Though they’ve been around for decades, touch screens are far from a mature technology. Touch screens across industries continue to expand in presence and everyone from consumers to retailers to manufacturers are finding new ways to make the most of touch screens. They have the power to reduce costs for retail stores, find new supply chain efficiencies for industry and transportation companies, reduce line ups everywhere, and improve navigation in all types of transportation. In the Information Age, touch screens are how people interact with unprecedented availability of content.
#1 Payment Terminals
While many already use resistive touch screens, payment terminals by and large lag behind in terms of touch screen technology. But new payment terminals that are closer to smart phones are one of the latest developments in touch screen technology aimed at improving the retail experience. The big push with payment terminals is to make touch screens advanced enough to access retail apps just the way you would on your smartphone.
#2 ATM Revolution
As new mobile payment options and “tap” payments become more common, ATMs are seeing a major decline in business. In Europe, cash withdrawals have been down an average of 6% every year since 2010. Rather than spelling the decline of the ATM, banks are investing in ATMs as replacements to bank branches, allowing them to cut staff and location costs. Banks want ATMs to become “banks in a box,” offering video contact with employees, issuing new debit cards that have been lost or stolen, and performing all of the tasks currently done at branches. Better touch screens for more complex tasks will be a requirement, while ATMs will still need to be tough. For outdoor ATMs, ULTRA resistive touch screens still remain one of the most reliable options. The ULTRA resistive touch screen from A D Metro is weather-proof and designed to resist scratches and dents resulting from vandalism.
#3 No Cashier Stores
Amazon was the first to try the cashier-free store, and while they may still be working out some of the sensor technology, their Go Stores could drastically reduce the costs of running a retail store front. Despite Amazon’s bet on sensor-based payment, self-serve kiosks are going to be driving labor cost savings in most retailers. Self-serve kiosks can also help improve billings and advertising discounts. As the self-serve kiosk experience involves more content and functionality, expect to see retailers move from durable, resistive touch screens to multi-touch capacitive touch screens. This transition may prove expensive for kiosk manufacturers, unless they find a touch screen manufacturer who can reduce design and integration costs. The touch screen supplier A D Metro has patented one such solution, the group controller, which simplifies the integration of capacitive touch screens in a wide range of sizes.
Touch screens have a long way yet to go in many more industries and you need a touch screen supplier who can keep up with ever-changing innovations. If your touch screen supplier isn’t innovating, consider changing your supplier today.
