BemroseBooth - Providing specialist and secure print services Retail

BemroseBooth News Intelligence Centre
www.bemrosebooth.com

Retail news articles. ........Date: 2/1/2002

Sometimes, Seeing The World In Black And White Is A Good Thing.

Source:www.printsolutionsmag.com, Source date:

"Uh-oh. I left my card at home." Cashiers at grocery stores frequently hear that comment as customers dig through their purses or wallets for their preferred customer cards. A grocery store chain in the Midwest eliminated that problem with the help of Charlie Miller, an account rep with Indianapolis-based Townsend Business Forms Inc. Rather than provide the store plastic cards, Miller sells bar coded key tags. Customers use the 10 mil Teslin(R) tag to rent videotapes and receive discounts on products. The 2 5/8 x 1 1/8-inch tag includes a hole on the left side for a key ring. The front of the key tag features the store's logo, while the back includes a UPC-A bar code, the equivalent human readable number and the customer's name and address. The store scans the bar code when customers make purchases to gather data about their buying habits for marketing purposes. "It's a great product," says Miller. "When shoppers drive to the store, there's no way they leave their discount cards at home. The card is attached to their keys." Miller also sells the grocery store application forms for the preferred customer program, check cashing cards, mailers and more. In addition, he handles fulfillment. Once a week, the grocery store chain provides him a disk with customers' names. The distributorship uses variable imaging to personalize cheque cashing cards, then laminates the cards and mails them. Why I Sell Bar Coding:
"There's a tremendous market for bar coding," says Miller. "I've been in the business for 21 years, and it's been neat to watch the evolution of bar codes. They've moved out of the back room and into people's pockets." Miller sells several stores bar coded key tags and cards for database marketing purposes. He says providing these products has helped him build better relationships with large companies. When one of his clients moved to Texas, the company continued to use Townsend Business Forms as a vendor. "This technology secures us business," says Miller. "The potential is unlimited." Trends:
The use of bar codes has grown dramatically since the first patent for one was granted in 1949. This is not surprising, considering the advantages of bar codes. The technology allows for highly accurate data entry, and it is relatively inexpensive and widely used.

Although there are more than 250 bar code symbologies, a handful are used most frequently. These include Code 39, UPC, Code 128 and Interleaved 2 of 5 bar codes. Many industries adopt symbologies to serve as the standard code for that industry. For instance, Code 39 is a popular industrial code, while the UPC-A code was chosen by the grocery industry for point-of-sale systems. New linear bar codes continue to hit the marketplace to serve niches. For example, Code ATM was developed by Control Module in 1995 as a proprietary code used to print incremental numbers on American Express Travelers Checks in infrared ink. The New Generation linear symbology was created to encode double-byte characters found in languages such as Chinese, Japanese and Korean. And Intermec Technologies developed Code 53 last year for direct marking, molding and other low-performance printing techniques. But the hottest technology in bar coding is 2-D. Since 1988 when Intermec Technologies introduced Code 49, dozens of 2-D codes have been developed. Many can incorporate up to 100 times the information as a linear bar code in the same amount of space. For instance, the PDF417 symbology can encode 1,850 ASCII characters or 2,725 numeric characters per symbol. Some 2-D codes also allow for high-speed reading. The United Parcel Service uses the MaxiCode symbology to read packages on a conveyor at up to 500 feet per minute using a special camera. And many 2-D codes can be read even if half of the symbol is missing, thanks to complex error-correction bits embedded in the code. Top-Notch Tips:
* Sell the system. Most distributors enter the bar coding market by selling bar coded thermal transfer labels, ribbons and other consumables. But once you've mastered those products, don't stop there. Consider selling equipment, including scanners and printers; bar code production software; and consulting services. * Get into bar coding in-house. The best way to learn about a new technology is often by using it yourself. If you want to ease into the technology, consider installing a stand-alone printer in your office or warehouse to print bar coded labels. After experimenting with that, install printers that link to your company's computers. Bar code your office equipment or inventory in your warehouse. * Get help from experts. Bar coding is a complex technology, so you may want to hire an expert to serve customers or partner with an experienced value-added reseller of bar coding systems and services. * Expand your customer contacts. Bar coded systems affect many employees within organizations that install them. Be sure you meet with all employees involved in the process, not just the contact signing the purchase order. For example, if you're selling bar coded products to a manufacturing firm, you should consult with the IS director, general plant manager, warehouse manager and other employees who use the bar code system. * Pick the perfect system. Bar coded systems run the gamut from simple, stand-alone printers producing a few labels as needed to complex, networked computers and printers operating around the clock. Study each client's needs to determine what type of bar code system is ideal for them. For instance, does your client require access to real-time information? If so, the customer may need a system that transmits data collected by bar code scanning devices over radio frequencies immediately. But if the customer only needs updates daily or weekly, a less expensive batch system that collects data in portable terminals and transmits it later in blocks to a host computer may be suitable. * Don't forget to verify. Verification is a critical part of a bar code sale. Manufacturers and customers can use portable or on-line equipment to check the quality of printed bar codes and their read rates. The equipment decodes and measures key characteristics to identify any variations that may impede scanning and reading. For instance, verification equipment checks printing tolerances for bar and space dimensions, optical properties (such as reflecting light at an adequate intensity) and print quality (such as imperfections or ragged edges in bars or spaces). * School your sales reps. Go to seminars and classes devoted to bar code technology. SCAN-TECH, a conference held in September, covers automatic data capture systems, including bar coding. DMIA's Informservices Conference & Expo includes seminars on bar coding. * Consider preprinted bar codes. In many cases, users know the information they want encoded on forms, labels, tags or containers prior to their use. For instance, a manufacturer marking 2,000 jars of tomato sauce with identical UPC codes knows ahead of time the data that needs to be encoded. Such bar codes can be preprinted on-line when forms, labels or tags are being produced or off-line before delivery to the user. * Add the human touch. If possible, add human-readable equivalents of the data encoded in the bar code. This is especially important in applications that might require manual re-entry of the data. For instance, cashiers at supermarkets sometimes have problems scanning UPC codes on grocery products. When scanners can't read the code, cashiers enter the identification numbers manually. * Be aware of the environment. Moisture, extreme temperatures, ultraviolet light and chemicals can damage bar codes. For example, moisture may destroy adhesives and render a bar coded label useless, while U.V. light may cause a printed bar code to fade and become unscannable. Make sure you understand any adverse environmental factors prior to designing a bar coded product. Hot Applications: * Check Cashing Cards
* Compliance Labels
* Retail Labels
* Luggage Sortation Labels
* Gift Certificates
* Lab Forms
* Shipping Labels
* Library Cards
* Video Rental Cards
* Hospital Admission Records
* Self-mailers for Billing and Donations
* Product/Parts ID Labels
* Guest Checks
* Overnight Service Air bills
* Inventory Tags and Labels
* Employee ID Badges
* Student ID Cards

Top Prospects: * IS Directors
* Warehouse Managers
* Plant Managers
* Shipping Clerks
* Retail Store Managers
* Materials Managers
* Head Librarians
* Medical Lab Technicians
* Human Resources Managers
* University Development Directors

Reprinted with permission from Print Solutions Magazine, published by the Document Management Industries Association.