My WordPress

Tag: Stadium & Amusement Park

  • Beat a Taylor Swift Concert Rush with Your POS Software

    Beat a Taylor Swift Concert Rush with Your POS Software

    In the world of point-of-sale (POS) software, understanding client needs and environmental context is critical. Concerning the event space, it’s well-known that large stadium events are nothing short of grandeur. Whether it’s a fierce football match, an international cricket tournament, or a musical evening with an iconic artist like Taylor Swift, the sheer number of attendees is staggering.

    Such high-capacity events pose unique logistical challenges for independent software vendors (ISVs) and software developers in the POS solution space. So, let’s dive into these challenges and discuss the essentials a robust stadium POS software application needs to crush them, using a Taylor Swift concert as our guiding star.



    POS Hardware for Stadiums

    The POS Developer’s Dilemma in the “Swift” Surge

    When Taylor Swift drops a tour date, tickets vanish from virtual shelves. Crowds spanning generations pack huge venues with infectious enthusiasm, eager to sway and sing along to the tunes of their beloved pop icon. While the concert’s central attraction is Taylor herself, behind the scenes, stadiums must ensure that every aspect of the fan experience is seamless.

    That’s where an efficient POS system with the latest software and hardware plays a pivotal role. Beyond the glitter and glamour of the stage, an intricate infrastructure is working overtime. When powered by the proper technology, a stadium’s POS can provide exceptional customer satisfaction across the board.

    Where Does Stadium POS Software Need to Rock?

    Volume Handling

    Stadiums, especially during events like Taylor Swift concerts, see an unprecedented influx of patrons. Your POS software must be able to handle tens of thousands of transactions within a short window without any glitches or lags.

    Numerous & Diverse Sale Points

    The challenge isn’t just about volume – it’s about variety. From exclusive merchandise to gourmet food stalls, the software must ensure seamless integrations and fast, unified processing.

    Swift Transactions

    No fan wants to miss even a minute of Taylor’s performance. Your software must ensure quick, hassle-free, secure transactions, allowing Swifties to get back to the concert without long waiting times.

    Someone makes a heart with their hands at a large concert. Likely a Taylor Swift concert.

    Essential Features for Next-Gen Stadium POS Software

    1. Scalability

    Mega-events demand robust software that scales rapidly, maintaining speed and security despite sudden sales surges.

    2. Mobility

    With patrons scattered throughout the venue, equipping your clients with the power of mobile POS (mPOS) technology can facilitate quicker transactions. Pairing your software with handheld devices for stadium staff ensures fans can make purchases without moving far from their seats.

    Explore Popular Portable Receipt Printers >>

    3. Real-Time Inventory Tracking

    No more stock-outs. Whether it’s Taylor Swift’s exclusive concert tees or the most popular snacks, the software should provide real-time inventory insights to your clients.


    2D barcode scanner line by Star Micronics.

    4. Versatile Payment Methods

    From Apple Pay to good old cash, your software must be adaptable, catering to the diverse preferences of a global fan base.

    5. Uncompromised Security

    Given the volume of transactions and the variety of payment methods, security is paramount. Encryption, secure data handling, and fraud detection should be incorporated features.

    6. Offline Capabilities

    Even in our digital age, network issues can arise. Your software must have offline capabilities to ensure sales continue even in the face of internet connectivity challenges.



    Explore Star’s Technology


    4_elements_value

    4 Elements of a Valuable ISV-Hardware Integration Partnership

    With so many hardware vendors to choose from, it may not be clear which direction to take. Equip yourself with insights to forge partnerships that truly elevate your software.



    Get Started Now

    Addressing Real-World Challenges for POS Software Devs

    • Challenge: Peaks and troughs in customer flow, leading to potential bottlenecks.
      Solution: Empower clients with software supporting mPOS systems, enabling on-the-go transactions to alleviate counter pressures.
    • Challenge: Catering to a spectrum of payment preferences.
      Solution: Offer hybrid solutions that cater to all payment forms, ensuring every fan is satisfied.
    • Challenge: Unexpected stock-out situations of popular merch or food items.
      Solution: Real-time inventory monitoring ensures replenishment is timely and sales don’t suffer.

    The POS Tech Developer’s Encore

    Imagine this: Taylor Swift is about to start her encore. A fan realizes they haven’t bought the limited-edition concert tee. They rush, make a quick purchase thanks to your software, and are back just in time for the first chord.

    That’s the value you, as an ISV or POS software developer, bring to stadium events. With the right software solutions, you can amplify client satisfaction, making each transaction a part of concert history, even amidst the electrifying chaos of a Taylor Swift concert. For developers aiming to mark their territory in such dynamic arenas, evolving isn’t just an option; it’s a necessity.

    Silhouette of female concert artist onstage. Might be Taylor Swift.

    Enjoy this article? Uncover more from Star:



    The Star Blog

  • Elevent Teams Up with Star Micronics to Modernize Multi-Event Ticketing

    Elevent Teams Up with Star Micronics to Modernize Multi-Event Ticketing

    By offering Star products, Elevent provides event organizers with a multi-event, multi-venue management solution.

    Somerset, NJ – April 14, 2022 – Star Micronics, a leading manufacturer of mobile, point-of-sale (POS), and customer engagement technologies, is proud to announce that Elevent has added support for Star’s TSP654II thermal printer and Choice Series Cash Drawer.

    Elevent offers a multi-event ticketing system for organizers with a complex schedule of events. This software provides the overwhelming world of multi-event ticketing with a modern, seamless, and personalized way to grow and interact with its audience.

    Elevent gives organizers a simple setup for complex events, helping to attract and retain an expanding audience. It’s less repetitive and allows organizers to monitor what matters in real-time from anywhere. The software features a rich mobile dashboard, early purchase windows, a shopping cart, membership renewals, upgrades, and more.

    With the integration of Star’s TSP654II, Elevent provides the perfect multi-event solution to event organizers. The TSP654II offers high reliability and performance with CloudPRNT, enabling the printer to retrieve and print orders directly from any online ordering vendor.

    By including Star’s Choice Series Cash Drawer, Elevent offers event organizers an adaptable, secure, and reliable cash drawer with a reinforced steel top built to fit any business need.

    “Elevent is proud to partner with Star Micronics to modernize the ticketing world. Star’s hardware with our software offers customers a personalized purchase experience that eliminates wait times and caters to attendees on any device.”

    Jeremy Wine, Co-Founder of Elevent

    Love industry news? Check out our podcast:



    Rising Stars Podcast

    About Star Micronics

    Star Micronics, one of the world’s largest POS providers, has designated a portfolio of printing, secure cash management, and customer engagement solutions for any retail or hospitality establishment in POS and mPOS environments. Embracing the mobility wave, Star’s complementary SDKs allow users to utilize Star printers in tandem with Android™, and iOS iPad® and iPhone® devices to generate receipts for all its printers. Always leading, and always innovating, Star Micronics enables web-based printing solutions including remote cloud printing, wireless cash drawer solutions, proximity-based printing, and secure cash management. For more information, visit https://starmicronics.com/ or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or LinkedIn.

    About Elevent

    Elevent is the first modern, multi-event ticketing platform made for festivals, educational institutions, venues, and other complex event organizers. Our cloud-based platform can be deployed and maintained with minimal effort, with an emphasis on ease of use and design. Built to withstand high demand, it’s powerful enough to support the toughest ticketing scenarios.

    Media Contacts

    Christin Dorner

    Star Micronics America, Inc.

    cdorner@starmicronics.com

    (848) 216-3318

    Jeremy Wine

    Elevent

    jeremy@goelevent.com

    (888) 816-2272

  • 6 “Must-Haves” for Stadium POS System

    6 “Must-Haves” for Stadium POS System

    The economy is reopening, and consumers are excited to attend events and sports games. When visiting a large sports stadium or entertainment arena, you often find long lines for food and merchandise during half-time or intermissions. The people attending these professional sports games or concerts paid good money to see their team play or favorite artist perform, and they don’t want to miss a thing. This puts a huge amount of pressure on the employees working the concession stands or merchandise shops to complete the customer’s order as quickly as possible. A lot of this workflow plays into the stadium point of sale (POS) system being used. Here are 6 “must-haves” when looking for a stadium POS system.

    1. Intuitive Software

    First and foremost, you will need an easy-to-use and intuitive stadium POS software. Depending on how often a team plays in the stadium or how many performances take place per year, stadium employees tend to work more sporadically compared to your standard restaurant or retail employee. This means that stadiums need a POS system that concession and merchandise shop employees can pick up quickly with little to no training.

    Some other key features to look for in stadium POS software are:

    • The ability to offer ordering in a variety of ways: in-queue, in-seat, or mobile
    • Mobile wallet payment acceptance
    • Loyalty programs and benefits
    • Detailed inventory management
    • Operational insights
    • Cash management and hawker support

    2. Back-of-House Support

    While people rarely see what goes on behind the scenes at stadium concession stands, it’s important to make sure that your stadium POS manages the back-of-house just as well as it manages your transactions.

    A variety of tools – from inventory management and menu management to fan data and back-end analytics – can help you to make sure you never run out of stock during a big event. By having access to analytics that can be reported day-to-day, you can make sure that your concession menu appeals to your audience for a particular game or event.

    3. Varied Payment Support

    When you have a packed stadium with a mile-long line of customers, you simply do not have time to fuss over payment methods. In a high-pressure, high-volume environment such as sport and entertainment stadiums, you need to get your customers through the line as quickly as possible.

    One of the best ways to ensure a quick and seamless transaction is to make sure your POS system supports a multitude of payment methods. Did you know that it is estimated that by 2023, there will be 80.1 million near field communication (NFC) mobile payment users? Now, with more people adopting mobile wallets, you will see more and more retailers and concession stands accepting NFC payments at major sports arenas. Make sure that when your customer is set with their order and ready to pay, that whatever form of payment they choose will be accepted at your point of sale.

    4. Mobile Ordering

    One ordering method that’s rapidly gaining popularity in sports entertainment properties is mobile ordering. During major sports games and concerts, people don’t want to leave their seat and risk missing a big play or their favorite song. Many stadiums are adopting a mobile ordering method where fans can order food or drinks on their mobile device and either have it delivered to their seat, or go grab it when it is ready. Fans don’t have to miss a thing and concession employees don’t have to deal with a line of angry customers. It’s a win for everyone!

    5. Reliable Hardware

    In fast-paced environments such as stadium concession stands and merchandise shops, employees don’t have time to deal with flaky hardware. They need their receipt printers to print and their cash drawers to open every time a transaction is completed, and they need hardware that will withstand the high volume of transactions. Appetize and Star Micronics have teamed up to create a complete stadium POS solution that combines intuitive software and reliable hardware peripherals.

    The Appetize-Star solution includes:

    You can find the Appetize and Star Micronics bundled POS solutions in major sports and live entertainment locations including the Golden 1 Center (home of the Sacramento Kings), U.S. Bank Stadium (home of the Minnesota Vikings), over 40 Live Nation properties, and many more.

    6. Health & Safety Products

    In this day and age, health and safety are a priority. Many people are ready to venture back into the world for some fun, but they of course want to minimize the spread of illness.

    Stadiums and event venues can keep their guests feeling safe and confident with the right health and safety products. Examples of these solutions including sneeze guards at the point of sale, antimicrobial covers on surfaces like door handles and railings, and tamper-proof labels to secure the food and beverages guests order from their seats.


    Health-Safety-Brochure

    Health & Safety Solutions Brochure

    Discover which solutions can keep your business squeaky clean and help customers feel confident at your brick-and-mortar location.



    Download Now

    Featured Star Stadium Solutions

    TSP654IIBi

    TSP654II

    SM-S230i

    SM-S230i-300x200

    TUP500

    TUP500

    Antimicrobial Covers*

    ANTIMICROBIAL COVERS

    POSShield

    POSShield

    Tamper-Proof Labels

    Tamper-Proof Labels

    Looking to learn more about Star’s stadium POS solutions?



    Learn More

    *Disclaimer: NeverGerms® makes no claims regarding the safety or health of the general public or those interacting with its products. “NeverGerms®” and “Touch Less Germs®” are registered trademarks and not intended to have literal interpretation. NeverGerms products are manufactured by NeverGerms and distributed by Star Micronics. Although these products are designed to reduce microbe populations on commonly-utilized surfaces and have been tested by the manufacturer for their antimicrobial properties, Star Micronics cannot guarantee that they will eliminate all risk of germ, including virus, transfer from such surfaces. Star Micronics, as distributor, relies entirely upon claims made by manufacturer as supported by prior research. For further information, please visit www.nevergerms.com.

  • Why Guest Wi-Fi is an Important Asset for Small Businesses

    Why Guest Wi-Fi is an Important Asset for Small Businesses

    If one thing is true about today’s consumers, it’s that they are constantly (or nearly constantly) connected. With the rising trend of omnichannel retail experiences, it’s more important than ever to provide an easy, free way for your customers to connect to the internet. Implementing a guest Wi-Fi network does more than connect your shoppers to their favorite apps and websites, though – it can also improve your business in many ways! Here’s how:

    Enhance Marketing

    Speaking of omnichannel marketing, having a guest Wi-Fi network is an excellent way to expand your omnichannel strategy. One way to do so is to engage in Wi-Fi marketing, a method where you use your network as a channel to communicate with your shoppers. Using Wi-Fi marketing, you can promote campaigns of your choice, which can serve as a part of your in-store marketing strategy.

    When guests log on to your Wi-Fi network, their phones will redirect to a splash page where they’ll view a branded message, as well as details about the network and its terms of use. On the page, users will enter credentials such as their email address, which can help you build customer profiles and gather leads. With this additional insight into shoppers’ demographics, you can further tailor your marketing tactics to better suit them, and that can help create more sales. For example, a Deviscape survey found that half of businesses report that customers spend more money now that they have a Wi-Fi network!

    Safeguard Internet of Things (IoT) Devices

    Better marketing and more sales are nice, but did you know that implementing a guest Wi-Fi network has security benefits, as well? If you incorporate IoT-connected devices into your store, such as automated checkouts and smart shelves, you probably already know that they’re more vulnerable than traditional devices. If you connect those smart devices to your main network, the chance that hackers can access your other devices – like your main server or physical security system – is increased.  By connecting your smart devices to a guest network instead, you create an additional layer of protection against attacks; Even if a cybercriminal hacks into one of your devices, they won’t be able to penetrate your main network, where your most valuable information lies.

    Improve Customer Experience

    Last but not least – and this probably goes without saying – guest Wi-Fi networks greatly improve the customer experience. Depending on your store location and your customers’ cellular provider, providing shoppers a guest network saves them data and gives them a potentially faster network. And there are stats to back it up – nearly 62% of businesses with free Wi-Fi report their customers stay in the store longer, which likely means they’re having a better shopping experience, spending more money, and are more likely to return.

    From boosting sales to securing your sensitive data, there are many reasons to utilize a guest Wi-Fi network!

  • Star Micronics and Elo Partner to Provide a Modernized All-In-One POS Solution

    Star Micronics and Elo Partner to Provide a Modernized All-In-One POS Solution

    Somerset, NJ – May 8, 2017 –Star Micronics, leading provider of point of sale and proof of transaction technology, has announced their partnership with Elo, a global supplier of touchscreen solutions, to provide a new all-in-one POS hardware bundle for point of sale. This solution combines the Elo I-Series for Android and Windows tablets with a flip stand that houses a Star Micronics TSP100III, TSP650II, or TSP700II thermal printer. This bundle provides a perfect solution for hospitality, enterprise stadiums, and other environments where space saving and durability are essential. The flip stand is designed to seamlessly transform your point of sale into a self-service kiosk solution or a customer-facing display, and is ideal for small counter spaces with integrated cable management.

    “Elo and Star recognize that demand is growing for POS solutions with mobile architecture combined with the configurability of traditional POS systems,” said Sonal Apte, Senior Director of Product Management at Elo. “With this new mPOS platform, customers can instantly transform a traditional POS station into a self-service countertop kiosk that integrates a best-in-class Star printer, an EMV payment device, and a barcode scanner into one seamless design.”

    The all-in-one POS bundle allows users to print receipts using their choice of WLAN, LAN, Bluetooth, and USB connectivity with Star’s TSP100III or TSP650II thermal receipt printers. In addition, Star’s TSP700II offers a solution for receipt and label printing with the I-Series tablet and stand. With high-speed printing, “drop-in and print” paper loading, and a receipt de-curl mechanism that allows receipts to print smooth and flat, Star Micronics’ printers are easy to use in fast-paced environments.

    “Star Micronics is very excited about this new partnership and can expect this bundle to gain a lot of popularity in the hospitality and retail markets,” says Christophe Naasz, Business Development Director of Star Micronics. “There has been a major increase in the use of tablets in these markets over the past few years. Star Micronics and Elo have worked together to create a POS bundle that still has a sleek and compact look, but provides a durable solution for high-volume point of sale environments.”

  • 10 Ways mPOS Can Benefit Your Business

    10 Ways mPOS Can Benefit Your Business

    As a business owner, the last thing you should need to stress over is your point-of-sale system. POS  systems are designed to make your daily workflow smoother and easier for business owners and employees alike. If you’re considering a mobile POS solution, be sure to look at ergonomic mobile solutions.

    These solutions recognize that some businesses need peripherals beyond the basic tablet POS, such as a combination cash drawer/receipt printer. Here’s what ergonomic mobile solutions offer:

    1. Convenience. With an ergonomic tablet POS plus cash drawer/receipt printer, you can accept all payments anywhere, anytime. This is a big improvement over common mPOS, which traditionally only handles electronic payments.

    2. Space saver. Ergonomic solutions reduce your POS footprint significantly. With their small size and sleek profile, these platforms are attractive and unobtrusive in your retail or restaurant environment, freeing up space in which you can add tables or expand merchandise displays.

    3. Assist mPOS solutions. Because these ergonomic mobile solutions rely on Bluetooth technology for connectivity, they’re fully mobile when needed and rid you of tangled wires and a jumble of dongles.

    4. Full functionality. Ergonomic mobile solutions offer robust features and functionality for a wide range of applications.

    5. Receipt printer. Small and compact, a built-in printer lets you quickly and quietly print a receipt as soon as the transaction closes. Additionally, sometimes single accessories are needed without a full system. In this case, you should check to see if your system can support additional printers for your bar, kitchen, and other areas.

    6. Barcode scanner. If your tablet or mobile device lacks a barcode scanner, your ergonomic mobile solution easily accommodates an optional plug-and-play scanner for reading merchandise.

    7. Cash Drawer. A secure cash drawer stores currency, checks, receipts and other important items. The size of the cash drawer you choose will depend on the number of cash transactions you process a day.

    8. Software application. To get the greatest value of your ergonomic mobile solution, pick a software application that supports the latest payment options such as NFC and EMV. This will help you to avoid another technology upgrade in the near future.

    9. Tablet/device. When evaluating tablet and mobile device options on the market, be sure to select hardware that’s designed to process NFC and EMV payments, preferable without requiring add-ons or peripherals to do so. Choose a device that’s compatible with your preferred software application. Most software applications have a preferred operating system, however if you need a software application to be cross compatible, make sure to do your research and find a web-based solution.

    10. Digital receipt. More and more retailers want to deliver an in-store experience that provides digital support. There are innovative, downloadable apps on the market today that are supported by many POS systems. These apps allow your customers to receive a digital copy of their receipt on their smatphones. Some of these apps even allow functionality for customer satisfaction surveys, so retailers can always get a gauge on how they are perceived by their customers.

    For more information on mPOS solutions, download our eBook: mPOS: How it’s Revolutionizing Payments