Article

Is it time to retire kiosk printer paper?

In a business era driven by data analytics, the ability to harness consumer information through digital receipt records has led to the practical disappearance of kiosk paper receipts.

April 18, 2016

by Frank Ouyang, company chief manager of Panda Paper Roll Company

With the advent of digital receipts, kiosk paper has become increasingly less popular over the past decade. Many point-of-sale printer companies have taken the initiative to launch new digital technologies and software that render regular paper printers obsolete. In a business era driven by data analytics, the ability to harness consumer information through digital receipt records has led to the practical disappearance of kiosk paper receipts.  As such, new technologies that let businesses track customer behavior and in-store experiences are now widely used among retailers.

 For example, Star Micronics, recently released a brand new digital receipting product. Boasting many advantages typically unavailable with print receipts, the service allows vendors to not only give customers a digital copy of their receipt, but also lets them track customer data with in-store surveys and device management tools.

Features of the product include a secure cloud platform that keeps a digital copy of the receipt to be saved on a customer's mobile device.  If claimed, the receipts are deleted—however, the customers can also choose to save the receipt to view at a later date. In doing so, customers can sort their saved receipts by date or by retailer to organize their past purchases.

The Disadvantages of Paper Printers

Maintenance and Repair:

While the actual paper still remains a critical component of many kiosk applications, the lack of reliability associated with paper printers makes the switch to digital all the more inevitable. Broken down printers can practically eliminate any chance at a return on investment for a kiosk project. Paper jams can be tremendously frustrating for both users and operators, and the cost of repair can be quite excessive.

Lack of Flexibility:

Even the best kiosk printers that utilize heavy-duty cutters and sensors require careful operation and can sometimes prove inflexible to customer's needs. Rarely is there a "one-size-fits-all" for paper receipts—and thus the technicalities associated with find the right sized paper and printer are often tedious and time-consuming.

Poor Customer Experiences:

Moreover, if you fail to stock your kiosk with high-quality thermal paper, the ink on customer receipts will fade and the images will blur. The incentive to cut costs on ATM paper has left many banks using a lower-grade kiosk paper, thus curbing their customers' overall experiences.

Dishonest Suppliers:

On top of this, many paper suppliers resort to product swaps and paper shorting—practices designed to cheat clients on the amount of paper receipts each roll actually prints out. Suppliers have been known to loosely pack their paper rolls or switch out higher quality paper with a low-grade alternative to help maximize their own profits. The end-result can be an absolute headache for kiosk and ATM owners. Checking each paper-roll to see if they are up to standard is an unnecessary pain that can be easily remedied by switching to digital receipts.

The Advantages of Digital Receipts

Streamlined Process:

The benefit of switching to a digital receipt platform is clear when looking at the software available for kiosks. Most of all, digital receipts streamline the process for receiving the receipts—customers no longer have to endure long printing periods of typical kiosks. Maintenance and operation costs are also dramatically reduced, as retailers will no longer have to deal with switching paper rolls and unclogging jams.

Data Analytics:

However, the applications of digital receipts do not end there. In fact, digital receipts can also incorporate other mobile responsive APIs (application program interfaces) that allow customers to obtain their loyalty information and any available promotions of coupons. Such features look to be a huge perk for retailers— making the process of setting up loyalty card schemes much easier.

Marketing Potential:

And beyond the environmental benefits of saving paper—retailers can now use the digital receipt system to get accurate contact information for their consumer base. In fact, a reportfrom Epsilon International stated that 83 percent of vendors offering e-receipts to get customer e-mail addresses. The end result is an unparalleled vehicle for communicating with customers, offering many marketing possibilities.

What's left of the kiosk paper market in the years to come will be vastly different from what we've seen in the past few decades. As methods of receipt digitalization become more and more accessible to vendors, kiosk paper could potentially become an outdated commodity. 

Frank Ouyang is the chief manager of Panda Paper Roll Company, a manufacturer of thermal paper rolls. In addition to blogging, his skills include photography, jogging and digital marketing.