August 29, 2016
Consumer vs. Commercial Products in POS
In the world of Point of Sale, products are often misrepresented and the end user experiences difficulties in everyday operation. Defined by whether the purchaser is buying for a business or for individual use; many variables in quality, durability, and performance is effected. Although some companies present their products as a cheap alternative to a fully loaded Point of Sale system, in time the initial investment will deteriorate rapidly; causing grief, aggravation, and high maintenance expense compared to a system engineered to have a full life span, commercial grade software and hardware, and retail hardened durability.
A mid-range tablet with an enticing price tag may be perfectly suitable for home and personal use but will probably fail eventually if not immediately as a Point of Sale terminal replacement or restaurant line buster. Because of the constant demand of resources, the tablet’s enticing price comes with the set back of low-tier consumer grade hardware and/or software. While being compared to a tablet designed for a commercial setting, you will see a higher price tag but for a very good reason. A commercial grade tablet will have upgrades, not found in a consumer based world, specifically built for keeping up and not letting down a busy store.
Another con of buying consumer grade products in an commercial environment is the risk of the product being damaged or broken. Though manufactures have made progress towards having devices not break, bend, or shatter, this does not apply in a commercial setting. A small purchase towards a consumer grade product may end up being a much larger investment due to the product being bought several times over. Once again, a commercial grade product has been designed specifically to not be damaged when used by an entire staff. Most products come with features such as anti-shock mounted hard drives, protective cases or bezels to withstand even the most extreme conditions, and commercial grade hardware to keep up with even the most demanding stores.
When purchasing a device for your business, one of the most important aspects to remember is the hardware. Consumer grade computers for example may look tiny compared to a computer engineered for a business. This is mostly because of the individual parts that are different between the two devices. If we look at a processor for example, the processor found in a Wal-Mart bought computer will never be enough to power several point of sale work stations in a restaurant compared to a specific designed processor to serve as a central hub in a business.
If there are any questions or concerns whether you’re making a good purchase for your business, contact New Mexico POS! We will be more than happy to help you engineer a system with a long and high performance life span for your business!
DV
Tags: Albuquerque, Android POS, Focus POS, Grocery, iPad POS, New Mexico, Point-Of-Sale, POS, Restaurant, Retail, Santa Fe