sales floor.
  1. Ergonomics/Aesthetics: Hybrid tablet POS systems are attractive and chic, but they’re more than just a pretty face. These solutions are perfect for small counters, pop-up stores or other spaces where space is limited. Hybrid tablet POS systems have a small, practical footprint that won’t take up every inch of the counter, so there’s room to display impulse purchase items and gift cards. The checkout line is a customer’s last stop before they leave the store, so a tidy cash wrap with attractive technology leaves a positive, lasting impression as shoppers depart.

 

  1. Scalability: If you are considering a future expansion or need to have more checkouts temporarily, a hybrid tablet POS system gives you the flexibility to easily add terminals and locations to your network. There are no licenses or technicians necessary, it’s essentially a “plug and play” operation. It only takes a few minutes to configure the tablet or mobile device and sync it to the network. Once it’s on the network, the device will be running the same solution, with the same data accessibility.

Choose a hybrid tablet POS that can accommodate multiple peripherals. Star Micronics’ mPOP solution is one of the most comprehensive options on the market. We’ve recently added several new peripheral options, so the solution can be used as a complete check-out in nearly every retail category.

The new peripheral options include:

  • Three Star Micronics scales that can be used in candy shops, farmer’s markets and grocery stores
  • 2D barcode scanner for retailers that want to accept QR code coupons or access item information
  • Two-line, blue backlit customer display that shows shoppers their transaction information as well as advertising messages
  • New cash drawer port that supports an additional external cash drawer for busy shifts

Hybrid tablet POS solutions are a perfect solution for retail store owners who are hesitant to implement a SaaS system due to connectivity issues but want the freedom of mobile POS. A hybrid system empowers store owners and staff with all the benefits of a cloud-based solution, without ever turning away a sale because the internet is down.

For more information on the Star Micronics mPOP solution, contact us!

Star Micronics Introduces the new TSP654II AirPrint

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January 2018

Star Micronics Introduces the new TSP654II AirPrint

The First Receipt Printer on the Market with AirPrint™ Certification

Always leading – always innovating, Star Micronics is proud to announce the newest addition to the Star Micronics family of printers, the TSP650IIAirPrint. This new technology easily integrates with any iOS system. As the first POS printer with Apple AirPrint certification, you will no longer need to worry about installing drivers or other technology. You will simply utilize the familiar iOS print routine, printing from the receipt printer with AirPrint just as you would from a standard inkjet or laser printer. It’s as easy as that.

 

 

 

In addition to innovative printer support, AirPrint also enables control over Star Micronics cash drawer and ticket alarm from the connected iOS device.

 

 

Star Micronics now offers users and developers the options to introduce AirPrint as a “ready to go” solution for applications that generally do not support direct printing.

“It really is a great way to bring receipt printing to your customers with almost no effort,” said David Salisbury, Director of Development at Star Micronics.

 


For questions regarding product availability and pricing, please call Customer Service at 800-782-7636. 

Star Micronics Offers First Look at New, Innovative Solutions

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NRF 2018: Star Micronics Offers First Look at New, Innovative Solutions

Somerset, NJ – January 26, 2017 – Star Micronics, a leading global manufacturer of mobile, point of sale (POS) and customer engagement technologies, showcased its newest innovations at NRF 2018 Retail’s Big Show.

NRF 2018 was held in New York in the Jacob K. Javits Center from January 14-16 and Star Micronics exhibited its latest POS innovations in booth #2745, including:

 

1st AirPrint® receipt printer

The TSP650II is the first receipt printer on the market with Apple AirPrint® Certification.  This printer will work seamlessly with all Apple® devices, ensuring quick set up and high-quality receipt printing. The TSP650II AirPrint will enable Apple users to continue with the familiar AirPrint experience while using their Apple iOS® POS system.

 

mCollection

mC-Print: Chic, Compact, Complete printer collection

Star Micronics new mC-Print receipt printers were designed specifically to expand Star Micronics’ Mobile POS solutions. This mPOS printer is stylish, chic, and compact. With multi-interface support and peripheral connectivity, this Cloud Service-ready receipt printer is equipped to handle retailers’ needs with style.

mPOP + Peripherals:

Now, the mPOP has additional optional peripherals for merchants to choose from, such as 2D barcode scanner, scale, customer display, and port to external cash drawer. With these added peripherals, retailers and restaurateurs can transform their mPOP into a complete, versatile point of sale hub in order to accept a wider variety of transactions in higher volume.

 

 

PromoPRNT

PromoPRNT is a new service available to Star Cloud Services members that empowers retailers to create printed promotions in addition to receipts. PromoPRNT delivers two services through the Star Cloud Services Dashboard, Promo Maker and Promo Manager. Promo Maker is a simple way to create and design receipt promotions. Promo Manager allows retailers to schedule the length of a promotional campaign and to view insights from their campaigns.  Ultimately, with these PromoPRNT tools, retailers will be able to deliver incentives directly to shopper’s hands.

Sophatar® POS Signage™

Sophatar® POS Signage is another new service available to all Star Cloud Services members for a low monthly cost. This innovative digital signage solution analyzes retailers’ POS sales data through the Star Micronics printer and Star Cloud to display popular sales items.  If the retailer doesn’t have images of best-selling items on hand, Sophatar® POS Signage will automatically search for images using UPC codes and textual descriptions of the products.

 

This year’s booth partners:

  • Vend
  • SuiteRetail
  • BizTracker
  • nClose

“If you spent some time at our booth at NRF 2018, thank you,” Said Christophe Naasz, Director of Business Development at Star Micronics America, Inc. “We have so many innovative and groundbreaking solutions scheduled for release in 2018. It was fantastic to have the opportunity to give the industry a sneak peek.”

 

About Star Micronics

Star Micronics, one of the world’s largest POS providers, has designated a portfolio of printing, secure cash management, and customer engagement solutions for any retail or hospitality establishment in POS and mPOS environments. Embracing the mobility wave, Star’s complementary SDKs allow users to utilize Star printers in tandem with Android™, iOS iPad®, and iPhone® devices to generate receipts for all of its printers. Always leading, and always innovating, Star Micronics enables web-based printing solutions including remote cloud printing, wireless cash drawer solutions, proximity-based printing, and secure cash management. For more information, visit www.starmicronics.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or LinkedIn.

 

# # #

Media Contact:

Leticia Arce

Star Micronics America, Inc.

larce@starmicronics.com

848-216-3283

 

Melissa McGaughey

SkyRocket Group

Melissa@skyrocketgroup.com

814-833-5026 x106

 

 

 

 

NRF Retail’s Big Show 2018 Recap with Star Micronics

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Thank you to everyone who took the opportunity to stop by our booth and check out our latest retail technology solutions. If you missed us, we offered a sneak peek at several of our newest technologies and solutions for 2018.

Here are just a few of the innovative solutions Star Micronics had on display.

mCollection

Our new mCollection includes products that will expand the functionality of our mPOP solution. mC-Print2 and mC-Print3 were big hits with all of our visitors.

mPOP + Peripherals

Merchants can now transform the mPOP into a complete point of sale hub and accept versatile transactions at a greater volume. The mPOP is able to integrate with an increased number of peripherals, such as a 2D barcode scanner, scale, customer display, and port to an external cash drawer.

mcPrint2 and mcPrint3

Stylish and sleek, these printers were made to look great with your mPOP. These attractive and Cloud Service-ready receipt printers support multiple interfaces and peripheral connectivity. These little printers look fantastic and are ideal for handling your business needs with style.

TSP650IIAirPrint®

This receipt printer works seamlessly with all Apple® devices and is the first printer of its kind with Apple AirPrint Certification. With quick and, easy setup, high-quality receipt printing, this printer is ready to hit the ground running out of the box. Most importantly, it will allow Apple users to continue with the familiar AirPrint experience while using their Apple iOS® POS system. Cash drawer control from your Apple device has also become a reality with the TSP650IIAirPrint.

Sophatar® POS Signage™

Available at a low monthly subscription, this digital signage solution solves three common problems retailers run into when purchasing a digital signage solution. First, it’s affordable. Second, it searches by the UPC codes and product descriptions of your products to automatically generate content and display them on your digital signs. This eliminates the time you spend hunting down images and content to display. Lastly, it creates dynamic content updates based on your sales data. In this way, it’s always displaying your best selling products.

PromoPRNT

Available through the Star Cloud Services dashboard, this new service will empower you to create printed promotions on your receipts. PromoPRNT includes two separate services, Promo Maker and Promo Manager. Promo Maker is a quick and easy way to design receipt promotions and add them to your printer receipts. Promo Manager is the tool that allows the length of a promotional campaign to be scheduled. Merchants can also track promotion campaign insights through the Promo Manager tool. With PromoPRNT, you will be able to deliver incentives directly into shoppers’ hands.

We also featured several of our vendor partners in our NRF 2018 booth, including Vend, SuiteRetail, Biztracker, and nClose.

See you next year NRF!