ATV CEO: Automated Retailing On the Move in US, Kiosks Taking Off – Video – TheStreet

Businesses are seeking more touch points while customers are demanding immediate gratification and this is leading to increased demand for kiosks, said Shannon Illingworth, CEO, AVT Inc. Illingworth said his freestanding kiosks supply hot foods and high-end goods to shoppers in a hurry. He added that less people are using cash so his machines now accept credit cards, PayPal and Google Wallet. ATV currently has carpet cleaning kiosks in Wal-Mart, as well as Opticwash kiosks in Las Vegas hotels. F

Source: www.thestreet.com

Good interview with AVT Illingworth

InComm Partners with GRUPO BB E MAPFRE to Offer Unique Alternatives to Purchase Insurance in Brazil

–InComm, a leading provider of integrated point-of-sale technology solutions to retailers, is pleased to announce a partnership with GRUPO BB E MAPFRE, the number one multinational insurer in Brazil, to launch the project “Família Sempre Protegida”, a program that will enable consumers to purchase selected types of insurance from local vending machines and…

Source: insurancenewsnet.com

InComm insurance vending developing product in the South America

New payments terminal aims to be Switzerland of in-store payments – CNET

Coming soon to a merchant near you: Poynt will let you decide how to pay for in-store purchases.

Source: www.cnet.com

This Android-based unit from ex-Google Wallet head supports any and all methods of electronic payment. Talk about hedging your bets. This is $299 device that competes with Ingenico/Verifone. Opened up API to developers on Wednesday including Intuit.

Robot and kiosk union ‘a match made in heaven’

How kiosks are leveraging the robot to boost customer service and revenue.

Source: www.kioskmarketplace.com

A look at tv-style robot assistants (no writeup on the Lowes robot in the news yesterday). The article credits Karel Capek with “robot” and that was in his novel RUR but the more important output word from that was Android which was immortalized in the original Star Trek episode with Methuselah. And it was Brothers Kapek. Josef actually invented word “roboti” which became robot.

Debenhams buys in to multi-channel as high street sales slump

Debenhams has been one of the most familiar names on the UK high street since 1905, but in its lifetime it’s been through many changes, the latest being its ongoing shift to a multichannel future.

Source: diginomica.com

Analysis of company pinpoints problems with “Click & Collect” strategy since there is no unified inventory system, instead one for stores and one for online. Mobile devices were a huge traffic component for their website at almost 60%. Click and Collect grew to 22.5% of all online orders (up 7.4% over 2013).

Why WalMart’s decision to disable NFC to fight Apple Pay will backfire

Much was made over the weekend about measures taken by several large retailers, including CVS, Rite Aid, 7-Eleven and the grandaddy of them all, WalMart, to avoid supporting Apple Pay. The retailer…

Source: pando.com

CurrentC based on QR-codes isn’t the highest tech competitor for NFC (though we know what that stands for).  I think the privacy implications of CurrentC do not serve it well.

3D full-body scanning booth to create custom figurines

3D hardware maker Artec announced the U.S. debut of the Shapify Booth, which can scan a person’s body in 12 seconds to create 3D printed replica figurines

Source: www.computerworld.com

Walmart-owned ASDA supermarkets in the U.K. are beta testing 3D full-body scanning booths that allow patrons to buy 6-in to 9-in high “selfie” figurines. Artec Group, a maker of 3D scanners and software, said its Shapify Booth, which can scan your entire body in 12 seconds and use the resulting file to create a full-color 3D printed model, is making its U.S. debut this week.