Retail Automate

News - Robotic Yogurt Kiosk, first Bitcoin Vending machine, Coca Cola Digital Signage

KIOSK Information Systems (KIOSK) will be exhibiting their newest Multifunction Money Services platform at the 2014 NRF Big Show, Booth #4101. The solution provides a holistic approach to self-service with customizable full-feature hardware, software, remote management, and services

LAS VEGAS -- Amazon, the company that defined the world of online commerce, is venturing further into the world of physical retail -- experimenting with standalone, automated "Kindle Kiosk" vending machines in selected airports and shopping malls.

The machines sell everything from the $379 Kindle Fire HDX to a $20 Kindle PowerFast adapter, in addition to Kindle e-readers and covers. Powered by Zoom Systems

Wayne, NJ and Foothill Ranch, CA, January 9, 2014- PulseWallet, the innovative electronic transaction POS provider, will be demonstrating their ultra-secure, first-of-its-kind, cardless Point-of-Sale solution at CES International, January 7-10, 2014 in Las Vegas, N V.  PulseWallet's booth will be located in the Eureka Park section, level 1 of The Venetian, booth #73313.

MANTUA TOWNSHIP, N.J. -- Wawa Inc.'s recently announced plan to expand availability of automated lottery kiosks in New Jersey has Garden State mom-and-pop convenience retailers worried, reported NJ.com.

Gartner's 2013 Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies Maps Out Evolving Relationship Between Humans and Machines

Amazon got a lot of ink for its sci-fi drone delivery idea this week, but a more real and immediate robot effort underway in the Seattle retailer's warehouses could save it as much as $916 million a year, according to one analyst.

This is the  largest deployment of tablets in restaurants yet it would appear.

 Seen on LinkedIn and "liked".

Krebs takes a look at simple but effective skimmer tool being employed on modern POS devices. Krebs also has resource link on "All About Skimmers".  Covered as well is 3D printers and how exact they now work for skimmers.

Last week Apple stores suffered thru POS outage and were reduced to old style credit card machines according to Techcrunch. Similar outage supposedly hit NCR Silver.

Nov 4 (Reuters) - Dutch retailer RFS Holland Holding, which owns the wehkamp.nl online store, is to build what it says will be the world's largest automated online distribution centre, able to deliver 80,000 packages a day.

Analysis from Seeking Alpha on the battle between Amazon and Wal-Mart

C asey Carl of Target Stores explains how you win at showrooming.

Webinar on Cash in Self-Service and how it is used by your customers.

Discussion of strategies that retailers can take in the future to ensure their success.

T he global retail industry is developing at a high growth rate due to many reasons like increasing retailers' investment in the retail sector, high demand from the customer, increasing population, and so on. Retailers require advanced and developed systems to meet current market needs; such as reducing the operational costs for retail stores, obtaining accurate results during transactions and, fast processing in retailing. Retail automation, with its automated machines, is a solution for meeting all these needs.

With two national retailers, Staples (SPLS) and RadioShack (RSH), pulling the plug on Amazon.com's (AMZN) Locker program, it's easy to wonder why either decided to experiment in the first place.

The rumors have abounded for more than six months: unconfirmed whispers that Googlewill open up its own major chain of consumer retail stores. The company has dipped its toes into the retail waters with Chromebook-focused kiosks in the U.S. and the U.K. over the past few years, with installations inside larger retailers like Best Buy, Dixons, and Currys.

Last year, Google acquired Waterloo-based startup BufferBox, which provides  hipping locker service to make it easy to get things delivered reliably even when you're not sure where you'll be when they're arriving. The startup built its service on the idea that people never want to see another missed delivery door tag ever again, and began rolling out availability in Toronto, a big consumer market near its HQ last year.

Well known glogger takes on the challenge and explaining basis for Bitcoin and his doubts about it.

Staples Inc. (SPLS) and RadioShack Corp. (RSH) have removed Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) lockers from their stores about a year after starting the program as competition stiffens with the online retailer.

Each month, Business Solutions collects and sorts through all the relevant channel news so you don't have to. This month in Point Of Sale And Payment Processing, companies announce new products, new solutions, new collaborations -- and the PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) announces a preview of version 3.0 standards changes.

Nice writeup on how click-and-mortar have jumped ahead in ways past the pure online, and where pure online is still winning (barely).

A true robot would have mobility, vision, and a prehensile grasp like any primate. At the moment, there's no such machine out there.

As consumers shift many of their purchases online, will physical retail stores even have a reason to exist? That's the difficult question AT&T T +0.43% retail executives asked themselves two years ago as they began a process to redesign and reinvent all 2,300 company-owned retail store locations in North America. Today customers in La Grange, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, will be the first to experience a new concept store AT&T leaders believe reflects the future of retail. 

The automated station, featuring a rubber torso and a computer screen, measures the depth, compression rate and hand placement necessary to properly give someone CPR using only your hands.

From NRF Stores.org comes the 2013 top 100 list

The convergence of online and offline represents a big opportunity for retailers and brands that can see past the confusing threat of mobile showrooming.

The density of pedestrian traffic on the sidewalks of New York City make it an optimal place to grab attention with an eye catching or innovative store window display. For the NYC debut of their casual clothing and accessories line Kate Spade Saturday, the brand created four walk up shoppable interactive windows in formerly vacant retail stores.

Bitcoin has its first British boozer. The Pembury Tavern in Hackney, east London - as well as its sister pubs in Cambridge, Norwich and Peterborough - are now accepting the virtual currency.

Extended analysis of business case for Coinstar. Challenges and advantages...Even though t he next year or two Coinstar's (CSTR) subsidiary Redbox is projected to grow its kiosk business, the changing way people consume media has forced the company to incorporate the additional strategy of offering streaming video offerings to its existing and future customers.

The latest retail trends were discussed at the Bloomberg Next Big Thing Summit in Half Moon Bay this week, pulling the curtain back on a retail world where technology and old-fashioned brick and mortar come together to satisfy a consumers'   very need and whim. The Bay Area is on the frontline of this retail shake-up, with many companies testing new products and services here and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs leading the way in new retail technology.

After Years Giving Short Shrift to Web, Retailer Plays Catch-Up With Amazon

Asda upped the pace of its multichannel expansion with new online order kiosks and collection lockers in store as part of a trial.

BELLEVUE, WA -- Coinstar Inc. said it will seek approval to change its name to Outerwall Inc. at its stockholders meeting on June 27. The company's core businesses -- Redbox and Coinstar -- will retain their current brand names.

Noting that shipping online orders from its 520 stores is "cheaper and quicker," Dick's Sporting Goods CEO Edward Stack says the retailer is doing its best to maximize ship-from-store as a fulfillment method.

Google Chrome will now support managed public sessions

CORONA, Calif., April 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- AVT, Inc. (OTC Markets: AVTC) (www.autoretail.com), a technology leader in developing automated retailing systems, customized kiosks and micro-stores, announced that they have entered into a 10-year exclusive licensing agreement with Utique, Inc. - a San Francisco based innovator of retail automation technologies and operator of U*tique Shop automated stores. 

Google c ontinues to move beyond Internet search in the San Francisco area with a pilot program called Google Shopping Express. The project allows local residents to order items from participating retailers, including Toys "R" Us, Target, Walgreens, Staples, American Eagle Outfitters, Nob Hill Foods, Blue Bottle Coffee and more as well as items from multiple stores.

New Coi nstar Chief Executive Scott Di Valerio takes over the Bellevue-based company amid tough questions on Wall Street: Is Coinstar's all-important Redbox movie DVD business past its prime? And can its new Rubi coffee-vending machines succeed where others have failed?

April 8, 2013 - Ensuring package control through order placement, shipping, delivery, and notification to purchaser as well as shipper, parcel delivery system employs combination of bar code tracking, cellular technologies, RFID master access, and texting or emailing. System is specifically designed to meet needs of retailers and internet companies that deal with delivery of products through central pick up point.

"LEID Products' iLibrary System is an innovative approach to extending library hours and accessibility," said Sam Hoff, president, LEID Products. "The libraries of Kentucky have already recognized benefits of using LEID's self-service solutions. Seven library districts in the state have installed our systems in multiple locations to provide better access to library materials for their patrons."

NEW YORK --  Shares of Best Buy rose 16 percent Thursday after it announced plans to create store- within-store kiosks for Samsung products - a vote of confidence from a major consumer electronics retailer that the brick-and-mortar format is still an important way to sell products.

Here they  come...Amazon already has 2 day, then Google goes same day. Now Google adopts Amazon's escalation into lockers and substation delivery. There might be hope for our post offices after all

Using hundreds of autonomous mobile robots and sophisticated control software, the Kiva Mobile-robotic Fulfillment System enables extremely fast cycle times with reduced labor requirements, from receiving to picking to shipping.

(Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc , facing growing competition for quick delivery of physical goods from online retailers like Amazon.com Inc , said on Tuesday it would start using its stores to get Internet orders to customers faster.

While Wal-Mart is the world's largest retailer by overall sales, on the Internet its revenue is a small fraction of Amazon's, adding some urgency to its e-commerce efforts.

Bloomberg -- A thinly spread workforce has other consequences: Longer check-out lines, less help with electronics and jewelry and more disorganized stores, according to Hancock, other shoppers and store workers. Last month, Wal-Mart placed last among department and discount stores in the American Customer Satisfaction Index, the sixth year in a row the company had either tied or taken the last spot. The dwindling level of customer service comes as Wal- Mart (WMT) has touted its in-store experience to lure shoppers and counter rival Amazon.com Inc.

OAKLAND (KPIX 5) -- Vending machines are commonly known for dispensing snacks and sodas, but machines dispensing medical marijuana have created a buzz among California dispensaries. Over 800 items per Autospense machines.  For sale or lease. San Diego is next. $60K per machine.

De veloping a "next generation fulfillment network" will be one of Walmart's key global priorities for this year, along with investing in a global e-commerce platform that will provide the world's largest retailer with common digital technology in multiple countries.

SoloHealth's stations, slated to be in 2,500 Walmarts and Sam's Clubs next month, to video consultations with doctors, to sma rtphone apps that track blood pressure and heart rate, consumer health  technology is attracting big-name backers such as retailer Walmart,

PharmaSmart in Rochester, NY releases whitepaper on blood pressure compliance with AAMI/ISO. Video details the features. Currently serves 6,000 locations and the study details over 8 million readings.

The battle between Walmart and SuperCenters against Amazon and its Web escalate.  How they mitigate the advantages of each other, how quickly and effectively is the question to be answered.

Article highlighting Bsquare lead developer for Intel and multiple intelligent vending products. 

Great article from Vending Times on Intel and Next Generation  Vending.

Last weekend, at the Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto, toy car makers Hot Wheels, together with Chevrolet Canada and marketing firm TrojanOne, displayed Canada's first Twitter-activated promotional vending machine - aptly called "The Hot Wheels Camaro-matic Trending Machine." By tweeting the correct hash-tag, it dispensed free (if small) Camaro's to attendees.

The new system involves a touch-screen kiosk, which people use to indicate whether they are renewing tags or getting title work done. The kiosk then prints out a ticket, which is reflected on a large screen situated above the kiosk. The screen shows, with updates every five seconds, the tickets' expected waiting time.

PROVO, UT -- Newcomer AirVend, based here, is offering a touchscreen solution for vending machines. It is designed to enhance the POS experience and ease compliance with government product content disclosure rules.

Walmart has expanded its use of the "Scan & Go" iPhone app from a single-store test to 40 locations in the Denver area. Shoppers who download the app can scan items with their phones as they walk the aisles of the store. When they're finished, they select "done shopping" and the app creates a unique QR code that is read at a self-checkout station where the customer chooses a payment option to complete the transaction, according to published reports.

Members Equity Bank (ME Bank) has launched a workplace banking kiosk at Telstra's contact centre in Melbourne, which enables users to talk to the bank's call centre staff between 8am and 6pm using video conferencing services. Cisco Systems

Best Buy Express offers more than 60 product skus including headphones, chargers, MP3 players, iPods, travel adaptors, tablets and more. As new products are introduced into the stores and online, they are also brought into Best Buy Express machines to ensure customers and travellers have the best, most up-to-date technology options.

Drexel University vending machines dispense Macbooks to students

New iPad solutions for POS and Retail have a nice look.

Manhattan NY article on iPad & tablet rental. That concept has been explored before based in airports and other high footfall traffic areas.  Here is photo of Powerport unit built five years ago for precisely that..(ipad laptop rental). Click to enlarge the image.

From Fox Business News -- EcoATM founder Mark Bowles weighs in on his kiosk business.

New marijuana autoretail automated retail dispensing machine come to Washington and soon Colorado.  Stock price of company thru the roof.

AVT continues it's press barrage with announcement it will integrate Intel products into their automated retail systems, touting that the partnership will position the companies at the forefront of the future of intelligent vending. This on the heels of busiest trading day ever of its stock in December, a caviar dispensing customer featured on ABC News, and the vending report noting record growth for the industry.

One of our intrepid reports caught a shot of this.

Showcasing BACS Asset Management System Including Kiosk and Electronic Lockers used to Provide Paramount Security, Management, and Tracking for Critical Inventory.

New solution for enabling customers to pickup merchandise at remote locations. Consumers use their mobile phone and/or RFID membership cards to authenticate

Supply chain directors need an innovative mindset to meet the challenges posed by the multichannel retail landscape.

Interview with John Belcher of ARINC. Belcher is charting ARINC's next moves, which will be primarily aimed at the commercial travel industry. On Tuesday, ARINC's parent company, The Carlyle Group, agreed to sell ARINC's Defense Systems Engineering and Support division to Booz Allen Hamilton for $154 million.

SEOUL, KOREA - Since Steve Jobs first unveiled Internet-based smartphones that integrated music, video, a camera, computer, and even GPS navigator, few would deny that the convergence of mobile devices have brought about a paradigm shift in the way we work and live. You may wonder now what will come next following the smart society. Se-kyong Song, CEO of Future Robot is confident that we will be moving into the robotics era, where human and robots co-exist, over the course of the next decades.  "When it comes to the potential of robot convergence, it cannot be compared to smartphones. As almost all electronics can be integrated into robotics with human-robot interaction (HRI) technologies, the convergence is essentially limitless."

CAMP HILL, Pa. -- Rite Aid unveiled what it called its "next generation" Wellness store as the chain reported a decrease in same-store sales Thursday.

The 'Quote Vendor' is a concept by Taiwanese designer Alice Wang that applies the idea of a vending machine to writing. Quotes are assembled in categories like types of snack foods and people can choose one of the plastic bottles and open it up for a surprise quote.

The i nitial deal for kiosks is set at 5,000 units around the country. Coinstar believes it is possible to expand to 15,000 nationwide, if the initial launch is a success. Machines will be found at drug stores and big box retailers, with an emphasis on stores that do not already have a coffee store inside. Safeway (SWY), the number two grocery chain, has already signed up for more than 50 kiosks. Safeway is betting on the kiosks, even though its units have Starbucks locations inside.

Boulder-based minuteKEY, a maker of self-service machines to copy house keys, has raised an additional $10 million in funding, according to documents filed Wednesday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Ne w video from NCR on travel and self-service technology covers it all + its updated with newest hospitality hotel check-in units that remind me of iPads.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=i86jUjYvmlI#t=11s

When the city of Plano installed an automatic payment kiosk at City Hall in 2008, it hoped the new technology would allow people to quickly and easily pay their utility bills without having to leave their vehicles.

AT LANTA, Sept. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- SoloHealth®, a consumer-driven healthcare technology company, and Sam's Club, a division of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., announced today that the SoloHealth Station® kiosk will begin to rollout this week in Sam's Club locations nationwide, making Sam's Club the first warehouse club retailer to install the kiosks. 

By November, Tennessee residents needing to renew or replace their driver's licenses could be going to their local library, police precinct or county clerk's office and using a self-service kiosk instead of one of the driver service centers.

Crews installed a Hubway bike-sharing kiosk across from the Campus Center on the UMass Boston campus on Friday, Sept. 7. The 19-dock solar-powered station is part of an expansion of the popular Hubway system:

10,000 Square-Foot Space Showcases What Consumers Can Do With AT&T Products, Innovations and Wireless Technology

As on line shopping grows, UK retailer tests a 'multichannel' approach, using touchscreens and Wi-Fi at a massive new concept store.

LAS VEGAS--Airlines are laying the groundwork for the next big step in the increasingly automated airport experience: a trip from the curb to the plane without interacting with a single airline employee.