Wait a minute, I thought it was 2010? Nope, I lied…2011 was the year of the tablet! Oh man, now I am just confused. Because I am a retail-news junkie, I have seen this headline one too many times. Rather than allowing myself to be lured in by these captivating statements, I decided to take matters into my own hands. When was the true “year of the tablet?”

The Apple iPad was released in 2010, but most people do not realize this was not the first tablet. The first tablet could only be released one time, and that was in 1996. InkWriter, later purchased by Microsoft, was the first tablet PC (pen-enhanced) introduced to the market. Unlike the iPad, it didn’t catch on with consumers or retailers. At the time, buyers liked their keyboards, and couldn’t imagine a world without their compact and easy-to-use laptops. Ok, now fast-forward 16 years… laptops are old news. Touch technology is at the forefront. Tablets are a revolution!

2012 is NOT the year
Sorry to disappoint, but I repeat, 2012 is NOT the year of the tablet. More appropriately, I think we can call 2012, “the year the touchscreen tablet, as a sales tool, penetrates into the retail, hospitality, and grocery segments… maybe.” By now, I think we all know retailers who have demos or implemented tablets at their point of sale, as a tool for signage, upselling, etc. While only a few retailers, like Apple Stores, have fully replaced their point of sale with strictly tablets and/or smartphones, other retailers have implemented mobile technology for use in their stores.

Tablets for restaurants
Slowly seeping into the restaurant landscape, tablets are beginning to make a splash. In fact, Buffalo Wild Wings proves that the restaurant industry is beginning to dabble in tablets at the tables. For BWW, these iPad tablets will give consumers the power to order a drink, call your waitress, check into Facebook, play games, and function as a point of sale, all at their own convenience. While this technology sounds pretty awesome, I’m not sold (pun intended).

1. Is this technology facilitating a world where cyber-communication is more important than interpersonal communication?
Limited human interaction, less conversation at our tables…. I don’t know about you, but if my friend, whom I had not seen for a while, wanted to sit at our table and check their status updates on Facebook, I would probably just get up and leave. What is the point in having dinner together, if you aren’t really “there?” I will be one of the first to admit, I am glued to my phone, but I am not obsessed to the point that I need Facebook with me at my dinner table. Maybe I am one of the few? If so, my faith in humanity will be lost forever.

2. Doesn’t this take away from the waitress/waiter job? They weren’t hired to be a food runner.
This question was answered in a recent LinkedIn discussion with a touchscreen company wanting to showcase their solution to restaurant operators. He noted that while servers have mixed feelings after first seeing the tables complete with tablets, they found that the tablets are more enjoyable for the guests. On average, gratuity was seen to be increased by 8% (in my opinion, this increase is not very significant for the cost of this technology). By incentivizing the guests to fill out a survey at their table, they learned that customers appreciate having the detailed nutritional information on the tablets. Also, the ability to order at their own pace was viewed by the patrons as a plus to this new technology.

To me, this answer still does not satisfy my original question about the waiters and waitresses. It seems obvious that the capabilities of the tablets are equipped to take over the job of the server. This may turn people away from a job or career in the food industry.

3. How does a hospitality chain like BWW justify the costs of putting a tablet on each table?
In an attempt to do math…let’s propose a hypothetical situation. For this example, let’s say each tablet costs around $600 (which would include both the hardware and software). If an average size restaurant holds around 30 tables, the restaurant is looking at $18,000 for this little project. While Buffalo Wild Wings may be rolling in the green, this is not the case for all restaurants. Even so, how do you defend this expense? I would assume that most hospitality operators would have a hard time justifying this cost in their heads. Ultimately, it comes down to the question – what is the ROI by providing this technology to our consumers? Because tablets at the tables are in their infancy, it is still hard to predict.

There you have it. We determined that 2012 is NOT the year of the tablet, rather, the year the tablet will give retailers and hospitality chains a run for their money (literally). What is your opinion on this phenomenon? Do you agree with my questions, or have answers to provide? Please, don’t hold back! We are all looking for answers.

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About the IBM 4852-566

Trust is the Key

Trust is imperative in any relationship whether that be romantic, business, friendship, or familial. Many would argue that trust is the most important element in these connections. In terms of business relationships – there are many factors that affect the level of trust a consumer or business has in your company.  How can we win over the loyalty of the customers who are faced to determine where to spend their time, resources, and money?

IBM highlights three things retailers must do to win over this “empowered consumer” in the Executive Summary. Retailers must: Listen and Learn, Anticipate and Adapt, and Execute and Excel. As a consumer myself, I agree with IBM’s assessment. As IBM mentions, whether you are a retailer tailoring your messages to consumers, or selling to other businesses, knowing your audience is the most critical aspect of effective marketing.

Non-Profit Approach – relying on loyalty

The idea of knowing your audience to build a loyal customer was again presented to me at a non-profit panel discussion I attended last week. The Director of Donor Markets for the Greater Twin Cities United Way, spoke about non-profit business and United Way’s marketing approach to receiving this trust. In marketing to potential donors and volunteers, finding stories and messages relevant to that individual is vital. Replace donor with LOYAL customer, and you have yourself a similar situation. The difference with the non-profit business model is that, without these contributions, their business cannot function. Going forward, try thinking like a non-profit. “If I want to continue marketing to my customers (because otherwise, I will have no money to do so), I NEED advocates. Who of my customers are willing to share a testimonial or story that will get the occasional shoppers to trust and remain loyal to us?”

A Non-profit approach to a 4Profit Industry

While clothing stores, technology companies, and restaurants have nice big budgets for branding and building customer loyalty, what if we all had to rely solely on our advocates? Would your business be able to survive on your supporters and shared successes alone? Are you spending enough time getting to know your target audience(s) and what they want, or are you throwing marketing dollars into programs because they have worked for other retailers? How do you apply a non-profit attitude to a for-profit budget? How do you tug at your customer’s heartstrings? So many questions to ask! Remember, share the stories that will make YOUR AUDIENCE want to spend money with you – Trust will follow!

Other Related Posts:

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Seth Godin: Loyalty

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About The Point of Sale News:

Pointofsale.com/ the Point of Sale News(tm) is an online magazine for the POS industry. It is our objective to provide an informative and useful website pertaining to the point of sale and retail industry. We seek to provide a variety of news, advice and opinion that will be valuable, educational and occasionally, entertaining. If you need to find a solution for your business, or details on how to implement a type of POS equipment or software, we intend to have it here. In addition to point of sale software, we publish articles about POS peripherals, payment processing, mobile point of sale, digital signage, kiosks, loyalty programs and solid advice for small to medium businesses.

Bob Spinner and Mark Baskfield from Retail Tech have been honored, once again, to participate in the 2012 IBM Retail Store Solutions Advisory Council. The event will take place at the start of the IBM Retail Store Solutions Sales Summit (RS4) in San Diego April 30 – May 3 2012.

What is the Advisory Council?

Membership on the council is limited to a distinguished group of Retail Solution Providers, Distributors, and Independent Software Vendors who contributed significantly to IBM Retail Store Solutions in 2011. Members work under a non-disclosure agreement directly with IBM Executive, Sales, Marketing, and Product Management teams to help improve IBM Retail Store Solutions programs and product offerings.

Are you an IBM Business Partner? Hope to see you at RS4!

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Interview with Mark Wagner, Account Manager, OEM/VAR Team

Epson is a leading supplier of POS technology solutions and has been for many years, how do you think e-receipts and other new online/receipt technology will affect Epson’s leadership?

Mark: We don’t envision paper receipts going away anytime soon. While it’s true digital receipts are becoming more popular, there are drawbacks. Some customers don’t want to provide e-mail information for obvious privacy concerns, and others want something they can hold onto as proof of the transaction. Either way, the safest bet for some time to come will still be for retailers to listen to customers and offer the option of a digital or printed receipt.

Epson was recently named Best Channel Vendor for the Fourth Year in a Row in Business Solutions Magazine’s Annual Survey. What is the key to maintaining great relationships with all your resellers?

Mark: We advocate for resellers and offer a partnership approach, rather than a vendor relationship. At Epson, we roll up our sleeves and work in close collaboration with partners to develop a mutually shared vision of success. Having the breadth and depth of products with reliable, global service and support, along with a strong, solid commitment to the channel keeps Epson top of mind with our loyal resellers.

What has been the leading contributor to Epson’s POS printer success in the past and how do you think Epson will continue to be a leader into the future?

Mark: Retailers want printers that work consistently and dependably above all. Epson prides itself on its strengths in technical engineering and software /driver support. As a result, Epson printers are true working solutions, not just commodity peripherals. In addition, we host “Voice of the Customer” product tours with key OEMs, VARs and end users to gather intelligence for next generation products. We take requirements, ideas and criticisms back to our design teams. This collaborative approach yields products with better, more customer driven features and functionality.  

What are some great new products/features Epson has added to its repertoire recently?

Mark: Epson’s new TM-T88V and TM-H6000IV offer significant enhancements to already best in class printers at the same price as previous models, which means more bang for the buck. With 50% faster print speeds, the TM-T88V also has an industry leading, four-year warranty, Energy Star certification, dual interface and significant, cost savings paper reduction features. The paper reduction feature is an innovative firmware utility (no changes needed to POS software application), and enables end users to greatly reduce consumables/paper costs. For example, with the TM-T88V set at full 75% paper reduction mode, paper costs can be reduced by over $300 per printer in five years with a savings of over 200 lbs. of paper. For users with 1000 printers, this could mean a cost savings of over $300K in five years.

There is a simple solution. Send it to us! Retail Tech is a licensed hazardous waste handler and all equipment is transported and disposed of in accordance with EPA guidelines.

Among the PC’s, laptops, printers, and monitors Retail Tech disposed of in 2011, we are proud to say that we recycled over 500,000 pounds of electronic scrap alone! That is equal to about 7,142 lanes of IBM SurePOS 700 systems,

Or

 About this many Ford F-150 trucks…

…99 to be exact (didn’t want to make you count).

Our recycling efforts are not limited to our customer’s needs; we recycle all of Retail Tech’s material waste as well. Aside from electronic scrap, we have recycled:

96,000 lbs. of Scrap Metal

1,727 wood pallets

+ 162,080 lbs. of Cardboard Waste

A whole lotta’ recycling

There is always room for growth, and we are committed to increasing our efforts in 2012. Help us as we continue on our quest to eliminate POS scrap, in the right way.

Learn more about the Retail Tech Electronics Recycling program by contacting a representative.

Retail Tech also provides Electronic Hard Drive Destruction. Click Here to learn more.