In rapidly changing markets, solutions providers must closely monitor industry trends and stay one step ahead of demand to remain competitive. However, in addition to the features of the solution you develop, you also need to consider the point of sale (POS) hardware you incorporate into your solutions. The best strategy is to choose hardware from partners with the same future-forward perspective that you take when designing solutions for your market. Valuable partnerships provide access to flexible devices, systems, and peripherals that empower you to meet end users’ needs today and adapt with minimal disruption and cost to meet new demands tomorrow.
Taking time to evaluate the printers in your portfolio against these three trends will help you make informed decisions about your partnerships and position your business for success:
1Cloud printing
Merchants’ IT environments are complex. QSR kitchen printers are printing chits from online orders, and retail associates are printing receipts from mobile devices when assisting customers in the aisles. With new customer engagement models becoming more common, the optimal workflows for your end users may not enable a direct connection to a printer. To address this issue, leading POS printer vendors offer cloud-managed printing solutions.
Vendors can take different approaches to cloud printing, but the most beneficial to you and your customers is a fully managed cloud printing solution. This allows merchants to host print jobs on the vendor’s servers as well as monitor cloud-ready printers and manage updates remotely. This model also allows you to scale systems easily without sacrificing performance or adding to device management burdens.
2Multifunction devices
Merchants need to maximize space for customer-facing activities, increase operational efficiency, and control costs. Tech trends include moving to multifunction devices that merchants can use for receipt, chit, and traditional or linerless label printing. A device that serves multiple use cases offers value, particularly to quick-service restaurants (QSRs) that utilize repositionable labels for orders and printing receipts, as well as to retailers who label items for online orders and print receipts in-store. For retailers and integrators, multifunction devices mean more standardization, which can result in greater efficiency throughout your operation.
3Sustainable print media
Since California passed Proposition 65, which requires warnings about chemical exposure, awareness about the dangers of chemicals in printer paper has increased. Bisphenol A (BPA) and bisphenol S (BPS), which are linked to cancer and other health issues, can be found in receipt paper. In response, the migration to eco-friendly paper is trending, allowing retailers and restaurants to reassure their customers that they’re protecting them from harmful chemical exposure.
Another trend is replacing traditional labels with linerless labels. Linerless labels have no silicon backing to remove, enabling printing and applying labels with one hand. However, they also contribute to a more sustainable operation by reducing the waste generated by merchants. Ensure your portfolio includes printers that accommodate linerless labels in addition to traditional, silicon-backed labels and receipts.
Channel dynamics are also changing
Merchant demand and urgency for new devices and products to improve operational efficiency and customer experiences require responsiveness and short lead times. Expect to accommodate last-minute deployments, even in multi-location rollouts, with the goal of merchants maintaining a competitive edge.
Working with partners that can help you meet this demand, along with offering solutions that align with current trends, can help you gain a competitive edge of your own. Take some time going into Q3 to ensure you have POS hardware vendor partners that can help you keep up with demand and prepare for a successful 2026.
