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Thursday, 31 July 2008
TRUMBULL, Conn. — KioskCom Self Service Expo and The Digital Signage Show have announced their keynote presentation roster for this fall's event in New York.
The co-located shows, which will be held from Oct. 15-16, 2008, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, attract attendees from a diverse range of industries including retail, finance, hospitality, tourism, healthcare, government, gaming/entertainment and restaurants/QSRs.
Highlighting the common threads between the kiosk and digital signage industries, the comprehensive event was designed to help educate audiences by allowing them to observe the technologies, complications and solutions that come out of both spaces as they research the best avenue to develop, launch and manage their deployments.
The events boast an impressive list of educational sessions and presenters including key figures from Continental Airlines, the Georgia Aquarium and the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), who will be making keynote presentations during the two-day conference.
Jared Miller, director of customer service for Continental Airlines, will open the conference with a presentation outlining the research and planning that went into Continental's self-service and customer-facing technology deployments. Miller also will discuss how the airline’s corporate focus on exploring new self-service functions, such as automating key touchpoints, has helped travelers take more control of their travel experiences and has increased Continental's customer satisfaction ratings.
Amit Dongerdive, chief architect for Georgia Aquarium, will discuss how the team behind the world's largest aquarium researched and incorporated various customer-facing technologies to engage visitors in a more dynamic way, as well as for brand promotion, cross-brand promotion and community activities. Among the strategies employed by the aquarium were hosting digital screens that were placed throughout the facility to show live webcam feeds of marine life, promote show times for its 4D Theater and showcase upcoming events (such as Jazz nights and parties), member benefits and informative videos for its visitors.
Closing the conference will be a joint presentation by Margot Myers, manager of retail in-store programs, and Janet Webster, manager of retail service network and access management delivery, for USPS Retail Services. As part of the team behind the U.S. Postal Service's testing and deployment of large-scale communications networks, Myers and Webster will address how USPS integrates multiple aspects and touchpoints of customer-facing technology and digital signage to not only redirect customers but change customer behavior. They also will discuss the four key metrics for digital signage success and how USPS is working to create a consistent customer experience throughout its vast retail network.
The speakers' expertise is now more relevant than ever as both industries continue expansion into mainstream arenas in the coming years. According to a recent study conducted by the IHL Group, transactions at self-service kiosks will surpass $607 billion in 2008 in North America alone as consumers continue to embrace self-service technology, and projections indicate that this amount will triple to more than $1.7 trillion by 2012.
"The utility and effectiveness of kiosks and digital signage is very evident in multiple industries, from retail to education to health care to hospitality and more," said Lawrence Dvorchik, general manager of KioskCom Self Service Expo and The Digital Signage Show. "The increased use of customer-facing technology — and specifically the use of both self-service kiosks and digital signage — is a perfect example of why a combined event is so important for professionals in both fields. It exposes them to the tactics and trends that are shaping one another's industries, as well as allowing for learning from each others previous successes and failures."
See Also:
Slide show from April 2008 KioskCom in Las Vegas.
Coverage of KioskCom's Self-Service Excellence Awards in April 2008.
Thursday, 31 July 2008
LAS VEGAS — AmeriResource Technologies Inc., a diversified holding company, has announced that its subsidiary, RoboServer Systems Corp., has expanded into new markets in response to growing demand for self-service payment processing systems, according to a news release.
"These are exciting times in the self-service industry because cities, counties, utilities and corporations are looking to self-ordering and payment processing systems to cut their operating costs, increase their revenues and improve customer service," said Delmar Janovec, chief executive of RoboServer. "RoboServer Systems Corp. has been approached by several prospective clients due to RoboServer's proprietary software platform that can be customized to meet exacting specifications for performance and security. Potential applications include touchscreen kiosks that consumers, for example, can use 24/7 to pay their electric bills, water bills, property taxes, city-county licensing fees, franchise taxes, parking tickets, library fines, court fines and other payments. RoboServer's proprietary software can be configured to work on virtually any kiosk or countertop platform, with easy-to-use step-by-step onscreen instructions that make the payment process convenient, quick and safe."
Thursday, 31 July 2008
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — RealTime Shredding is expanding internationally with the sale of its self-service shredder kiosk to Gagnaeyding, Iceland’s largest shredding company.
According to a news release, Gagnaeyding, located in Reykjavik, Iceland, is using the shredder kiosk to expand its customers' on-site service. Gagnaeyding will bring the shredder kiosk to customers' business sites to increase security of shredding sensitive materials, as well as eliminate the customers’ transportation time.
"The company may also offer shredding directly to consumers on a public-access basis," said Runar Mar Sverrisson, general manager of Gagnaeyding.
The company also plans to offer the kiosk to its customers on a short-term basis so they can shred their own materials on-demand.
Thursday, 31 July 2008
CHATSWORTH, Calif. — Provision Interactive Technologies Inc., a subsidiary of Provision Holding Inc., has announced that it has signed an agreement with LocalVision Digital Advertising to bring the company's advertising portfolio to Provision's 3DEO Media Center, according to a news release.
The partnership will bring LocalVision's advertising to Provision's 84 screens, including Fred Meyer Stores, in the greater-Portland area, adding more than 5 million new impressions per month to Provision's screens. LocalVision's top-tier brand advertisers now will be able to feature their messaging on Provision's fast-growing network of 3DEO Media Centers located in retail locations. The advertisements can be in a variety of forms, including 3D holographic videos and digital coupons.
"The collaboration between Provision and LocalVision is a great partnership in the rapidly expanding out-of-home digital advertising market," said Curt Thornton, president and chief executive of Provision. "National advertisers can now place their brands' messaging on 3DEO Media Centers and reach consumers at a time and place where they are most likely to be receptive and take action."
Consumers report that advertising on digital signage catches their attention more than any other media, including television, according to a 2007 OTX Digital Out-of-Home Media Attitude and Awareness study.
Provision's 3DEO Media Centers in Fred Meyer Stores use Provision's patented Holo 3D technology which projects full-color, high resolution videos into space detached from the screen, without the need for any special glasses. The kiosks will be a destination for shoppers looking for promotions, sweepstakes or coupons for products and services.
Thursday, 31 July 2008
DAYTON, Ohio — NCR Corp. reported net income of $44 million for the second quarter of the year, down 55 percent from the $98 million it netted during the same period last year.
In spite of the decline, NCR reported that 2Q 2008 marked one its best product-rollout periods. Revenue for the quarter totaled $1.3 billion, an 8.3 percent increase from the $1.2 billion reported during 2Q 2007.
That growth was fueled, the company says, by orders for its new SelfServ ATM line. To date, more than 4,000 SelfServ ATMs have been ordered by more than 120 global customers. SelfServ ATMs have been installed in Australia, Canada, China, Spain and the United States.
Revenue in the Americas was up 11 percent, and revenue from Europe, the Middle East and Africa was up 16 percent, while revenue from Asia-Pacific was up 10 percent.
"NCR's strong second-quarter results were broad-based geographically and speak to continued solid demand for self-service solutions," said Bill Nuti, NCR's president and chief executive. "Even in a challenging global economy, consumers want to connect, interact and transact with businesses in new ways."
Second-quarter income from continuing operations was $45 million, a nearly 12 percent dip from last year. NCR attributes the lower income to a nonrecurring $32 million after-tax charge related to organizational realignment.
Wednesday, 30 July 2008
Geek.com: Scent has proved to stir strong emotional reactions in people. So it should not be surprising that advertising companies often use smells to attract consumers. Now an advertising firm in Japan is using the power of that attraction to bring consumers to restaurants. Recruit Co Ltd., a company in Japan, is using a kiosk with a 42-inch LCD screen and a scent diffuser that emits the smell of delicious cooked food in an underground mall in Tokyo.
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Wednesday, 30 July 2008
Gulf News: Dubai Municipality's Umm Suqeim Centre has launched special e-kiosks and an electronic inquiry service for customers, the municipality announced. Customers will be able to get complete and quick responses on various queries about the services of the center.
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Wednesday, 30 July 2008
LOS ANGELES — Nexxo Financial Corp. has announced that its relationship with HSBC has expanded. Nexxo now has deployed its self-service remittance kiosks to 19 HSBC Credit Center branches in California and Texas.
"Nexxo is thrilled to be partnering with HSBC — providing them with a turnkey solution that allows them to offer their customers a world-class remittance service," said Dave Alvarez, chief executive of Nexxo. "We have invested millions of dollars over the last few years developing this innovative patent-pending technology and user experience. We are excited to be working with such an important partner in international financial services."
Nexxo will handle the programming, installation, servicing and management of the kiosks. Among the benefits customers will receive are: no standing in line and no forms to fill out; text message notification of pick up; a free call to notify the recipient that money is on its way; easy retrieval of money at pick-up points and bank branches in Mexico, Central and South America; and the option to transfer money directly to the recipient's bank account.
As part of the partnership, for a limited time only, clients will receive their first remittance free up to $1,000.
Wednesday, 30 July 2008
The (Toronto) Globe and Mail: Thirteen airlines and a number of technology companies are signing non-disclosure agreements with investigators this week as a full-scale forensic investigation of the self-service kiosks at Toronto's Pearson International Airport gets under way. Visa has been investigating credit-card systems at Canada's busiest airport because its high-tech monitoring systems, called "neural networks," flagged a pattern of fraud on credit cards of some people who had flown out of Toronto.
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Read also: Airline issues statement on alleged data breach.
Read also: Canadian airline disables card use on airport kiosks.
Read also: Investigation into airport kiosks not surprising, say experts.
Wednesday, 30 July 2008
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SEOUL, Korea — Nautilus Hyosung Inc., which is based in Seoul, Korea, has announced plans to buy ATM competitor Triton Systems of Delaware Inc., based in Long Beach, Miss.
The acquisition is expected to close by the third quarter of 2008, pending regulatory approval.
News of Triton's imminent sale came out last week, when its parent company, Dover Corp., announced that it had already been in talks with a serious buyer. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but sources say Dover sold the Triton business at a loss.
"Dover ultimately wrote-down an estimated $51 million off of what was previously its book value for Triton," said Sam Ditzion, chief executive of Boston-based Tremont Capital Group, a strategic-planning and merger and acquisition consultancy that advises ATM companies.
Since the sale announcement, the industry, suspecting the buyer to be Nautilus Hyosung, has speculated about what the future holds for the Triton business and brand.
Ditzion says the deal, overall, is great for Nautilus Hyosung and the industry. But it's one more step toward market consolidation. And he expects all manufacturing to ultimately be moved overseas, since continuing to manufacture in the United States doesn’t make financial sense.
"I suspect that most of the manufacturing-related functions of the business will be shifted overseas within a few years," he said. "It's a great deal — one that will end up raising the price of ATMs, since there is less market competition. That will ultimately be good for the industry, though," since manufacturers in the off-premises retail ATM space for years have been in a price war, selling ATMs for far less than they cost to produce.
The deal between Nautilus Hyosung and Triton brings back memories of NCR Corp.'s January 2006 acquisition of Tidel Engineering — a deal that ultimately led to the dissolution of the Tidel ATM brand, a once powerhouse in the off-premises ATM market.
"I don't expect this deal to be like the NCR acquisition of Tidel," Ditzion said. "I think the difference here is that by the time NCR acquired Tidel there had been so much damage, there wasn't much NCR could do to revive it. The Tidel brand name had diminished, especially because of the Credit Card Center scandal. With Triton, the brand has been hurt a little, because of the price war, but the product is still strong."
Nautilus Hyosung's swift move to close the deal was smart. Over the last 12 months, Triton has worked toward returned profitability, and Nautilus Hyosung has taken advantage, without waiting for market conditions to eat away at the Triton reputation.
Now only one of the three T's — Tranax Technologies Inc. — remains on its own, and even its future, since its split from former partner Nautilus Hyosung, has been questioned by independent sales organizations.
Tranax Technologies could not be reached for comment as of press time.
As for the future of the Triton brand, both Triton and Nautilus Hyosung say they expect to continue building it.
"Triton offers an ideal fit with Nautilus Hyosung as we expand our global footprint, not only in the U.S. but worldwide," said P.K. Ryou, chief executive and president of Nautilus Hyosung. "We look forward to adding Triton's strong brand and service chains with Nautilus Hyosung's expertise in ATMs, to provide our customers with the most comprehensive ATM offering in the marketplace."
Alicia Blanda, spokeswoman for Triton, says nothing at this point is expected to change with the Triton brand or its manufacturing facility. She said the two companies expect to continue operating autonomously.
“Nautilus Hyosung wants to grow the combined businesses to a $1 billion company, and they have told us they plan to invest in people, facilities and products," Blanda said.
Ditzion says some co-branding between the two companies will likely take place, since the Triton brand has such a strong presence and reputation among U.S. ISOs.
"Triton has a lot of strong people, in Long Beach and elsewhere, and to be successful, Nautilus Hyosung will need a longer-term plan to integrate the two plants and the brands," he said. "What Nautilus Hyosung is really buying here is the brand name and the customer list, and they will ultimately need to merge that into the Hyosung line."
What remains to be seen, however, is how successful the two brands will and can be in the U.S. financial-institution space. Both companies have focused on breaking into that market without much success.
"Nautilus Hyosung has had success on the FI side overseas, and Triton has tried for years to break into the FI market here," Ditzion said. "Now we'll have to see if they can accomplish more together."
Tuesday, 29 July 2008
It all started when he caught the bug.
In the 1990s, Bradley Walker was an economic research analyst minding his own business when he suddenly caught the technology bug. Struck with a keen interest in digital and self-service technologies, he quit his day job and eventually launched Nanonation Inc., a provider of Internet kiosks and digital signage and entertainment solutions. Nanonation was created in 2000, and today it has become a leading vendor in the industry, serving high-profile clients such as Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Apple, Harley Davidson and Build-A-Bear Workshops.
Rosalie Catalano, a contributor to SelfService.org, had a chance to speak with Walker about his business philosophy and the key to Nanonation's success. Here's some of what he had to say.
SSO: What did you do before Nanonation?
BW: You could say I'm an economic research analyst who caught the computer bug. I was involved in software development for clinical information systems · billing and insurance · for a private practice dental-management group. Then, over the years I acquired a total of five similar companies that ultimately were sold to Kodak.
SSO: How did Nanonation come about?
BW: I wound up going into a coffee house · a cyber cafe kind of thing. It was late '96 or early '97. We didn't have a lot of the cyber cafes here. So I walked in and they had a bank of computers and coffee. I thought, 'Gosh, that's an interesting accommodation.' So I asked for a cup of coffee and said I wanted to use one of the computers. She wrote down my name and the time I started using it so she could bill me for it. I thought, 'Gosh, these are computers. You could bill that on the computer automatically.'
Then I sat down at the computer, I thought, 'I'm in the software business, so I know what to do with these computers, but what if my mom or my sister or somebody else walked in here to use it and all there was was this desktop. Where do you start? Where do you go? What's on there?'
So that was really the 'a-ha!' moment for me: How do you help other businesses use these computers in customer-facing applications? It was this, wave of computing where computers would spill out of the home and the office and into retail and the public forum and get put in front of customers.
SSO: How do you and your fellow founders share duties?
BW: I run day-to-day operations while John Turnipseed is our Apple development guru and Dan Castagnoli, who is into digital-media design, heads our innovation team.
SSO: What should our readers know about digital media?
BW: Its tremendous potential. The shift to digital in our demographics is greater than we think. Just 15 years ago, it was 18- to 24-year-olds who were into digital. Now it's 33- to 39-year-olds whose likes and dislikes have changed and who are savvier than when they were younger.
Also, the bar is much higher today than, say, when we simply did airline check-in processes. The benefit to the consumer has to be very clear · they need to see value in the first 15 seconds of their digital experience. It's important to understand what drives the consumer at the behavioral level. It's technology that can make behavioral economics work at the retail level.
SSO: What would you say are the drivers of successful digital technology?
BW: Make it quick by getting incremental information to the user in less time, in other words, make the line move faster. Solve a problem, or make the customer say "WOW!" You need at least one of these and all three are a home run.
SSO: Is there a particular business philosophy that you follow?
BW: I'm a member of Rotary, a community service organization, and I try to adhere to its four-way test in all that I do.
SSO: What is that?
BW: We ask ourselves in all that we do and say:
1. Is it the truth?
2. Is it fair to all concerned?
3. Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
4. Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
SSO: Do you have a favorite quote?
BW: Yes, my mother's version of Alexander Pope's "Hope springs eternal," which is "Hope springs eternal in this, the best of all possible worlds."
SSO: What are your biggest challenges at Nanonation?
BW: Effectively managing our rapid growth and educating the industry and market about what technology can do to accommodate new applications with our technology.
SSO: Why and how would you say Nanonation is different from its competitors?
BW: Several ways. First, we are technologically agnostic, if that's the right phrase. In other words, we work with clients no matter whether they are PC- or Mac-based, and our solutions vary by user and application. No cookie-cutter approach.
Second, we are known as innovative, thanks to our excellent innovation team that is always looking five years out, while our production team is very much grounded in the here-and-now to deliver solutions for today.
Finally, we blend two disciplines by fusing IT and digital media with a focus on the customer. We combine heavily-formalized IT and leverage existing business systems with state-of-the-art digital media.
SSO: Tell me about a couple of interesting deployments.
BW: We enjoy a long-term development path with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line and have been able to provide their Freedom class of ships with a great technology-driven and interactive customer experience. For example, passengers can get a look into the spa experience by using a kiosk that lets them see the range of services available without ever entering the spa itself. This goes for lots of areas and offerings on the ship. The goals on the Royal Caribbean site were to draw the attention of first-time cruisers to the available range of services to educate them, gain their acceptance and drive desire. Also, printed flyers and brochures just add weight to the ships and require staff and space. Finally, there are cost savings through technology speeding up processes and conserving energy.
In the hospitality industry we can offer in-room entertainment and the equivalent of a virtual concierge. Our view is that digital experiences should be engaging, empowering, intelligent and integrated.
SSO: Is there a particular business person whom you admire?
BW: I'd have to say fellow Nebraskan and also, like me, one-time newspaper carrier Warren Buffett. That said, we are different in that he's not big on technology companies, while, of course, I am.
SSO: How has Nanonation changed since its inception?
BW: Size mostly. We have 54 employees now and are going through an office expansion in Lincoln. We have sales offices in Portland, Ore., and St. Louis. We have a global reach now, too, and work with 12 of the top 50 global brands with more of a specialty focus. It's important that we try to maintain the nimbleness of a small company while we grow.
SSO: Describe the Nanonation culture.
BW: It's an interesting cultural blend and one of balance between creatives and "rocket scientists." Our leaders of these two areas are very different. Our chief technology officer, Lyle Peterson, is a veteran with 30+ years in IT, while Dan, whom I mentioned earlier, is a 30-something chief innovation officer.
SSO: Any particular books that you have read that help you lead Nanonation?
BW: Certainly the Don Clifton, Curt Coffman and Marcus Buckingham books about recognizing and developing individuals' strengths, but also "The Purple Cow" and its ensuing series by Seth Godin. My mantra from his Purple Cow book is "We have to be remarkable." On a personal level because of my educational background, I really like "Freakonomics" since it's about behavioral economics.
SSO: Describe your management style.
BW: It's certainly influenced by the work of folks like Don Clifton and his research at the Gallup Organization. We actually have many remarkably talented people here at Nanonation. So, like Dr. Clifton, I believe in soaring with our strengths, understanding individual strengths as drivers and recognizing and developing individual talent.
SSO: How do you unwind?
BW: Basketball. When you are playing you can't think about work or much of anything else. I'm actually captain of our team and we won last year's city championship tournament. I also like traveling with my family and getting outdoors.
SSO: What is the future of the industry as you see it?
BW: Recognition that a kiosk and signage, for example, are really different but are each simply a customer touchpoint. A computer and a screen deliver a customer impression. One box, if you will, can drive a series of customer experiences quite efficiently and effectively.
We see ourselves as architects of the total customer experience. And a client can integrate and leverage their investment by having one box that is easier to support while driving a coherent message and experience to their consumer user.
Tuesday, 29 July 2008
DNA Money: Ever really wanted a particular book, only to be told that it is out of print? Well this may not be such a problem any longer thanks to the new Espresso Book Machine. The ATM for books, as it is nicknamed, is able to download a book from the Internet, print, trim and bind it, all in seven minutes. "Books are here to stay and this is a great invention which will give more choice to readers," said Vince Gunn, chief executive of Blackwell, the book chain with more than 60 shops in the U.K. Blackwell will be the first to install an Espresso machine in October this year.
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Read also: New book vending kiosk prints, glues and binds books in seven minutes.
Tuesday, 29 July 2008
Lancashire (England) Telegraph: A fledgling entrepreneur based in the U.K. is aiming to give wedding photography a 21st century twist with his new product. Memorytube Kiosks Ltd. is pioneering interactive touchscreen kiosks that enable people to download photographs from their mobile phones and onto a hard drive while they are still at the event. Owner Lee Cunningham, 38, started the company at the end of 2007 and believes the kiosks could eventually replace the need for disposable cameras at weddings.
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Tuesday, 29 July 2008
ALTOONA, Pa. — Imagine a prison handling upwards of $100,000 of phone and commissary deposits a month while hundreds of visitors come in and out of the facility in a maze of confusion. That is exactly what one correctional facility encountered before the recent implementation of a self-service option for friends and family members to deposit inmate funds.
The Montgomery County Correctional Facility, located in the Lower Providence Township of Pennsylvania houses approximately 1,800 male and female sentenced offenders and individuals awaiting trial. They receive approximately 165 visitors per day — which equates to more than 28,000 visitors since the beginning of 2008. Visitors to Montgomery County come either to spend time with a loved one or to drop off additional funds into a loved one's commissary or phone account so that they may buy necessary goods or make phone calls out of the facility.
In order to facilitate the deposit process, Montgomery County implemented two self-service kiosks from Inmate Telephone Inc., their inmate phone provider, in late February. The eZ Deposit Kiosk accepts cash or credit card deposits from an inmate's family and friends and places it automatically into either the inmate's commissary or phone account.
The kiosks have reduced the need for expensive labor hours spent counting and balancing funds to ensure the absence of theft. The eZ Deposit Kiosk includes an advanced locking mechanism that will track who has accessed the cash deposit bin in order to eliminate the security risks and hassles associated with handling money.
Warden Julio Algarin boasts that the addition of these kiosks has reduced visitation lines by at least 65 percent in his facility.
"On visitor days, I used to watch numerous family members backed up in lines stretching out the door," Algarin said. "Now, those wanting to make a quick deposit simply use the kiosks in the lobby — they don't have to wait in those long visitor lines. Our visitation officers are no longer distracted. They are now focused on providing top-notch security and clear instructions to our visitors."
Since February, Montgomery County is averaging 2,923 kiosk transactions per month.
Tuesday, 29 July 2008
KWES-TV, Channel 9 (Midland, Texas): Tall City residents on the go soon will have a faster way to get what they need, when they need it. Right now, the work is on to set up kiosks all over town. That means the next time you grab a bite to eat, you'll also be able to order tickets for a play or the next Rockhounds game. "It's going to be big. It's going to be real big," said Ben Spencer, manager at the Harvest Caffe.
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Monday, 28 July 2008
Wired Blog Network: Consumers in the market for a new pair of eyeglasses may soon have a new self-service tool to point them to the perfect fit. The Foco Otica On-line self-service optical center from Brazilian design group Hok Inovação mashes three key technologies into one: a virtual reality system, image capturing tech and an eye-pupil measurement system that tracks users' eyeballs to a super precise measurement. Through immediate visual examples and face and eye customization, a user can try on different types of glasses in the course of a few seconds.
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Monday, 28 July 2008
Canwest News Service: Fallout continues from last week's discovery of alleged card fraud at check-in kiosks located at Toronto's Pearson airport. On July 27, 2008, the government of Ottowa directed the Greater Toronto Airport Authority to reevaluate the security measures in place at the various self-service check-in kiosks deployed at its airports.
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Read also: Investigation into Toronto airport kiosks not surprising, say experts
Monday, 28 July 2008
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — eSoles Custom Footbeds, a provider of semi-custom and custom footbeds, has announced the global launch of its 3D TruCapture Kiosk Scanning System in conjunction with the unveiling of its eFit semi-custom footbed. eFit is the world's first semi-custom footbed to be assembled in-store in less than five minutes, following a scan of the consumer's foot by a kiosk scanning system, all for a reasonable price tag of $70.
The global launch follows years of development and sales of the company's flagship ePro custom footbed, which has helped improve the performance and results of hundreds of professional athletes including NASCAR and former Formula 1 driver Scott Speed, PGA tour player Mark Hensby, international professional road cyclist George Hincapie, professional triathlete Chris Lieto, NFL linebacker Karlos Dansby and more than 20 U.S. Olympic athletes.
"The eSoles 3D TruCapture Kiosk Scanning System is the first self-service kiosk in the world to allow consumers to utilize such sophisticated foot scanning technology in such a user-friendly way," said Glen Hinshaw, chief executive of eSoles. "Now with two footbed options, the eFit and the ePro footbeds, consumers have the choice of the ultimate semi-custom or custom foot support tailored to their budgets and needs. No other product globally has the technology and options that eSoles will provide countless retailers looking to enhance their customer experience and sales."
Through their years of fitting people with ePro footbeds, eSoles has retained the largest database of foot images in the world, allowing it to perfect the development and science behind its eFit semi-custom footbeds. By using its database and comparing it to scans that are performed by its 3D Kiosk, the patented eSoles technology can direct store personnel to construct an eFit semi-custom footbed by fitting it with unique modular components that are tailored to the customer's foot.
Replacing art with science, the 3D TruCapture Kiosk Scanning System is the only one of its kind that scans the foot with a Bio-Dynamic air pillow to get a truly three dimensional scan and includes a touchscreen computer monitor, a pressure mat, an air bladder foot receiver and a 3D image scanner and printer. The self-service kiosk can be used in virtually any retail setting and allows consumers to receive a complex scan of their foot. The kiosk then creates a personalized printout that the consumer can present to a participating retailer to purchase either an eFit footbed in less than five minutes or an ePro footbed within a week. The ePro product, ranging in price from $250 to $300, is a fully customized footbed that the customer can order from the company's production facility in Scottsdale, Arizona, and receive within five to seven business days.
Monday, 28 July 2008
Nurse.com: A Florida hospital has adapted the touchscreen technology used for airport check-in and hotel check-out, using self-service kiosks to speed-up service while improving triage, outcomes and satisfaction. Mercy Hospital, Miami, developed its emergency care kiosk system in-house almost two years ago. With emergency care kiosks, patients enter identifying information and their chief complaint, which immediately is sent to nurses.
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Monday, 28 July 2008
AsiaTravelTips.com: Visa has opened 55 blue-and-white porcelain tourist information kiosks throughout Beijing to provide multilingual information services to cardholders and international visitors traveling to China for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The Visa kiosks — found at the Beijing Capital International Airport, Olympic venues and key tourist and shopping areas — are themed with the same blue and white brush stroke and traditional signature seal designs found on dozens of Olympic-themed Visa ATMs, making them easy for Visa cardholders to recognize.
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Monday, 28 July 2008
CNN: Are consumers getting the most out of their phones? Shopping for mobile content in cyberspace — music, games, applications, for example — can be scary. Malware, pirated content, push advertising and general anarchy in the sheer quantity of information often are overwhelming. That's why Jonathan Serbin quit his job at one of China's biggest mobile phone retailers to start his own company, Duo Guo. Like a real-world, multiplatform, non-proprietary incarnation of the hype surrounding Apple's App Store for the iPhone, Duo Guo offers physical, public kiosks of digital mobile content — complete with human customer service.
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Monday, 28 July 2008
Manufacturing Business Technology: RedPrairie Corp., a supplier technology for optimizing the management of warehouses and product distribution operations, has created a new employee self-service application. This new browser-independent application will allow employers to more effectively communicate with their employees. As part of the RedPrairie Workforce Management solution, the enhanced employee self-service capability provides employees with the ability to confirm their work schedules, check hours worked, submit time-off requests and receive other job-related information with a secure, easy-to-use Web portal interface.
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Friday, 25 July 2008
CanadaEast.com: The possibility that self-serve kiosks at Toronto's Pearson airport were targeted by credit card fraudsters left passengers wary Thursday while at least one expert said it's not surprising an airport would be targeted given the dramatic rise in credit fraud. "When people think of airports, they think of highly secure, security-focused environments," said Michael Geist, a University of Ottawa law professor specializing in Internet and privacy issues. "So the notion that in that very environment you could have a significant security breach, many would find troubling."
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Read also: WestJet issues statement on alleged data breach.
Friday, 25 July 2008
GLENVIEW, Ill. — Vision Point of Sale Inc., a provider of products and services that support the point-of-sale marketplace, is proud to announce its partnership with NCR Corp. as a member of the NCR RealPartner program, according to a news release.
As an NCR RealPartner, Vision is a preferred reseller of NCR POS products to the markets and customers it serves.
"I am pleased that we have taken this important step in growing our relationship with NCR. We have enjoyed a strong working relationship with NCR over the years and we look forward to continued success with this important business partner," said Jeff Nixon, president and chief operating officer of Vision. "With NCR, we are well-positioned to create additional value for our current customers through the continued availability of high quality NCR POS products supported by Vision's extensive service network."
Vision will work closely with NCR to market its NCR POS equipment and technology throughout the United States, as well as to work collaboratively on the development of specific solutions for Vision's customers.
Friday, 25 July 2008
CBSNEWS: Blockbuster, which recently abandoned its foolish quest to buy Circuit City, is now on to the next thing, which it has been talking about for the last year: its digital reinvention. The company has a strong presence at Comic-Con going on this week in San Diego, and also is demonstrating its digital kiosks, reports Home Media magazine. It has talked about these kiosks before. They're being tested in select Blockbuster stores in the Dallas area, and plans are to roll it out countrywide in the next three years. These kiosks allow consumers to download movies to portable devices in less than two minutes, though for now, it only works on Archos portable media devices.
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Thursday, 24 July 2008
Globe and Mail (Toronto): WestJet plans to disable the credit-card readers in kiosks that customers use to check-in for its flights at 28 Canadian airports, as a precaution in the wake of an investigation into the kiosks' security. Credit-card companies are conducting an investigation into the security of data that's inputted at 150 self-serve kiosks at Toronto's Pearson International Airport, after financial institutions that issue credit cards spotted isolated patterns of fraud on cards of people who had travelled through the airport.
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SEE ALSO: Canadian airport kiosks investigated for possible card fraud
Thursday, 24 July 2008
HEIDELBERG, Germany — Camp Victory in Iraq is nearly 2,000 miles from the nearest Army Library in Europe. But soldiers deployed at the sprawling base near Baghdad International Airport soon will have access to a broad spectrum of such resources via an e-Branch kiosk, according to a news release issued by the U.S. Army.
A team of movers packed and loaded the kiosk July 14 at the European Regional Library Support Center in Heidelberg, Germany, for shipment to Camp Victory, where it will be installed at the Victory Education Center.
"The kiosk will have a wonderful home here," said Staff Sgt. Jimmy Labas, education programs director at Victory Education Center.
Labas noted that the kiosk "offers a wonderful array of knowledge and research capabilities" for all servicemembers assigned to the camp.
"It truly is a key to success of Soldiers, Marines, (airmen) and (sailors) alike," he said. "We are becoming the leading education center in Iraq and are grateful to have such a useful tool."
Army Europe Libraries also have kiosks at the USO Pat Tillman Center, Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan; the Warrior Transition Unit at Kleber Kaserne near U.S. Army Garrison Kaiserslautern, Germany; and the ERLSC in Heidelberg.
The e-Branch kiosks are designed to support educational opportunities for troops and deliver electronic library services and information to customers who can't get to a brick-and-mortar library.
The freestanding kiosks are quick and simple to use with touchscreen technology and pre-programmed buttons. The pre-programmed buttons mean that soldiers don't have to remember Web site addresses or search for information. They simply touch the buttons on the screen to go to news, sports, scholarly articles or 24/7 virtual reference services from military librarians.
Richard Hanusey, a former Europe Region Librarian who died in 2004, earned the Army Morale, Welfare and Recreation's White Plume award in part for initiating the e-Branch Kiosk project. The White Plume recognizes outstanding service and contribution to MWR and family programs. It is the Army's highest medal for achievement in support of Army MWR endeavors.
Thursday, 24 July 2008
CHELTENHAM, England — Nisa, a retail brand in the U.K., recently has announced news of a trial of DVD-rental technology in one of its biggest U.K. stores, according to a news release.
In response to the growing demand for product diversification in the retail sector, Nisa have launched a DVD-rental kiosk in a Cardiff, Wales, store with a plan to roll the product out across the group should the trial prove successful. This is in addition to recent kiosk launches in both Threshers and Spar stores in England. The DVD kiosk retail complement model has proved extremely successful in the United States with Wal-Mart launching the kiosks in all of its stores across the country.
With the growing demand for convenience in the home entertainment industry, traditional DVD rental stores have seen a downturn in trade that has led to both independent and national store closures. However, DVD-rental kiosks have been touted as a modern, convenient alternative to traditional DVD rental. One Gloucestershire-based company recently has launched kiosks in some of the U.K. and Ireland's leading retail groups with a view to developing the product into an essential part of the modern retail outlet.
Carlos Marco, managing director at The Movie Booth, said, “We have been working in this sector for several years now and what we have learned is that the retail industry is by far the best market for our product. We are now well-placed in many of the biggest retail names in the business, and expect kiosks placed in supermarkets, off-licences and convenience stores to be the most successful that we launch.”
The kiosk deployed in Nisa Extra signals the group’s intention to place DVD kiosks in stores across the U.K. as a means of increasing the range of in-store product offerings. The kiosks also have recently launched in Centra and Applegreen stores in Ireland, and have spread to off-licences with the first Movie Booth kiosk being launched in a Threshers store last week. Store owner Deborah Harris said, “I see many people going to supermarkets to buy DVD’s that they will only watch once or twice, and they are expensive. Oswestry’s DVD store closed down several months ago and there was nowhere to rent a DVD in town. With money being a squeeze at the moment, it’s now a fact that people are spending more time at home with their friends and family. The kiosk enables us to fill that gap in the market.” The Spar group will launc its first DVD kiosk at the end of July in Formby, Liverpool.
The expansion of DVD vending across the retail sector mirrors the growth that has occurred in the United States in recent years. In America, DVD-rental machines now outnumber the amount of traditional DVD rental stores, and the 7,000 machines in operation have been placed predominantly in grocery and convenience stores.
Thursday, 24 July 2008
The Times of India: The first of the Delhi government's multipurpose kiosks designed for a range of services, from dispensing ration cards to scheduling hospital appointments, will be in place by Aug. 15. The state IT department entered into an agreement with an infotech company on July 22 to deploy 50 kiosks in the first phase and 500 in all, to bring 104 government services to the citizens' doorsteps.
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Thursday, 24 July 2008
Wired: Time to sell those ten-year old DVDs. NCR reached a licensing agreement with e-Play to manufacture DVD kiosks that can be used for rentals, sales or trade-ins of old DVDs. Right now the kiosks are available as part of a pilot program in Columbus, Ohio (including the airport), but e-Play plans to expand the program to include stores in Georgia and North Carolina.
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Thursday, 24 July 2008
ALBERTA, Canada — WestJet, an airline based in Canada, has issued a statement regarding a report of alleged fraudulent activity involving customer credit card information potentially emanating from self-service check-in kiosks at Toronto's Pearson International Airport. WestJet announced that it will disable its credit card check-in functionality at all airport kiosks across Canada, according to a news release.
"Despite the fact that there does not appear to be any fraud committed, we're not prepared to take any chances with our guests' credit card information," said Ken McKenzie, WestJet executive vice president of operations. "Until we know what's happened, if in fact anything has, this is the best way to protect our guests. We take our guests' credit card information very seriously. It is part of the trust our guests place in us, and it's an integral part of our values as an organization."
"Once the investigation is complete, we will take whatever action may be necessary," said McKenzie. "In the meantime, disabling the credit card reading function at airport kiosks used by our guests ensure WestJet is doing its part."
Read also: Canadian airport kiosks investigated for possible card fraud.
Wednesday, 23 July 2008
The (Ontario, Canada) Mississauga News: The kiosks that provide customer services at Pearson International Airport in Canada are at the center of an investigation into potential credit card fraud after financial institutions raised concerns about potential security problems. Earlier this month, Gary Long, chief information officer for the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, sent a letter to technology firms servicing the kiosks that said VISA is investigating use of credit cards at the airport.
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Tuesday, 22 July 2008
Differentiating an ATM from a kiosk used to be easy. If it dispensed cash, it must be an ATM. If not, well then it must be a kiosk.
Not so much the case anymore, says Rob Evans, director of industry marketing for NCR Corp.
"Today you can do financial transactions that do not involve cash," he said. "You can do wire transfers. You can do money orders. So in terms of the classic definition (of an ATM) as something that simply dispenses cash, well, that isn't adequate to describe what's going on."
Surprising? No, says Sandra Hartfield, president and chief executive of Electronic Banking Division for Palm Desert National Bank.
Hartfield says dropping ATM transactions and escalating operating costs are pushing ATM deployers to rethink their business models and look for revenue-generating functions.
"The ATM business is a mature business," Hartfield said. "The next generation, I really feel, is a kiosk that has other services on it."
Phil Suitt, president and founder of Texas-based ATM Ventures, agrees. In fact, he's already complementing his ATM portfolio with kiosks, and he's selling his products to banks and credit unions.
"We do see additional functionality being requested by the FIs," Suitt said. "It's all driven by cost-savings. They're trying to save labor. That's the primary reason they're doing it."
While the banks want to add convenience and enhance the efficiency of their branches through services like self-service check cashing, ISOs want to build additional streams of revenue.
Taking their pick
In many cases, deployers say, increased ATM functionality translates into increased revenue. But it's not as simple as arbitrarily adding new functions like MP3 downloads or Internet browsing.
ATM deployers have to be selective, says Wes Dunn, director of business development for self-service products at Tranax Technologies Inc.
Dunn says consumers won't tolerate lengthy ATM lines.
"Speed of transaction is by far the biggest thing that I stress when I talk to people," he said. "I'm not going to stand behind somebody that takes extra time with their ATM transaction, much less behind somebody who is entering in a lot of information."
That means apps like music and movie downloads are out, Dunn says · at least as additional functions at the ATM.
What types of added functions work best? Financial functions, says Evans.
"By 'financial' I mean they involve the secure transfer of funds from one account to another, or the withdrawal of funds and the conversion into some type of currency, whether it's stamps or money orders or cash," he said. "Those are generally the things that lend themselves very well · and almost exclusively · to ATMs versus kiosks."
Check please!
An ATM's ability to scan a check, verify a person's identity and instantly dispense the check's amount is complicated, but it's a transaction that ATM deployers are taking interest in. And one company, Fort Worth, Texas-based VALID Systems, is making some headway with a solution it has developed for either the financial-institution or retail environment.
PDNB's Hartfield, who hopes to roll out VALID's check-cashing option on PDNB ATMs before the end of the year, says check cashing will likely draw more users to bank and retail ATMs.
"If it can be a generator of revenue and it's in a location that can help bring more revenue to that terminal, then I think it's a natural to look at," Hartfield said.
The secret of the application's success is that it mixes self-service with full/teller service, she says.
In short, it is assisted self-service.
John Templer, chief executive of VALID Systems, says in a bank or credit union environment, that assisted solution calls for the enrollment of user in the program with the teller window, and subsequent check cashing taking place at the ATM. The check is inserted into the machine without envelopes or deposit slips and the ATM dispenses the correct amount of cash.
In the retail environment, the set up is slightly different, but is built from the same concept.
"In the retail model, the customer conducts all of his transactions with the clerk, where funds are either loaded on a card or are printed on a receipt," Templer said. "The user then takes the receipt or card to the ATM, chooses check cashing, enter in a PIN and get his funds."
Ultimately, it's more of a cash management tool, Templer says.
But both FIs and retailers are excited about the check cashing option. For banks, he says, it's an opportunity to get new clients by reaching out to the unbanked and underbanked markets. For retailers, it's an opportunity to increase their revenues, both from transaction fees and increased purchases from customers who now have cash in their wallets.
"What we've seen in the past is that a c-store, for example, can just about double the profitability of their location by adding financial services to it," Templar said, adding that merchants also gain revenue from the transaction fees.
VALID Systems has reseller agreements for its check-cashing solution with ATM manufacturer Diebold Inc. and hybrid ATM-kiosk deployer Tranax Technologies. Diebold is targeting FIs; Tranax is targeting independent sales organizations and retailers.
Dunn says he likes VALID's retail solution because it still relies on manual check verification.
"Their check-cashing transaction on an ATM is as fast as an ATM transaction because the majority of the actual check cashing is facilitated at the merchant's counter," Dunn said.
Templer says verification of the check itself and of the individual attempting to cash the check has always been a stumbling block for self-service check cashing. But VALID is working to make its verification as detailed as possible, using biometric devices such as fingerprint to verify the identity with a solution that has roughly 45,000 bits of check-verification criteria. The criteria can be examined in less than a second, he said.
Templer also touts the system's installability.
The VALID solution, which comprises a check scanner, a driver's license scanner and a fingerprint scanner, can be installed in 15 minutes at an ATM, because the system integrates with the ATM's transaction network, assuming the network is PC or terminal-driven.
Beyond the check: Bill payment
Reaching cash-preferred users, commonly referred to as the unbanked and underbanked, through self-service bill payment also is garnering attention, says Hamed Shahbazi, chairman and chief executive of TIO Networks Corp.
"If you look at all the different services you can offer, in terms of advanced functions and in terms of the underbanked community, from money transfer to check cashing to prepaid and billpay, I think what you'll find is that billpay is probably the one that has the highest value for the dollars invested," he said.
Check cashing, he says, can be costly when you figure in hardware expenses, like the cost of check scanners and biometrics equipment. Bill payment, on the other hand, can be an excellent source of revenue.
"The customer that does pay his bills in person is highly mindful of posting times," Shahbazi said. "The reason they're paying that additional convenience fee and they're seeking out quicker posting times is because they want to wait until the last minute to pay their bills and they want to make sure that they can pay that bill confidently and still have their lights on, or still have their phone on at the end of the day."
Shahbazi said the trend toward self-service bill-payment is not just occurring in North America. More than 7,000 billpay kiosks are now operating in Russia, and the functionality is gaining greater acceptance in other parts of Europe as well.
Another function that's gaining some ground throughout the world, especially in the United States, Europe, and Latin America, NCR's Evans says, is money remittance, which uses the ATM for cash dispense.
Garanti Bank, an NCR client in Turkey, uses this option as a means for users to transfer cash from one person to the other.
"If you need to give somebody some money, you don't want to hand them your debit card," Evans said.
Instead, customers can obtain a one-time-use code, either over the phone or via the Internet, which can then be given to the individual who will be receiving the cash. When that individual enters the code, the ATM dispenses the appropriate amount of cash.
"That's not a classic ATM transaction," Evans said. "But it's really enabled by the technology that underpins the self-service device and the associated network. And that's something we haven't had in the past."
Bill breaking
Though not a hot topic in the headlines, bill breaking is a function casinos are picking up on.
At the MGM Mirage, cash dispensers have become virtually unrecognizable as ATMs, according to Steve Zanella, vice president of slots and entertainment.
"All of the units that are on the casino floor itself are all multifunctional," Zanella said. "We look at it as a kiosk as opposed to an ATM."
In addition to offering ATM transactions, the hybrid ATMs have a supplementary bill-breaking feature, which trades small-denomination bills for large ones.
"It didn't make sense to have ATMs throughout the floor and then ticket-redemption kiosks throughout the floor, because all of them would have to have money in them," Zanella said.
It's one more function that's helping cash to flow into deployer's hands, and making it increasingly difficult to tell a kiosk from an ATM, he said.
"I think we're just beginning," Hartfield said. "Financial services are going to be expanded to where these ATMs will automate banking facilities in the future, and they will serve both banked, unbanked and underbanked people. Isn't that cool?"
Tuesday, 22 July 2008
The Altoona Herald-Mitchellville (Iowa) Index: The idea was hatched three years ago. Rich Fellingham, president and chief executive of Special Olympics Iowa, took his first visit to the Iowa Hall of Pride. He said the building was nice, but he felt the Special Olympics needed a kiosk — one that could showcase the athletes that put the "special" in "Special Olympics." Three years later, his vision became a reality.
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Tuesday, 22 July 2008
Azcentral.com: Is the future of DVD rentals a vending machine? For Redbox, the nation's largest DVD kiosk company; DVDPlay; and other DVD-kiosk makers, the answer seems to be yes. The vending machine-like kiosks first appeared in the U.S. in 2004 and in Arizona in 2006. The machines since have ballooned to more than 10,000 locations nationwide and about 500 locations in the Phoenix area, in groceries and stores such as Walgreens, Safeway and Circle K.
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Tuesday, 22 July 2008
ePaynews.com: Third-party processor TransferOrbit will provide money transfer transaction processing for Tu-Dnero, a promoter of Mexican social and cultural events in the United States.
Tu-Dnero (pronounced 'tu dinero,' or 'your money') provides financial services at dances and concerts for Mexicans living in the U.S. Around 1.5 million people attend these events, where Tu-Dnero provides kiosks that offer financial services such as prepaid phone cards, check-cashing and money transfers to Latin America.
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Tuesday, 22 July 2008
The Newham (London) Recorder: Three futuristic kiosks that will help people get health information at the touch of a button have been launched in Newham. The free-to-use Wellpoint kiosks, which have been installed in three community centers around the borough, are interactive and use touchscreen technology to provide a personal reading of height, weight, body mass index, body fat percentage, heart rate and blood pressure.
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Tuesday, 22 July 2008
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Source Technologies, a provider of integrated solutions for secure print transactions and self-service kiosks, has opened an international sales office in the United Kingdom and appointed John Durnford as vice president of international sales.
According to a news release, the sales office will support the company's international sales efforts.
"Having representation in Europe, the Middle East and Asia allows Source Technologies to gain a closer view of how the rest of the world is doing business," said William Bouverie, chief executive. "As well as expanding our sales efforts, this global resource will give us a fresh perspective and make us a more dynamic company overall."
Source Technologies' product lines include specialized magnetic ink character recognition printers, consumables and software for printing checks and other paper disbursements, secure document printers and software for printing time- and information-sensitive documents, and transactional and interactive families of kiosks and software for self-service and retail applications.
Tuesday, 22 July 2008
StorefrontBacktalk: Staples' Canadian operation is undergoing one if its largest pilots ever, testing two-way live-video kiosks at 34 of its locations. The kiosks remotely control hardware, scanners and payment-authorization devices. The experiment is expected to continue through early 2009. If fully deployed, much of the cost will be spent on software licensing from Experticity, which offers the software behind the two-way kiosk project.
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Monday, 21 July 2008
Erie (Pa.) Times-News: Erie residents wanting a closer glimpse into the lives of famous figures from the city's past soon will have their chance. The first Erie Hall of Fame kiosk will be unveiled Tuesday. It will be located on the second floor of the Blasco Library at 160 E. Front St. The kiosk, which is about eight feet tall, houses a high-definition display screen and a touchscreen control device, provides access to video clips, photographs and documents about the first five members of the city's "Hall of Fame."
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Monday, 21 July 2008
The New Zealand Herald: The self-service, Parisian bike-for-hire — the velib' — was intended mostly for short rides when it was introduced 12 months ago. More than 3,000 of the sturdy grey bicycles have gone missing since then. Some have turned up as far away as Romania and, according to one report, Australia. Another 3,000 have been deliberately destroyed or damaged. But the 16,000 bikes in circulation have proved extremely popular.
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SEE ALSO: 'SmartBike' rental kiosks to be deployed in Alburquerque
Monday, 21 July 2008
The (U.K.) Guardian: HMV, a provider of entertainment media, is extending to its stores in the United Kingdom a value-added, tax-avoidance system that it currently operates solely through the group's Web site, which is based offshore. The move will offer shoppers discounts and free delivery on out-of-stock titles, at the expense of Treasury coffers. The retailer is planning to install instore "HMV Delivers" kiosks in its 250 stores. Customers will be able to place orders for CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray Discs and console games and avoid the 17.5 percent VAT charged on conventional in-store purchases.
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Friday, 18 July 2008
(Bangor, Maine) WLVZ-TV, Channel 2: This summer, Kaiser Permanente, one of the largest healthcare organizations in the country, expects to roll out 90 self-service kiosks in 60 of its medical clinics. The kiosks are designed to do almost everything a receptionist can do, but most patients recently surveyed at one office ignored it. "I still do like the human factor. I like going up to the desk, being greeted by a person and not a machine," said Joe Freitas, a patient at Kaiser Permanente.
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Friday, 18 July 2008
The Albuquerque (N.M.) Journal: At a time when gas prices are reaching record highs, the city of Albuquerque, N.M., is negotiating a contract that would make a fleet of hundreds of "SmartBike" bicycles available for rent via self-service kiosks provided by Clear Channel Outdoor. The proposal would make the Albuquerque deployment the largest SmartBike program in the country. Mayor Martin Chávez estimates the project will make between 420 and 600 bicycles available throughout the city, starting next year.
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Friday, 18 July 2008
DAYTON, Ohio — NCR Corp. has announced a licensing deal with Columbus, Ohio-based e-Play LLC to add "bare-disc" technology to its existing self-service portfolio, expanding consumer self-service options for the delivery of digital entertainment.
According to a news release, the new platform allows bare-movie or game discs to be vended and returned, without cases or sleeves, and offers the option of checking discs for quality.
The technology presents added revenue opportunities for retailers and other enterprises through kiosks that can each inventory up to 4,200 discs in a few square feet. The technology also creates a better experience for consumers, NCR says, by improving access to merchandise and providing a self-service option for buying, selling and trading used media, and offering a large number of titles from which to choose.
NCR plans to integrate e-Play's bare-disc technology into its NCR Xpress Entertainment portfolio, which includes a multichannel software platform — allowing consumers to interact via the Internet, mobile devices or kiosks — and hardware options ranging from DVD-vending to digital-download kiosks.
Planned future enhancements include support for other types of digital media.
"The e-Play technology is a great complement and addition to the NCR Xpress Entertainment portfolio, which we launched earlier this year," said Bill Nuti, NCR chairman and chief executive. "This agreement will further expand our portfolio of self-service-entertainment solutions to include bare-disc as well as packaged DVD media."
Friday, 18 July 2008
BOSTON — Modiv Media has released the newest generation of in-store media delivery and self-service shopping, melding advanced behavioral and contextual media targeting capabilities to provide real-time offer and promotional message delivery. Modiv Shopper 5.0 and Modiv MediaHub 1.0 are now using Microsoft Atlas AdManager to enable the delivery of media to retail customers based on in-store activity, including basket contents and in-aisle location.
Modiv Shopper delivers relevant media to shoppers through a wireless handheld self-service scan-and-bag solution. Modiv MediaHub is the campaign management and analytics solution powering media delivery to multiple touch points enabled by Modiv's solutions. By integrating Microsoft's ad-serving technologies into Modiv MediaHub, Modiv Shopper expands its targeting opportunities to include media based on real-time activity in-store. This augments the highly relevant 1:1 offer delivery based on shopping and redemption history, which has propelled the Modiv Shopper solution to its early successes at Stop & Shop supermarkets.
For example, a shopper buying hot dogs can now be delivered a message to "remember to buy the ketchup" or every shopper walking down the carbonated beverages aisle before the big game can be offered a savings for cola or chips. These new capabilities give brands an unprecedented opportunity to communicate at the moment of decision with a grocery shopper while significantly improving the self-service shopping experience for the customer.
"Companies such as Modiv Media are engaging retail shoppers in new and innovative ways, introducing a way for advertisers and agencies to communicate with target audiences at the moment of decision in highly relevant and measurable ways," said Scott Ferris, general manager of the Advertiser and Publisher Solutions Group at Microsoft. "Microsoft is committed to working with companies like Modiv Media who create these new opportunities to help advertisers and agencies quickly build their brand and product sales."
Friday, 18 July 2008
The Red Tape Chronicles: Does the success of self-service spell the end of customer service? Bob Sullivan, a blogger who covers Internet scams and consumer fraud for MSNBC.com, takes a look at the retail store of the future and wonders whether store associates even will be necessary.
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Wednesday, 16 July 2008
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Tuesday, 15 July 2008
V. Miller Newton knows the excitement of an industry that's about to take off.
In 1996, long before anyone had heard of YouTube or Facebook, Newton was the executive vice president of sales and marketing for TMP Worldwide, a global communications company that had inadvertently acquired rights to an online recruitment site called The Monster Board, now Monster.com.
"We almost shut the Monster Board down because it was a free Web site," Newton said. "It wasn't revenue-producing. It wasn't a commercial site. But the founder convinced the management team of TMP Worldwide to keep it open."
The chief executive of TMP ordered Newton to create a working business model to jumpstart the site and ensure its profitability. Newton's solution: Charge employers $50 to post their openings.
Because, in part, of Newton's leadership, Monster.com grew from no revenue and only eight employees in 1996 to about 250 employees and revenue of $45 million just more than two years later.
"It was a crazy, wild time," Newton said.
Now, more than a decade later, Newton says his eyes are on another industry · one that he believes is on the verge of taking off in a number of verticals.
In April, Newton was elected president of the Self-Service & Kiosk Association.
Heir to the throne
Newton, who left TMP Worldwide to eventually become the chief executive of Netkey Inc., replaced outgoing SSKA president Alex Richardson, who has assumed the presidency of the Digital Technology Alliance.
And Newton is quick to point out that he never sought out the SSKA presidency. In a sense, he says, he stumbled into it.
"I laugh about it, but I missed an executive committee call and my peers on the committee suggested, and talked about, nominating me for president," he said. "I got a call from Dick Good, chairman of the association, and he said, 'This is what happened. Are you interested?'"
And the rest is history, Newton said.
Newton has been a proponent of SSKA from the beginning.
In addition to case studies, articles and industry reports, Newton touts the benefit SSKA members get from having access to a community of vendors and deployers, all of whom have experienced triumph and defeat in self-service deployments.
"Learning from history and from people who have been doing this a lot longer than me was an important part of me joining the association," he said.
Recruitment strategies
Newton sees his role as president as one that should be used to promote self-service technology to retailers and vertical industries that haven't considered using it in the past.
And he expects to initiate his promotion on two fronts.
First, the association must strive to demonstrate the positive effect self-service technology can have on a deployer's bottom line, Newton says.
"I think it's important that we communicate the value and ROI of self-service in the marketplace," he said. "It's an extremely important initiative for companies, in terms of better service at a lower cost."
Second, the association should be helping the end-market understand how self-service technology benefits the consumer, by shortening wait times and offering consumers more control over their own shopping experiences.
"I think companies today compete on customer experience, and self-service is a part of that," Newton said.
A successful example of this, he says, are self-service kiosks developed by both KIOSK Information Systems and Netkey and deployed at Cabela's retail stores for outdoor enthusiasts. The kiosks allow users to search through various catalogs and then help users find the products they're looking for.
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"Self-service has really become mainstream, both for the deployer and also for the consumer. They expect it today. I'd like to have a voice and take an active role in making the industry what I think it can be."
- V. Miller Newton
SSKA President
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"It's less about the e-commerce transaction and it's all about the customer experience," Newton said. "I think those are really interesting projects."
Some industry verticals are just now tapping the potential that self-service can offer. One in particular, Newton says, is the healthcare industry, which is exploring the ramifications of the recently unveiled EyeSite kiosk.
The EyeSite kiosk, developed by KIOSK and Netkey, and deployed by SoloHealth, is a self-service kiosk that administers eye exams to users. The kiosk received accolades during the Kiosk Awards show in April.
"Self-service healthcare, I think, could be huge," Newton said.
That kind of self-service innovation is what Newton expects to promote through the association.
Working in tandem
One of the issues Newton sees on the horizon is the rapid convergence of self-service technology and digital signage. Many self-service deployers are now including digital signage as part of their solutions. Newton says the two industries have mutual · rather than competing · interests.
"The lines between self-service and digital signage are rapidly blurring, and I think it's a good thing," Newton said. "I think it affects the messages that we communicate as an industry and how many of our members go to market. The association needs to be really cognizant of these changes and we need to react accordingly."
He says he looks forward to working with Richardson and the Digital Technology Alliance to explore ways of combining the influence of the two associations to further their mutual interests.
Important things
But Newton's life consists of more than just best practices, kiosk deployments and advisory-board meetings. He also enjoys spending time with his two daughters, Quincy, 12, and Nia, 10.
"We do a lot of fun stuff together," Newton said. "There's nothing more important in this world than the life of a child, so that's kind on my top-priority list."
Newton also enjoys playing golf, biking and learning how to play the guitar, so he can strum his favorite country music hits.
"I think I've got eight gigabytes of country music on my iPod and not much else," he said.
SEE ALSO: V. Miller Newton
Tuesday, 15 July 2008
CHICAGO — ADFLOW Networks, provider of Web-hosted digital-signage and interactive-kiosk solutions, has partnered with Shopguard, a manufacturer of electronic surveillance systems, to develop trigger technology for tethering products.
According to a news release, the two companies are working to standardizing the interface, for any application that connects to tethers, through all vertical markets, eliminating the need to customize applications.
Continuous enhancements are being made to the trigger technology, the companies say, which will enable connectivity not only to phones, but other devices such as cameras and camcorders, from in-store kiosks.
The technology is expected to enable consumers to experience video-playback samplings, detailed information about specific features, as well as information comparisons for displayed items.
"With our combined expertise, we are developing a streamlined process of bringing trigger technology to the tether," said Dan Kozyra, director of technology solutions for ADFLOW. "We are working together to enhance this technology for interactive kiosks."
Tuesday, 15 July 2008
ABERDEEN, N.C. — Darien Lake Theme Park Resort has selected Meridian Kiosks for its Orange County Choppers promotional giveaway.
The promotion focuses on the park's new thrill ride, the Orange County Chopper MotoCoaster. As part of its partnership with the park, OCC built a custom chopper inspired by Darien Lake, which was featured on an episode of American Chopper. Darien Lake Theme Park Resort guests will have the opportunity to win an exclusive Orange County Choppers production bike, painted with a unique Darien Lake design, by entering information on the Meridian Enterprise kiosks.
"We are excited to partner with Darien Lake Theme Park Resort as we present resort guests with an opportunity to win a custom OCC bike," said David Annas, vice president of operations for Meridian Kiosks. "From wayfinding to food ordering and ticketing kiosks, the theme park industry presents a multitude of options for self-service solutions."
Monday, 14 July 2008
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Employee-facing self-service is on the rise, and more self-service devices will be managed centrally in the next several years.
Those are two findings published in a recent webinar, Serving the New Consumer Through Self Service, hosted by IBM and Self-Service World (like this site, published by NetWorld Alliance).
Norma Wolcott, an IBM business-line executive of consumer-service solutions, and Chris Fletcher, research director for AMR Research, conducted the webinar, which offered self-service players tips on conducting industry interviews, delivering compelling self-service information to end-users and engaging consumers in innovative ways.
Based on the findings of a recent AMR Research survey and IBM's experience in the consumer-service market, Wolcott and Fletcher discussed emerging operational best practices to enhance the shopping experience. The pair also touched on current and future use of self-service selling tools, such as kiosks, digital signage, and mobile devices; software applications that are driving investments; cross-industry dynamics driving consumer expectations; and customer examples of successful implementations.
The webinar presented several new industry statistics:
- 68 percent of retailers will have employee-facing portable devices in place by the end of 2010, with an average of 16 devices installed in each store — a four-fold increase from today.
- Only 61 percent of retailers, however, will have deployed consumer-facing portable devices by the end of 2010. Department stores are the exception, in that they are expected to continue using portable devices in the form of gift registry.
- 40 percent of retailers plan to increase self-service spending in 2008 by an average of 17 percent.
- 64 percent of self-service applications will be managed centrally by the end of 2010.
- 72 percent of retailers will provide Web site access within their stores via self-service by the end of 2010.
- 79 percent of retailers say they will have least one kiosk in place for use by the end of 2010, and 49 percent of store locations will have kiosks, nearly double today’s percentage.
Deployment of digital displays also is booming. By 2010, 75 percent of retailers are expected to have digital displays, averaging six per store, commanding a presence in 41 percent of all U.S. store locations.
Go here to view the webinar.
Monday, 14 July 2008
The Times Of India: In an effort to make the city of Jaipur, India, more tourist friendly, the government is setting up touchscreen kiosks at tourist hotspots. The kiosks will initially be installed at 15 important locations that also are Wi-Fi-enabled. Eventually kiosks are expected to be deployed throughout the state. The kiosks will contain comprehensive details with inbuilt GIS location maps, as well as online information about hotels, important routes in the cities, tourist vehicles and normal tariffs.
Read more
Friday, 11 July 2008
TORRANCE, Calif. — Seiko Instruments USA Inc.'s thermal-printer division has introduced three kiosk printers to its APU-9000 line.
According to a news release, the kiosk printers are ideal for indoor and outdoor deployments, and ensure easier integration in retail, self-checkout, healthcare, hospitality and banking self-service applications.
The new printers have an output of 250 mm/sec print speeds, a minimum 150 kilometers total output, and more than 1 million cuts.
They also support extreme temperatures, from -20C to +60C, and offer a choice of 2-, 3-, and 4-inch print-width models. Measuring 5.5 inches wide by 6.5 inches deep and 5.2 inches high, the small footprint is designed for easy integration. The printers offer 203 dpi resolution, accommodate a wide range of media thicknesses, and can operate as a ticket or receipt printer.
USB, serial and parallel connectivity are supported.
"These new high-performance kiosk printers demonstrate our commitment to providing innovative solutions for the growing self-service sector," said Kaz Onishi, vice president and general manager of Seiko Instruments USA.
Wednesday, 09 July 2008
The Jackson (Tenn.) Sun: Poplar Corner Service Station in Jackson, Tenn. is one of a dwindling number left in the United States that offers full service. The service station remains a throwback to the past, a place where people can get their cars filled with gasoline by employees who also check the oil levels and tires and clean the windshield. With the influx of self-service gas stations, however, stations like Poplar Corner will soon be a thing of the past.
Read more
Wednesday, 09 July 2008
PADERBORN, Germany — Computer Warehouse Group, the hardware subsidiary of CWL Systems, and Wincor Nixdorf International have unveiled automated check and cash deposits at self-service terminals in retail bank branches.
According to a news release, the same Wincor Nixdorf systems can handle cash — identifying both notes and coins.
The Wincor Nixdorf automated deposit terminals automate cash and check deposits.
"Both banking and retailing are moving toward greater automation of commodity tasks, and using the cost savings to provide enhanced customer service," said Isabel Nitz, Wincor Nixdorf’s regional director.
Tuesday, 08 July 2008
Looking at the modern skyscrapers of Shanghai from a tour boat on the Huangpu River, it's hard to believe that China still is considered a developing nation. However, the permeation of bicycles as a major mode of transportation and street vendors selling fruit from baskets they carry using bamboo poles reminds one of the juxtaposition of this city, also known as the Paris of the East.
Our tour guide told us of a saying that goes something like this: If you want to see the last 100 years of China, you go to Shanghai; if you want to see the last 1,000 years of China, you go to Beijing.
So perhaps it was fitting that contemporary Shanghai was the site of the 2008 China International Self-Service & Kiosk Show, or China Kiosk Show, for short.
The China Kiosk Show, in its second year, organized by Shanghai-based Tiansheng Exhibition Service Co., was co-located with the China Vending Show, which was in its fifth year. Click here to see a slideshow of the event.
The show featured more than 50 exhibitors, with about 25 percent in the kiosk business and about 75 percent in vending. But with touchscreens incorporated into vending machines and companies like MEI, ICT and JCM displaying components applicable to both kiosks and vending machines, the line between the two shows gets a little blurry.
Jiang Zhang and Chris Lian of Tianshen Exhibition Service Co. expressed their optimism of the future growth of the show's kiosk component. They said that kiosks still are fairly new in most of China, but that the government has shown support of kiosk technology as part of China's bright future.
While it was the first time for the Self-Service & Kiosk Association to participate in the show, it was the third year for the Worldwide Vending Association and NAMA, the U.S. vending association.
During the 3rd China International Self-Service Summit, the conference portion of the event, Randy Parks of NAMA shared his tips for success in the vending industry to a packed room of about 100 people. Presentations during the Summit mostly were given in English, with Chinese interpretation. Since the interpretation was done by a woman sitting in the front row with a microphone, speakers had to pace their speeches in such a way to allow for translation.
Each kiosk exhibitor we spoke to told us that they sell their products globally or were interested in global sales, rather than simply focusing on the Chinese market, indicating that this was not just a show for Chinese buyers. While we met many companies from China, we also met exhibitors from Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States.
"It has similarities and differences to the earliest shows we attended this decade," said Bob Fincher, an executive vice president of NetWorld Alliance (publisher of this Web site), who attended the show. "There is all the enthusiasm, there is all the innovation and the emotional commitment and momentum that we have ever experienced in the earlier days in the self-service and kiosk industry in the United States, in terms of the maturity of the technology and the quality and beauty of the exhibits. The kiosk and self-service industry in China has gone further and faster, and that the pace is quickening."
The China Kiosk Show will be held once again June 22-24, 2009, at Shanghai Mart.
Like the skyscrapers in Shanghai, climbing higher and higher, the kiosk industry in China also seems to be on its way up.
Tuesday, 08 July 2008
NEW YORK — Big Apple Worldwide Inc., a holding company focused on serving the hospitality, leisure and retail market, has announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Big Apple Wallcovering, has released the newest version of its "No More Books" software for e-commerce and retail sales.
According to a news release, the new software version puts Big Apple Wallcovering in a position to market its technology to retailers interested in selling products through self-service and online channels.
Licenses of the upgraded "No More Books" technology are being marketed to other home décor manufacturers and resellers. The new version has been modified to improve the shopping cart operation, make more products available through a more powerful search engine.
The "No More Books" kiosk program was created to eliminate the need for heavy, expensive sample books that wallcovering manufacturers have used for years. Big Apple Wallcovering has placed the kiosks, which take up only 4 square feet of space, in retail outlets around the United States, selling wallcoverings from various manufacturers.
"We see this new technology as a potential revenue generator to drive our company forward,'" said Neal Jablon, president of Big Apple Worldwide Inc.
Tuesday, 08 July 2008
Washington Post: While Brill's Verified Identity Pass is the dominant player in the new registered traveler industry, with kiosks in many major airports to register new members, new startup Fast Lane Option (FLO), is targeting itinerant businessmen for its kiosk-lined, fast-pass airport security service. While the two companies are quick to point out each other’s faults, the market will determine the winner.
Read more
Tuesday, 08 July 2008
Infolink.com: Americans lose up to one hour per day waiting in line, which increases the pressure to boost productivity through multitasking. Students at colleges and universities are experiencing the same phenomenon, leading campuses to seek applications that increase convenience — including a more efficient check-in process, since check-in is often an exhausting task that can overwhelm staff and students alike.
Read more
Tuesday, 08 July 2008
St. Louis Business Journal: Macy's is ready to Zoom. The country's largest department store chain, with 800 stores nationwide, including eight in the St. Louis, Mo., area, has decided to more than double its bet on automated retail. Macy's will install more than 250 new Zoomsystems kiosks, which it dubs e-Spots, in stores around the country.
Read more
Monday, 07 July 2008
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Wednesday, 02 July 2008
Video Business: Redbox, the largest U.S. operator of movie-rental kiosks, delayed filing its prospectus for a planned public offering after the stock markets had their worst second quarter in six years. The company, whose investors also include McDonald’s, looked to take advantage of its leadership position in a kiosk industry predicted to surge as movie-rental chain stores cut units.
Read more
Tuesday, 01 July 2008
The self-service industry soon will have a library of documents to guide manufacturers and deployers toward higher-quality kiosk deployments.
In July, the Self-Service & Kiosk Association expects to release 10 best practices, each focusing on a facet of self-service design or deployment. Those documents will be available to association members for free download from SelfService.org.
The best practices cover topics related to the self-service industry, ranging from enclosures to system security.
The release marks the culmination of more than a year's worth of research and discussion among members of the SSKA's Best-Practices Committee, chaired by David Oles, senior vice president of research and development for Dai Nippon Photo Imaging America Corp.
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The SSKA Best Practices Library:
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- Best Practices for Kiosk Enclosures
- Best Practices for Photo Kiosks
- Best Practices for Power Protection of Electronic Kiosks
- Best Practices for Remote Monitoring
- Best Practices for Digital Media Rollout
- Best Practices for Touchscreen Selection
- Best Practices: Top Mistakes of Kiosk Deployment
- Best Practices: Self-Service Customer Experience
- Best Practices: Kiosk Acceptance and Managing Change
- Best Practices for System Security
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Oles says the committee, formed in late 2006, was established to create guidelines for quality control in the self-service industry, guidelines that could be continuously updated as technology changes.
Oles and fellow committee member Mike Honkomp, director of new market development for Electronic Systems Protection Inc., agreed to pen the first two documents. Other SSKA members have been solicited to write the rest.
"We started soliciting member companies based on their area of expertise," Oles said. "For example, when we wanted something about kiosk enclosures, we looked to the membership to see who was in the business of designing and manufacturing enclosures. We took that approach for each of the topics we had."
A deployer's perspective
Oles says the documents can benefit anyone in the industry, but should be of particular interest to deployers.
"If I'm looking to deploy a kiosk solution, this is information that I can review and that I can use as somewhat of a checklist to make sure that my supplier, whether the supplier is already chosen or whether they're at the bid process, is making a solution that is really following best-practices in an industry," he said.
At the same time, Oles says manufacturers can use the best practices as guidelines to managing total product quality.
The information included in each of the documents provides specific actions the manufacturer and deployer can take to improve the quality of their deployment, says Frank Olea, vice president of Olea Exhibits and Displays Inc. For instance, the "Best-Practices for Kiosk Enclosures" provides guidance for choosing enclosures with the appropriate materials, packaging and safety and Americans with Disabilities Act certifications.
"No matter what the kiosk design looks like, those particular items need to be in there," Olea said.
Living, breathing documents
The best-practices guidelines have been queried several companies, giving each topic thought and vetting, Oles says.
With the release of the first 10 best-practices documents, Oles says the association is putting a "stake in the ground" toward its commitment to continuous improvement in the self-service industry. He expects the publications to generate some debate.
"We fully understand that, once we publish these documents, we're going to receive feedback," he said. "There's probably going to be some things that are incomplete and we may have some areas where people are going to think that we overreached in terms of best practices. So our idea is to have these be living, breathing documents."
Oles says plans are underway to create an e-mail address where readers can suggest changes or provide additional insight. More importantly, he hopes more SSKA members will step forward with ideas for additional best-practices documents after the first 10 are published.
"I think we're going to do another set of brainstorming discussions to try to expand on our topic list," Oles said. "We just want to get to where we feel like we've got a complete set that covers what really will provide a benefit to our members."
David Drain, executive director of the association, expressed his approval.
"I really appreciate the diligence that David and Mike have had to accomplish our goal of publishing 10 best practices documents," Drain said. "I think these documents are going to be particularly helpful to someone starting out and will be another important reason to be an SSKA member."
Tuesday, 01 July 2008
RICHARDSON, Texas — Fujitsu Transaction Solutions Inc. introduced the Hypermarket U-Scan Genesis Payment Station, which combines in-person customer service with self-service convenience.
The concept joins the U-Scan Genesis Payment Station with Fujitsu’s iPAD handheld mobile computer, along with any standard checkout conveyor belt, to separate customer transactions into two components — scanning and payment.
The capability lets customers unload items from their carts onto the cashier-operated conveyor; the cashier then scans items using an iPAD or an integrated Metrologic scanner/scale; and the items are passed to a collection area for bagging. Concurrently, the customer tenders payment at the U-Scan Genesis Payment Station, thus allowing the next customer to unload his or her items.
"Already deployed in Hypermarkets across Europe, the Fujitsu U-Scan Genesis Payment Station concept moves customers through the checkout at a faster rate, thus reducing queues. When customers spend less idle time waiting in line and can get to the conveyor belt to unload items, the perceived time spent waiting in line is dramatically reduced, which improves customer satisfaction," said Marc Janssens, vice president of international sales at Fujitsu Transaction Solutions. "This innovative combination of self-service technology, mobile handheld devices and traditional checkout conveyor belts offers a unique hybrid approach that maintains face-to-face cashier customer interaction, while fully automating the tendering portion of the transaction."
Cashiers do not have to manage tills, thus eliminating common cash overages/shortages, till counting and downtime associated when additional lanes are opened by back-up cashiers. Also, with the cashier focusing more on the itemization process and the customer, both on-hand inventory accuracy and customer service are positively affected.
In addition, this concept allows retailers to deploy fewer checkout lanes overall, and when complemented by U-Scan self-checkout systems for small- to medium-sized baskets, it offers increased self–service quality, high throughput and faster recovery times.
Tuesday, 01 July 2008
ATLANTA — MyPhotopipe.com Inc., a Web-based online provider of digital photo processing and related services, has announced that new industry data shows the number of prints made from digital photos continued to grow at double-digit percentage rates during April 2008, and that growth in online ordering continues to outpace all other methods of ordering prints, including in-store kiosks and other retail models.
The report, The U.S. Photo Industry 2008 Review and Forecast, was released last week by the Photo Marketing Association. The group is a trade organization of photo manufacturers and retailers.
According to the report, the number of prints made from digital photos increased 19 percent in April 2008 vs. prior-year levels, while online ordering with home delivery rose 37 percent. The share-of-market for online ordering with mail delivery grew to 16.5 percent, or about one out of every six prints made from digital images. Kiosks were flat at 14.8 percent, the second consecutive month where they fell behind online.
"Photography has interlocking links that spread across the Web in ways that keep people on their computers and within the Internet like no other retail product," said L. Douglas Keeney, chief executive of myPhotopipe.com Inc. "Photography has become more computer- and online-centric than most people realize."
Tuesday, 01 July 2008
Huliq News: TIO Networks, a self-service bill payment and financial services network, has released its financial results for the period ending April 2008. According to a release, the number of revenue generating transactions increased 27 percent to 1,415,220, compared to 1,114,860 for the same period last year, and improved by 36,817 transactions, or 3 percent, over the previous quarter. Total recurring revenue for the quarter, including transaction services and maintenance/licensing services revenue, increased 3 percent and accounted for $3,441,953, or 98 percent, of total revenue, compared to $3,355,835, or 92 percent, for the quarter ended April 30, 2007.
Read more
Tuesday, 01 July 2008
TORONTO, Ontario — ADFLOW Networks, a provider of Web-hosted digital signage and interactive kiosk solutions, has announced that it has provided Koodo Mobile, Canada’s newest mobile service provider, with the latest in interactive kiosk and digital media software technology for their Koodo Mobile retail locations across Ontario.
 Mike Drennan, director of retail store operations for Koodo Mobile, said the Koodo launch has surpassed their initial expectations.
"Our customers love the interactive kiosks and our sales representatives are using them as a sales aid," he said. "ADFLOW’s adaptable interactive kiosk technology provides us with a sound solution that involves our customers from initial engagement through to the transaction process."
Targeting the youth market, Koodo Mobile envisioned a captivating and enticing sales-driven customer shopping experience within their retail locations that would connect to this younger demographic. Koodo Mobile’s interactive kiosks feature easy-to-use touchscreens which engage consumers at the point of purchase, informing and educating shoppers on products, services and promotions.
To support this new brand launch, Koodo Mobile commissioned ADFLOW Networks to provide their patented Dynamic Messaging System with interactive touchscreens, content triggering system and LED reader board integration, within newly designed in-mall sales kiosks.
"Digital media is a key enabler for customer engagement," said Wayne Ruttle, vice president of sales, national accounts for ADFLOW Networks. "Customers can select a mobile device at the workstation and then interact with a touchscreen that informs and educates them regarding the many product features, plans and promotions available for that specific mobile device or service. Once a decision has been made, an on-site sales representative can assist in completing the sales transaction. Customers want to shop this way and retailers want to sell this way — it is a win-win for both."
Furthermore, through these new customer-centric information stations, Koodo Mobile has the ability to enhance the total shopping experience, quickly react to market changes in rate plans and pricing models and provide their customers with the latest mobile products and services. Interactive content is centrally updated and broadcast remotely to all networked screens and kiosks via ADFLOW’s latest content management software.
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