Terminal or tablet: what to choose for consultants

When a showroom moves to orders on a mobile device, the first practical question is what the consultant will work with. A mobile terminal for sales staff, an ordinary tablet or a phone? The answer depends less on price than on how a full working day goes. Below we compare the three options on the criteria that matter for a mobile terminal for sales staff who scan samples all day.

What the consultant does with the device

In a distributor's showroom the consultant scans a sample or price tag, sees the price and the stock by warehouse, picks the customer, enters the quantity and creates the order. When needed, they print the pickup code on the spot. The whole flow is described on the page about sales by samples. A device that does one thing well, such as only displaying information, does not cover this path.

Scanning: the key criterion

A mobile terminal has a built-in scanner: point at the code and press. A tablet or phone usually scans with its camera, which means more retries in poor light or on small or glossy tags. When a consultant scans many times a day, that difference adds up. For the TC22, for example, the product card lists a 1D/2D scanner.

Battery for a shift

The consultant works the whole shift and the device must not die halfway through an order. For the model you pick, check how long the battery lasts in your working pattern and whether you can swap or recharge it during breaks. Exact data is on the product card.

Screen and handling

A tablet gives a big screen, handy for photos and for explaining things to the customer. A terminal is smaller, but it fits in one hand, leaving the other free for a sample or the customer. For the TC22 the card lists a 6-inch screen. If the showroom wants to show large photos, the terminal can be supplemented with a separate screen, yet the order flow works well on the small display.

Ruggedness and wear

A showroom device gets dropped, charged often and wiped often. Professional terminals are built for that; for the TC22 the product card lists IP68/IP65 protection. On consumer tablets and phones the level of protection varies widely from model to model, so check it before you buy.

Comparison table

How to test your choice before buying

The safest test is a practical one: put a terminal in a consultant's hand for a few days and let them create real orders on the floor. Watch three things: how often a scan has to be repeated, whether the battery lasts to the end of the shift, and whether the device still feels comfortable after an hour of work. If you run the same test with a tablet, the difference usually shows quickly. Then set the number of devices by how many consultants work on the floor at the same time, and keep a spare for charging if needed. The consultant's app stays the same whichever terminal model you choose.

What we recommend

For consultants who scan a lot we recommend Zebra terminals: TC22 and TC27 as budget and base options, TC53e and TC58e from the higher series. The final choice depends on budget and connectivity, and you should check exact specifications on the product cards: Zebra TC22, Zebra TC53e. A broader comparison of terminal and smartphone is in the article terminal or smartphone.

Read next

• The consultant's mobile terminal: what it does
• Recommended equipment
• How to organize sales by samples
• Request a demo