Internet Connectivity Makes Or Breaks Businesses
Digi EX15 for Retail Cellular Failover Applications
Every day roughly 108 million credit card transactions are processed across all industries and all major credit card companies. When making a purchase, 40% of Americans choose to use a credit card rather than cash. Clearly, cashless transactions are a huge part of the American economy.
In fact, a study by Mastercard in 2020 found that the vast majority of purchases were completed via cashless transactions, including:
- 85% of grocery purchases
- 39% of pharmacy purchases
- 38% of retail purchases
- 36% of fast food restaurant purchases
All of those transactions were able to take place because the retailer in question had a strong, reliable internet connection to power their Point of Sale system.
But what if they didn’t?
Internet Downtime Means Lost Revenue
If a retailer has internet connectivity issues, even a few minutes of downtime can mean significant revenue losses. How long would shoppers be willing to wait at the grocery store to see if the issue is fixed? Some might be willing to wait for a few minutes, but that grace period is limited. After a quarter of an hour, most would probably cut their losses and head home or to another store.
Similarly, businesses and storefronts that utilize cameras and/or digital signage as an integral part of their security and operations rely on a strong internet connection to keep that equipment functioning.
Clearly, loss of internet connection is not an option for retailers.
Convenience Stores
Convenience Stores (C-Stores) often find themselves struggling with low LTE data connectivity in storage and equipment rooms. By setting up a cellular extender in an area with a strong LTE signal and running the cable to the desired area, C-Stores can solve issues related to poor cellular signals. This will result in faster speeds, better connection, and improved LTE performance for all of your network-connected devices.
A Digi EX15 can be combined with a dedicated wireline connection to ensure dual ISP connectivity, maximum uptime, and complete business continuity for devices that must be “always on,” such as mobile kiosks, digital signs, security systems, and POS systems. Additionally, the serial port can provide out-of-band (OOB) management for remote, off-premise equipment.
Digi device management applications provide easy setup, configuration, and support for Digi devices.
Cellular Extenders Are Critical to Business Continuity
When organizations conduct a review of their business continuity procedures, they often look to things like having a generator and backups of their data in the cloud.
For office jobs, having plans for employees to work from home is also generally a required part of a business continuity plan.
For retailers, restaurants, or other service-based businesses, however, the only place of business is often the brick-and-mortar location. In those cases, their business continuity processes must also include ensuring that an internet connection is available at all times.
Luckily, cellular extenders are able to provide a backup means of internet connectivity to businesses that need it - or even act as a primary internet connection in situations where a landline connection is not readily available.
Retail Storefront
Mobile Kiosk and/or “Store Within A Store”
In addition to providing a backup method of internet connectivity if the usual landline connection fails, a cellular extender can also act as the primary source of connection via an LTE signal. For example, a mobile kiosk that operates on a mall concourse may have issues with LTE or landline connectivity.
With a cellular extender like the Digi EX15, they can find a location with great LTE reception, mount the device, and run up to 300 feet of cable from the device to their kiosk.
Contact USAT
USAT is a premium resale partner of Digi International devices and software packages, with over 25 years of experience servicing the connectivity needs of retail outlets of all sizes nationwide.
USAT provides wireless networking solutions to technology-driven organizations. We are your expert source for IoT device connectivity using public and private cellular networks.
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