Your cafe is a place for people to relax and meet up. Convenience and comfort are key.
In the modern world, almost nothing is more inconvenient and irritating than finding that your mobile phone is out of charge.
When they arrive, your customers want to be able to sink into a soft chair, sip at a cappuccino or iced tea, and check their phone notifications or emails while they wait for a friend or enjoy their lunch break.
To facilitate this, cafes have provided free Wi-Fi for over a decade now.
But what will scupper your customer’s mobile plans faster than a poor internet connection? A dead battery. Until recently, it hasn’t been straightforward to provide easy access to phone charging at your cafe tables.
That all changed with wireless charging technology.
Is wireless charging the new standard for cafes?
If an establishment meets a customer’s needs, that customer will return again and again. For many customers, a lack of free wifi is a deal-breaker — just as much as serving them a bad cup of coffee is.
That is revenue your business won’t be seeing again. Soon, the cafes that don’t offer the ability to charge a phone will be similarly punished.
Though your cafe may already have plugs free for customers to use, does everybody carry their phone charger with them? They don’t. That is why wireless charging is such an essential new technology. There’s no need to remember to bring a charger, and there is no risk of forgetting to pick it up again when you leave.
Moreover, with wireless charging customers can avoid the wires snaking over their table, getting in the way, and making the area they want to relax in feel messy and untidy.
Buy new wireless charging tables, or add wireless charging to your existing cafe furniture?
The current standard from wireless charging is QI wireless charging. You don’t need to buy entirely new products in order to take advantage of this amazing technology.
There are tables that come with QI wireless charging built-in, which is an option when you buy wireless charging table tops from Tabilo. If you’re looking to give your cafe a new look or want to upgrade your furniture anyway, this might be the best option.
But there is also a range of options for adding wireless charging to the tables you already own. So if you’ve already worked hard to create matching decor in your cafe, you don’t need to change it. You just have to decide what wireless charging solution you want to pick.
Surface Installed Units
This is the option with the most involved installation and requires alterations to your existing table. A hole is drilled through the table surface, usually a standard grommet hole size. It is recommended this is done by a professional.
The advantage of embedding the product in the surface of the table is that it is the tidiest and aesthetically pleasing option. The charging area is flush with the table surface, and the end result is satisfying to look at and leaves no bump in the table. It does not require any external device attached to the bottom of the table and does not add to the overall table weight.
The IPANIPAN products that use this method of installation are the embedded and flat products.
Clip-On & Under Table
These products either require no alteration to the table or require simple screw holes. These products are easier to install and may not require the involvement of a professional.
The reason to choose these easier options is that it is a less permanent change to the table. For expensive or unique tables owners may feel more comfortable with installations that require less formwork. e
What you need to know about QI wireless charging
Is it as fast as regular charging?
Wireless charging is not as fast as wired charging. The advantage of wireless charging is convenience. Thankfully most people stopping in a cafe don’t need a full charge as soon as possible, but more of a top-up to get them through the day.
Additionally, if you buy a wireless charging station that comes with USB sockets, your customers have the option of choosing wired charging if they prefer.
Are there any risks? Overheating?
Wireless charging, like regular charging, does heat your phone. Good quality chargers take this into account and turn off the charging when the phone is at full charge.
Which wireless charging standard should I choose?
In the past, there were two main wireless charging standards: Qi and PMA/Powermat. However, because of the advantages of Qi in 2018 Powermat decided to start manufacturing products that are compatible with the Qi standard.
All IPANIPAN products are compatible with the Qi standard.
Does it work with all phones?
Most new phones have wireless charging built-in. Phones more than a few years old may not.
Both iPhones and Android phones can use the Qi and PMA wireless charging standards, so compatibility with wireless charging is not affected by the phone manufacturer.
Where can we buy wireless charging furniture?
Tabilo supplies three options for IPANIPAN wireless charging: embedded, where you won’t see the charger; flat, where the charger is set into the table top itself; and “on top”, where the charger is domed (and therefore more visible).
The only Tabilo products that cannot be installed with wireless charging are the compact laminate tabletops.
When you buy a table top with wireless charging, we install the charging units prior to dispatch, making life easy for you.
Differentiate your cafe from the competition and earn more income as a result. Purchase table tops with IPANIPAN wireless charging by contacting us today.
