DigiPoS Retail Active 8 000 beats the PC

While a PC might provide versatility and many of the features required at the point of sale (PoS) by a retail operation, it has its limitations. With the understanding that many store owners do use PCs and are experiencing frustration with these limitations, DigiPoS Store Solutions has introduced its Retail Active 8 000 solution.

According to DigiPoS South Africa managing director Regan Atkins, this solution is purpose-designed to replace PCs with a range of features that are not standard on conventional desktop computers.

The most significant design feature starts with a standardised motherboard and BIOS on the Retail Active and also an extended lifespan on these two significant components. This allows retailers to introduce continuity and predictability in their environments, says Atkins. “The ability to deploy a standard software image to all machines - and any new ones over an extended period of time reduces the total cost of ownership. In the demanding retail environment, this provides for quicker deployment of new systems and a lower cost of maintenance because the retailer is only looking after one version of the software across the entire estate,” he explains.

This supports one of the key focus areas for any retailer - that of customer service owing to reduced downtime of point of sale equipment and the ability to handle customer volumes more effectively, Atkins notes.

In addition, he says the Retail Active 8 000 contains intelligent cable management, powered serial and USB ports, a fanless power supply for improved reliability and a cash drawer port.

He notes that, taking cognisance of the low-cost which is one of the key advantages of a 'vanilla' PC, the DigiPoS technology design team has positioned the system at a breakthrough price while still delivering full Retail PoS functionality.

DigiPoS CEO, Mark Leaper says the slimline Retail Active also addresses the need to fit within areas of limited counter space. "Designed-for-retail technology is an important part of operating a retail enterprise. We believe Retail Active bridges the gap as a solution with pricing comparable to that of a PC. With the Retail Active 8 000, there is no need to compromise, with a new benchmark for price performance in PoS technology."

In terms of retail-specific functionality, Atkins says the Retail Active 8 000 offers a range of technology features that bring choice, ease of operation and installation and reduced cabling.

With four powered serial ports as standard, it provides for the incorporation of peripherals such as scanners, printers or chip and PIN technology. Where powered USB may be the preferred path, the Retail Active has three ports as standard, eliminating the need for complex power cabling. Anticipating the potential need for improved customer communications, the Retail Active also features twin graphics output to enable one screen to meet the needs of counter staff, while allowing a second screen to be customer-facing.

“At approximately the same pricing as a PC, the Retail Active 8 000 delivers far more in terms of the reliability, connectivity, performance and features required in the retail, environment. With these advantages the solution is already finding favour with South African retailers as an affordable, high performance and reliable replacement for PC-based solutions,” Atkins concludes.