Rain Technology, creator of the world’s most advanced directional display technologies, has officially announced a plan to introduce its POS Switchable Privacy solution at the National Retail Federation expo.
To understand the significance of such a development, we must take into account how point of sale (POS) terminal market has witnessed significant growth over the past few years, especially in the areas of handheld terminals and customer-facing terminals. You see, at the moment, its market size is estimated at $100.24 billion. This figure is further expected to reach $151.97 billion by 2029, according to Mordor Intelligence. Now, while the growth is clearly there, the stated expansion is also increasing the technology’s sensitivity to being visually hacked during transactions.
In response, Rain Technology would introduce an innovation, which it reached upon after improving visual privacy and optical performance of display systems, filing over 700 patents during this process.
The result has been a thin proprietary liquid crystal layer, which is built right into the display panel that controls the viewing angle of the screen. This crystal layer can also be automated to go into privacy mode during desired parts of a checkout or payment process. At launch, the static reflective design happens to be compatible with standard LCD, OLED, mini-LED and micro-LED displays.
As for its use cases, the technology can be used to protect retailers and their customers against visual hacking, fraud, and identity theft at POS terminals in retail stores, restaurants and other public settings. Furthermore, it can be used within the medical field where HIPAA compliance is a crucial consideration.
“We’ve all been there, checking out at the register and covertly protecting our screen view,” said Robert Ramsey, Ph.D, CEO of Rain Technology. “Our scientists, in collaboration with manufacturers and the supply chain, are making it possible for POS displays to only be visible to the intended viewer during shopping cart review, tipping, payment, and pin entry, while peripheral viewers see only promotional logos or marketing messages — a win-win for retailers and customers.”
Rain Technology also took the provided opportunity to launch a POS Display Screen Branding solution, which an embedded directional display innovation for marketers. In essence, the solution supports their branding or messaging to be directed toward peripheral viewers of a display, even while the primary user enjoys a private session where their content cannot be seen. Such a dual purpose of marketing and transaction is hugely valuable for POS solutions, including terminals and kiosks across retail stores, hotels, restaurants, coffee shops, transit, theme parks, and other public settings.
Up next, Rain would announce the general availability of POS terminals featuring Switchable Privacy via Datecs, a leading manufacturer, developer and seller of POS solutions. The company’s POS Switchable Privacy electronically switches the Datecs POS display to a narrow view angle, thus reassuring consumers that their data is visually protected during a transaction, and therefore, empowering them to complete purchases securely, quickly and confidently. Markedly enough, when not in private transaction mode, the screen electronically switches to a wide angle view for promotion.
Another detail worth a mention here is rooted in Rain Technology’s bid to make Switchable Privacy POS solutions available at lower prices for standard configurations and sizes.
“Due to significant price pressure for our partners in POS manufacturing, we have worked over the past months to create low cost Switchable Privacy solutions for the most popular POS display sizes,” said Ramsey. “Bringing the cost adder down to only a few dollars per unit will allow many more brands, retailers and manufacturers to take advantage of this novel innovation in the area of customer information security and privacy which is so critical in retail.”
Among other things, we ought to mention how POS Switchable Privacy display solution has already been shortlisted as a finalist for 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards in the Payments Innovation category by Retail Technology Innovation Hub, the leading publication for the global omnichannel retail technology community. Beyond that, it has also been selected as the winner of the “SalesTech Innovation Award” in the 7th annual MarTech Breakthrough Awards program conducted by MarTech Breakthrough, a leading market intelligence organization.
