- Cloud POS: According to Finances Online, the cloud POS market penetration rate is expected to hit 44% this year, up from 35% in 2018 and 39% in 2019.
- Self-Service: In 2019, the self-service market was valued at $28 billion USD, and by 2025 it’s expected to reach $68 billion USD. Needless to say, self-service kiosks will be popping up left and right this year.
- Mobile Payments: It’s estimated that by the end of 2020, nearly 1 in every 2 dollars spent online will come from purchase made using mobile devices. That’s a lot of mobile payments!
Download Free eBook: MPOS: How it’s Revolutionizing Payments
So, what’s Star doing to keep up with these emerging trends? Read on to discover the best new Star technology this year.
SteadyLAN®
The foundation of each of the above POS trends is a stable connection. For cloud POS to reliably operate, a strong network connection must be present. A self-service kiosk that’s out of order is a nuisance to customers and a waste of money to business owners. Mobile payments don’t exist without a solid connection.
To greatly strengthen network connection in iPad POS, Star is proud to introduce SteadyLAN®. This unique, patent-pending new Star technology makes unstable Wi-Fi signals a thing of the past. Available on certain mC-Print models and designed for iOS, Android, and Windows devices provides direct cabled control of the printer and attached peripherals, as well as Ethernet provision to the tablet, from the wired Ethernet port of the printer.
For locations where Wi-Fi connectivity is not possible or unreliable, this new technology is a world-first, providing the stability of a cabled LAN connection for tablet POS systems. By connecting the SteadyLAN-compatible printer to the Internet via wired LAN and connecting the printer and a tablet with a Lightning-USB or USB-C® cable, the device can use the Internet without Wi-Fi communication. At the same time, the tablet can communicate with the printer via USB or LAN and can be charged from the printer.
Click here to learn more about SteadyLAN
A Full Kiosk Lineup
Kiosk printers aren’t a new edition to Star in 2020 – we have been offering a robust lineup of self-service printing options for quite some time – but what is new and hot this year are our second generation of compact SK1 kiosk printers.
The new kiosk printers, the SK1-211 and the SK1-311, ship standard with StarPRNT emulation, which will allow software developers to take advantage of the full stack of Star Micronics technology, such as the StarPRNT SDKs and Star’s powerful line of drivers. Software developers that have already integrated Star products can now easily swap or extend their applications from a desktop printer to a kiosk printer.
When used with Windows drivers, StarPRNT emulation also enables developers to take advantage of PromoPRNT, Star Micronics’ cloud-based marketing tool which allows for custom-designed promotions to print on the bottom of receipts.
These new kiosk printers are exciting for a few reasons: Not only are these new products faster and more reliable, the addition of the modern StarPRNT emulation will allow easy integration of kiosk solutions into any environment already featuring Star printers.
Star offers even more kiosk printers than the SK1 series. Click here to browse all available kiosk printers, including open-frame printers, housed printers, wide-format printers, and more.
mPOP™ Flat Bill
You may already recognize our sleek, all-in-one mobile point of purchase, the mPOP. But did you know that this year we have released a new and improved mPOP for SMB retail, the mPOP Flat Bill?
The new mPOP with Flat Bill cash management stacks the till, providing a total of 4 slots for bills, and 4 or 6 adjustable spaces for coins.The individual tills offer 2Bill-2Coin slots, with the top till easily sliding back to expose the bottom till section.
Just like the original mPOP, the mPOP Flat Bill also features:
- Bluetooth and USB connectivity
- Compatibility with any iOS, Android, or Windows device
- Easy “drop-in and print” paper loading and cable management
- Compatibility with Star peripherals ( 1D barcode scanner, 2D imager, digital customer-facing display)
- Optional mUnite POP solution stand
Click here to learn more about mPOP
mUnite
A new decade calls for business owners of all kinds to make the switch to a sleek, modern POS, and our mUnite stands make that easier than ever.
Designed to accompany the mC-Print3, mPOP, and TSP143/TSP654II, the mUnite tablet POS stands are the perfect solution for businesses on the hunt for a clean POS which frees up valuable counterspace.
With clean cable management and a sleek, unified design, mUnite stands bundles all devices together into one visually cohesive solution, and are:
- Built of durable steel
- Compatible with any tablet manufacturer (universal VESA mounting)
- Easy to set up
- Available in black or white to match existing POS systems
- And more!
Click here to learn more about mUnite
