T UCH j2 RETAIL systems newsletter
IT STYLE BUSINESS
New screens for Hoyts
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j2retailsystems.com.au
Introduction
T
he state of the retail industry in Australia has been a topic of conversation across many media outlets, with most of the news not very positive. Whether it’s due to the tightening of consumer purse strings, online shopping, or rumours fuelled by media hype, our experience at J2 throughout 2012 has been a good one, with strong sales on the back of some new products proving that retailers are still focussed on improving their business operations by using the best technology available to them. The POS industry is a slow moving beast with very few, “game changers” around. The stability in the industry has been positive but I think we are on the verge of some redefinitions of the use of POS solutions. This shift comes in the form of greater interactivity with customers, embracing online retail store processing and the shift to more tablet style software catering for a new generation of retail staff. Behind the scenes the team at J2 are working on the next generation of POS terminals to meet the growing need for high definition content to be streamed onto second customer displays, multi touch technology and ensuring that the highest specification processors are available for reliable yet fast processing. What does Ferrari and J2 have in common? Well we are both are not the biggest manufacturers in our industry but provide some of the world’s greatest products showing that the biggest is not always the best. Many may have seen a recent promotion where we put out the challenge to retailers to find a better terminal than the J2 680 integrated touch
terminal. We are pleased to announce that not one contender was found that could exceed the specification of the J2 680 which confirms that it is one of the highest specification terminals on the market making us the Ferrari of the integrated touch terminal industry. Maybe we should offer Ferrari red terminals?! With challenging retail times ahead, those of us in the retail game must tackle these issues to stay in business and succeed. When it comes to your retail technology, we’re always here to help guide you through the sometimes-complex task of choosing the right retail hardware to invest in for your business. Yours sincerely, Phillip Wild
news & Information J2 make their mark at the Retail Directions golf day J2 supporter, POS solution provider Retail Directions, recently held a retailers golf day to help raise funds for the Motor Neurone Disease Association. J2 was a proud sponsor of the day fielding two teams in the event. The beautiful Yarra Yarra golf course in Melbourne was awash with J2 branded caps ensuring nobody left without a piece of J2. The biggest surprise of the day was a J2 team coming in second place in the Ambrose teams event. Each team member went home with a brand new golf bag and a memorable experience. It can be said that when it comes to golf, the J2 team should stick to touch terminal selling.
New markets on the way for J2 in New Zealand In April 2012, J2 appointed POS POS as exclusive distributor of J2 retail hardware in New Zealand. Phil Wild, Manager Director of J2, said: “While our business has been structured on building direct relationships with clients, we realised that in order to grow our business, we had to work with other companies to expand the reach of our product offering into new markets such as New Zealand.” Working from their office in Auckland, POS POS will act as the sole distributor of J2-manufactured PC-based touchscreens, LCD touchscreen monitors and POS hardware to the New Zealand market, operating via a network of partners in the country. Phil added that: “There were good synergies between J2 and POS POS. As well as having products that complement each other, POS POS have an established presence in the New Zealand market, so it made even more sense to align ourselves with them.” Grant Cleland, General Manager Sales and Marketing POS POS, concurred: “J2 has always had a good reputation in the retail hardware space, and we’ve been keen to work with them for some time now. We’re really pleased to have been appointed as their exclusive distributor for New Zealand.”
New BTP-R880NP receipt printer If you are looking for a more cost effective receipt printer solution, J2 has the answer in the BTP-R880NP thermal receipt printer. Providing high speed thermal printing capabilities, programmable paper saving options, auto or partial cutter, adjustable paper near-end sensor and internal alarm, this new printer from J2 is suitable for both retail or hospitality environments. Wall mountable and with full driver support for ESC-POS, OPOS and JPOS you not only have flexibility in locating the printer but also can ensure it will work with almost any POS solution.
New markets on the j2retailsystems.com.au
winter 2012
product showcase
J2 480 Series Retail PC. Expanding into retail. After the successful launch of the J2 680 integrated touch terminal, J2 has expanded into the retail PC space with the all new J2 480 series of retail PCs. Simply put, the J2 480 series can be viewed as being a desktop version of the J2 680 minus the touch screen. As they are essentially similar units you now have the choice to mix and match retail PC and integrated touch terminal devices whilst maintaining a standard operating environment.
from a dedicated retail PC, there are numerous ports including multiple serial and USB ports as well as a parallel and a PS2 port. For the first time J2 has included multiple powered USB and serial ports allowing for peripherals to be powered directly from the PC, cleaning up POS installations.
RAID hot swappable hard drives are available as well as optional inbuilt UPS and a DVD drive. Designed for a minimum 10 year life-cycle ensuring replacements parts will be available throughout the PCs life and with a five year return to base warranty and optional onsite warranty.
Built from the ground up for retail, J2 480 retail PCs offer up to quad core processor capabilities and 16GB RAM. As you would expect
For those who wish to provide high definition content to second customer displays, both DVI and HDMI ports are included.
Its compact size, retail specific features and the proven J2 reliability makes this purpose-built retail PC the number one choice for serious retailers.
technical
Windows® Embedded POSReady 7. W
indows operating systems have become a way of life in the POS industry and now the latest reincarnation of its embedded POSready solution is aiming to provide more value. Titled Windows® Embedded POSReady 7, this latest point of sale centric operating software brings a Windows 7 functionality and feel as its name suggests. Built on the strengths of Windows 7, Microsoft are spruiking this latest POS specific operating system as being a major overhaul of Windows Embedded POSReady 2009.
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Put simply, POSReady 7 is built on the Windows 7 platform whilst POS Ready 2009 was built on the older Windows XP platform. As the Windows 7 platform is newer you can expect all the enhancements newer technology brings including greater security and support for multiple core processors and 64-bit configurations.
provide greater ability to deal with PCI compliance but also ensures your data is more secure.
the operating system being able to work with newer, more powerful processors that J2 terminals provide.
The Applocker functionality allows you to determine who can run certain applications and scripts, which is great for keeping staff away from sensitive applications or data.
Some of the great features for POS users is the Bitlocker encryption for hard drives. Not only does this
Some J2 users have experienced faster performance which could be as a result of the capabilities of
Operating systems are always evolving to match the needs of the day and hardware that is available and with Windows Embedded POSReady 7 retail and hospitality businesses have been brought up to speed with the latest technology. And it’s also cheaper than it’s predecessor!
j2retailsystems.com.au
winter 2012
Feature
J2 at the movies helping Hoyts improve operations. report: david brand
The client
The situation
From small beginnings, Hoyts Corporation has become one of the world’s leading entertainment companies. Across Australia and New Zealand, Hoyts owns and operates 55 cinemas with over 448 screens, more than 75,000 seats and employs well over 2,000 staff. Hoyts cinemas are located in all mainland states of Australia, including: A.C.T, New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia as well as both the North and South Islands of New Zealand.
With movie attendance on the increase each year, it’s important for a major movie chain such as Hoyts to stay abreast of new retail technology in order to provide good customer service and maintain effective business operations. After a thorough analysis of their previous point of sale and ticketing systems in both Australia and New Zealand, Hoyts recognised that there was significant room for improvement.
Though the company had installed new POS and ticketing software, the existing terminals were performing poorly, resulting in delays with issuing tickets and other business challenges. “Even though Hoyts had invested in new point of sale and ticketing software systems, the old terminals were not really making life any easier for our staff. In fact, they were running quite poorly, despite the new software,� reported Chris Robinson,
Support Services Manager, Hoyts Corporation. On top of performance issues, the old terminals were also difficult and expensive to repair, and it was challenging to source parts for them. With these factors in mind, Hoyts realised it was time to upgrade to smarter and more efficient systems in order to maintain the integrity of their brand and business.
j2retailsystems.com.au
winter 2012
“We spent considerable time looking at different suppliers... J2 really impressed us with their approach and hardware solution they had on offer.”
Chris added: “In today’s competitive entertainment marketplace, customers expect prompt service, and it’s really important for our business to deliver that, which means we have to make sure all aspects of our business are running smoothly. And that’s why we made the decision to upgrade our terminals. It was just a matter of which supplier best met our requirements.”
The J2 solution
While Hoyts acknowledge that other manufacturers were able to offer some of the features of the J2 system, they were also quick to add that J2 was the only company able to provide the complete package, including an extended five year warranty. “We wanted a complete one-stop shop; a company that could provide everything we needed, including support and advice. J2 was the right company for all our POS needs.”
After reviewing several proposals from retail hardware suppliers, Hoyts made the decision to go with J2 and their 650 terminal. To date, 500 J2 650 terminals have been installed at Hoyts sites in both Australia and NZ over a period of two years.
Furthermore, the impressive performance capacity of the J2 650 was one of the primary reasons Hoyts decided to go with J2. Containing Desktop Core 2 Duo chipsets, the J2 650 delivers super fast operating speed, making it the ideal system for a busy cinema environment.
“We spent considerable time looking at different suppliers and what they had to offer. The team at J2 really impressed us with their approach and, of course, the hardware solution they had on offer.”
“With its Desktop Core 2 Duo chipsets, the J2 650 was the most powerful terminal available at the time we went to tender; that was a key factor for us, and one of the main reasons we appointed J2 to this project.”
“With the new J2 650 terminals up and running, we have been able to take advantage of the improved processing speed right away. For example, our customer service staff can now process ticket and confectionery sales much faster than before.” In addition to improved processing power and speed, Hoyts were also impressed with the adaptability of the J2 650 hardware. “We’ve put the J2 650 through its paces and it has performed really well. We’ve also had a second screen mounted on poles for advertising displays and promotions, which is an important part of our business. The two cash drawer ports within the 650 have also come in handy for some of our busier counters with multiple staff.”
The results Hoyts has been able to deliver many impressive benefits to both employees and customers thanks to the J2 650. These include:
• Improved sales through increased speed of the transaction process • Lower IT support costs through higher reliability of the J2 terminals • No more need to source expensive and out of date parts for old terminals. • Ability to upsell other Hoyts products and promotions (through the use of a second display) • Easy serviceability – Hoyts can deal directly with the manufacturer to promptly resolve any technical issues “As well as providing faster sales processing, which has resulted in quicker customer service, we’ve found the J2 650 to be incredibly reliable, and this reduces downtime and IT costs. On top of that, if any issues arise, we’ve got the peace of mind of knowing we can deal directly with the manufacturer to get things resolved quickly and cost-effectively.”
j2retailsystems.com.au
winter 2012
Education
Demystifying the latest touch technology. T
ouch technology has been in existence for many years. The majority of touch technology developments have come in the form of improved accuracy, brightness and reliability. With the next wave of touch users coming, the POS industry is standing up and taking notice of the new trends that have emerged as a result of the use of touch based smartphones and tablets.
Featuring a stylish bezel-free design that provides an edge-toedge screen, the True Flat Resistive technology offers an IP rated screen that is easy to clean, low cost and dust free.
Projected Capacitive Touch
One of the major benefits of TFR technology is any object including finger, pen, credit card and stylus can be used to touch the screen without damage.
Featuring a scratch resistant glass front screen, PCT screens provide excellent clarity and are unaffected by moisture, temperature or harsh cleaning products.
The two latest touch technologies that are currently being offered in new J2 touch terminals are True Flat Resistive (TFR) and Projected Capacitive Touch (PCT). Both these technologies represent the latest in touch technology but what exactly do they offer?
Able to be used whilst wearing gloves, PCT screens allow for advanced touch functionality including gesturing, multi touch and signature capture.
True Flat Resistive
The TFR screens offer a lower cost than PCT screens with the trade-off a limited life span as the screen will eventually wear, because it’s plastic material and the use of hard type stylus. The TFR does not allow the same transparency of LCD screens and as a result the clarity of the LCD is not the same s as PCT screen.
True Flat Resistive technology represents the next generation in resistive touch screens.
J2 predicts that TFR technology will be in very high demand due to its versatility and aesthetics.
PCT touch screens are a more robust touch solution that incorporates the best characteristics of competing touch technologies.
With long service life, built in Windows 7 driver and drift free, stable performance that does not require calibration, PCT screens are deemed to be the future direction of touch interfaces.
Demystifying Demystifying thethe latest the la Demystifying latest touch technology. touch technology. touch technology. TFR screens currently represent greater cost effectiveness but as the adoption of PCT screens increases the costs will diminish rapidly. If you are undecided as to which technology is right for your business contact the team at J2 Retail Systems and they will point you in the right direction.
Projected Capacitive (PCT) j2680
PCT is a more robust solution that incorporates the best characteristics of competing touch technologies. • Gesturing and multi touch • Works with gloves • Scratch resistant glass screen • Signature capture • Excellent screen clarity • Unaffected by moisture temperature, harsh cleaning products • Unlimited touch life • Uses built in Windows 7 driver • Drift-free, stable performance and does not require calibration.
j2retailsystems.com.au
winter 2012
Phone: (02) 9584 5222 Email: info@j2retailsystems.com.au
j2retailsystems.com.au
TOUCH Newsletter is published for J2 Retail Systems by Sill Marketing Pty Ltd. Office 10, 161-165 Greville Street, Prahran VIC 3181. tel. (03) 9510 8345 email. info@sillmarketing.com.au Š Sill Marketing Pty Ltd. All material in TOUCH newslwtter is strickly copyrighted and all rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strickly forbidden. Every care has been taken in compiling the contects of this newsletter, but we assume no responsibility for the effects arising therefrom. Sill Marketing Pty Ltd do not accept any responsibility arising in any way (including negligence) for errors in, or omissions from, the information provided in TOUCH newsletter. All information was correct at the time of print.