New processes and business models require solutions that provide more efficient and creative ways to engage customers.
The most successful Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) deeply understand users’ needs and provide solutions such as integration with printing solutions that meet the needs of restaurant, retail, grocery and e-commerce businesses.However, as consumer behavior forces changes in the way your users operate, you will also need to adapt your solution.For example, companies that used thermal printers to print labels, receipts, and tickets in the past may now benefit from a linerless label printing solution, and ISVs can benefit from integrating with them.
“This is an exciting time for linerless label printing solutions,” said David Vander Dussen, product manager at Epson America, Inc. “There’s been a lot of adoption, interest and implementation.”
When your customers have the option to use linerless label printers, employees no longer need to tear the liner from labels printed with traditional thermal printers.Eliminating that step can save seconds every time restaurant employees pack an order or a takeout or e-commerce fulfillment worker labels an item for shipment.Linerless labels also eliminate waste from discarded label backing, saving more time and operating in a more sustainable manner.
Additionally, conventional thermal printers typically print labels that are consistent in size.However, in today’s dynamic applications, your users may find value in being able to print labels of different sizes.For example, online restaurant orders may vary from customer to customer and reflect a range of modifications.With modern linerless label printing solutions, businesses have the freedom to print as much information as needed on a single label.
Demand for linerless label printing solutions is growing for several reasons – the first is the growth of online ordering of food, which will grow 10% year over year in 2021 to $151.5 billion and 1.6 billion users.Restaurants and grocery stores need effective ways to effectively manage this higher demand and control costs.
Some of the biggest players in their market, especially in the fast food restaurant (QSR) segment, have implemented linerless label printers to simplify the process, Vander Dussen said.”With this proof of concept, we hope to see wider adoption in smaller branches and chains,” he said.
Channels are also driving demand.”End users go back to their point-of-sale (POS) provider and say they’re ready to invest in extending the capabilities of their existing software to better address their use cases,” explains Vander Dussen.The channel recommends linerless label printing solutions as part of processes such as online ordering and online pickup in store (BOPIS) as part of an overall solution that provides maximum efficiency and the best customer experience.
He also noted that an increase in online orders has not always been accompanied by an increase in staff — especially when there is a labor shortage.”A solution that’s easy for employees to use and allows them to work efficiently will help them fulfill orders and increase customer satisfaction,” he said.
Also, keep in mind that your users don’t just print from stationary POS terminals.Many employees picking merchandise or managing curbside pickup may be using a tablet so they can access information anytime, anywhere, and luckily, they have a linerless printing solution available.The Epson OmniLink TM-L100 is designed to solve this problem, making integration with tablet-based systems easier.”It reduces development barriers and makes it easier to support Android and iOS as well as Windows and Linux to provide the best possible solution,” said Vander Dussen.
Vander Dussen advised ISVs to provide solutions to markets that could benefit from linerless labels, so they can now prepare for increased demand.”Ask what your software supports now, and what changes you need to make to best serve your users. Create a roadmap now and stay ahead of the wave of requests.”
“As adoption continues, being able to provide the tools customers need is key to competition,” he concluded.
Jay McCall is an editor and journalist with 20 years of experience writing for B2B IT solutions providers.Jay is the co-founder of XaaS Journal and DevPro Journal.
Post time: Mar-31-2022
