HOW TO SELECT THE RIGHT TABLET CASE FOR YOUR BUSINESS
With the positive news regarding Covid 19 vaccines becoming available, now is the time to start preparing for a positive return for retail and hospitality. Retailers will find themselves having to interact with customers in new and dynamic ways, with contactless payments becoming much more widely adopted and traditional counter-based transactions decreasing expect an increase in mobile payment deployment.
With a wide range of tablets, operating systems, scanners and payment devices on offer mixing with the unique ways you interact with customers it’s probably likely that the tablet case you need doesn’t exist, but if you are on the hunt these are the things to consider.
1. Protection
2. Mobility
3. Build Quality
4. Charging access
5. Obsolescence
6. Additional Hardware
7. Branding
8. Timing
PROTECTION
If people buy their own tablets they tend to look after them however the rigours of the public environment and lack of personal ownership means that tablets cases for business need additional protection – check for enhanced edge protection, at some point these will be dropped! However, we have seen instances of businesses going overboard with this and ordering tablet cases that are so over protected that the additional weight and bulk become a barrier to the primary reason for deployment. Staff will quickly push back against equipment they don’t embrace so don’t lumber them with over-engineered solutions.
MOBILITY
Employees are expected to safely transport hardware to your customers and quite rightly they should be catered for in terms of comfort and safety. A tablet case shoulder strap is required in some instances to help take the weight of what can be quite heavy tablets. If you need a shoulder strap to ensure that it includes a breakaway feature that protects the staff in the unlikely event of a snatch and grab. Any hand straps on the case should be mounted centrally to help distribute the weight of the tablet evenly across the hand to avoid fatigue.
If possible, select a tablet case that transports all the equipment needs to make the transaction, this enables a smoother interface with the customers and reduces the chances of equipment being left unattended around the store.
BUILD QUALITY
There are many factories that make tablet cases, but like with many products buying cheap may not be the best approach for the long term. Failing accessories can hinder sales so ensure you thoroughly test a sample before any order.
CHARGING ACCESS
An often overlooked but crucial element of planning for a tablet deployment is the charging process. Often this happens in a busy back room so easy access to charging points of the tablet and any associated hardware is vital. Check that charging ports are accessible in the context of how you plan to charge your hardware and consider security whilst charging, there are a number of secure charging cabinets available.
OBSOLESCENCE
The rapid cycle of hardware development means that it is quite likely a new version of your tablet is just around the corner. For the accessories you select ensure that your supply chain can fulfil any potential new requirements with the likely minimum order quantities (MOQ’s) you need, don’t get caught out with a requirement for 100 and an order MOQ of 1000. It is also likely at some point that a case may be misplaced of damaged so ensure you order enough stock to cover these eventualities too, we recommend an additional 2%.
ADDITIONAL HARDWARE
An Apple iPad case for VeriFone e355, or Microsoft Surface go tablet case with a Miura Systems M020, or maybe an Apple iPad mini with a Ingenico iSMP4. There are many options, which makes whoever’s responsibility it is to source pretty tricky. Each piece of hardware has its unique interfaces so it is important to consider which features you and your customers need to access when in and out of the case.
BRANDING
Every touch point with a customer is an opportunity to re-enforce your brand values. Ensure that the accessories you chose represent your brand in the best way, with materials and colours that fit the style guide.
TIMING
Often the tablet case selection is left to the last moment prior to deployment but try to avoid this scenario as the case you need may not exist “off the shelf”. Therefore, some time will be required to undertake a production run to meet the requirements. Allow 5-7 weeks following a sample approval in your deployment plan
At Vibrant we offer a tailored solution to meet your tablet case needs. Based on the popular V:Tab product we adapt our solutions to suit your needs without compromise.