As countries continue to lift lockdowns, people's lives and business activities will soon recover while the world enters an era of coexistence with the virus, or so-called the "New Normal." DataVan (3521.TWO) adopted it as the theme at COMPUTEX this year to showcase a series of smart retail solutions aimed at supporting retail businesses to rapidly adapt to post-pandemic consumer behaviors and grasp market opportunities.
Kris Hsu, General Manager of DataVan, stated that countries across the world have recently begun to ease restrictions and consumers are returning to physical markets. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed consumer behavior to preferring minimal contact to reduce the risk of infection; additionally, the pandemic has fostered the habit of ordering food online through smartphones and computers. These two major changes should be reflected in the evolution of retail devices and platforms. DataVan has responded to this trend by offering POS and KIOSK terminals that better meet consumer habits in the new normal.
The next generation KIOSK "Mars" has been empowered by DataVan with even greater functionality that allows for self-ordering in restaurants and smartphone reservations to reduce consumer waiting times; a built-in barcode reader can scan member's barcodes and match them with promotional events to increase the repurchase rate. Furthermore, its built-in camera and back-end AI image recognition system can also be used to accurately identify the customer's gender, age, and other information to collect big data as key references for ingredient preparation, menu design, and marketing strategies planning.
Body temperature measurement and disinfection equipment are commonly deployed in the commerce space during the pandemic, however, DataVan's "DKS-2150 Digital Signage" provides a value-added solution for these products. The device successfully integrates body temperature measurement, hand disinfection, and digital signage. It is equipped advanced thermography technologies to offer higher accuracy and reaction speeds. Through the built-in camera with smart image recognition, DKS-2150 is capable of detecting whether people are wearing masks. In addition to functions such as layout planning, ad scheduling, and multimedia playback required in digital signage, DataVan has future plans to add touch features to the display to provide search functions similar to KIOSK; for example, consumers can utilize touch screens to quickly find products or locations in supermarkets or malls.
In terms of DataVan's POS terminals, a comprehensive product line was presented including Tango, a unique flip-over display POS and the winner of Taiwan Excellence Award and iF Design Award. Tango has been adopted by premium beauty salons in western countries and placed at store entrances where customers can independently control to boost customer engagement. There's also "HiFive," the small and lightweight multifunctional Panel PC that can be used as a checkout POS, placed in front of stores as a queue management system, or used as a table side ordering system. Kris Hsu revealed that a major Taiwanese chain restaurant is preparing to implement HiFive as their kitchen display system (KDS) to increase operational efficiency. This case fully shows HiFive's strong advantage of agility to meet diverse applications.
Aside from hardware, Kris Hsu also emphasized DataVan's results in software development. One of the key features at COMPUTEX was "DataVan Central", the Cloud IoT Management Platform," which utilizes the cloud to connect with multiple DataVan POS or KIOSK terminals. The administrator can also remotely monitor the device status and update software or firmware. If there is an issue with equipment, the platform can issue a real-time alarm, increasing device management and maintenance efficiency, and thus greatly reducing management costs for administrators.
DataVan's several solutions for the "New Normal" at COMPUTEX coincidentally respond to the current expectations of Taiwanese. For example, there was science park operator who engaged in discussions during the exhibition to install KIOSK terminals in the park's cafeterias and shopping areas to reduce contact opportunities by offering online orders through smartphones. Kris Hsu stated that DataVan will always continue to develop solutions that meet the "New Normal" life, and help retail industry to satisfy customers, charging full speed ahead toward post-pandemic business opportunities!
DataVan is a highlight at this year's COMPUTEX Taipei by showcasing several solutions under the theme of the "New Normal."