Electronics Boutique Installs Symbol Mobile Point Of Sale System To Help Consumers Avoid Holiday Crowds And Get Out Of The Store Faster
1999-11-23 HOLTSVILLE, N.Y.
Computer software and video game retailer Electronics Boutique has installed the first lightweight, wireless point-of-sale system that helps consumers make purchases faster and avoid crowded
checkout lines -- just in time for the holiday shopping season. The hand-held solution was developed by Symbol Technologies and Symbol business partner Kyrus Corporation.
The wireless cash register is a Symbol SPT 1800 hand-held computer which integrates a tiny bar code laser scanner, Symbol's Spectrum 24 radio frequency
technology and Kyrus point-of-sale software for
scanning products, completing credit card transactions, recording sales and checking inventory with the store's server. Kyrus' software emulates the store's point-of-sale system and when
connected to the Symbol SPT 1800, acts like a mobile cash register. A small Comtec II printer, also attached to the employee's belt, prints receipts and labels.
The system allows Electronics Boutique (EB) to simply empower employees to check out customers with credit card purchases during peak sales times, such as the upcoming holidays.
Electronics Boutique sells video and computer games, video game hardware, PC productivity software accessories in 1,000 square ft. stores, with two or three cash registers each. Due to the
popularity of the Electronics Boutique stores, customers sometimes experience long lines. Symbol's professional services team performed an analysis of Electronics Boutique's needs, examining the
volume of credit card transactions its stores totaled each day, as well as the number of customers who entered the facilities.
"There are days during the holiday season, when revenue at an EB store is constrained only by how many customers we can get through the registers," said Seth Levy, Chief Information Officer of
Electronics Boutique. "This technology will not only allow more customers to get checked out quickly, it creates a more intimate and flexible shopping experience. When it's not being used for point
of sale, our associates will be able to process in-store receiving and price changes."
"Portable point of sale systems based on our handheld computing platform are an ideal way for retailers to cost-effectively augment their traditional checkout systems," said Tomo Razmilovic, president and chief operating officer, Symbol Technologies.
"Retailers have been looking for cost-effective, lightweight, line-busting applications for years," said Kyrus spokesperson Ed Conklin. "The Symbol/Kyrus solution weighs less than 12 ounces. On the
financial side, you can justify your return on investment very quickly."
Electronics Boutique
Electronics Boutique (EB) is a leading specialty retailer of video and computer games and also sells video game hardware, PC productivity software and accessories. In 1999, the company introduced
EB Kids, which sells educational software, children's video games, and toys. The company currently operates 568 stores in 45 states, Puerto Rico, Canada, Australia and South Korea, primarily under
the names Electronics Boutique and Stop N Save Software. The company has also established a separate e-commerce division, EBWorld.com., Inc., to accelerate the growth of its Internet business.
During fiscal 1999, there were more than 10 million visits to the company's website at http://www.ebworld.com.
Kyrus Corporation
Kyrus is the world's largest distributor of retail point of sale software and hardware. The company has been serving the retail marketplace since 1974 and has customer installations in all 50
states and in several foreign countries. The company headquarters are in Taylors, S.C., just outside Greenville. Kyrus offers a full range of products and services across five major retail sectors:
supermarket, general retail, convenience store, hospitality, and school (K-12) cafeteria services.
About Symbol Technologies
Symbol Technologies, Inc., The Enterprise Mobility Company™, is a recognized worldwide leader in enterprise mobility, delivering products and solutions that capture, move and manage information in
real time to and from the point of business activity. Symbol enterprise mobility solutions integrate advanced data capture products, radio frequency identification technology, mobile computing
platforms, wireless infrastructure, mobility software and world-class services programs. Symbol enterprise mobility products and solutions are proven to increase workforce productivity, reduce
operating costs, drive operational efficiencies and realize competitive advantages for the world's leading companies.
For press information:
Symbol Technologies, Inc.
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+1.631.738.4068
Bill Abelson: abelsonb@symbol.com
+1.631.738.4751
Patricia Hall: hallp@symbol.com
+1.631.738.5636
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212.704.4484
Symbol Technologies Europe, Middle East, Africa:
Helen Rigby: helen.rigby@symbol.com
+44 118 945 7527
Symbol Technologies Asia Pacific:
Tze Hui Low: Lowt@symbol.com
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For financial information:
Symbol Technologies, Inc.
Erin Farrell-Talbot
+1.631.738.4068
Lori Chaitman: chaitmal@symbol.com
631.738.5050
For industry analyst information:
Symbol Technologies, Inc.
Shirley Schroedl: schroeds@symbol.com
631.738.4388
