Top 10 Reasons Retailers Upgrade to Area Imagers

Traditional laser scanners read linear barcodes at the point-of-sale –a technology that has greatly simplified checkout.

But today’s highly developed area-imaging scanners enable greater capability and flexibility, putting far more productivity into the hands of retail employees and allowing for revenue-generating mobile marketing initiatives.

With these advantages, it’s no wonder VDC’s 2018 Report* forecasts area-imaging scanners sales to grow 31% over the next three years, compared to a -22% decline for laser-based scanners over the same time period. Imaging technology is firmly established as a cost effective, durable, technologically capable alternative to laser-based systems. Plus, imagers are capable of supporting retailers’ mobile marketing programs, capturing mobile coupons right off customers’ smartphone screens or automatically collecting their information from ID cards for loyalty program auto-enrollment.

Let’s look at the top 10 reason retailers upgrade to area imagers.

1. Enable Revenue Generating Mobile Marketing Programs

The Internet and mobile broadband service have created new shopping channels for consumers, and new competition for brick and mortar retailers. At the same time, a slow growth economy can limit expansion of disposable income. Innovative retailers are fighting fire with fire, improving their e-commerce presence and adopting the consumer’s mobile phone as a new marketing medium. Promotions sent via SMS text message or via loyalty apps increase shopping visits, generating both immediate incremental revenue and improving long-term share of wallet. The most commonly used technology to electronically identify loyal shoppers and redeem mobile coupons are 2D barcodes rendered on mobile phone screens. And that requires a high-performance, area-imaging barcode scanner at the point-of-sale.

2. Automate Loyalty Program Enrollment

Mobile marketing drives incremental foot traffic, but repeat customers must be enrolled in your loyalty program before opting into a mobile marketing program. The best place to enroll shoppers is at the point-of-sale, where you are assured a personal opportunity to engage and enroll the shopper. Area-imaging scanners drastically help reduce the time to enroll shoppers into your loyalty program – with a simple scan of their North American driver’s license – while reducing or eliminating key entry errors. Honeywell 2D scanners with EasyDL™ instantly scan the 2D barcode found on driver’s licenses and parse the data for immediate entry into your electronic loyalty enrollment form.

3. Easy, Instant Age Verification

Help reduce the potential for human error and fraud by instantly validating age against government-issued 2D driver’s licenses. Many retailers selling age restricted products like alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, and lottery tickets require their checkout clerks to verify shopper age and/or identity at the point of sale. In the case of pseudoephedrine-based medicines and firearms, government regulations require the collection of customer name and address. Honeywell area-imaging technology provides the simplest, fastest way to comply with internal and government mandates – using best-in class 2D scanners with EasyDL data parsing software to scan 2D barcodes on the back of North American driver’s licenses, military ID cards, or CAC cards. The customer’s age, license expiration date, and other information can then be transmitted to your POS system for automatic validation. Retailers can even automatically create a manifest entry to record the act of compliance for audit or litigation purposes.

4. Supplements Incounter Biopitic Scanners

While imaging-enabled bioptics are capable of scanning barcodes rendered on mobile phone screens, retailers are concerned about handing phones to checkout clerks and assuming responsibility for accidental damage that could occur during the hand-off. A supplemental 2D handheld or fixed customer-facing scanner adds value, scanning mobile phone screen-based barcodes without the phone leaving the shopper’s hand. In addition, a supplemental handheld scanner improves checkout accuracy, scanning large under-the-cart items, while eliminating the potential for injury when lifting heavy items out of the cart.

5. Scan Any Barcode Off Nearly Any Surface

Imagers decode barcodes from pictures. Imagers are not as dependent upon reflected light as compared to laser scanners. Imagers can therefore scan barcodes off paper, mobile phone screens, and other surfaces. And they can decode any barcode: traditional or matrixed, including QR codes rendered on mobile phone screens that identify shoppers or promotions at the point-of-sale.

6. Area Imaging can be More Affordable

Going 2D is more affordable than you may realize. As with most technologies, the price of area imagers has come down over the years. Honeywell’s Voyager™ 1470g can be purchased at a price point that’s approaching traditional 1D laser scanners. Mid-tier retailers, who historically have been hesitant to invest in 2D technology due to the higher price of the technology, can now easily justify spending a few dollars more for all of the benefits of area imaging technology.

7. Ease of Use

Area-imaging scanners are capable of omni-directional reading – making it easy to scan a barcode regardless of angle or orientation. Coupled with advanced scan engines with industry-leading motion tolerance, and innovative industrial designs that focus on ergonomics, Honeywell area-imaging scanners are easy to use, both for the store associate scanning product codes and the customer scanning mobile coupons or digital wallets at the point-of-sale.

8. Capturing Document Images

Area-imaging scanners can capture images of a wide range of documents for easy, economical storage, instant access, and improved workflows – a cost-saving use case adopted by many leading retailers. For example, a leading retail pharmacy uses Honeywell’s 4800dr scanner to capture digital images of paper prescriptions during the prescription intake process.

9. Lower the Total Cost of Ownership

Designed with no moving parts and built in world-class manufacturing plants, Honeywell area-imaging scanners set the benchmark in terms of reliability. Honeywell area imager return rates are measured in tenths of one percentage point.

10. Improve Customer Experience

Area imagers set you apart from your competition. Whether it comes to faster linear scanning performance, scanning promotional codes or digital wallets off mobile phone screens, faster age verification, or faster loyalty program enrollment,  area imagers improve the shopping experience by shrinking checkout  lines, reducing checkout times, and enabling mobile marketing programs  that shoppers cherish. And that sets you apart from your competition.

Honeywell Retails Solutions

Today’s retailers recognize the need for an effective omni-channel strategy. For your brick-and-mortar stores, that means technology solutions designed to grow top-line revenue – solutions that extend marketing initiatives to the consumer smartphone, integrate with e-commerce, provide greater mobility and data visibility, and improve the customer experience.

If you are looking for an Area Scanner, check out the Voyager Extreme Performance (XP) 1470g and 1472g General Duty Scanners. We designed the Voyager™ Extreme Performance (XP) 1470 series scanner for in-store retail workflows that require a highly accurate 1D/2D scanning solution in a durable form factor. Trust it for industry-leading scanning capability on traditional barcodes and digital screens – even on damaged and difficult-to-read codes. Backed by a 5-year warranty for corded models, and a 3-year warranty for cordless.

Only Honeywell offers a complete portfolio of integrated retail workflow solutions to deliver what your organization needs: Results. Is your business ready to rise?

Contact a Honeywell Solutions Expert today! Call 1-800-934-3163.