For hundreds of years paper receipting has acknowledged that a person has received goods or services following a payment of money or property. It provides a physical binding contract of a transaction which has taken place.
As technology has advanced from physical written receipting to the use of printed receipts, digital receipting is now entering the arena. With each technology advance, it has provided both businesses and customers with many benefits. However, as we progress through these advancing technological times, can we still prove the loss prevention and protection of our purchases?
Digital Receipting
• With the growing pressure to modernise operations and become more environmentally friendly, digital receipting is growing in popularity as a paperless alternative to traditional receipting.
• Customers have a digital copy of receipts which can be centrally stored and used as required.
• Digital receipting has now been recognised as an approved form of expensing and accounting by many countries across the world.
• However, digital receipting relies on customers having either an email address or their business app. Not all customers will have access to such devices, so digital receipting isn’t always possible.
• Businesses emailing receipts are required to maintain a large database of contact details which require additional security protocols within the POS system. If sensitive addresses are inputted incorrectly, the customer will not receive their proof of payment.
• Digital receipting relies on businesses having 24/7 access to the cloud to send the receipt and customers having instant data access to receive it. Sometimes due to technology failure, these services might not be instantly available.
Physical Receipting
• Physical receipts provide an instant proof of payment for a transaction and provides customers with the security of an instant return.
• Physical receipts give businesses the ability to instantly add seasonal identifiers, such as coupons or promotions in the form of barcodes and QR codes, which can easily be scanned by the POS in real-time.
• For customers paying with cash, physical receipts protect both the business checking they are providing the correct change and the customer with proof that the correct money has been returned.
• However, there are always issues in the quality of paper used, the potential for receipts to fade over time. The cost of transport logistics for the receipt rolls and time required to change a till roll also need to be considered.
• Digital receipting is an irreversible trend, but working alongside traditional receipting both options provides both the customers and businesses complete protection on proof of payment and receipt of products/services.
So, what printing options available in the market today?
BIXOLON offers an award-winning range of Direct Thermal Desktop POS and Mobile Printers. Available as 2-inch (58mm), 3-inch (80mm) and 4-inch (112mm) media widths, our printers are packed with value-added features and a wide range of connectivity options to suit budget and requirements. Complimented by its dynamic label printing range of linered and linerless labelling, BIXOLON printing solutions are ideal for a range of applications, from stand-alone kiosk printing to multi-platform ecosystems.
BIXOLON’s POS printers including the SRP-380, or SRP-S300 offer a paper saving mode, reducing the size of the receipt up to 25%. Model dependent features also include a back-feed option to reduce paper expenses by 20% or Auto Receipt Resize™ software which facilities 80-58mm auto paper reduction.
In addition, BIXOLON also supports a range of software add-ons, such as mPrint Server, facilitating direct printing from web browsers and providing businesses with flexibility for a range of applications from customer receipting for Mobile POS, to MRD (Make, Ready, Discard) applications. Alongside mPrint App which gives users the ability to print documentation -image and PDF- from the web through their chosen web browser or app on an iOS™ or Android™ device.
Working tirelessly with paper suppliers and customers, BIXOLON research and development team are always looking for eco printing alternatives to support businesses and save the environment.
For more information visit www.bixolon.com or alternatively speak to your local BIXOLON sales representative.