Monthly Archives: October 2015

Walgreen’s Rite Aid purchase could bring new digital health partners

Walgreens Boots Alliance will acquire Rite Aid for $9 a share, or a total of $9.4 billion, the companies announced yesterday. The merger represents a major consolidation in the drug store sector in the United States — according to the Wall Street Journal, the combined marketshare of Walgreens and Rite Aid will be 46.5 percent compared to 30 percent from CVS, Walgreen’s closest rival.

Source: mobihealthnews.com

So what might Rite Aid bring to the table? In some areas, it merely matches Walgreens feature for feature. For instance, Rite Aid launched its mobile app for prescription refills in 2012, two years after Walgreens. It beat Walgreens to the punch with telemedicine integration, working with Optum to connect its customers with Optum nurses and other providers via Optum’s videochat-enabled NowClinic service, powered by American Well. But that service has now been discontinued.


But Rite Aid does have two digital health partnerships that Walgreens doesn’t have. For one, health kiosk company higi signed an agreement last year to distribute more than 4,000 kiosks to Rite Aid stores. At the kiosks, users can take their vital signs, including blood pressure, height, and weight. Users can create an account which gamifies their vitals reading it, converting it to a single “HigiScore” that represents the user’s overall wellness (including vitals signs as well as “lifestyle” and “community” scores drawn from device integrations and social media), and “HigiWatts,” which are points users get for visiting kiosks regularly. Higi also has a mobile app available to facilitate further engagement with the platform. Notably, higi also works with Walgreens competitor CVS.

A drive-thru, a fitting room and self-serve kiosks

Concept store tests fresh ways of meeting online shoppers’ evolving needs OTTAWA, Oct. 29, 2015 /CNW/ – Canada…

Source: www.newswire.ca

The pilot store features a bright, free-flowing environment and offers a range of new customer conveniences, such as self-serve shipping stations, that allow online shoppers and small business owners alike to do business quickly and easily:

  • Drive-thru parcel pickup. Customers never have to get out of their car. At the welcome kiosk, they simply scan the barcode on their smartphone or paper pickup notice, then drive ahead to receive the item at the pickup window. (The canopy will protect them and their item in bad weather). If the parcel is big or heavy, staff will place it in the customer’s vehicle.
  • All-in-one self-serve shipping station. A unique technology lets customers send their parcels anywhere in Canada 24/7. Using a touch screen, the customer selects their parcel service, scans their item for weight and size, pays by debit or credit card and prints their shipping label. Once they scan the barcoded label and place the parcel in the drop box, a receipt confirms the item is on its way, and ready for them to track online.
  • A fitting room. Customers can try on the outfit they bought online right away to see if it is right for them. The spacious 50-square-foot private space is equipped with a full mirror and a small bench – like any retail store. If the item isn’t right for them, they have the added convenience of being able to return it immediately.
  • Self-serve vending kiosk. Customers can buy stamps, shipping supplies such as PriorityTM Prepaid and XpresspostTM Prepaid envelopes or bubble envelopes, gift cards and more. The user-friendly self-serve transactions are quick and customers can avoid lineups at the counter.
  • Extended hours. While the self-serve kiosks and shipping stations are in a section that’s open 24/7, the centre’s extended full-service hours for the drive-thru, the fitting room and more complex transactions with the help of our staff are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The store also offers free Wifi and larger postal boxes for customers. Canada Post can also rent space in the store to other retailers to open a pop-up store, or short-term sales outlet – an emerging retail trend.

For the first half of 2015, the number of parcels from fashion retailers delivered increased by 18 per cent while in the Greater Toronto Area, they grew 28 per cent compared to the previous year. Canada Post delivers two out of three parcels ordered online in the country.

Under Armour Charging Kiosks for shoppers to store, charge phones

Under Armour is not in the phone charging business. Rather, the company has teamed with ChargeItSpot to provide kiosks where shoppers at Under Armour’s  Brand House stores, including in Baltimore, can store and charge their phones for free while shopping.

ChargeitSpot says it provides charging stations for retail stores, casinos, hospitals, malls, stadiums and other venues. The arrangement was confirmed by Under Armour.

The bright-red kiosks  in Under Armour stores depict the company’s logo.

Each kiosk contains eight charging compartments.  Shoppers enter their phone numbers and charge the device while shopping, then retrieve it by entering the phone number again.

Philadelphia-based ChargeItSpot offers a mobile app that can alert users when their phone battery is running low.

Source: www.baltimoresun.com

Retail Kiosk – Provision Installations Surge Forward in Top Markets

Current installation totals exceed 150 3D Savings Center Kiosks in NYC and LA retail locations CHATSWORTH, CA – October 27, 2015. Provision Interactive Technologies, Inc. (“Provision”), a subsidiary of Provision Holding, Inc. (OTC PINK: PVHO) announced today, that more than 150 3D Savings Center Kiosks have been successfully installed. These installations represent further penetration of the New York… Read More »

Fourwinds Forward

Four Winds Forward Conference – pics and thoughts We spent a couple of days last week at the Four Winds Forward conference and it was a great time. It helped having known Four Winds from when they were $4M company out in Aurora to the Mansion to Huron and now to big brand new shiny offices right in middle of downtown Denver.  David Levin continues to hit all the right notes. Starting with the Four Winds App store.  Available to customers it basically leverages much of the customization, plugins,

Source: lightclient.com

Dalton Utilities places payment kiosk at store

Dalton Utilities now has a payment kiosk available for customers to pay their Dalton Utilities and OptiLink bills. The kiosk is at Loa Bakery at 737 Riverbend Road, at the intersection of Walnut Avenue and Riverbend Road.

Source: www.daltondailycitizen.com

The payment kiosk, located inside Loa Bakery, will be open for the public’s use seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.

At the kiosk, customers may pay their Dalton Utilities and OptiLink bills with cash or credit card. The machine is unable to make change, so any overages will just be credited to the customer’s account to offset their next payment.

The kiosk is equipped with a scanner to read customer account numbers right from the bill to ensure proper crediting of accounts.

Veloxity to Feature Phone Charging Kiosks at BizBash NYC

BOSTON, Oct. 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Veloxity (http://www.veloxity.us), a leading provider of commercial cell…

Source: www.prnewswire.com

Veloxity sells and rents the kiosks to customers in the event, university, airport, hospital, casino, and restaurant industries. Companies surveyed by Statista said they planned to increase their spending at tradeshows 26%, in 2013. Products such as cell phone charging kiosks fit right in with this trend. The Veloxity charging kiosks include a built-in LCD screen for customizable display ads, branding and sponsorships.

 

According to the International Associations of Exhibits and Events, the trade show industry has grown at a rate of about 3% per year since 2013. It has grown 3.6% from 2010-2015 in the United States alone, where the industry represents as much as $15 billion in revenue per year. In addition, attendance has been steadily increasing.

Self Service News – 10 Biggest Technology Trends of 2015

Technology changes faster than people can keep up with. From the rise of remote work to the death of cable, it’s hard to keep up. With so much new information and technology coming out all the time, it’s hard to know what works, what is fantasy, and what is changing the game. To help you understand the current state of technology, here are the 10 biggest trends this year that have been changing the way people use technology:

Source: www.techzone360.com

 Digital Purse  Uber’s massive growth revealed the potential for apps to enter the consumer service industry and succeed (to say it lightly), but the company’s dominance also points out another interesting element of user behavior: people like paying through an app. It’s simple and clean. Users don’t have to worry about having enough cash or even getting out their wallet. The payment process is handled by the app. All you as a rider have to do is request the car in the first place.

This concept of the digital purse is only gaining steam, and many services have stepped up to bat. Most banks now offer mobile apps to manage your accounts, and Coinbase is even now providing regulated Bitcoin exchange in 26 countries, reviving cryptocurrency. Venmo entered the mobile payment market early and is massively successful on college campuses, but it still has security issues to work through. Recently services like Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and PayPal One Touch have entered the market. Keep an eye on Samsung Pay’s growth because it is available in 85 percent of all stores, something no other service yet can compete with. Regardless of who comes out on top, the digital purse is booming this year.

ATM Kiosk – Personal Teller for Branch Supports Wallet & Mobile

October 13, 2015 ATM Kiosk embedded NFC device enables customers to conduct transactions using leading mobile wallet providers like Apple Pay CHARLOTTE, N.C. & LAS VEGAS – Oct. 13, 2015 – Source Technologies, a leading provider of integrated solutions for managing financial transactions and other secure business processes, announced at the 2015 BAI Retail Delivery Conference enhancements to… Read More »

China Kiosk Show

SHANGHAI, Oct. 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — The 12th China International Self-service, Kiosk & Vending Show, held concurrently with iFair 2015, ran from September 16-18, and drew over 22,000 attendees and 250 exhibitors. The show was organized by Shanghai UBM Sinoexpo International Exhibition Co., Ltd and the Shanghai Multi-media Industry Association, co-organized by Shanghai Tiansheng Exhibition Service Co., Ltd,… Read More »

ATM Market Growth Positive

A million new ATMs installed in the last five years       The worldwide ATM installed base grew 7% in 2014, to reach three million units, according to RBR’s newly published Global ATM Market and Forecasts to 2020 report. This comes just five years after the two million mark was passed, and RBR forecasts that the four… Read More »

Airline Check-in Kiosks – Southwest fixed glitch – flights to normal

On Sunday, the unspecified computer glitch forced Southwest to manually check-in many passengers, requiring agents to write out boarding passes by hand. Online and mobile check-in appeared to be mostly unaffected, and many customers were able to check in via Southwest’s airport kiosks. The biggest hold-up came for fliers trying to check bags for their flights.

Source: www.usatoday.com

Events and trade shows this month

Event reminder that this month there are several events going on: Next week Oct 12 is MGMA in Nashville — big healthcare Also there is NACS in Vegas Finally there is BAI Retail Delivery 2015 in Vegas. Quote a few exhibitors will be there it looks like. All financial services. Week of 19th:  Fourwinds Interactive Forward in Denver. … Read More »

YVR’s BorderXpress Wins Airport Innovation of The Year

CAPA Centre for Aviation recognizes home-grown border clearance solution on the global stage

RICHMOND, BC, Oct. 7,…

Source: www.prnewswire.com

RICHMOND, BC, Oct. 7, 2015 /PRNewswire/ – CAPA Centre for Aviation has named Vancouver Airport Authority’s BorderXpress self-service border solution the 2015 Airport Innovation of the Year. Announced at the CAPA World Aviation Summit in Helsinki, Finland on October 7, this prestigious award recognizes the impact of YVR’s industry-leading border clearance solution on the travel experience at airports around the world.


CAPA Centre for Aviation is the leading provider of independent aviation market intelligence, analysis and data services. Its annual Aviation Awards of Excellence reward airlines and airports that demonstrate strategic industry leadership amidst changing industry conditions. Candidates for the awards are shortlisted by the CAPA team of analysts and aviation partners, and then reviewed by an esteemed panel of judges. A new category for 2015, the airport innovation award is given to the airport or IT supplier responsible for the most powerful information technology innovation in the airport sector.

“Vancouver Airport Authority has been a pioneer with its development of BorderXpress Automated Passport Control Kiosks, which have reduced border waiting times by over 50 per cent,” said Peter Harbison, CAPA Executive Chairman. “The judging panel selected Vancouver Airport Authority for being extremely innovative and taking the strategic initiative to develop a product that has significantly impacted the airport sector.”

Kiosk Software – SiteKiosk Version 9 Released!

New version 9 released by PROVISIO yesterday. Windows 10 support. Major release.  We’ll take it for a test drive later this week.

Source: www.provisio.com

Features:

  • Simplified the licensing model to Basic and Plus variants.
  • Support for Windows 10 (2618/3044).
  • New Chrome-based browser with customizable user interface (3092).
  • Script support for keyboard emulation input devices (2783).
  • Reworked and simplified configuration tool (3041/3149).
  • Filtering of top-level domains added to content filter (3108).
  • Added easy to use size adjustment to onscreen keyboards (3010).
  • Maintenance screen can be controlled with a SiteRemote job (2788).
  • New SiteRemote Client stati: maintenance and emergency mode (2980).
  • New SiteRemote job type that allows to create an idle time between two job steps (2879).