Circle-K to expand payment kiosk networks

Straight from the Canadian PR newsroom, eh?

Circle K Stores Inc. and Info Touch Technologies Corp. jointly announced in a news release a new multi-year agreement to continue to grow the Zaplink program not only in the number of locations, but also in terms of the services provided.

Zaplink is Circle K’s branded self-service kiosk that gives c-store patrons the ability to pay wireless, cable, utility and other bills in cash, purchase prepaid products and services, transfer money, browse the Internet and perform a variety of other functions.

Circle K and Info Touch have developed a recurring revenue model, driven primarily by customer-funded transaction fees mainly from bill-pay applications. In July 2005, Circle K customers engaged in more than 75,000 Zaplink transactions. Info Touch is working to add new billers, pre-paid products and other financial services to serve more of Circle K’s customers’ needs.

Find it at this link.

City hall kiosks provide tangible benefits

As KioskMarketplace says, "Government kiosks can do more than just accept payments — a large number of municipal services, from library book renewal to fishing license sales, make sense as kiosk applications."

They then talk about a program in Denton, TX put in place to handle the extra services they needed to provide as the city expanded: "The Denton program involved two kiosks, the first of which was placed in the police department and collects payments via credit card only. The second, placed in the mall, accepts cash and checks in addition to credit cards, and has generated much more activity. "We will be replacing the police department device with one that accepts cash and check, and we expect our collections from that device to increase correspondingly," [Denton director of technology services Alex] Pettit said.

"Flexibility of payment method is particularly important in a town like Denton, which is home to two universities, Texas Woman’s University and the University of North Texas. "It is not uncommon for two (roommates) to go to the kiosk, one pay half of their (utility) bill with cash and the other write a check for the other half," he said."

The rest of the article is pretty interesting, and shows how a simple application like bill payment services can be provided as a public service via an interactive kiosk.

ACOM announces kiosk solution for chiropractors

Given the amount of time that medical office staff need to devote to filling out forms these days, it would seem that any innovation that can automate part of the process should do well in the market. Thus comes this new kiosk software product from ACOM, specifically for chiropractors' offices:

"According to ACOM vice president Gregory T. Church, patient registration in the kiosk module is set up with personal information (name, address, age, gender, etc.) by front-office staff over the phone or on the first visit, after which all information is input directly by the patient through check-boxes that progress automatically through multiple screens in a tree-like structure. Initiating the session by touching "Start," the patient first answers the question, "What brings you to our office?" The response indicates the reason for the visit, which automatically places him/her in the appropriate session sequence: Initial, Daily or Final."

"'The kiosk module is designed to save time and labor for the front office staff, to expedite the patient visit, and also to establish a high level of patient participation in the treatment process,' Church said. 'Doctors have told us that this module will be extremely useful in streamlining both the professional and business sides of their practices, and we’re proud to make it a cornerstone of our latest version of RAPID.'"

The rest of the article can be found here, at KioskMarketplace.

Even more pharmacy kiosk news

On the heels of that last post comes even more news about pharmacy kiosks, this time from DrugMax Inc., a specialty pharmacy and drug distribution provider, who announced that they will be installing kiosks into Duane Reade pharmacies. From their PR:

"The electronic pharmacy kiosks will enable patients to scan their prescriptions and consult with the company's pharmacist or technician through a live interactive video conference. Following this consultation, patients will have the flexibility to schedule a pickup of their pharmaceuticals at any one of the company's 77 Familymeds and Arrow Pharmacy locations or to have their medication mailed or delivered to their home. The kiosks will be installed on medical campuses that DrugMax does not currently serve as well as in locations where the company has a pharmacy, but in a separate building."
...
"According to David Siegel, general manager of Duane Reade's kiosk business, 'DrugMax has taken the lead among all regional pharmacy chains in licensing and implementing the pharmacy kiosk machines to improve customer service and patient compliance. They should certainly be applauded. Pharmacy kiosk technology is where ATMs were 20 years ago. You used to need someone to help you to use an ATM and there are now over one million ATMs in operation. Based on our initial, real results, we believe the pharmacy kiosk will have a similar adoption rate.'"

Kmart to install prescription kiosks

Distributed Delivery Networks, whose webpage I am currently unable to find, has announced that it has installed kiosks into the pharmacy section of a New York Kmart (with the obvious intention of installing in the rest of the 1,000 Kmart locations after that). The kiosk dispenses pre-filled presecriptions to customers who swipe a credit card and prove their with a PIN code and electronic signature capture. From their news release (carried at KioskMarketplace):

"The dynamics of the retailing ecosystem have changed. It's not surprising that traditional retail point-of-sale has evolved beyond checkout. Adding self-service touch points throughout the store can help (stores) hold the line on payroll while improving customer convenience," said Paula Rosenblum, director of retail research at Aberdeen Group in a recent report entitled, "The Empowered Point of Service." "Planned technology deployments should help retailers achieve their strategies to create more customer-centric environments inside and outside the store. These technologies promise to maintain consistency in retailers' stated objectives of improving customer convenience and enhancing the customer experience."
...
"Kmart stands out in the retail market as a technology leader — employing a cutting edge-kiosk technology that improves customer service, while at the same time reducing store operating costs," said William Holmes, president of ddn. "We are very pleased to be partnering with Kmart on this exciting installation. Penn Station is a hub of busy commuters — a perfect location for consumers to take full advantage of this timesaving, error-avoiding technology. As more retailers begin to realize the numerous benefits of the APM technology, we are sure to see a major shift in the way refill prescriptions are dispensed."

FYE to deploy in-store music kiosks

Not sure where he found out about it, but Craig Keefner over at KIS tells us that music store FYE, "will offer a catalog of 1.2 million tracks, and deliver downloads for 99-cents each. On the subscription end, a tethered service is available for $8.99 a month, while a portable subscription option is offered for a $14.99 monthly fee.

The company will also be experimenting with in-store download kiosks, allowing customers to sample tracks and download them on the spot. The kiosk rollout is slated to begin next month."

You can read his blurb about it over here on his blog.

Music industry looks to kiosks to quell piracy

Further demonstrating that the music industry has no idea about how to actually add value to any process whatsoever, a group of 1,600 of them got together at this year's National Association of Recording Merchants convention to discuss business. Not able to figure out how to make money on online sales (like, say, Apple does), many instead came to the conclusion that CD-burning kiosks were the solution. From the article:

Some NARM panelists pointed to CD kiosks as a possible solution. These kiosks allow shoppers to buy and download music directly on to portable devices compatible with Windows Media Player 10. They also touted the potential of these kiosks to promote small-label indie artists and major-label acts alike, and spoke excitedly about offering customers live performances on disc the day after a concert has taken place, locally, regionally or nationally.

The kiosks could also offer favorite tracks of employees' and compilations of songs by popular artists, in addition to promoting songs by similar artists and offering songs before their official release. In addition, the kiosks can allow listeners to sample music before buying and downloading it.

But the panelists seemed unconcerned that these kiosks do not allow shoppers to download music onto iPods, which many consumers clearly favor for playing recorded music.

Nor did any panelists adequately address the fact that the kiosks are unlikely to attract young music fans, even while admitting that many young listeners prefer to acquire music from the Internet, legally or not, from the comfort of their homes or dorm rooms.

The rest of the article is here. Clearly they are going to need some help on the matter :)

KioskMarketplace looks at solid state storage options

James Bickers over at KioskMarketplace has written an article that does a nice job of explaining the current status of solid-state storage media in use in kiosks and industrial computing applications. The two most salient points (for me) were:

"One characteristic that makes solid-state memory such a powerful tool is that, unlike RAM, it does not require a power source in order to maintain data — unplug it, and the data remains in place. This means that hard drives built upon a solid-state storage mechanism can replace traditional "spinning wheel" drives."

and

"Hard drives are big, they can be noisy, and they generate a lot of heat — all things that are best avoided, and all things solved by using solid-state storage instead of a rotating drive."

Two things to think about when deploying devices out into the field.

Handheld Products introduces new WinCE kiosk

Hand Held Products is developing an interactive Windows CE 5.0 based "mini kiosk" for retail applications. The company says it expects to launch the Image Kiosk 8560 at the Self-Service and Kiosk tradeshow in San Francisco in October. The new device joins an earlier Windows-based model.

Hand Held says the 8560 allows retailers to "raise the customer shopping experience to new levels" by providing access to information, including on-screen feedback, quickly and efficiently. It uses the company's fourth generation Adaptus Imaging Technology to accurately scan a wide range of barcodes. The unit's 4.45 x 3.3 inch QVGA color LCD includes a resistive touchscreen with a field replaceable screen protector, which enables reliable self-service operation.

You can see a complete description here.

USA Technologies introduces cashless vending options

From KioskMarketplace:

"USA Technologies announced in a news release that its e-Port product is now compatible with ScanPlus, ARAMARK's proprietary stored-value card. The e-Port/ScanPlus integration now enables college students to purchase snacks or beverages from vending machines using their student ID card in addition to commercial debit and credit cards and cash.

"ARAMARK has installed the e-Port cashless technology in the vending program at the University of North Carolina Greensboro and the system will soon be introduced to Wake Forest University and other ARAMARK-managed campuses nationwide."

You can read the rest of the article here.

Conference on kiosk/ATM convergence

Greg Swistak, Executive Director of the Kiosks.Org Association, wrote a nice article on industry thoughts about the convergence of interactive kiosks and traditional ATMs. Here's a clip:

"According to [ATM company] Tranax chief operating officer Dr. Hansup Kwon, Tranax is committed both to developing a range of self-service terminals based on convergence and to developing a complete line of self-service products and solutions for them.

"'In exploring new markets with a view toward creating and delivering new products,' Kwon said, 'it wasn’t a matter of simply converging any and all functionality found on a kiosk with an ATM. We looked at the characteristics of an ATM — security, reliability, transaction-based, use of an EPP, cash dispensing etc. — and from there it was a matter of determining which self-service applications currently found on kiosks and other machines would be complimentary to the functionality an ATM provides, thereby creating a terminal that delivers true value.'

"In the case of ATM and kiosk convergence, it’s apparent that one plus one does not equal two, at least from a cost perspective. For a ticketing kiosk to provide ATM functionality, for example, many ATM components (the CPU, bill dispenser, card reader, printer and cash vault, etc.) would need to be duplicated. But conversely, for an ATM to provide ticketing functionality, ideally, it would be as simple as adding a few more components to the ATM, doubling its functionality for a fractional cost increase.

"Practically, converting ATMs to kiosk functionality has been done in a couple of ways: starting from scratch, or adding the necessary components in a box or sidecar attached to the ATM. The second option increases the width of the machine and provides a secure location to store the extra bits needed to complete the conversion from ATM to kiosk. As a case in point, the U.S. Postal Service’s Automated Postal Center kiosk was, at its genesis, an ATM."

You can read the rest of the article here.

PayKiosks Internet Terminals Opens International Office

PayKiosks Internet Terminals is rapidly expanding their network of Wi-Fi enabled public access Internet terminals throughout North America via an innovative distributorship program. These terminals offer high-speed Internet access to customers for a small fee payable by cash or credit card. In addition, each terminal creates a wireless (Wi-Fi) hotspot that can be accessed by customers with wirelessly enabled laptops or PDA's.

The demand for wireless Internet access has exploded over the past couple of years and PayKiosks allows entrepreneurial individuals the opportunity to profit from this new technology. "Where it once was optional, nearly every laptop that is currently manufactured is Wi-Fi enabled. Huge companies such as Intel, Microsoft and T-Mobile have invested billions into this technology. Our products allow our distributors to own and profit from managing their own network of wireless Internet terminals" said Scott McInnes, President of PayKiosks Internet Terminals.

You can read the full story here.

Self-service technology usage on the rise

nwitimes has a nice summary article on the bevy of self-service technologies that we use every day to streamline our lives. Here's a little taste:

"[M]ost of us who are comfortable with [self-service] technology seem to like it. People almost seem to prefer the automatic check-out lines at the grocery stores, for instance. And it can be more convenient to print out your own airline ticket at home or at the airport kiosk instead of waiting in long lines to deal with a human.

"Using our time differently (instead of waiting in line or on the phone for a customer rep) can save us time and save the company money.

"Companies even offer incentives for self-service. Many airlines and hotels give extra miles or points for online do-it-yourself booking. The incentive is there because if we do the work it lowers company labor costs, and miles and points are cheap compared to salaries and pension plans. Yet, if we prefer it, we can pick up the phone and talk to a person, assuming we can get through to one. It's freedom of choice and everybody can win."

Read the rest of the story here.

Shelf-front kiosks coming of age

James Bickers has a nice article at KioskMarketplace about shelf-mounted kiosks and the next generation of retail marketing technologies. From the article:

"A well-established kiosk application is the price look-up unit, usually mounted on a pole or end-cap. According to Nick Daddabbo, senior product manager for Skaneateles Falls, N.Y.-based Hand Held Products, there is no reason these devices cannot do much more than merely dispense prices – he said other great applications include inventory look-up, store mapping and wayfinding, loyalty card tracking, on-screen marketing and cross-selling.

"The opportunity to put multiple types of key buying information at the customer’s fingertips is really what makes these applications ‘killer,’" he said.

"Hand Held’s Image Kiosk unit does all of these things, and also can be modified to dispense custom coupons with the addition of a small form-factor printer."

You can read the rest of the article here.

Biometric Payment Methods Debut

From Convenience Store News:

"Customers at the Express Mart in Arnold, Mo., can pay for items using their fingertips now that the convenience store is equipped with BioPay. The store is the first in the state to offer this type of technology, the company reported.

"Express Mart LLC, a division of Home Service Oil Company, is a 10-store chain in the Jefferson County, Mo., area. They are branded Citgo and Phillips 66.

"BioPay uses a person's unique finger image and their chosen BioPay number (usually a phone number) to authorize a secured debit direct from their checking account. The one-time enrollment can be completed at any merchant that offers the biometric payment service and the entire process takes less than two minutes. Once enrolled, the customer can purchase in seconds with their finger at any BioPay payment location across the United States. The BioPay service is free to the consumer."

It's a pretty interesting concept, but I wonder how many people will be willing to trust an unknown third party with a database of their biometric information.

Read the rest of the article here.