The hidden magic of technology 

Concealment is the name of the game for a next-level customer experience

April, 1, 2025

There may be a proverb about not judging a book by its cover, but the reality is that everyone does anyway. So, ensuring a sleek, attractive appearance at the sales counter is an important way to create a positive impression of your business. One effective way to deliver a neat, minimalist look is to conceal as much POS hardware as possible by building it into the cabinetry.

It’s generally unlikely that you are going to hide 100% of your technology, but Element has worked with retailers to fit even items such as touchscreens into recessed areas that leave the benchtop free and open.

There are functional benefits to having as much of your technology hidden as possible. Apart from the appearance of a clear counter space, it will be advantageous for a fashion business to have more of the benchtop available to fold and bag clothing. Keeping the POS hardware out of sight means you can get away with a smaller counter, diminishing the Great Wall of Retail and making less of a barrier between sales staff and customers. Saving space at the counter also means more floor area for displaying products to sell, or in a hospitality setting, room for an extra table.

Security is another advantage, as keeping the technology under the counter makes it less accessible to staff. Without an available USB port where someone can charge a phone or potentially plug in a USB drive, the network is protected from cyber threats that staff may unwittingly bring to work on an unsecured thumb drive.

Putting it into practice

There are several considerations that must be taken into account when installing POS hardware under the counter. Heat is the chief consideration, and adequate ventilation was crucial for older-type 180W POS systems. However, cutting-edge hardware such as the Element MPC1 (see below) is a low-power fanless unit, featuring reduced heat output.

Element MPC1 Mini Box PC

Cable routing is vital for the effective functioning of your POS system, and choosing peripherals that support Bluetooth or WiFi connectivity will be efficient to use in this scenario. Remember to ensure peripherals such as receipt printers are mounted so that staff can readily access them, for easy replacement of consumables as required.

Use a display-mounted barcode scanner on the head unit, or keep a handheld or desktop scanner in its own recessed area under the counter for storage, to be brought out when needed. The key is to keep these items concealed whenever they are not in use, leaving as much of the counter free as possible.