“I’ve come to learn in life that what comes easy, won’t last and that what lasts, won’t come easy. It’s always going to be a challenging journey for something that is worthwhile. We started with the simple goal of needing to connect an ATM cash machine to the internet. We wanted it to be fast, and we wanted it to be easy. We worked harder and harder at making it easier for our customers. We chose to focus on areas intentionally, where others may not have even been looking. Today, the vision is the same: “make it easy.” The goal has changed: “connect the world.” I’m glad that it has been a challenging journey. I’m happy that we’ve all worked hard to simplify doing business with us. In essence, the challenges are what have continued to thrust the solution forward toward success. We believe that success is best enjoyed when we work really hard for it. At the same time, we value it more the harder we work, and our team has embraced that attitude in everything we do. We work tirelessly for you.
We’re never done innovating, and we’re always working to improve our business. Thank you for trusting us and being the most important part of our journey.”
For years, most American sports leagues have resisted gambling of any sort, scarred by match-fixing and point-shaving scandals that still stain history books. But in recent years, public attitudes have relaxed, and many of the major stakeholders slowly have shifted their stances. In May, the Supreme Court effectively shut down the federal law that outlawed sports betting in most places outside of Nevada, allowing individual states to decide on their own if they want in on the lucrative sports gambling business. It’s an industry that some believe topped $100 billion as an underground market and some analysts think could grow into a $6 billion to $16 billion industry, depending on how many states get onboard.
From Yogonet in prep for NIGA in Anaheim April 19-22
SUZOHAPP announced Thursday it will be exhibiting at the Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Convention (most commonly referred to as NIGA), which will take place April 19-22 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. The company will showcase at booth 1862.
Entering its 35th year, the Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Convention is the premier event for the Indian Gaming industry with the largest gathering of tribal leaders and casino executives in the country.
This will be the first year that SUZOHAPP has exhibited at NIGA since the beginning of the pandemic and the company will be showcasing its new sports betting ecosystem along with its new partnership in the Cash Redemption Terminal (CRT) space with CountR.
Both product lines allow customers to create a self-service omnichannel experience every step of the way from getting the initial voucher, to placing bets, and continuing all the way to cashing out.
Sports Betting Kiosk Market Growth
In an official press release, Todd Sims, Vice President of Sales Americas at SUZOHAPP, spoke about the company’s participation in the event, said: “With the recent surge the sports betting market there is so much opportunity growth in this space. As the tribal community looks at innovative avenues and methods to acquire young gamers, sports betting is one direction that will certainly help attract new players. SUZOHAPP is here to ease the burden and design custom retail solutions for our customers using our years of expertise and knowledge of the industry, our flexible and fast design capabilities, and our globally renowned network of partners.”
“We are very excited to bring our ecosystem to the tribal community. We had ready-to-go terminals available in full kiosk format, tabletop and over the counter but our ability to create custom terminals suited to your specific needs that can work in any venue and be platform agnostic is really where we have such great opportunity to help our customers to stand out”, he concluded.
What a week it was in Las Vegas when the Global Gaming Expo came to town.
Gaming continues to become a popular form of entertainment as more states permit sports betting. And while it’s not one of the larger kiosk verticals, gaming continues to grow rapidly and serves as a springboard for self service technology innovation as casinos seek new ways to enhance the guest experience.
Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, allowing states besides Nevada to permit sports betting. That’s been a game changer for sports, for gaming and for the technologies the industry adopts.
A new era for sports betting unfolds
National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman told the expo’s sports betting symposium at the Sands Expo Center that he wouldn’t be surprised if future NHL broadcasts include sports gambling information.
Bettman, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, said the league recognizes sports betting will boost viewership, and that NHL broadcasts could integrate with sports betting.
I pondered the implications of Bettman’s comments on sports betting and professional sports business as I headed to the expo exhibit floor. Bettman connected the dots between the deregulation of sports betting and professional sports, recognizing the opportunity to engage with fans through sports betting.
Current events indicate Bettman is correct.
Earlier this month, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, owner the Washington Wizards, Washington Capitals and Washington Mystics, announced a partnership with William Hill US, the U.S. leading sports book operator, to introduce the first sportsbook at a U.S. professional sports venue, the William Hill Sports Book at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. The operator will also become the exclusive sports betting partner of the Washington Wizards, Washington Capitals, Washington Mystics and Monumental Sports & Entertainment.
Sportsbook kiosks abound
Sportsbook kiosks were abundant throughout the show floor. The multinational International Game Technology PLC, for example, presented its PlaySports Bank and PlaySports Pod, featuring three self-service betting kiosks topped with multi-media displays that showcase a range of content including live sporting events, betting odds, lines, game day feeds and more.
I also noticed a slew of redemption kiosks and bill breakers that are not just for casinos, but for sports betting venues as well. Equipment manufacturers are recognizing the online sports betting business is expanding rapidly and redemption and change-making kiosks are in big demand. They also recognize that cash payment continues to be a factor in the sports betting market, and they aren’t betting (no pun intended) that this is going to change any time soon.
The growth of online gaming is also forcing casinos to become omnichannel marketers, which has significant implications for kiosks. Kiosks, after all, serve as critical touchpoints to bridge the online with the brick-and-mortar.
Betting Kiosk – Newgioco Obtains GLI-20 and GLI-33 Certification for Kiosk Installations of Elys Platform on Yahoo News LINK
Iowa casinos allow bets on Super Bowl for the first time — people placed bets throughout the entire game, whether by kiosk or ticket writers at the casino or by a mobile app from home.
Until May 2018, a federal law known as the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) limits most legal sports betting to Nevada and three other states. That (PASPA) was overturned by the Supreme Court in favor of New Jersey, allowing state-sponsored betting.
What to Expect in a World Where States Can Legalize Sports Betting
sports betting kiosks betting machine
Anticipating PASPA’s repeal, a handful of states have started the process by passing enabling legislation. Pennsylvania is one notable example. These changes to the law are paving the way for states to start offering legal sports betting in the next couple years.
What can we expect the future of sports betting to look like? According to a May 2017 Oxford Economics report, legalized sports betting is projected to generate $8.4 billion in new tax revenues, create more than 200,000 new jobs and add over $22 billion to the nation’s GDP. With a budding new industry on the horizon, businesses are working tirelessly to capitalize on the new opportunities being presented in the world of sports gambling.
Casinos will need to be well-prepared for the influx of new customers that will be flocking to their venues in hopes of placing their first legal sports bet. As a result, many casinos are finding that sports betting kiosks provide the needed automated self-service solution to handle a higher volume of sports wagers without requiring the need for additional customer service staff.
The Impact of Sports Betting Kiosks
With such anticipated economic growth in the gambling industry, casinos will need to do their best to streamline their betting services. Sports betting kiosks will be a key factor in perfecting this process as they will improve the customer experience and will increase betting revenues for operators.
Wagering kiosks will improve the customer experience by cutting down wait time. Customers will not be waiting in line to place a bet. With multiple betting kiosks available, customers will be able to place a wager whenever they please. In turn, this will also increase revenue with more total bets placed.
Where can I place a legal online sports bet?
New Jersey sports betting sites
New Jersey sports betting kicked off in June 2018, less than a month after the fall of PASPA. Online sports betting officially went live in New Jersey on August 6, 2018 when DraftKings Sportsbook launched. FanDuel Sportsbook launched its mobile app three weeks laster.
Pennsylvania sports betting started late in the game considering it had a law on the books in 2017, only launching in November. The Keystone State changed its law to allow legal sports betting anywhere within the state.
Legal sports betting in Nevada did not change after the Supreme Court decision. Many Nevada casinos feature online and mobile sports betting platforms allowing you to wager anywhere in the state.
Geolocation technology on your device will ensure that you are located in Nevada before allowing you to bet. Bettors also must first establish an account in-person at a physical casino location before betting online. This includes verification of identification and a minimum cash deposit of between $50-$100 to fund the account.
West Virginia sports betting sites
West Virginia opened its sports betting operation in September. Only two public sportsbooks opened in 2018, and another started up at The Greenbrier, a private resort. West Virginia sports betting added the ability to bet via mobile in December 2018.
Rhode Island’s sports betting operation runs through the state lottery in partnership with William Hill, so the well-known bookmaker will provide the state’s app technology.
Mississippi sports betting sites
Sort of. Mississippi sports betting must be done within a land-based or water-based casino. However, state regulations allow for mobile wagering while on casino property, though only one tribal casino has launched it.
Benefits of Betting Kiosks
Line queue management for burst cycles
Increased betting revenues for operators
Higher wagering levels
Operators optimize their labor costs
Accept cash, winning tickets, and vouchers
Provide ADA accessible betting options for customers
Background – Fixed odds betting terminal
A fixed odds betting terminal (FOBT) is a type of electronic slot machine normally found in betting shops in the United Kingdom. The terminals allow players to bet on the outcome of various games and events which have fixed odds, with the theoretical percentage return to player (RTP) being displayed on the machine by law.[1] Typically slot machine FOBTs have an RTP of 90% to 94% depending on the chosen stake, and standard roulette FOBTs have a long-term average RTP of 97%.[2] Fixed odds betting terminals were introduced to UK shops in 2001.[3]
The most commonly played game is roulette. The minimum amount wagered per spin is £1. The maximum bet cannot exceed a payout of £500 (i.e. putting £14.00 on a single number on roulette). The largest single payout cannot exceed £500.[4] Token coins can be of value as low as five pence in some UK licensed betting offices (LBOs).[citation needed] Other games include bingo, simulated horseracing and greyhound racing, and a range of slot machine games.
Like all casino games, the ‘house’ (i.e. the betting shop) has a built-in advantage, with current margins on roulette games being between 2.7% and 5%.
Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh opened its temporary sportsbook in December 2018 with six self-serve betting kiosks, a feature that had been rarely seen in the large, glitzy Las Vegas casinos patrons might have visited. For customers, there was a sharp learning curve.
“At first, people didn’t even know where to put money in,” Andre Barnabei, the casino’s vice president of gaming, recalled last month, three days after Rivers debuted its larger, permanent sportsbook.
He was speaking a few steps away from a row of 27 Kambi betting kiosks that had just been fully occupied during much of a September football weekend. Six more sports betting kiosks are scattered in other parts of the casino.
The Rivers’ emphasis on the technological alternative to betting windows, with their human, conversational ticket writers, may be out of the norm from what’s traditional in Nevada, but it’s part of a national trend as state after state legalizes sports betting and new sites open.
A dozen kiosks is common, but some have many more
Whether a small casino in Indiana, a mid-sized one in Mississippi, or a large operator in New Jersey, it is common to have anywhere from eight to 20 self-service kiosks in operations that have opened in the past 18 months. Operators say they reduce lines, speed things along, allow bets 24/7, enable in-game wagering, and appeal to younger bettors accustomed to doing everything in life digitally.
Self-serve kiosks, after all, have increasingly insinuated themselves during the 21st century, whether at airports, hotels, fast-food restaurants, convenience stores, health care settings, or elsewhere. They have for years been a part of casino operations relating to player loyalty programs, and the ever-expanding sports betting world is catching on.
Pennsylvania’s casinos may be bigger into the alternative than anyone. Parx Casino in suburban Philadelphia has 18 kiosks in its recently upgraded sportsbook, and Philadelphia’s SugarHouse Casino is expanding its number of kiosks from 12 to 22 in a new sportsbook about to open.
And much smaller Presque Isle Downs and Casino in suburban Erie, Pa., has 50 of them spread around the casino.
“The guests love it,” said Presque Isle’s general manager, Kevin O’Sullivan, estimating about 95% of bets placed at the Churchill Downs Inc.-owned property are by kiosk.
For first-time users, he said, “it only takes one of us to run through the screens for a minute or two, and they take it from there. The kiosks are definitely king … We’ve got them very well spread out, with locations where a person can just pop in quickly and place his bet so as not to tie up the ones in the sportsbook area.”
Nevada just has a different betting culture, historically
The relatively small William Hill sportsbook locations throughout Nevada have commonly made use of kiosks for years, but in the more opulent sportsbooks on the Las Vegas Strip and elsewhere, the self-serve devices are creeping in only a few at a time.
Charles Cohen, IGT PlayDigital vice president of sports betting, says the explanation lies in the longtime habits in the only state where sports wagers have historically been legal.
“The reality is it’s about the culture and style of experience that people associate with Las Vegas sports betting that makes it more of a personal, over-the-counter experience,” Cohen said. “The kind of training and expertise that ticket writers have at the windows there is very high, because they expect to have conversations with customers about the bets they’re placing.
“These guys are experts. There’s a certain social environment to the sportsbook where ticket writers are almost like hosts, and so the experience of walking into a sportsbook in Las Vegas is defined by that personal interaction.”
That’s a point agreed on by Derek Stevens, owner of the Golden Gate and D Las Vegas casinos and a large sports bettor himself. His two properties have added a total of nine betting kiosks in the past year, though they’re still seldom used compared to betting windows.
“Initially, the amount of wagering taking place on the kiosks is very modest,” he said. “It is certainly not anything similar to what I’ve read or seen on the East Coast. I think there’s an element in Las Vegas where customers are more accustomed to the windows, more accustomed to asking for information from ticket writers. From our perspective, it’s a great opportunity to provide great customer service and interact with the customer.”
Stevens is in the process of developing the Circa casino in Las Vegas with a mammoth sportsbook as a focal point, and “I’m certainly going to have kiosks — the only question is how many.”
Big bettors better off at the window
There’s one other key distinction in the Las Vegas sports betting world: the more customary large wagers placed there. Due to regulatory concerns, primarily related to money laundering, operators set limits on how much can be wagered on kiosks – such as a $3,000 maximum win through any kiosk bet at Pittsburgh’s Rivers.
Also, Cohen noted, large bettors can get slowed down instead of speeded up by kiosk use.
“People don’t want to stand there for five minutes feeding in bills to make a bet,” he said.
He said hundreds of IGT betting kiosks are in nine states, and casinos typically want a mix of kiosks and sports betting windows, with the balance varying depending on the nature of the casino.
“When you add kiosks into the environment, your volume of wagers goes up,” he said. “However, you can max it out, getting to the point where you have so many kiosks that most of the time they’re not being used, and it doesn’t have an incremental benefit.
“On a big game day, though, it’s different, when you’ve got a small period of time, a couple of hours, where 80% of the wagering is going to happen. You absolutely need to make sure people can get their bet down quickly.”
IGT is among a number of firms that are increasingly involved in providing the software platforms for sports betting kiosks in a big way, with Kambi, SB Tech, Stadium Technology Group, SG Digital, and others profiting from new business as legalization expands state by state.
In the case of IGT, it customarily contracts with a casino operator that then also partners with a sports odds provider, because IGT does not have a U.S. odds-setting operation. Kambi, meanwhile, provides both odds and kiosks for casinos in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and elsewhere.
Kiosk adoption parallels rest of the world’s betting
Max Bichsel, U.S. director for Kambi, said the kiosks have for years been a popular mechanism for placing sports bets around the world, depending on the country, and it was just a matter of time and legalization before they became common in the U.S.
Kambi has hundreds of the kiosks placed in different states, and on average they represent 80% of the retail bets handled by those casinos, Bichsel said. The average size of the bet is smaller, though.
“Your high-value player with tens of thousands of dollars is going to the window — if you’re betting hundreds of dollars you’ll go to the kiosks,” he said. “There’s lots more volume on the kiosk but larger average handle over the counter.”
Though Bichsel said kiosks will never eliminate the need for or value of ticket writers, it is also customary for sportsbook counters to close down late at night, once the key televised games end. The casinos never shut their doors to customers, however, including potential sport bettors.
“A kiosk can be 24/7 and someone can still get a bet down,” he said. “There’s a lot of benefits for the customer.”
One of the benefits identified by Rusty Johnson of Fort Collins, Ky., visiting the Rivers Casino before his Cincinnati Bengals took on the Steelers at nearby Heinz Field last Monday, was just how many betting options he could see on the kiosk compared to the odds boards above the betting counters.
In that respect, scrolling through the kiosk menu is not much different from what players experience in states like New Jersey and Pennsylvania with legalized online/app sports betting. So Johnson got a small bet down on Bengals receiver Tyler Boyd’s number of catches, which would have not been a clear wager to him at the window, unless he knew to ask.
“There’s a lot of stuff on there you can look at and take your time, a lot of different options,” Johnson said, though he acknowledged he also had to ask for help from Rivers Casino staff the first time he used the machine.
Barnabei said the casino has up to three “ambassadors” available during busy times to assist customers at the more than two dozen kiosks and speed things along. By providing that service, he said, the sportsbook has actually expanded its number of employees due to kiosks, rather than reducing them.
The Rivers has already expanded its number of kiosks three times since opening, yet it still has nowhere as many as smaller Presque Isle. As to whether it will need to keep increasing — the kiosks each cost “about 8 grand,” according to Barnabei — it will all depend on demand.
“That would be a great problem to have,” said Bill Keena, the casino’s general manager.
Gary Rotstein
Gary is a longtime journalist, having spent three decades covering gambling, state government, and other issues for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, in addition to stints as managing editor of the Bedford (Pa.) Gazette and as a reporter for United Press International and the Middletown (Conn.) Press. Contact Gary at [email protected].
A great number of businesses depend on ease of access and ease of use, and when it comes to gambling, that’s becoming more and more non-negotiable as the industry’s scenario is already set towards a booming future as more states across the country are legalizing gambling and sports betting kiosks.
Like KI mentioned in a past article: “According to a May 2017 Oxford Economics report, legalized sports betting is projected to generate $8.4 billion in new tax revenues, create more than 200,000 new jobs and add over $22 billion to the nation’s GDP. With a budding new industry on the horizon, businesses are working tirelessly to capitalize on the new opportunities being presented in the world of sports gambling.
These opportunities are being capitalized in the form of Sports Betting Kiosks. They will increase revenues generated from the newly-improved customer experience – a win-win scenario already used in fast-food chains, for example.
Betting Kiosks are computer terminals that offer direct access to sports betting apps, they accept a variety of forms of payment, including cash, credit cards, voucher or money on player’s account cards, and are designed to be user-friendly. If you’ve dealt with a smart phone or a tablet before, you already know how to operate a Kiosk.
If you think of a bet that you can make at a window, you can make it at the Kiosk. This will empower the gambler to evaluate his options at his own pace and reduce waiting time as they will be able to place the bets whenever they please, not having to stand in lines. This is also more appealing for bettors with little to no experience, thus eliminating some intimidating obstacles that would prevent some people from entering the betting market.
You can opt to make live bets as the Kiosks feed you multiple sports events in real time with live odds or place several bets in one session and move on. Imagine you are betting tennis, during the US Open. You can cash out or change your bet during the course of the games.
Being able to see available balance and possible betting outcomes are features that help streamline the betting process and have better control over the session, which also entices new players.
Also, as time goes by and people get more familiarized with the digital method of betting and what a Kiosk has to offer, it will feel more natural to wager.
There are several companies (Kambi, SB Tech, IGT, etc) that distribute these Sports Betting Kiosks and between these several brands you’ll find that the wagering options available are those in your standard betting sites or apps, but also include many other advantages, such as:
Users profiles with their balance, live amount wagered and account info
Prop bets, over/unders, parlays, etc
Search by Player or Team
Quick access to preferred sports/events
Funding Kiosks with membership accounts
Event streaming selection
On-screen tutorials to guide bettors
Associated mobile apps
Etc.
Kambi, the provider for SugarHouse, Rivers and Parx and two OTB parlors, reported that roughly 75% of bets are made using a Kiosk, and specified that on one location, that number is a staggering 88%.
Sports Betting Kiosks are setting themselves to become a smash hit for casino owners. The required maintenance is low and there are no wages, health insurance or paid vacations to be taken into account when budgeting your operations. Seems the logical to opt for a business strategy that will:
Improve customer accessibility
Increase business volume
Reduce waiting time for customers
Simplify the betting process
Provide more options to cash out the winnings
Offer the same amount of wagering options as the traditional method
Press release
NTS Retail and Pyramid Computer at NRF 2019: Presenting new self-service solutions for telco retail Leonding, New York:
At this year’s NRF Retail’s Big Show in New York City – a key event in retail every year – NTS Retail and Pyramid Computer will be showcasing two innovative self-service prototypes, specifically developed for consultation-driven retail.
Both systems have been designed as interactive kiosk solutions and serve to enhance the experience at different stages of the customer journey: Efficient customer service operations thanks to smart queue management and self-service workflows for typical telco scenarios, such as purchasing a prepaid SIM card.
Thanks to NTS self-service, customers are able to top up prepaid plans, pay bills or purchase vouchers autonomously right at the kiosk. For the presentation at NRF 2019, a SIM card dispenser has been added to complete the picture.
Additionally, the customer’s ID (e.g. a passport) can be scanned automatically using a document scanner. This way, the complete onboarding process for new customers can be performed autonomously using a self-service touch interface. Service can thus be provided outside of store hours or in high-traffic environments like airports or train stations.
The queue management solution NTS welcome manager enables smooth store operations by setting smart priorities. Visitors can select a consultation topic (e.g. new subscriptions), enter their name and take a picture. The consultants can then call them up personally and address their needs right away. The showcased solution introduces a token dispenser to replace paper tickets.
The small, puck-shaped receivers are highly portable and vibrate as soon as it’s the customers turn. The tokens are distributed at the kiosk and the system handles the notification process automatically.
The hardware required to create these prototypes was provided by the Freiburg based company Pyramid Computer – a leader in innovative self-service IT solutions. Together, Pyramid
Computer and NTS Retail will be demonstrating the results of their cooperation at NRF 2019 from January 13-15.
At NRF: booth #4545, hall 3A
Further information:
https://www.ntsretail.com
www.pyramid-computer.com/polytouch
About NTS Retail:
NTS Retail is a global retail software and consulting company with an international network of partners. They offer CSPs a practice-proven retail solution with highest-quality local service.
About Pyramid:
Since 30 years Pyramid manufactures high performance computer systems with its factories in Germany and Taiwan and sales offices in Germany, UK and North America.
Opposite to most kiosk manufacturers, Pyramid builds its own PC technology and touch screens.
This high level of component manufacturing enables us to create very slim and elegant, highly integrated, designs, still remaining extremely flexible and easy to maintain. Our screen focus sizes are 24″ and 32″ and the Pyramid “polytouch®” named kiosk designs are successful in Europe in retail, hospitality and QSRs.
Standard and custom Pyramid polytouch®
kiosk solutions are sold via OEM or sales partners, as a bespoke work. Pyramid has been certified to EN ISO 9001 standard since 1997 and is regularly successfully audited by large industrial customers. Pyramid was established in Freiburg in 1985 by managing partners Frieder Hansen and Niko Hensler, who still run the operation.
Kiosk Market Research 2023-v20 November 2023 – Self-Service
Need Some Numbers?
There are many reports with many numbers and most of them are from research data firms trying to make a buck. We have seen good reports, bad reports, and even done our own reports. Here is what the Kiosk Industry Group will say.
Kiosk industry number — U.S market for self-service kiosks is valued at $10.4 billion in 2022. It is projected the self-service kiosks market in the U.S. will grow at a CAGR of 15% to reach $16 billion by 2025. [Kiosk Industry Group 2022]
Definitions. Here are some.
Would you like to estimate how many kiosk kiosks will be built/sold/installed/deployed in 2023? Average price? Average cost?
ATMs do not count (bitcoin kiosks do count)
We do not double and triple count kiosks. Example McDonalds deploys 10,000 kiosks. Intel provides remote monitoring. Diebold provides them. Pyramid makes them. Typical datamart report says that is 40,000 kiosks when in fact it is 10,000. Multiple that error by 1000.
Supermarket checkout platforms do not count
Conventional vending does not count
Market dollars for enclosures (kiosks) and software are two different numbers that must be combined.
Retrofits and replacements are a big deal these days
Ditto for shipping, service, warranty
Figure 300,000 “kiosk kiosks” sold/operational a year and/or delivered
Projections Caveat – India datamarts put out a ton of reports on whatever is trending on Google and then sell them for $2500 to $5000. There are also financial research firms that are primarily funded by large companies with vested interests.
What about data mart numbers for digital signage? See below but they are up to 37 Billion.
Knowing the ecosystem of payment devices with people UCP Inc. and Datacap is highly recommended
$799 billion: Restaurant industry sales in 2021, down $65 billion from 2019’s pre-pandemic levels
14.5 million: Restaurant industry employees at the end of 2021, down 1 million from pre-pandemic levels
90,000: Restaurant locations temporarily or permanently closed because of the pandemic
9 in 10 restaurants have fewer than 50 employees
7 in 10 restaurants are single-unit operations
8 in 10 restaurant owners started their industry careers in entry-level positions
9 in 10 restaurant managers started in entry-level positions
Restaurants employ more minority managers than any other industry
41% of restaurant firms are owned by minorities – compared to 30% of businesses in the overall private sector.
The waitstaff at full-service restaurants earns a median of $27.00 an hour, with the highest-paid group making $41.50 an hour and the lowest, $19.00 an hour.
Our data is from the National Restaurant Association 2023 along with Nations Restaurant News. They keep each other fairly honest.
Our Predictions
Click for full size Bingo Card Predictions
2023
The workforce shortage will continue and that will drive self-service options for customers.
And even more so this year for employees and robotics are gaining traction.
Face-enabled contactless transactions will easily triple
The main media will always focus on high-value/high-click targets such as Walmart, Aldi, Krogers and Mcdonald’s
New technology will become more widely available-to and deployed in small and medium and medium business. Cloud services help aggregate those offerings and become a viable distribution channel.
This post is continually updated..
Restaurant Kiosks, Self-Order Kiosks and McDonalds Kiosks – March 10, 2022 Viewpoint
Worldwide kiosks by region
There is always interest in metrics for restaurants and self-order despite being a somewhat saturated market at the top end (McDonalds, KFC, etc) and historically a low profit margin for kiosk manufacturers. The only advantage is having manufactured for Walmart is being totally prepared for manufacturing for McDonalds 🙂
It starts in North America and the number of restaurants McDonald’s has. And then Yum, and then another 400 or so. It gets problematic when you consider All In Ones (AIOs) or even ala carte ad hoc customer order systems such as Costco. Perhaps kiosks in function, but not in composition.
The chart to the right is a quick estimation based on a series of excel sheets drawn from corporate sites, NRN, NRF and others. Year over Year growth trends.
With a region like Asia, what about China? YUM is huge there. Just look at restaurants domestic and international.
US
International
KFC
3943
21000
Pizza Hut
6561
11000
Taco Bell
6799
628
Habit
278
9
Kiosk Market Data
kiosk market research
Research and Markets November 2023 — These people from India are fairly persistent. Every two months they push another report. They have lowered their prices down to $2500
Ironically they call out Vending Kiosks as the big segment though they never identify what a Vending kiosk actually is
They expect Outdoor kiosks to outperform — that’s true
Looks like they include SCOs, hybrids and ATMs given NCR and DN.
Glory Limited does cash, not kiosks. Source Tech isn’t a player at all. Embross is only airlines and Lilitab is iPad tablets. Intuiface is software and Slabb only does micro markets (though they want to expand that.).
Pretty misleading report all around. You should recommend to your competitors.
KioskMarketplace 2023 – Their number is $14.52 but no indication how they came up with that. In the past surveys of vendors, 200 or less, is the sample survey crowd. In 2022, the recovery gained momentum, delivering $14.52 billion in global sales of interactive kiosks, not counting ATMs and refreshment vending machines, a 20% gain over the $12.1 billion in 2021, and a 6-point increase over the prior one-year gain, according to the 2023 Kiosk Marketplace Census.
TechNavio – $8B in 2027. CAGR = 12.6% — Looks like usual internet scrape/reformat. 20 companies profiled including Zivelo who went out of business 5 years ago. Some lockers and micromarket companies. Out of 10 stars we give it 3 stars. — Link
The global digital signage market size is expected to grow from USD 20.40 billion in 2021 to USD 36.89 billion by 2028; it is estimated to record a CAGR of 8.8% from 2022 to 2028. From Yahoo
The digital wayfinding solutions market is projected to reach US$ 665.0 million by 2028 from US$ 234.6 million in 2021; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 16.0% from 2021 to 2028. The key companies operating in the digital wayfinding solutions market and profiled in the report include 22 Miles, Inc.; Acquire Digital; Click Grafix; ConnectedSign; Gozio Inc.; Jarma Technologies LLC; LamasaTech Ltd; Ping HD; TrouDigital; Visix, Inc.; Xtreme Media Pvt. Ltd.; Everbridge Inc.; and Digital Wayfinding Solution (Advertise Me Pty Ltd). ReportLinker — Moreover, 22Miles offers 3D interactive navigation for touchscreens, video walls, and mobile devices, along with intelligent routing, for any audience or setting. Thus, the popularity of interactive wayfinding software is expected to drive the demand for digital wayfinding solutions market during the forecast period.
Rankings of the Top 50 food and grocery retailers and wholesalers in the U.S. and Canada, including supermarkets, mass merchandisers, dollar stores, convenience stores and drugstores. Sales figures are based on reports from public retail companies and, in cases of privately owned companies, IGD estimates. Amazon almost as large as Kroger and Costco combined. +43% change (8% typical)
Digital Delivery Report 2022 — Order & Delivery report examines industry trends across the digital ordering landscape, from multiunit brands to independent restaurants
and c-stores. The primary areas of focus are sales, guest experience, fulfillment method, and guest retention. — Paytronix Order And Delivery Report 2022-compressed
66% of consumers prefer self-service over interacting with an employee because it is faster and less stressful. [Palmer Retail]
Payment Options: 29% of consumers prefer contactless payments such as mobile wallets, contactless payment kiosks, and QR code payments.
“According to a recent study on checkout lines, 69 percent of shoppers said long lines were the most irritating part of shopping,” Rob Meiner with Peerless-AV said. “That beat out high prices (66 percent) and inventory being out of stock (65 percent). Eighty-four percent of those customers said watching digital displays helped them pass the time while they waited.
IHL Growth Numbers 2021
kiosk market research 2019 numbers
Self-Checkout 178%
Consumer Mobile Checkout 300%
Contactless Payment 190%
Electronic Shelf Labels 600%
Dark Stores 900%
Before listing out market reports, bear in mind that most of the reports will include supermarket and even ATM segments (e.g. NCR or Diebold Nixdorf). NCR is $40B company and does hybrid checkout “kiosks” for Walmart. The Kiosk Association report filtered out double-counting and non-relevant units.
Data Mart Market Reports (Pick your poison – red is for appears to be internet generated)
Jun 9 – ResearchAndMarkets — 40B now and 63B in 2027 — ATMs, Vending and Kiosks. 14 companies listed. Only 4 full kiosk manufacturers. No ATM manufacturers.
ResearchAndMarkets Poised to grow by $ 3.33 bn during 2022-2026 progressing at a CAGR of 6.05% during the forecast period. April 22 — Report Linker and ResearchandMarkets
ResearchAndMarkets 10.397B in 2026 – Research and Markets Self-Service Ticket Machines (they resell reports from market data report generators – this one has some very unusual companies listed. Feb 2022. Usual non-relevant names and minor producers.
7.9% CAGR – Research & Markets Interactive Display Market – October 2021
52.74M USD by 2030, registering a CAGR of 7.1% over the forecast period. ReportLinker
12.1B interactive kiosk sales KMC 2022 Census (11.9 in 2019). There was no quoted source for those numbers. – did not include ATMs or refreshment vending machines [based on 300 questionnaires to readers]
4.6B in 2026 – U.S. market for self-service kiosks should grow from $2.4 billion in 2021 to $4.6 billion by 2026 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.6% for the period of 2021-2026. This is 2022 report by BCC Research
2017 — 8.9B in 2017 – Frost & Sullivan
2022 — 10.3B in 2022 – Frost & Sullivan
2021 — R&M put it at 2.4B
2.8B in 2022 and 4.4B by 2025 — SS KMA report
8.9B Revenue – Frost — The self-service kiosks market had a revenue of $8,916.8 million and registered total shipments of 2,277,523 units in 2017.
36B by 2027 – Global Interactive Kiosk Market to reach USD 35.9 billion by 2027. Global Interactive Kiosk Market is valued approximately at USD 25.0 billion in 2019 and is anticipated to grow with a CAGR of more than 4.6% over the forecast period 2020-2027. [MarketStudyReport]
32B by 2027 – The global interactive kiosk market size was valued at $14.76 billion in 2018, and is projected to reach $32.51 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 9.1% from 2020 to 2027. [Allied]
22B by 2021 – The global kiosk market is projected to grow from $22.69 billion in 2021 to $51.05 billion in 2028 at a CAGR of 12.3% in forecast period [2021-2028] [Fortune]
21B by 2027 – The self-service kiosk market is US $11,319 million in 2019 and it is projected to reach US $21,415.4 million by 2027. [ResearchAndMarkets]
36B by 2026 – The global Self Service Kiosk Market is estimated to surpass $35.8 billion mark by 2026 growing at an estimated CAGR of more than 6.4% [IndustryArc]
26B by 2020 – The global interactive kiosk market size was valued at USD 26.63 billion in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.9% from 2021 to 2028. [Grandview]
21B by 2027 – Self-Service Kiosk Market Growth Sturdy at 8.6% CAGR to Outstrip $21B by 2027 [Insight Partners]
45B by 2028 — The global interactive kiosk market size is expected to reach USD 45.32 billion by 2028. It is expected to expand at a CAGR of 6.9% from 2021 to 2028. [Report Linked]
CredibleMarkets August 2021 — typical “not credible” report listing out usual internet suspects
28 Billion by 2022 — The global self-service kiosk market is estimated to value USD 28 Bn in 2022 and reach USD 79.5 Bn by 2032. The projected CAGR of the market is 11% during the forecast period from 2022 to 2032.
KMA industry report — U.S market for self-service kiosks was valued at $2.6 billion in 2019. It is projected the self-service kiosks market in the U.S. will grow at a CAGR of 16.1% to reach $4.4 billion by 2025. [Kiosk Association 2019]
Here is story on Chick-Fil-A and virtual order takers in the drive thru (TikTok video) — link
Canadian organizations are taking a broad, strategic view of their kiosk investments, saying the number one business driver is to support their digital transformation, with 77% saying the technology will be important or very important in the next five years. [CDN
Kiosk Related Data
Square
73% of restaurants say they are experiencing a labor shortage.
Restaurants say that an average of 21% of positions are unfilled.
In 2021 36% of restaurants upgraded business technology this past year.
62% of restaurants say that automation would fill critical gaps in managing orders placed online, at the restaurant, and via delivery apps.
Restaurants that offer online ordering say that an average of 34% of their revenue currently comes from those channels.
49% of restaurants say that they plan to offer first-party delivery, while 62% say that they plan to offer third-party delivery.
Restaurants are able to turn tables faster, and recent Square data show that businesses average a 35% increase in sales within the first 30 days after they implement self-serve ordering with QR codes.
79% of customers say that they’d prefer to order via online kiosks rather than directly through staff — and not just for fast food.
45% of customers prefer it for casual dining
21% prefer it for fine dining.
Payment Options: 29% of consumers prefer contactless payments such as mobile wallets, contactless payment kiosks, and QR code payments.
Signage related data
Square
78% of customers say that there are benefits to digital menus.
11% of customers would avoid a restaurant with no digital menus.
45% of restaurants say that they plan to offer QR code menus even after COVID subsides.
Digital menus help communicate fluctuating prices and lessen the workload of printing new menus constantly. And 77% of customers say that they would understand if their favorite local restaurants raised prices.
According to a 2021 Fundera by NerdWallet study, 80% of consumers prefer to pay with a card.
Retail Data
Retail Services Currently Offered
32% of retailers say that not knowing enough about technology options/ platforms keeps them from selling goods through newer online or social channels.
28% of retailers say they have seen customers purchasing gift cards over the past year.
Retailers using eCommerce report that an average of 58% of their revenue currently comes from online sales.
84% of customers say measures put in place to make shopping a more contactless experience have made shopping more enjoyable.
18% of customers say they are interested in shopping via text or chat; among Gen Z consumers, that number jumps to 25%.
Among retailers who sell online, 74% say they sell on a social channel.
Facebook 59%
Instagram 34%
Twitter 28%
TikTok 18%
December 2021 — TikTok overtakes Google for 2021 Traffic Ratings [link]
Among customers, 20% are interested in window shopping with QR codes for purchases; among Millennials, that number jumps to 27%.
McKinsey – In total, self-checkout solutions in the Retail Environments setting could generate $430 billion to $520 billion in economic value in 2030, with more
than 80 percent of the value coming from cost reductions in the store and 20 percent from increased consumer surplus for shoppers, primarily from spending less time shopping. Adoption of self-checkout use cases is expected to increase from a relatively low 15 to 35 percent of organized retail today to 80 to 90 percent in 2030.
McKinsey – Retailers report that self-checkout is the fastest growing application of the IoT. Over the next two years, adoption by large retail chains of self-heckout
systems could exceed 50 percent.
US Retail has added more sales in 2021 than the entire retail economy for India. The growth…in 2021 through 11 months is $831b USD….for 2020, the entire retail economy for nearly 1.4b people was $814b USD for the year! The growth for November alone?…$91.1b USD…. That’s the total revenue for 2020 for Lowe’s…and just short of Target’s 2020 revenues just north of $93b. [IHL]
Total retail growth year to year is 18.2%…that’s a $5.5 trillion market growing at 18.2% for the year. And for the month…20.3%. Even taking out C-stores and Gas Stations… the growth was 16.5%. The growth last month?…16.1%…so the growth is accelerating, not slowing. [IHL]
Add to this that Gift Cards are up 414% for the holiday season and consumers generally spend 25% more than their gift card value when redeemed thus extending the holiday season. [IHL]
Four tips for SMS marketing
Telehealth Data
The number of Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) beneficiary telehealth visits increased 63-fold in 2020, from approximately 840,000 in 2019 to nearly 52.7 million in 2020. [HHS]
Visits to behavioral health specialists showed the largest increase in telehealth in 2020. Telehealth comprised a third of total visits to behavioral health specialists. [HHS]
Hospitality
Highlights from 2022 Lodging Technology Study include:
74% of hotels either offer or plan to offer contactless payment
45% plan to add, upgrade, or switch vendors for revenue management (RMS)
36% plan to add, upgrade, or switch vendors for a chatbot solution
30% of IT budgets are allocated for rolling out and implementing new solutions
Restaurant Market Trend Data
From Chain Store Age 1/4/2022 — According to the survey, restaurant operators’ early investment in delivery and mobile ordering has paid off, with 71% relying on delivery for 11% or more of sales and 33% relying on delivery for more than 20% of sales. Sixty-five percent of respondents rely on mobile ordering for 11% or more of sales, and 25% rely on mobile ordering for more than 20% of sales.
To keep up with changing consumer preferences, operators noted that their top areas of investment in 2022 include mobile ordering (54%); delivery services (47%); technology such as new POS digital signage or other in-store tech (45%); and alternative payment methods (37%).
In addition to technological investments, operators are also altering their physical restaurant locations to cater to delivery. While only 15% plan to reduce the number or size of their franchise locations, operators are making other adjustments to their real estate. These include
55% plan to add more space for pick-up;
45% plan to provide additional drive-thru locations; and
43% plan to add an outdoor on-site dining space.
Despite the challenges the restaurant industry has faced since the start of the pandemic, operators have learned to pivot and as a result, 81% of respondents feel optimistic about the future. More than half even feel very optimistic and 47% believe their revenue will increase significantly. This optimism and operators’ planned investment lead to strong credit needs. In fact, 61% of respondents plan to apply for a loan or line of credit within the next year.
This study was conducted among a representative group of 251 restaurant franchise owners and operators across the United States from November 10-22, 2021. The survey was hosted by global research company Engine Insights.
More Data
Among customers, 23% are interested in virtual reality that allows people to experience products in a virtual shop; among Millennials, that number jumps to 33%.
21% are interested in live stream shopping where a host demonstrates a product in a live online video; among Millennials, that number jumps to 35%.
Strategy Analytics estimates that the sale of personal service robots will grow about 30 percent year over year, rising from 39 million units in 2020 to 146 million units in 2025.
Livestreaming – Interest in this emerging retail channel is highest among global consumers between the ages of 21 and 34, peaking with the 30–34 age group with 46% having used this medium to make a purchase. As a nation, China is leading with 63% having made a purchase in the last month. Source: Euromonitor International Voice of Consumer: Digital Survey, fielded in March 2021 according to the Voice of the Consumer:Digital Survey.
References:
The Square Consumer Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research among 1,000 nationally representative U.S. adults ages 18+, between October 6th and October 17th, 2021, using an email invitation and an online survey. The data was weighted to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the U.S. adult population, ages 18+. The Square Retail Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research among 500 U.S. retail owners and managers, between October 6th and October 17th, 2021, using an email invitation and an online survey.
Forrester Research — Before we get into 2022, how accurate were we in 2021 predictions? [link]
Some new products are listed on our “Kiosks For Sale” database. The BNR units are listed at $4K but the seller is motivated right now and will accept any offers ([email protected])
Telehealth Bundle — We have limited quantity on these (30 units). These units retail as solutions for over 12K and are brand-new in the box. Any reasonable offer will be considered. For more information send email to [email protected]
Integrated MFF PC
WiFi + LAN capable
External WiFi booster
Locking storage compartment with shelving
Integrated 4 port USB hub w/ cable management
Lightweight steel construction
Integrated and mounted Logitech webcam (PTZ options available)
Non-slip rubber feet
Pre-drilled holes for bolting down kiosk
The kiosk enclosure carries a 1-year warranty to be free from factory defects
PC and Touch Monitor carry a 3-year warranty
All additional electronic components carry a limited 1 year OEM warrantyMedcart Software
Enables you to do the following based on your custom workflow:
Leverage all the benefits of the Telehealth Video Conference Suite
Manage the patient experience
Prioritize and escalate services to providers connected via the Telehealth Suite
Push live analytics like blood pressure, pulse oximetry, EKG, etc., and is compatible with many
scopes such as Otoscopes and Dermoscopes
Grant providers the ability to customize attachments based on needs
Grant remote specialist ability to support patients
Use on any Windows-based device
Leverage device remote start capability
Telehealth Vitals Monitor
LTI 101 All-In-One Vitals Telehealth Monitor measures SpO2, Pulse Rate, NIBP and TEMP. Widely used in
hospitals, clinics and family daily measurement. Equipped with Bluetooth and USB interface.
Widely used in hospitals, clinics and family daily measurement.
Equipped with Bluetooth and USB interface allows for data transfer to PC.
Up to 6000 groups NIBP data storage, up to 100 different patients (each user can store 999
measurement records)
Quick ear probe TEMP measurement result in 5 seconds
data transfer to PC/Smartphone by USB or Bluetooth
Optional NIBP pediatric cuff and SpO2 pediatric probe
Optional ECG
Optional Glucometer
Built-in rechargeable lithium battery
Communication protocols available on request
BNR Cash Recyclers — One thousand and fifty now available. $4000 each.
These are sold new, in boxes without the manufactures warranty. Send email to [email protected]
Bill Payment Kiosks — We still have some of these! High quality bill payment kiosks for sale, either as entire unit or as parts. Quantity is 100+
Details
Dell XE2 SFF with Windows 7 Professional
Intel Core I5-4570S — 2.90 Ghz
Cash Dispenser (Fujitsu F53)
Cash Acceptor (MEI SC)
Ref: Critical
Coin Dispenser (T-Flex)
Secure Locks
Printer (80mm)
Signature Pad
Speakers
LCD Touchscreen (19″)
Indoor Ticket Kiosk
Specs:
o qty 24 units
o 27″ portrait touch screen
o Windows 10 Pro 64
o Boca ticket printer with RFid
o Custom 80mm printer
o Scanner (3330G)
Make offer or possible donation
o Logitech webcam
o contact [email protected]
o Verifone UX
o PC Prox+ Enroll
o Unmanaged gigabit switch
Condition – brand new. Client changed course at last minute
Posiflex is pleased to join National Retail Federation at NRF 2023: Retail’s Big Show in New York City on January 15, 2023 in booth #5502. Posiflex will showcase next-generation POS terminals from its popular RT Series: the RT2015-G2 and RT2016-G2. In addition, Posiflex will unveil the Cachet Series, a brand-new large-display self-service kiosk with a thin, versatile design, and flexible options.
RT-2016-G2 Order Terminal by Posiflex
The RT2015-G2 is the newer version of Posiflex’s renowned RT2015 POS terminal, touting a fast Intel® Celeron® J6412 processor with 1.5MB cache and running at 2.0GHz. With a vibrant 15” display and a 4:3 standard screen aspect ratio, the RT2015-G2 sets a new standard for higher performance at a competitive price point. The RT2016-G2 is the equally impressive counterpart to the RT2015-G2 but with a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio and a 15.6” display.
The Cachet Series is a new line of streamlined self-service kiosks, sporting a vivid 32” display for optimal viewing, as well as optional modular components tailored to suit most retail requirements. It comes conveniently pre-built—simply add your preferred software application and it is ready to use. Its thin, striking design complements a store’s aesthetics while its flexible functionality provides increased efficiency for retail operations. Cachet is equipped with a sturdy stand. It also has dual-sided or wall-mount options. Choose a Cachet running an Intel® Celeron J6412, i3-1115G4E or i5-1145G7E with Windows® or select a Cachet running a Rockchip RK3399 with Android®.
“With these next-generation models of Posiflex’s industry-leading RT Series terminals and the added versatility of the sleek, inspiring Cachet kiosk, Posiflex is poised to propel the retail industry to new heights with an ideal blend of improved performance, modern aesthetics and unmatched reliability that retailers and customers desire in this new age of Point-ofSale hardware,” says Doyle Ledford, Senior Vice President of Posiflex.
About Posiflex
Since 1984, Posiflex has designed and manufactured award-winning POS terminals and peripherals. Posiflex has since grown exponentially to also provide versatile kiosks, tablets, and embedded PC solutions. Renowned worldwide in the retail and hospitality industries, Posiflex is a proven leader in POS hardware for Windows and Android OS. More than 30 patents and numerous awards have been won for product innovation, design, and reliability. https://www.posiflexusa.com/
Contact
Posiflex Business Machines
Mark Turangan
Director of Marketing
510-401-5891 | [email protected]
Order Terminal Features
Slim & Stylish Look – With sleek contours, ultra-slim body, and linear rear cover surface, the RT-2016-G2 features a 15.6″ PCAP touch screen, and full suite of ports that are hidden in the clean rear cover. No screws can be found on its surface maintaining a neat and sleek look.
Patented Fanless Technology – The patented fan-less technology allows the terminal to run quietly in all kinds of harsh conditions and – at the same time – provides a long service life.
Clean Cable Management – Advanced cable management design delivers a truly clutter-free station. The standard base can house the optional Powered USB or USB extension module, while the optional base integrates a UPS backup (RB-5000) for the event of a power failure.
Faster Installation and Serviceability – Rear cover can be removed easily and without tools, thus allowing faster installation and serviceability.
Save Your Time and Money – The terminal can be shipped with a customer line display or 9.7” / 10” 2nd customer facing LCD display attached and folded, saving deployment time as well as shipping costs.
Welcome to OTI aka On Track Innovations as new Sponsor
Check out the standard credit card readers below. Here is OTI link
Easy To Integrate EMV Cashless / Contactless Payment Solutions For Unattended Machines
OTI’s cashless credit card readers include key certifications and allow unattended-market operators to accept credit cards and mobile payments including Apple Pay and Google Pay etc.
State of the art platform Intelligent 5-in-1 Telemetry Gateway & EMV Payment Reader Ready to go: Plug & Play Payment set-upThe easy-to-install Modular Combo unit
Contactless/Chip/Magstripe EMV Reader OTI TRIO credit card reader is a modular payment device that can support up to three cashless payment interfaces in one small
EMV and FeliCa Contactless (NFC) Reader with Display The UNO-PLUS FeliCa and EMV contactless cashless (NFC) reader with Display designed exclusively for unattended retail environments
Ultra Compact EMV (NFC) Contactless Only Reader The UNO-6’s ultra-compact form factor is designed specifically to meet the needs of unattended banking and retail the
EMV Pre-Certified Contactless OEM Reader Board The OTI INTERNO OEM reader module is a compact and cost effective contactless card reader board, designed for easy
Road trip to Kohl’s last night. Usually, a trip to Kohls’s is to return something to Amazon. They serve as an incoming return center and are pretty handy. We use Kohls as a pickup point for Amazon orders to family in Minnesota who live in apartment complexes with unsecure package dropoff (that’s another story…). When we drop off a return Kohls gives us a coupon and we end up spending $20 or so.
Last night we actually had some coupons and were shopping but when we parked it was right next to some brand new Volta Charging Stations for electric vehicles, made by Peerless-AV. Very impressive stuff.
The first place 75% of drivers will check for a needed charging station will be Google Maps. That is one reason fast-casual restaurants are looking to augment their drive-thrus to essentially drive-in’s. Rapid charge is 20 minutes for 50 miles. Why not have a sandwich OR do some Christmas shopping at Kohls?
As of today 2118 Volta locations (11/24/2021)
The self-checkouts are nice though they are starting to look their age a bit (they went in last year for Xmas). Toshiba provides most of the hardware though Zebra does the nice self-checkout scanners. The clerk checkout are still using “Symbol” scanners (sold by Zebra). Makes me think of Motorola and all the tech they did and owned. Kodak for that matter.
Charging Station and Checkout Photos
Outdoor view driving up
Looking at the Checkout Area
Parking good for an hour?
Looks a little old-timey. Guess the lockers didn’t work out?
The first place 75% of drivers will check for a needed EV station will be Google Maps. That is one reason fast-casual restaurants are looking to augment their drive-thrus to essentially drive-in’s. Rapid charge is 20 minutes for 50 miles. Why not have a sandwich OR do some Christmas shopping at Kohls?
It’s clear that the “future” of EV charging is approaching quickly. The number of public EV charging stations around the world grew by 37% in 2021 to bring the total number of charge points to 1.8 million worldwide. The U.S., which lags behind other regions of the world in public EV charging infrastructure, is now on the brink of widespread implementation. The 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes $7.5 billion in funding for 500,000 more public EV charging stations by 2030. And the timing appears right: EV sales in the U.S. increased by 65% in 2022.
To U.S. consumers, whether they drive EVs or not, charging stations are becoming familiar fixtures. These stations, which stand alone or are built into structures, include necessary cables, connectors, touchscreens, and displays to enable drivers to plug and charge. However, expect the future of EV charging to bring changes as more consumers purchase EVs, rely on them for longer trips, and encounter various challenges.
The Future of EV Charging Will Be All About Timing
When demand increases, speed and throughput will become more of a concern as drivers line up to charge. The rate of EV charging depends on several factors, such as how much charge the battery currently has, battery sizes, and battery age. However, in general, a level 3 DC fast charger can add 200 miles of range in about 30 minutes, and a level 2 charger, such as those found in parking garages or workplace parking lots, takes about an hour to add 25 miles of range. The future of EV charging will bring more public chargers and processes optimized to allow drivers to get back on the road as quickly as possible and keep queues short.
The future of EV charging will certainly also usher in new etiquette rules, i.e., don’t park in a charging space when you aren’t charging, promptly move your vehicle when charging is complete, and put the connector back on the station to prevent damage. The future may even include tech solutions that help to enforce procedures to provide good experiences for everyone.
EV Charging Isn’t Just a Fair-Weather Activity
The future of EV charging will also ensure that drivers can charge in any weather conditions. Weather can impact charging time. A Consumer Reports study found that range can decrease by up to 25% at -10 degrees F. Basically, batteries work because of an electrochemical reaction that is slower in colder temperatures. Additionally, charging is less effective when temperatures dip. The Idaho National Laboratory study determined that an EV battery added 36% less energy at 32 degrees compared to charging for the same amount of time at 77 degrees. Innovators will address this challenge to ensure that charging is efficient and all components, from cables, connectors, payment devices, and displays, are rugged enough to keep performing in weather extremes and drivers aren’t stranded in cold weather.
Drivers Want Safe. Comfortable Use of Their Time
Now, it’s common to see EV charging stations in a corner of a parking lot with easy electrical access, but not necessarily close to buildings, restrooms, amenities, or even lighting. Drivers that must charge their vehicles away from home will need a safe place to do so where they have access to accommodations they need. Planners and EV charging station providers will choose future locations with this in mind.
Businesses Seize the Opportunity for Digital Advertising
Charging takes time, and the display on an EV charging station is an opportunity to engage drivers. Charging stations with digital displays capable of supporting multimedia ads can entertain, inform, or engage while drivers charge their vehicles.
The Detroit Free Press reports that locating advertising-supported chargers in highly visible places near shopping, dining, or entertainment is a “triple win.” Customers can charge at lower fees, advertisers get exposure, and businesses can enhance customer experiences and increase traffic with a charger available to their customers.
Regulators Focus on EV Charging
Now, the focus of government leaders is on ensuring that EV charging infrastructure can meet demand. But the future of EV charging will include regulating this activity and protecting consumers. For example, The Federal Highway Administration recently established a rule for minimum standards for interoperability of EV charging infrastructure, traffic control devices, network connectivity, locations, pricing, real-time availability, and accessibility.
As the future of EV charging unfolds, charging station providers will need to adapt and innovate continually to ensure that their solutions comply as rules and laws are enacted.
Stay Tuned
While there’s no way to know for sure how the future of EV charging will take shape, infrastructure will certainly grow, planners and providers must find ways to overcome challenges to make charging safe, efficient, and accessible, and businesses will explore ways to take advantage of the opportunity to engage consumers while they charge.
Ingenico is working with innovators to make payments simple for drivers, forming partnerships to optimize EV charging station functionality, and networking to stay informed of trends in the industry. Want a partnership that will help you stay on the cutting edge? Contact us.
The U.S. Access Board, an independent federal agency that issues accessibility guidelines under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Architectural Barriers Act (ABA), Rehabilitation Act of 1973 , and other laws, is providing a technical assistance document to assist in the design and construction of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations that are accessible to and usable by people with disabilities.
The ADA covers entities including state and local governments (Title II) and places of public accommodation and commercial facilities (Title III). Under the ADA, the Access Board issues minimum scoping and technical requirements. Other federal agencies with enforcement responsibility under the ADA, such as the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Department of Justice (DOJ), adopt enforceable standards that must provide at least the same level of accessibility as the guidelines issued by the Access Board. Additional requirements under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and ADA regulations issued by DOJ and ADA regulations issued by DOT may be applicable, such as requirements for nondiscrimination in services, programs, and activities. For more information, visit the Access Board’s About the ADA page.
The ABA requires that buildings or facilities that were designed, built, or altered with federal dollars or leased by federal agencies be accessible. The ABA covers a wide range of facilities, including U.S. post offices, Veterans Affairs medical facilities, national parks, Social Security Administration offices, federal office buildings, U.S. courthouses, and federal prisons. It also applies to certain non-government facilities constructed with federal funds, such as funds made available under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program. For more information, visit the Access Board’s About the ABA page.
The ADA and ABA Accessibility Standards include many requirements applicable to electric vehicle charging stations, among which are provisions regarding access to sites, facilities, buildings, and elements, as well as specific requirements for operable parts and accessible routes. Even absent a specific reference to EV charging stations in the ADA and ABA Standards, regulated entities must still ensure that they are accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities.
Some EV chargers also have user interfaces and payment systems that would be considered information and communication technology (ICT). Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires individuals with disabilities have access to and use of ICT provided by the Federal government. The law applies to all Federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use ICT. Federal agencies must ensure that any ICT that is part of an EV charger is accessible to employees and members of the public with disabilities to the extent it does not pose an “undue burden.”
In this technical assistance document, the Access Board uses the terms “must” or “required” with reference to the applicable ADA, ABA, and Section 508 Standards with which entities must comply. The words “should” or “recommends” refer to additional recommendations for accessible EV charging stations. Recommendations are not legally binding on any regulated entity but are provided as technical assistance to help regulated entities design and install EV charging stations that are accessible to and usable by people with disabilities.
Types of EV Charging Stations that Must Be Accessible
Entities subject to the ADA or ABA must provide EV charging stations that are accessible to and usable by people with disabilities.
Some examples of EV charging stations that may be covered under the ADA or ABA include those installed at:
State or local government offices
Public parks
Municipal building parking lots
Street parking and the public right-of-way
Residential housing facilities provided by a state or local government
Public EV charging stations provided by a private entity
Fleet charging stations used by the federal government
Commercial fleet charging stations available to corporate clients
Rest stops along the Interstate Highway System
Definitions
AC Level 2: A charger that uses a 240-volt alternating-current (AC) electrical circuit to deliver electricity to the EV.
Charger: A device with one or more charging ports and connectors for charging EVs. A charger is also called electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) or EV charger.
Charging Network: A collection of chargers located on one or more property(ies) that are connected via digital communications to manage the facilitation of payment, the facilitation of electrical charging, and any related data requests.
Charging Network Provider: The entity that operates the digital communication network that remotely manages the chargers. Charging Network Providers may also serve as Charging Station Operators and/or manufacture chargers.
Charging Port: The system within a charger that charges one (1) EV. A charging port may have multiple connectors, but it can only provide power to charge one EV through one connector at a time.
Charging Station: One or more EV chargers at a common location. A large site can have multiple charging stations, such as in various parking lots and parking garages.
Charging Station Operator: The entity that operates and maintains the chargers and supporting equipment and facilities at one or more charging stations. This is sometimes called a Charge Point Operator (CPO). In some cases, the Charging Station Operator and the Charging Network Provider are the same entity.
Combined Charging System (CCS): A standard connector interface that allows direct current fast chargers to connect to, communicate with, and charge EVs.
Connector: The device that attaches EVs to charging ports to transfer electricity. Multiple connectors and connector types (such as J1772, CHAdeMO, Tesla, and CCS) can be available on one charging port, but only one vehicle will charge at a time. Connectors are sometimes called plugs.
Contactless Payment Methods: A secure method for consumers to purchase services using a debit, credit, smartcard, or another payment device by using radio frequency identification (RFID) technology and near-field communication (NFC).
Direct Current Fast Charger (DCFC): A charger that uses a 3-phase, 480-volt alternating-current (AC) electrical circuit to enable rapid charging through delivering a direct-current (DC) electricity to the EV.
Electric Vehicle (EV): An automotive vehicle that is either partially or fully powered by electricity.
Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE): See definition of a charger.
Open Charge Point Protocol: An open-source communication protocol that governs the communication between chargers and the charging networks that remotely manage the chargers.
Open Charge Point Interface: An open-source communication protocol that governs the communication between multiple charging networks, other communication networks, and software applications to provide information and services for EV drivers.
Plug and Charge: A method of initiating charging, whereby EV charging customers plug a connector into their vehicle and their identity is authenticated, a charging session initiates, and a payment is transacted automatically, without any other customer actions required at the point of use.
Site: A parcel of land bounded by a property line or a designated portion of a public right-of-way.
Vehicle Charging Inlet: The inlet on a vehicle that a connector is plugged into. Also referred to as a charging port, or charging door.
Vehicle Charging Space: A space to park a vehicle for charging. A vehicle charging space can be a marked parking space, or an unmarked area adjacent to an EV charger.
The following image shows one charging station with two chargers. There are a total of three charging ports capable of charging three vehicles concurrently and four connectors.
Differences Between Charging Spaces and Parking Spaces
Although EV chargers are often installed in parking lots, there are some significant differences in use that warrant EV charging spaces be treated differently from parking spaces.
EV charging requires drivers with disabilities to exit their vehicle, traverse to the charger, and carry the connector back to their vehicle charging inlet (which may be on the opposite side of where they enter/exit their EV). Since EV’s do not have a standard location for the vehicle charging inlet, maneuverability around the entire EV is needed. Also, as DCFC cables get heavier and shorter to achieve faster charging, EV’s need to be parked in a way that aligns the vehicle charging inlet with the charger, which could conflict with the orientation needed for a driver with a disability to use the access aisle.
By contrast, a driver with a disability can use an accessible parking space as long as the vehicle is oriented with the access aisle; a person with a disability could either pull-in or back-in to the parking spot to get the access aisle on the appropriate side. The additional space provided by an access aisle is needed only by the person with a disability (who may be either a driver or passenger) and additional space on the opposite side of the vehicle is usually not needed.
Because of this fundamental difference in use, this document differentiates between parking and EV charging, and primarily focuses on the needs of an EV driver with a disability. The needs of passengers with disabilities are not addressed in this document because it is presumed passengers with disabilities could enter or exit the vehicle at a nearby accessible parking space or passenger loading zone.
Existing Requirements that Apply to EV Charging Stations
Various accessibility standards may apply to EV charging stations, including:
Under the ADA and ABA Accessibility Standards, EV charging stations must comply with the technical requirements for floor and ground surfaces (§302), clear floor or ground space (§305), reach ranges (§308), operable parts (§309), accessible routes (§402), and other provisions when needed, such as some of the provisions in parking (§502), signs (§703), and fare machines (§707). See 36 C.F.R. §1191.1 .
EV chargers developed, procured, maintained, or used by federal agencies must also comply with the revised Section 508 Standards. See 36 C.F.R. §1194.1 , App. A and C . This includes that the user interface (UI) be accessible. EV chargers which do not incorporate a display screen would not be required to be speech-output enabled, but are still ICT and would have accessibility requirements if they are any more complicated than just plugging it in.
EV charger with Display Screen. Speech Output enabled is required under Section 508EV charger without a display screen, showing a lighted indicator. In addition to the color, charging progress might be indicated by the number of LEDs illuminated. Section 508 requires auditory or tactile indication in addition to visual cues.
Accessible EV Chargers
Unlike gas stations where an attendant may be available to assist with refueling vehicles, EV charging stations are often unattended. Thus, it is important that EV charging stations be sufficiently accessible to allow independent use by drivers with disabilities, including people who have limited or no hand dexterity, limb differences, or upper extremity amputations and use adaptive driving controls.
Two aspects of accessibility need to be considered:
Accessible mobility features
A reasonable number of EV chargers must have physical access for people who use mobility devices, such as wheelchairs, scooters, walkers, and canes. Accessible mobility features primarily concern the size of the vehicle charging space, providing access aisles, how and where the chargers are installed, and the physical operability of the charger. Also see: Number of accessible chargers
Accessible communication features
All EV chargers should have accessible communication features and operable parts. This enables EV chargers to be used by people who are deaf or hard of hearing, little people, and other people with disabilities who do not need accessible mobility features (like access aisles) to use an EV charger.
All EV chargers containing ICT that are developed, procured, maintained, or used by the federal government must comply with the Section 508 Standards and have accessible ICT, including accessible hardware, software, and operable parts.
Accessible Mobility Features
EV chargers designed to serve people who use mobility devices must be located on an accessible route and should provide:
a vehicle charging space at least 11 feet wide and 20 feet long
adjoining access aisle at least 5 feet wide
clear floor or ground space at the same level as the vehicle charging space and positioned for an unobstructed side reach
accessible operable parts, including on the charger and connector
These mobility features allow sufficient space for a person who uses a mobility device to exit and maneuver around the vehicle, retrieve the EV connector, and plug the connector into the electric vehicle charging inlet. Since EVs do not have a uniform vehicle charging inlet location, a larger vehicle charging space is needed to maneuver around all sides of the electric vehicle.
Accessible Routes
EV chargers with accessible mobility features must be connected to an accessible route (§206.2.2; §402). The technical requirements for accessible routes can be found in Chapter 4 of the ADA and ABA standards as well as in the Access Board’s technical guides on accessible routes , including walking surfaces (§403), curb ramps (§406), and ramps (§405).
Electric Vehicle Charging Space and Access Aisle
EV charging spaces with mobility features should provide a vehicle space with a minimum width of at least 132 inches (11 feet) and a minimum length of at least 240 inches (20 feet). Adjacent to the vehicle charging space should be an access aisle that is at least 60 inches (5 feet) wide and the full length of the vehicle charging space. A vehicle charging space at least 11 feet wide and 20 feet long would provide sufficient space to maneuver around an electric car, but larger vehicle charging spaces may be needed for electric trucks.
Where vehicle charging spaces are marked, access aisles should also be marked to discourage parking in them. State or local codes may have specific requirements for marking and signing access aisles (e.g., access aisle markings in blue or “no parking in access aisle” signs). The width of the vehicle charging spaces and access aisles is measured to the centerline of markings, but it can include the full width of lines where there is no adjacent vehicle space or access aisle.
One access aisle may be shared by two vehicle charging spaces, or a charging space and a parking space, but overlap of the aisle should be limited to 60 inches (5 feet). The exception in §502.2 that leads to two 8-foot accessible parking spaces sharing an 8-foot access aisle should not be used for vehicle charging spaces because there would be insufficient space to access the vehicle charging inlets on the opposite side of the access aisle.
Access aisles should not be blocked or obscured by curbs, wheel stops, bollards, or charging cable slack. Floor or ground surfaces of vehicle charging spaces and access aisles should comply with §302 and not have changes in level or slopes that exceed 1:48. For more information, please consult the Access Board’s guide on floor and ground surfaces and guide on parking spaces .
Access Aisle Relation to EV Charger
The access aisle must be connected by an accessible route to the clear floor or ground space at the EV charger.
When charging cables are short, the charger should be positioned so that the operable parts and clear floor or ground space are on the same side as the access aisle. This configuration allows for placement of bollards to protect chargers without obstructing clear floor or ground space.
EV chargers with long charging cables have more flexibility regarding placement. With long charging cables, chargers can be placed at the center of the vehicle space or access aisle, or between vehicle spaces, if ample room is available for maneuvering around and between bollards. For more information, please consult sections Clear Floor or Ground Space and Example Charging Scenarios of this technical assistance document.
Alignment of Charger with Location of Vehicle Charging Inlets
The placement of the vehicle charging inlet varies across make and model of EVs. This variety can create challenges to designing an EV charging space with accessible mobility features that can meet the needs of all types of EVs since the vehicle charging inlet needs to align closely to the charger, especially for DCFC with short charging cables. Generally, a person with a disability driving an EV will need the access aisle positioned on the driver’s side.
Examples of Vehicle Charging Inlet Locations
Make
Model
Charging Inlet Location
Tesla
S, 3, X, Y
Driver side rear
Chevrolet
Bolt EV
Driver side front
Ford
Mustang Mach-E
Driver side front
Ford
E-transit
Front
Nissan
Leaf
Front
Audi
E-Tron
Driver side front
Volkswagen
ID .4
Passenger side rear
Porsche
Taycan
Passenger side front, driver side front
Hyundai
Kona
Front
Hyundai
Ionic
Driver side front
Toyota
Prius plug-in
Passenger side rear
Honda
Clarity plug-in
Driver side front
Ford
Fusion energi
Driver side front
Toyota
RAV4 prime
Passenger side rear
Chrysler
Pacifica hybrid
Driver side front
When designing a charging station to serve multiple types of EV’s with various vehicle charging inlet locations, it is recommended to provide more mobility accessible vehicle charging spaces with a variety of access aisle locations and charger configurations.
Example Charging Scenarios
The scenarios below indicate how a vehicle’s orientation changes depending on the location of the vehicle charging inlet. This is particularly important for DCFCs with short and heavy charging cables. AC Level 2 and some DCFCs that have sufficiently long and light cables may not have this issue.
Figure B1:
B1 depicts an ideal scenario with the most common EV charging inlet location, which is on the driver side rear. When the vehicle is backed into the vehicle charging space, the driver side door is aligned with the access aisle and the vehicle charging inlet is close to the EV charger. The EV charger is located at the same level as the charging space and access aisle by depressing the curb to the same level as the asphalt. The EV charger has been rotated so that the clear floor or ground space is on the same side as the access aisle and not obstructed by bollards. Bollards are used instead of wheel stops to provide ample maneuverability around the vehicle.
Figure B2:
B2 depicts a vehicle backed into a charging space, but the vehicle’s charging inlet is located on either the rear or passenger side rear. While the access aisle is still aligned with the driver side door, the vehicle now needs to be spaced at least 36 inches (3 feet) away from the bollards in order for mobility device users to pass between the vehicle and bollards and reach a charging inlet located on the opposite side of the vehicle.
Figure F1:
F1 depicts a vehicle pulled forward into the EV charging space. The access aisle is now on the passenger side, but the vehicle charging inlet located on the passenger side front aligns closely with the EV charger. A mobility device user would need 5 feet of space on the driver’s side to exit the vehicle, and at least 3 feet of space to travel around the rear of the vehicle and to the EV charger. This may require the EV to partially overlap the access aisle. A vehicle charging space at least 11 feet wide and 20 feet long would provide sufficient space to maneuver around an electric car. Large electric SUVs and trucks may need larger vehicle charging spaces.
Figure F2:
F2 depicts a similar scenario of a vehicle pulled forward into the vehicle charging space, but the vehicle charging inlets are either on the front or driver side front, which requires passing between the EV and bollards.
Charging may not be achievable if cables are too short in scenarios F2 and B2. A better solution is to design the adjacent vehicle charging space to also have accessible mobility features. With two mobility accessible vehicle charging spaces sharing a common access aisle, a variety of charging inlet locations can be served. Longer charging cables should also be provided.
Charging stations designed to serve specific vehicles with consistent and known vehicle charging inlet locations should provide access aisles on the driver side and ensure the vehicle charging inlets align closely with the EV charger.
Clear Floor or Ground Space
To provide accessibility for people who use mobility aids, such as wheelchairs, scooters, walkers, and canes, EV chargers must provide a clear floor or ground space complying with §305 and be located on an accessible route. Clear floor or ground spaces must meet requirements for ground and floor surfaces, including criteria for firmness, stability, and slip resistance. They must be free of changes in level and not sloped more than 1:48. Grass, curbs, wheel stops, and bollards may not be located within the clear floor or ground space.
Clear floor or ground space at chargers must be a minimum of 30 inches by 48 inches. Additional space may be required where the clear floor or ground space is confined on three sides and obstructed for more than half the depth (e.g., bollards, curbs, etc.).
While both a forward approach and parallel approach are permitted under the ADA and ABA Standards, it is recommended that the clear floor or ground space be positioned for a parallel approach to the charger and centered on the operable part. If there are multiple operable parts, the clear floor or ground space should be centered on the EV charger.
EV chargers are highly recommended to be installed at the same level as the vehicle charging space and access aisle so that the clear floor or ground space can be placed as close as possible to the EV charger. This design ensures people who use mobility devices can readily access chargers.
IMPORTANT: Do not do this!
Avoid installing accessible EV chargers on top of or behind curbs. Where chargers are installed on or behind curbs, people using wheelchairs have very limited access to approaching and using them. Depending on users’ ability, reaching the operable parts may be difficult if not impossible.
If EV chargers must be installed on a curb, such as at on-street parking, place them as close to the edge of the face of the curb as possible and no farther than 10 inches away from the face of the curb.
Alternatively, the EV charger and a clear floor or ground space can be placed up on the curb or sidewalk, but this design should only be used at existing curbs when it is technically infeasible to lower the curb or sidewalk. The front of the charger should not face the street or curb, and charging cables should be sufficiently long and light enough to allow mobility device users to travel back down the curb ramp and reach their vehicle charging inlet. Reaching some vehicle charging inlets may only be achievable with long charging cables, and DCFCs may be limited to charging only vehicles that have charging inlets that can be reached from the sidewalk. (Also see: On-Street EV Charging Stations Design)
When possible, providing additional clear floor or ground space for a forward approach and turning space is recommended. Aligning the EV charger with the access aisle takes advantage of existing clear floor or ground space.
Operable Parts within Reach Range
At a charging station, a reasonable number of EV chargers must comply with §205 Operable Parts , including technical requirements for clear floor or ground space ( §305), reach ranges& (§308), and| operation ( §309). We recommend EV chargers be designed with parts that are operable by the widest range of users with disabilities, including people with limited or no hand dexterity, limb differences, or upper extremity amputations.
Operable parts on EV chargers include, but are not limited to, the connector, card readers, electronic user interfaces, and switches and buttons, including the emergency start/stop button.
Unobstructed side reach
All operable parts should meet the requirements for an unobstructed side reach (§308.3.1 ) and be no higher than 48 inches above the clear floor or ground space and no farther than 10 inches away. The exception for fuel dispensers should not be used (See: fuel dispensers). Placing operable parts higher than the 15 inch minimum is recommended.
The operable portion must be within an accessible reach range, but non-operable portions can be located outside of reach ranges. For example, a display screen that does not require user touch input, or has buttons located within reach range, can be located above 48 inches. Similarly a card reader that can be activated below 48 inches with a portion of the card reader above 48 inches would still be operable. The operable portion of the connector, particularly the release button and handle, should be below 48 inches. A connector with no release button that can be used without reaching above 48 inches would also be within reach range.
Connectors
Connectors must meet the requirements for operable parts (§309), including operation with one hand and no tight grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist, and no more than five (5) pounds of force to operate.
Connectors generally have a release button that needs to be pressed to connect/disconnect the connector from the vehicle charging inlet. Simultaneously grasping the connector and pressing a release button can be challenging for people with limited hand dexterity. Connectors that are a consistent diameter and very smooth are also challenging because they require grasping, especially when cables and connectors are heavy.
One way to informally test if an element is sufficiently accessible for a person with limited hand dexterity is to try operation of the element with a closed fist. Connector designs that have a handle with a release button on the inside, similar to a fuel dispenser, can be more accessible because a person can often place a closed fist inside of the handle and simultaneously pull on the connector and press the release button. The addition of straps and loops may also help a user carry the connector because it could be looped onto the user’s wrist or arm, or even hung on the user’s mobility device, to free both hands up to maneuver a mobility device (e.g. push a wheelchair, keep both hands on a walker etc.).
Future connector designs that are more accessible are encouraged. Until more accessible connectors are available, some chargers may be limited to using connectors that require pressing a release button with the thumb.
Manufacturers have developed automatic connection devices, which improve accessibility of EV charging because they eliminate the need to physically manipulate the connector. When possible, consider installing automatic connection devices, especially at fleet charging stations.
Charging Cables
The ADA and ABA Accessibility Standards require operable parts to be operable with no more than 5 pounds of force and to not require tight grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist.
Light weight charging cables (AC Level 2, and some DCFCs) should be of sufficient length to charge a vehicle with various charging inlet locations.
As thicker and heavier charging cables are used to achieve faster charging speeds, it becomes more difficult for people who use mobility devices to lift the cable and carry it back and forth to their vehicle charging inlet. Heavier and shorter DCFC cables should be able to charge a vehicle positioned at least 60 inches (5 feet) away and be installed so that users can access the vehicle charging inlet, access aisle, and charger.
Charging cables cannot block or obstruct accessible routes when stored or when connected to vehicles. Cable management systems can be provided to prevent cable slack from accumulating on the ground and potentially offset the weight of heavier DCFC cables, but cable management systems must be kept in good condition to maintain the accessibility of the chargers. Overhead cable management systems may also be able to help with cable weight and operation, but the systems and cables must not become protruding objects.
There are many promising solutions to the issue of heavy charging cables, including the use of cable management systems, automatic connection devices, and wireless charging, which could greatly improve accessibility. In the interim, however, the benefits of fast charging provide greater user convenience and should be available at accessible EV charging stations, even if the issue of charging cable weight has not been addressed. Persons with disabilities should still have access to DCFCs and not be restricted to AC Level 2 chargers. Future innovations may address the issue of charging cable weight and should be used when available to achieve accessible operation.
Accessible Communication Features
Accessible communication features enable people who are deaf or hard of hearing, people with vision impairments (but who drive), little people, and other people with disabilities who might not need accessible mobility features (like access aisles) to use an EV charger.
All EV chargers should have accessible communication features and operable parts. All EV chargers that are procured or maintained by a federal agency must comply with the Section 508 Standards because they are Information Communication Technology (ICT). See 36 C.F.R. §1194.1 , App. A & C.
Although the ADA and ABA Accessibility Standards have technical requirements for ATM and fare machines (§707), and two-way communication systems (§708) that could be informative, only the Section 508 requirements are referenced in this section of the document because they are similar, but more detailed.
Although a number of provisions are specific to the accessibility needs of people who are blind and low vision and who cannot drive a vehicle, the provisions are still applicable to EV chargers purchased or used by federal agencies. Entities concerned only with ADA requirements may have a limited need for certain accessible communication features (e.g. braille instructions, tactilely discernible features, speech output, audio descriptions) on an EV charger, however some of these features may benefit all users. For example, speech output may be helpful if there is glare on the display screen, and elements that are tactilely discernible are easier to find in the dark. By universally designing EV chargers with the needs of people with disabilities in mind, a better user experience can be provided for all.
EV Charger User Interface
Many EV chargers have an electronic user interface (UI) and are similar to smart parking meters or fare vending machines. Section 508 includes technical requirements for operable parts and reach ranges that were previously addressed. Section 508 also has technical requirements for hardware that include:
Display Screens:
Visible from a point located 40 inches above the clear floor or ground space (§408.2)
Avoid bright rapid flashing (more than 3 flashes per second) (§408.3)
At least one mode with text characters in sans serif font, adjustable text size or minimum character height of 3/16 inch (§402.4)
Speech Output Enabled: There must be an option for display screens to provide speech output that is capable of full and independent use by individuals with vision impairments.
Speech output must provide all information displayed on-screen, including information necessary to verify the interaction and transaction with the EV Charger.
Speech output must be coordinated with information displayed on the display screen.
Speech output must allow for pausing and repeating.
Braille instructions provided for initiating the speech-output mode (402.2)
Volume controls (402.3) must be provided for the speech output.
Input Controls
Labels on keys and for visual controls must have high contrast (§407.2)
Controls must be tactically discernible.
When alphabetical keys are provided, they must use a QWERTY layout.
Where a numeric keypad is provided, it must use a standard layout ( §407.3)
If keys repeat, there must be at least a 2 second delay before a key repeat (§407.4)
If a timed response is required, the user must be alerted visually and by sound (or touch), and given the opportunity to indicate more time is needed (§407.5)
Keys or Cards
If the EV Charger requires the user to have a NFC key-chain card or other physical token, and that key/card requires a particular orientation for its use, then the key/card must provide a tactically discernible orientation.
Audible signals or cues must not be the only single means of conveying information, indicating an action, or prompting response. For example, an audible warning tone needs to be paired with a visual indicator.
Color must not be the only means of conveying information, indicating an action, or prompting response. Color can be used to convey meaning but needs to be supplemented with other visual means of conveying information such as the use of position, or different markings or shapes.
Visual status indicators, like the status of EV charging, should also be discernible by sound (or touch) (§409).
Registration and payment card readers should be compatible with contactless payment systems, tactically discernible, and provide visual and audible feedback. Tactile discernability can be achieved by slightly raising the contactless system reader, providing tactile labels, or by providing card readers capable of both inserting/swiping a card and contactless payment. Visual and audible feedback can be achieved with lights or display screens, and sounds or audio recordings.
Customer service/help
Charging station operators should provide customer service, help support, or other mechanisms to report outages, malfunctions, obstructed EV chargers, and other issues. Technical requirements for two-way voice communication can be found in Section 508 ( §412 ), and effective communication is addressed in DOJ ADA regulations. Multilingual access may also be required.
Chargers can provide signs or labels with phone numbers/TTY, text message support, or help features integrated into the user interface. Multiple means of communicating audibly and visually should be provided.
If two-way voice communication is integrated into the EV charger, §412 of Section 508 requires:
Volume gain controls
Effective means for coupling with hearing aids.
This can be a handset conforming to ANSI/IEEE C63.19-2011 or TIA-1083-B.
For IP-based networks, this can be achieved by conforming with ITU-T Recommendation G.722.2 or IETF RFC 6716
Audio jacks are the most common approach.
Any caller ID feature must be both visible and audible
If video communication is supported, it must be of sufficient quality to support communication using sign language.
Support for bi-directional text communication, TTY functionality, or compatibility with legacy TTY systems.
Websites and Mobile Applications
Many EV charging stations have websites and mobile applications used to locate charging stations, pay for electricity, start/stop charging, and send notifications to users. These websites and mobile applications must conform to industry standards for digital accessibility. The Department of Justice has guidance on web accessibility and the ADA . Section 508 requires websites and mobile applications to be accessible and incorporates by reference the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines ( WCAG 2.0 ).
Connectivity
Charging Networks should utilize the Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) and provide information on accessibility in addition to the connector type, output power, availability, repair status, etc. Specific information on accessibility is more helpful than a generic designation of “accessible”. Specific information could include:
Accessible Mobility features
Access aisle left side
Access aisle right side
Long charging cable (capable of reaching a vehicle charging inlet regardless of vehicle orientation)
accessible connector (operable by people with limited hand dexterity)
automatic connection device
wireless charging
Accessible Communication features
accessible user interface (section 508)
contactless payment
“Plug and Charge” compatible
Providing pictures of accessible EV charging stations and chargers is also encouraged.
The Access Board welcomes collaboration with the Open Charge Alliance to develop protocols for information on accessibility.
EV Charging Station Location within a Site
An EV charging station must connect to an accessible route that leads to an accessible entrance of the building or facilities on the same site. Additionally, the accessible EV chargers should be on the shortest accessible route to the accessible entrance relative to other chargers at the same charging station.
EV charging stations in parking garages must provide an accessible route that connects to the accessible pedestrian entrance of the parking garage. Additionally, a minimum vertical clearance of 98 inches should be maintained throughout the vehicular route to the accessible vehicle charging space and access aisle.
Sites with EV charging stations as the primary purpose should include accessible routes that connect to any amenities on the site and, if provided, a sidewalk in the public right-of-way.
Multiple EV Charging Station Locations within a Site
Some large sites may have multiple EV charging station locations, and an accessible route should be provided at each location, similar to multiple parking facilities on a site .
Adding EV Charging Stations to Existing Parking Lots
EV charging stations added to existing sites must comply with the ADA and ABA requirements for alterations and additions. In alterations, compliance with the ADA and ABA standards is required to the maximum extent feasible (§202.3). For more information, please consult the Access Board’s guide on alterations and additions .
When EV charging stations are added to an existing site, they must connect to an accessible route and a reasonable number of EV chargers must comply with §309 and have a clear floor or ground space and operable parts within reach range. Also see: Number of accessible chargers
Converting accessible parking spaces to EV charging spaces is not recommended, especially when use will be restricted to electrical vehicle charging only. The ADA and ABA standards prohibit an alteration that decreases accessibility below the requirements for new construction (§202.3.1). If an existing accessible parking space is converted to an EV charging space, the minimum number of accessible parking spaces required by table 208.2 must be recalculated based on the total number of parking spaces provided, and accessible parking spaces may need to be added elsewhere.
Key considerations when adding EV chargers with accessible mobility features to existing parking facilities:
Can the chargers be connected by a compliant accessible route to the accessible entrance of the building or facility?
Is the slope and cross slope of the vehicle charging space less than 1:48? Can the floor or ground surface be altered to achieve slopes less than 1:48?
Is there sufficient space for an 11-foot-wide, 20-foot-long vehicle space and 5-foot-wide access aisle?
Can the chargers be placed at the same level as the vehicle charging space? Will existing curbs and landscaping need to be removed or altered to place chargers at the same level as the vehicle charging space?
Can a clear floor or ground space positioned for a parallel approach with an unobstructed side reach be provided?
Is the clear floor or ground space firm, stable, and slip resistant?
If EV chargers must be mounted on a curb, are operable parts of the chargers still within an unobstructed side reach and no farther than 10 inches and no higher than 48 inches above the clear floor or ground space?
What existing site constraints are there, and would locating chargers elsewhere on the site make them more accessible?
EV Charging Stations at Residential Facilities
Shared or common use EV chargers located at residential facilities provided by a state or local government must be accessible.
EV chargers that are designated to specific residential units should provide the appropriate accessibility features. When residential facilities designate parking spaces to each residential unit, the parking space for the mobility accessible unit must be an accessible parking space (§208.2.3.1). Similarly, a charger provided for a mobility accessible residential unit should have an electric vehicle charging space with accessible mobility features. A charger provided for a communication accessible residential unit should have an electric vehicle charger with accessible communication features. Upon request, additional chargers may need to be made mobility and/or communication accessible.
EV chargers installed at privately-owned residential housing are not subject to the ADA. However, privately-owned multifamily housing may be subject to the Fair Housing Act (FHA) and may be required to be accessible. For more information, contact the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Fair Housing Accessibility First at 1-888-341-7781 or [email protected].
EV Charging Stations in the Public Right-of-Way
EV chargers installed in the public right-of-way have unique design challenges due to existing sidewalks and infrastructure that may make installing chargers at the same level as the vehicle charging space technically infeasible.
On-Street EV Charging Stations Design
EV chargers installed on the sidewalk for on-street parallel parking should locate chargers with mobility features at the end of the block, or at the closest curb ramp. Section R309 of the proposed Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines provides design requirements for accessible on-street parking spaces, which can be used to design accessible charging spaces.
Chargers can be placed on narrow sidewalks but should be oriented facing the sidewalk and not the street in order to ensure there is adequate clear floor or ground space in front of the charger to allow for a person with a disability to approach and operate the charger. Chargers should not be placed within the middle 50% of the sidewalk adjacent to the on-street parallel parking space because this design would obstruct entry to and exit from the vehicle.
It may be challenging to bring the charging cable out to the street to connect to a vehicle with a charging inlet located on the street side, so use of chargers at on-street parallel parking may be limited to charging electric vehicles with charging inlets located on the same side as the sidewalk. Providing chargers on both sides of one-way streets is a more accessible option.
On-street parking with wide sidewalks complying with § R309.2.1 have 5-foot access aisles at street level. EV chargers can be provided at the ends of the space or along the side up on the sidewalk. Clear floor or ground space at EV chargers, access aisles, and accessible routes must not be obstructed by bollards, curbs, trees, grass, garbage cans, etc. Accessible routes must not be blocked when cables are connected to vehicles.
Fleet Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
Fleet vehicles are cars owned by an organization (business, nonprofit group, or government agency). Under the ABA, fleet EV charging stations at facilities designed, built, altered, or leased with federal funds for charging organizations’ vehicles must be accessible.
Fleet EV charging stations that serve various businesses are considered a place of public accommodation or commercial facility and must comply with the ADA Standards. Examples include a vehicle manufacturer that installs charging stations to serve its corporate fleet customers.
Employee Use of EV Chargers
Under §203.9 of the ADA Standards, entities subject to Title II or Title III of the ADA may be eligible for an exception for EV charging stations provided at a commercial facility for charging fleet vehicles under the employee work area exception if charging stations are used only by employees for charging company/fleet vehicles. However, it is recommended that at least one EV charger have accessible mobility features to accommodate employees with disabilities because the employer may be required to provide an accessible EV charger if requested by an employee as a reasonable accommodation.
If charging stations are provided for employees to charge their personal vehicles, the employee work area exception would not apply and EV charging stations must be accessible.
EV chargers provided for specific employees to charge their personal vehicles should provide accessibility as needed.
Pull-Through EV Charging Stations Design
As EV charging gets faster and more EVs become capable of towing, EV charging stations may be designed for pull-through or drive-up access, similar to gas stations. Pull-through EV charging stations do not need to mark or stripe vehicle charging spaces, but they should provide at least sixteen (16) feet of width for vehicle charging spaces. Charging cables should be able to connect to a vehicle positioned five (5) feet away.
Chargers with accessible mobility features must have a clear floor or ground space and operable parts within reach range (i.e., less than 48 inches above the ground). Bollards aligned with the sides of EV chargers provide protection without obstructing use. Designing all pull-through EV chargers with accessible mobility features is encouraged and can be achieved by avoiding installation on curbs. If installation on curbs is required, it is recommended to create a cutout in the curb that allows the clear floor or ground space to be placed closer to the charger. Also see: Are EV charging stations considered fuel dispensers and eligible for the reach range exception #2 in 308.3?
The use of automatic connection devices is encouraged at fleet charging stations, especially when chargers serve a specific vehicle make and model. If/when very short charging times are achieved, it may be unnecessary to exit the vehicle for charging.
Other Considerations
Lighting
The use of lighting can be an effective way to indicate where an EV charging station is located within a site. Lighting can also be an effective way to indicate which chargers are accessible, which are in use, in which are not working. Lighting also helps with the operation of the charger, including plugging the connector into the vehicle charging inlet at night.
Shelters
The use of shelters to protect EV charging stations and their users from the elements (rain, snow/ice, and extreme sun/heat) is also recommended. Snow and ice can be difficult, if not impossible, for a mobility device user to traverse over. Plowed snow should not obstruct access to and use of the EV charger. Black charging cables in the extreme sun/heat can also burn people with limited sensation. Shelter supports, such as columns and pylons, should not be installed in or obstruct vehicle charging spaces or access aisles, and must not be installed in or obstruct clear floor or ground space and accessible routes.
Innovation
Innovations in automatic connection devices and wireless or inductive EV charging can greatly improve accessibility. This could simplify the charging process, including the potential to eliminate the need to access and operate the charger. If/when very short charging times are achieved, it may be unnecessary to exit the vehicle for charging.
Number of Accessible Chargers
The ADA and ABA Guidelines do not specifically address how many chargers must be accessible at an EV charging station. Under the ADA Standards, when a facility or element does not have specific scoping requirements, access to a “reasonable number” is required under the general prohibitions against discrimination in the Department of Justice (DOJ) regulations for Title II and Title III entities. For more information, please contact the DOJ Office of Civil Rights at 1-800-514-0301 or 1-800-514-0383 (TTY).
This “reasonable number” must be accessible to and usable by people with disabilities, and where appropriate technical requirements for elements and spaces are provided in the ADA Standards, a reasonable number must meet those technical requirements.
The Access Board will be issuing a Notice of Proposed Rule Making that will solicit comments from the public on the minimum number of chargers that must be accessible at EV charging stations. Several approaches are possible, including:
a minimum number based on the table in 208.2 for accessible parking spaces
aligning with the 2021 International Building Code (IBC) that requires 5%
a “use last” approach where a higher percentage have accessible mobility features, but are not reserved or restricted to people with disabled parking placards/license plates. See more on the “use last” approach
a hybrid approach of use last and reserved
Issues concerning signage at accessible EV charging spaces include use of the ISA and how to indicate if accessible charging spaces should be reserved for use only by people with disabilities, or available for use by people without disabilities when all other chargers are being used.
In the interim, several states have already issued accessibility requirements for EV charging stations. If a state or local code requires a minimum number of chargers be accessible, at least that minimum number must be provided.
Signs displaying the ISA are not recommended at accessible EV charging spaces at this time, unless required by a state or local code.
The Access Board recommends designing at least two EV charging spaces with accessible mobility features, and providing accessible communication features and operable parts at all EV chargers.
This can be achieved with the following example EV charging station designs:
“Use Last” Approach to EV chargers with accessible mobility features
Traditionally, accessible parking spaces are identified with the International Symbol of Accessibility (ISA) and reserved for use only by a person with a disability placard or license plate. Use of the ISA at EV charging spaces causes confusion about whether people without a disability placard can use accessible EV charging spaces. Since EV charging stations usually have only a few chargers, reserving a charging space only for use by a person with a disability placard may result in underutilized chargers.
The “use last” model would require more EV charging spaces be designed with accessible mobility features, but would not require that the charging spaces be reserved exclusively for people with disability placards. People without disability placards could use accessible EV charging spaces when all others are occupied, resulting in greater use of available chargers. This would allow mobility device users to have more options to find a charging space with the ideal design for their EV, and alternative charging spaces to use if a charger is broken or obscured. Having alternatives is extremely important, especially if the next accessible charging station is very far away.
A “use last” sign would indicate an EV charging space is accessible, but also direct people to use this space only when other charging spaces are occupied or accessibility features are needed.
At the time of this guidance, neither Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) nor any other code-setting organization has a standard for “use last” signs, but the Access Board has designed several examples.
“This partnership delivers an affordable, semi-integrated EMV solution for self-service markets,” said Scott Dowty, chief revenue officer at Apriva. “Kiosk retailers, micro-markets, vendors and other self-service merchants can increase their revenues by accepting more forms of cashless payments, easily integrated via Windows or Linux SDK, and reducing their PCI scope through end-to-end encryption.”
About Ingenico — Ingenico has over 6,000 employees and operates in over 170 countries. The company’s products and services include point-of-sale (POS) terminals, mobile payment solutions, and cloud-based payment processing platforms. Ingenico’s customers include merchants of all sizes, from small businesses to large retailers. The company is the leading provider of payment solutions in Europe and has expanded its presence in other regions, such as Asia and Latin America.
We like talking about our Gold sponsors, particularly Charter Sponsors. That would be Ingenico. Ingenico has provided more EMV unattended payment terminals for self-service than any other company.
Olea ticket kiosk with Ingenico. This unit will be at our booth at IAAPA #6137 — click for full sizeThe old-style kbw swipe mag bars from Magtek were once the king of the hill but that was before EMV truly converted “unattended solutions” (aka kiosks). Card self-service is more important today than ever before whether credit card or debit card. Even cash is being converted to card.
The workhorse for kiosks has been the iUC285. By 2024 everything going into the field will be the Self-3000 (see link). In self-checkout units (SCOs) at grocery and retailers it will likely be some sort of Lane terminal. Those are used by Lowes, Targets, all over.
Worldnet Payments And Esper Launch Android Kiosk Payment Solutions For ISVs
Seattle, WA & Atlanta, GA – 23rd June 2020, Esper and Worldnet Payments announced the global launch of the first complete set of Android payment solutions for independent software vendors (ISVs) and product development teams. Worldnet, a trusted global provider of omni-channel payment solutions, has partnered with Esper’s Android DevOps solution to offer a streamlined pathway to developing, deploying, and managing Android payment products for retail, hospitality, restaurants, and other industries.
“Collectively, Esper and Worldnet offer a complete set of cloud developer tools to speed up product development and streamline payment upgrades to Android device fleets,” says Shiv Sundar, COO of Esper. “Developers can use our connected platforms and cloud APIs to rapidly create custom integrations and programmatic control over payments, devices, apps, and peripheral hardware.”
Both Esper and Worldnet’s cloud tools are created by developers, for developers with open standards and industry-leading ease-of-integration. Together, Worldnet and Esper’s cloud tools can allow developers to unlock a seamless approach to managing Android mobile-point-of-sale (mPoS), kiosks, contactless devices, and more. It’s the first partnership to offer complete control over through a single cloud platform over every aspect of payments, apps, and hardware.
Payment Processing
Merchant Banking
Provisioning & Deployment
Device Management
Hardware & Peripherals
“Individually, Worldnet and Esper each have a remarkable track record of success enabling ISVs and System Integrators (SIs) to streamline integrated product development,” says John Clarke, CEO of Worldnet Payments. “Our Android mobile payments partnership offers a clear pathway for product developers to accelerate self-service and contactless payment innovation and achieve a seamless approach to managing payment devices.”
About Worldnet Payments
Worldnet Payments develops frictionless payments solutions for independent software vendors. The company’s omni-channel platform is used to deliver expert solutions in industries such as unattended retail, transportation, and services. Worldnet’s flexible approach enables businesses to deliver a customized payment experience to their customers, including tailored workflows, branding and centralized reporting and analytics. The highly scalable cloud platform provides an advanced range of EMV-enabled products and services across channels including eCommerce, Mobile, PoS and iPoS.
For more information, contact [email protected] or visit www.worldnetpayments.com
About Esper
Esper offers the industry’s most powerful cloud tools for Android device deployment and application management. Our platform and cloud APIs help organizations across industries go beyond traditional mobile device management to Android DevOps.
KIOSK Information Systems Announces Licensed Bill Pay Software Product
Reduces Development Costs, Speeds Time to Market, and Increases Store Productivity
LOUISVILLE, Colo.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–KIOSK Information Systems (KIOSK) is announcing a new bill pay software platform at the NRF Big Show, 2017, Booth #3805. The modular application provides a complete user flow for payment of multiple bills (via cash, card, and check) and common account inquiries. While unique customer features or additional flow paths can be readily integrated by KIOSK’s Application Development team, the base product license accomplishes the most common transaction functionality KIOSK has encountered with other major retail bill payment and money services clients.
KIOSK Information Systems to Demo New Bill Payment Software at the 2017 NRF Big Show, Booth #3805
KIOSK CEO, Tom Weaver, states, “Without question, bill payment is KIOSK’s most consistent and dominant market application. Many of our clients are in their second or third generation of self-service having already proven the enormous impact of automating literally millions of transactions each year. The ROI on in-store bill payment has moved it from a ‘nice to have’ in-store feature to a ‘must-have’ element to maximize store profits.”
Having worked with most of the dominant phone and cable service providers as well as leading electronic bill payment and money transfer clients, KIOSK’s Development Teams embarked on creating a more turnkey and modular software product, with a pre-established user flow for multi-bill account look-up and payment processing. By offering this as licensed functionality, KIOSK can reduce development timelines by 50% or more, leaving only specialized requests and client-specific API integration to complete.
KIOSK CTO, Charley Newsom, adds that “Our team has integrated our bill payment software with CORE K-NECT to include our proprietary remote monitoring and real-time alerts on connectivity, application status, and advanced payment component-level monitoring in the base product license. This capability, combined with our Intel Security Suite software stack options, creates a secure and PCI compliant total solution that has been vetted and deployed with Fortune 500 client applications. The custom hardware has always been a ‘given’ with KIOSK, but over the course of several years, we have developed a fully secured and finished TOTAL payment solution that we are very proud and excited to bring to market.”
For a closer look, please visit us at NRF’s Big Show, Booth #3805.
About KIOSK Information Systems:
As the Market Leader in Self-service Solutions, KIOSK provides proven expertise in design engineering; application development, integration, manufacturing, field support, and managed services for even the most sophisticated self-service platforms. An exceptionally broad portfolio of standard and custom KIOSK designs are deployed among Top 100 Retailers and Fortune 500 clients in virtually all self-service vertical markets. www.kiosk.com, 800.509.5471.
TEAMSable Partners With Worldnet Payments To Provide EMV Payment Solutions to Merchants
San Jose, California – March 30, 2020 – TEAMSable, premiere hardware manufacturer of complete Point-Of-Sale (POS) systems, and Worldnet Payments, a trusted leader in electronic payments and security technology, announced today that they have joined forces to provide a one-stop shop for businesses looking for EMV certified frictionless payments solutions. This partnership will enable EMV payment processing on TEAMSable point-of-sale systems for retail, restaurants, hospitality, health care, and more.
Worldnet Payment’s gateway is certified to industry-leading processors and will integrate with TEAMSable’s POS hardware. This will allow transaction data to transfer seamlessly from the POS to the payment terminal, delivering a frictionless payment experience to customers, while saving merchants time and resources. Worldnet EMV certified with major processors and also provides Contactless and eCommerce solutions which means you would be able to accept any payment anywhere with all major credit and debit cards.
“Commerce is changing faster than ever before and merchants require versatile payment solutions to meet those demands,” said Conn Byrne, Worldnet Payments’ Senior Vice President of Sales. “By partnering with TEAMSable, we can deliver an integrated solution that will help merchants advance and grow their business.”
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Worldnet Payments because they have a dedicated team and the latest payments technology and security,” said Michael Hsieh, General Manager at TEAMSable. “We are proud to be partnering with them to enable merchants to accept EMV and mobile payments securely from anywhere.”
TEAMSable is continuously making strides to quickly and efficiently bring versatile point-of-sale solutions to the market. For businesses today to thrive, they must be able to accept a wide range of payments and provide security for card data. This partnership ensures that business owners have what is needed to run a successful operation for years to come.
About TEAMSable POS, Inc.
Founded in 2006, TEAMSable POS started as a division of Team Research Inc., a public company in Taiwan and doing business based in San Jose, California for over 25 years. TEAMSable POS offers a complete line of POS Hardware and mPOS solutions including all-in-one touch systems, mobile devices, peripherals, and payment terminals. Their team has a proven track record of delivering quality products and first-class customer service, always ensuring that products are delivered in a timely fashion and within budget. To learn more visit: www.teamsable.com
About Worldnet Payments
Worldnet Payments delivers frictionless payment solutions to Software Vendors and Integrators. We were founded in 2007 and our technology has been designed from the ground up to deliver seamlessly integrated omnichannel payments. We deliver end to end solutions, from advice on architecture, to support in rollout and merchant migration, helping to ensure a truly frictionless integration experience for our customers. The company operates from Atlanta GA, with a European base in Dublin, Ireland. To learn more visit: www.worldnetpayments.com
In today’s modern airports, digital signage plays a crucial role in enhancing the overall passenger experience and maximizing the benefits for both travelers and airport operators.
In today’s modern airports, digital signage plays a crucial role in enhancing the overall passenger experience and maximizing the benefits for both travelers and airport operators. Understanding the importance of digital signage in airports is essential to fully capitalize on its potential.
Understanding the Importance of Digital Signage in Airports
Modern airports are vast and complex spaces, bustling with activity and constantly evolving. With countless passengers navigating through terminals, it is crucial to provide clear and concise information to ensure a smooth and efficient travel experience.
Digital signage serves as a dynamic communication tool that can disseminate real-time information and guide passengers in a clear, engaging, and visually appealing manner.
When it comes to the role of digital signage in modern airports, its impact goes beyond just displaying information. It acts as a virtual concierge, offering wayfinding and directional assistance to travelers. With its ability to display maps, highlight key areas, and provide step-by-step instructions to various amenities, such as baggage claim, security checkpoints, and boarding gates, digital signage becomes an indispensable tool in helping passengers navigate the complex airport environment.
Moreover, digital signage plays a crucial role in keeping passengers informed. It can display important announcements, updates on flight schedules, and any changes or delays, ensuring passengers stay up-to-date and reducing confusion or frustration. This real-time communication helps create a seamless travel experience and enhances overall passenger satisfaction.
One of the primary benefits of airport digital signage is its ability to enhance passenger experience. The engaging visuals, coupled with interactive features, captivate and assist travelers, alleviating stress and uncertainty during their journey. Imagine a passenger glancing at a digital signage display and finding not only the information they need but also interactive elements that allow them to explore the airport’s facilities, services, and even local attractions. This level of engagement creates a positive impression and fosters a perception of efficiency and attentiveness from the airport authority.
Additionally, digital signage can also be used as a platform for advertising and revenue generation. Airports can partner with brands and businesses to display targeted advertisements, promotions, and offers on digital signage screens. This not only helps generate additional revenue for the airport but also provides valuable information and opportunities for passengers. These DOOH platforms can integrate with third-party ad networks like Clearchannel to automatically pull advertising inventory.
In conclusion, digital signage has become an essential tool in modern airports. Its ability to provide real-time information, assist with wayfinding, enhance the passenger experience, and even generate revenue makes it a valuable asset for both passengers and airport authorities. As airports continue to grow and evolve, digital signage will play an increasingly important role in ensuring a seamless and enjoyable travel experience for all.
Key Features of Effective Airport Digital Signage
While recognizing the importance of digital signage, it is essential to understand the key features that contribute to its effectiveness in airports. These features include:
Interactive Maps and Wayfinding
Interactive maps incorporated within digital signage allow passengers to navigate through the airport efficiently. By providing intuitive directions and highlighting essential areas, digital signage empowers travelers to find their way seamlessly.
Whether it’s locating restrooms, dining options, or duty-free shops, interactive maps help passengers make informed decisions, saving time and reducing stress.
Imagine a weary traveler arriving at a bustling airport, unsure of where to go. With airport digital signage, they can simply look up at the screens strategically placed throughout the terminal and find their way with ease. The interactive maps not only provide clear directions but also offer additional information about nearby amenities, such as the distance to the nearest coffee shop or the estimated walking time to the gate.
Furthermore, these interactive maps can be customized based on the passenger’s preferences and needs. For example, families traveling with young children can select a map that highlights family-friendly facilities like play areas or nursing rooms. Business travelers, on the other hand, can choose a map that focuses on business lounges and conference facilities. Interactive maps can also extend across to touch-screen kiosks to allow passengers to scan their boarding pass to find real-time flight information and directions to their gate.
Real-Time Flight Information
Keeping travelers updated about flight schedules, gate changes, or delays is crucial. Digital signage provides real-time flight information, enabling passengers to be well-informed and make necessary adjustments to their travel plans.
Displaying flight status, arrival and departure times, and even estimated wait times at security checkpoints contribute to a smoother travel experience for passengers.
Picture this: a passenger is rushing to catch a connecting flight but is unsure if it has been delayed. With airport digital signage, they can quickly glance at the screens scattered throughout the terminal and find up-to-date information about their flight. This real-time flight information allows them to plan accordingly, whether it means hurrying to the gate or taking a moment to grab a bite to eat.
Furthermore, airport digital signage can also provide additional information related to flights, such as weather conditions at the destination or any important announcements from the airline. This ensures that passengers are well-prepared and have all the necessary information at their fingertips.
Advertising and Promotional Content
Another key feature of effective airport digital signage is its ability to display advertising and promotional content. This not only generates revenue for the airport but also provides relevant information to passengers about current offers, services, and local attractions.
By strategically placing promotional content throughout the airport, digital signage can influence passenger behavior and encourage engagement with various concessions and amenities.
Imagine a passenger waiting at the gate, looking for something to do during their layover. With airport digital signage, they are presented with enticing advertisements for local attractions, such as museums, tours, or shopping centers. This not only helps promote the local economy but also enhances the overall travel experience for passengers.
In addition to promoting external businesses, airport digital signage can also be used to showcase the airport’s own services and facilities. For example, it can highlight the airport’s VIP lounges, spa services, or even exclusive shopping experiences. By effectively utilizing digital signage for advertising and promotional purposes, airports can create a vibrant and engaging environment for their passengers.
Strategies to Maximize the Benefits of Digital Signage
Implementing digital signage is just the beginning; to truly maximize its benefits, certain strategies need to be adopted:
Utilizing High-Quality, Engaging Content
The success of digital signage relies on the quality and relevance of the content displayed. Captivating visuals, clear messaging, and engaging multimedia can capture the attention of passengers, ensuring they absorb the information being shared.
Imagine walking through an airport and being greeted by a vibrant digital display showcasing stunning images of exotic destinations. The vivid colors and breathtaking scenery immediately transport you to another world, igniting your desire to explore new places. As you continue your journey, you come across another digital sign that showcases mouthwatering images of delicious food options available at the airport’s restaurants. The carefully curated content leaves you salivating and eagerly anticipating your next meal.
Collaborating with professionals in graphic design and content creation can provide the expertise needed to create visually stunning and impactful displays. These experts can help craft compelling narratives that resonate with passengers, ensuring that the digital signage becomes a memorable part of their travel experience.
Ensuring Clear and Readable Information Display
Digital signage should prioritize clarity and readability. Utilizing appropriate font sizes, contrasting colors, and concise wording is essential for conveying information effectively, particularly in environments with varying lighting conditions.
Imagine finding yourself in a bustling airport terminal, surrounded by a sea of people and a cacophony of sounds. In such a chaotic environment, it becomes crucial for digital signage to cut through the noise and deliver information clearly and efficiently. By using bold, easily readable fonts and contrasting colors, the signage becomes a beacon of clarity amidst the chaos.
Regular maintenance and testing of the displays are also crucial to ensure optimal performance and readability throughout the airport. Technicians diligently monitor the screens, adjusting brightness levels, and resolving any issues that may hinder the readability of the content. This meticulous attention to detail guarantees that passengers can always rely on digital signage to provide them with the information they need.
Incorporating User-Friendly Interactive Features
Intuitive user interfaces and interactive features contribute to enhanced usability and a positive passenger experience. Incorporating touchscreens, gesture recognition, or even voice commands can make it easier for travelers to navigate digital signage and access relevant information quickly.
Imagine approaching a digital sign that not only displays flight information but also allows you to interact with it. With a simple touch on the screen, you can access real-time updates about your flight, including gate changes and delays. The user-friendly interface guides you effortlessly through the options, ensuring a seamless experience.
Furthermore, providing multilingual options and clear instructions on how to interact with the displays can accommodate a diverse range of passengers. Travelers from all over the world can easily navigate digital signage, regardless of their language proficiency. Clear icons and intuitive gestures eliminate language barriers, ensuring that everyone can benefit from the information presented.
Future Trends in Airport Digital Signage
As technology continues to evolve, digital signage in airports is expected to embrace new trends and innovations. Some of the future trends to look out for include:
Integration with Mobile Applications – Increasing integration between digital signage and mobile applications will allow passengers to personalize their travel experience further. This could include features such as syncing flight information directly to smartphones or enabling interactive maps with real-time tracking capabilities.
Use of Augmented Reality in Digital Signage – Augmented Reality (AR) has the potential to transform the way passengers interact with digital signage. By overlaying relevant information in the real environment, AR can provide contextual guidance, showcase vital features or services within the airport, and offer a more immersive experience for travelers.
Personalized Content Delivery through AI and Machine Learning – The future of digital signage lies in utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to deliver personalized content to passengers. By analyzing user behavior and preferences, digital signage can offer tailored recommendations, targeted advertising, and even real-time assistance based on individual needs.
This level of personalization enhances customer engagement and satisfaction, ultimately maximizing the benefits of airport digital signage.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the importance of airport digital signage cannot be overstated. By effectively utilizing interactive maps, real-time flight information, and captivating advertising, airports can enhance the overall travel experience.
Through strategies such as engaging content creation, clarity in information display, and user-friendly interactive features, airports can maximize the benefits of digital signage and ensure that passengers are well-informed, engaged, and satisfied throughout their journey.
Keep an eye on future trends, such as integration with mobile applications, the use of augmented reality, and personalized content delivery through AI and machine learning, to stay ahead in the ever-evolving world of airport digital signage.
Ask any consumer today what grabs their attention or where they get their information and their answers will most likely differ from what they may have been 10 or 15 years ago. As technology and the variety of different media outlets have grown exponentially, many consumers have shifted their attention from more traditional media forms, such as magazines, newspapers, and stationary billboards to more modern mediums like social media, web-based outlets, and digital signage. While these more modern outlets often provide the exact same information as the ones that came before them, they have the ability to offer curious consumers the opportunity to learn and more easily engage with the information they are provided.
As this shift has occurred and consumer preferences have changed, so have the ways in which businesses successfully inform and market to them. While there’s no denying that the more traditional forms of promotion and advertising are effective for reaching consumers, digital signage has the ability to provide them with a unique user experience from the start—driving awareness, offering an interactive experience, and providing a seamless, user-friendly interface throughout the entire interaction.
Curious how digital signage could change the advertising game for your business or organization? Keep reading.
Drives Awareness
Living in the age of technology that we do, consumers are easily captivated by almost anything with a digital screen. Think about it–if you’re walking down the street or through a mall, are you more likely to notice the print display hanging in the storefront or the interactive digital display? Probably the digital display. Digital signage does so much more than just grab customers’ attention, though, it is also an effective tool for sharing information and driving consumer awareness on the path to purchase.
Offers an Interactive Experience
While the aforementioned more traditional forms of promotion and advertising have undoubtedly withstood the test of time, today’s consumers have grown to expect immediate gratification—including quick answers to their questions. Many digital signage models feature an interactive touch screen, which provides consumers access to numerous different layers of information—extending far beyond what meets the eye upon first glance. Digital signage can also include VoIP and SMS Text Messaging capabilities—enabling consumers to call businesses directly from the kiosk or text information from the screen to their personal cell phone to refer back to later on.
Provides a User-Friendly Interface
In addition to providing an eye-catching display, Interactive digital signage also offers a user-friendly interface–complete with simple menu options and navigation features. From the most tech-savvy to the least, consumers of all kinds can interact with and absorb information from the display. Similarly, with ADA compliance, Voice Over IP (VoIP), and Telecommunication Device for the Deaf (TDD) integration capabilities, digital signage can accommodate consumers of all abilities.
Improves Efficiency
Not only is digital signage easy for consumers to use, one of the most significant benefits for businesses and organizations is that the content is easy for them to update as well. Did the time change for an event? No problem. Just implemented updates for a product line? Get the word out! Once they have finalized the changes that need to be made, businesses and organizations can simply log into the back-end of their platform and add, remove, or change any of their content, all with the click of a few buttons.
Can Include Revenue-Generating Advertising
While some businesses and organizations choose to solely focus their digital signage solution on their own company, others have implemented revenue-generating platforms on which other non-competing businesses or organizations in the area can advertise as well. This is an especially useful option when looking for a way to offset the initial cost of deployment.
As consumers have become increasingly technology-driven, digital signage has emerged as an effective advertising and information sharing platform. As a result, this transformation has successfully enhanced the ways in which businesses and organizations promote themselves to consumers.
To learn more about Meridian’s self-service digital signage hardware and software solutions, visit our digital signage page.
Let’s face it, hospitals are nothing short of mazes—especially for first-time visitors to a particular one. Without clearly presented directions on how to arrive at the ward or room a visitor is looking for, wandering is inevitable. This means crowded hallways filled with lost and frustrated visitors.
In some situations, patients can even miss appointments due to an inability to find their destination. A whopping $150bn is wasted per year on missed appointments, and although wayfinding (or lack thereof) isn’t responsible for all of these, it’s certainly a major contributing factor.
This is why digital signage specifically designed for patient wayfinding can not only help patients and visitors in a hospital, but it can even help healthcare professionals navigate quickly, increasing hospital efficiency.
How to Improve Wayfinding in Hospitals
With a network of digital screens and kiosks installed across hospitals, navigation can be a much simpler, less stressful experience for all.
By introducing digital directories, users can be given the ability to search for everything from doctors’ names, locations of departments or offices, and even where to get a bite to eat. Plus, in the near future, we could also see users (with additional security protocols in place, of course) pull up exactly where a friend or relative may be staying. Because they’re digital, they’re also easier to update than traditional directories and can be rolled out instantaneously.
Overhead signage can provide patient wayfinding by helping people identify their current location in the hospital. If circumstances change, updates can be made by members of staff in just a few minutes.
For rooms, digital screens presenting room numbers and doctor/patient names can also help people navigate where they need to be without having to ask staff members where to go.
GPS google maps style tracking/mapping can also be used to successfully improve wayfinding in hospital environments.
Digital Mapping/Tracking
Nowadays, many places we visit have some form of digital or 3D map showing us a blueprint of the place; airports, shopping malls, and even city centers. Yet in hospital settings, it’s still pretty uncommon. Through the introduction of accessible mapping and tracking which can be accessed via kiosks or mobile phones, patients and practitioners will have a clearer view of where they need to be.
Although digital check-in in hospitals has increased over the last few years, this, unfortunately, is usually the limit of its use. Now, however, forward-thinking hospitals have the chance to create a much more user-friendly, fluid interface where check-in kiosks are integrated with digital mapping technology and signage making hospital wayfinding in the biggest facilities much easier.
How exactly does this work?
Upon check-in, interactive maps on the screen will allow the user to see exactly where they need to be in the hospital. Then, for those who have smartphones, the hospital map can be downloaded in seconds so they can be guided the entire way.
Maps can be downloaded in multiple ways, but the most practical is either by scanning a QR code or with a text link sent to the user’s mobile. This can then open up a webpage with the map and ‘blue dot’ tracking, or prompt the user to download an app for a more optimized experience.
Of course, there are some accessibility concerns with hospital mobile wayfinding, especially when considering the older population. They may not have access to a smartphone or know how to use digital signage tech effectively enough for it to work. However, in these scenarios, digital kiosks placed at intersections of the hospital could act as a guide, as well as overhead signage, which is a dramatic improvement on traditional methods of wayfinding.
The Bottom Line
Digital signage presents a unique opportunity to overcome one of the biggest issues people face when visiting large hospitals. It allows for a smoother visit and fewer missed appointments, saving time and money for both patient and medical professionals.
The introduction of intuitive and accessible digital signage will not just give visitors and patience a better experience, but staff will be able to navigate easier, even when they’re new to the hospital, and wait times could even be decreased due to more streamlined operations.
In short, hospital mapping and wayfinding with digital signage and touch screen kiosks is an ideal solution for improving patient experience and increasing the efficiency of your hospital. It provides a technological boost that can help set a hospital apart from others.
Acquire Digital hotel lobby digital signage case study in Vegas – As one of the top resorts in Las Vegas, the team at Acquire Digital was proud to work on an upgraded digital signage management platform for its iconic lobby pillar displays and other signage throughout The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. The old system was extremely difficult to use and required as many as 7 programs to update content. In addition, the team replaced the existing media players with Acquire’s own player technology that incorporates advanced functionality including the ability to playout multiple videos on a single display, place a transition layer on top of existing content, move content around, and the ability to rotate and colorize it across the display network.
The innovative platform reduced the total number of players (around 70) by 50%, thanks to Acquire’s state-of-the-art digital signage software. Additionally, The Cosmopolitan can now output more than five 8K videos at the same time from a single player. All of this can be controlled from a single dashboard via the Acquire Editor CMS and monitored remotely as part of the ongoing support and maintenance program.
Acquire’s expertise combined with the efforts of YESCO’s technical team, Cosmopolitan’s external creative company, and the creative and technical teams at the resort ensured the project all came together smoothly. The new experience will ensure an outstanding visual experience throughout the property for guests.
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is a magnificent and luxurious multi-billion-dollar hotel and casino located on the iconic Las Vegas Strip, with more than 3,000 rooms, many offering a private terrace. The hotel also features a 110,000 sq. ft. casino, 300,000 sq. ft. of retail and restaurant space, a 40,000 sq. ft. spa and fitness facility, a 3,200-seat theater, and 150,000 sq. ft. of meeting and convention space.
In 2013, the Cosmopolitan was rated “The Best Hotel in the World” by Gogobot, and in 2015, the resort was named to the Condé Nast Traveler Gold List as one of the “Top Hotels in the World.” It was named one of The Top Hotels in Las Vegas in the Conde Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards in 2018.
In 2021, the Cosmopolitan was purchased by MGM Resorts International for a reported $1.65 billion.
As one of the top resorts in Las Vegas, if not the world, it was crucial that the look of the hotel from the moment a guest arrived be as breathtaking as possible. A key part of creating that look was a complex digital signage network in front of and throughout the hotel, including an 8-column, four-sided installation in the lobby comprised of multiple 42-inch high-resolution LCD displays arranged in portrait mode, as well as a row of similar screens in landscape mode mounted behind the reception desk. Also included were multiple LED displays outside the resort entrance.
The challenge
As part of an effort to maintain its position as a premier Las Vegas resort, Cosmopolitan was seeking to upgrade its hotel digital signage technology. When it came to high-profile guests or convention groups, for example, the hotel wanted to greet them with company branding or other relevant content on the lobby displays.
Unfortunately, this was not possible with Cosmopolitan’s existing digital signage systems. Various signage networks throughout the property used different systems, requiring operators to switch between as many as 7 programs to update content. The existing digital signage content management platform required users to go through a long training process to use the different platforms, and converting content to a file format supported by that software involved a rendering process that took several days.
Once the content was finally converted, the CMS was extremely difficult to use, adding to the costs and complexities of the network. As a result, it was nearly impossible for the hotel to keep content new, fresh, alive, current, and constantly moving.
Cosmopolitan also wanted to allow some of the screens to be controlled by third parties. The resort is home to several nightclubs, so they wanted to allow those third parties to swap out generic content and display something tailored along the lines of “Hey, Let’s Jam!” as well as play live videos or streams for special events. At the same time, they didn’t want the various parties to be able to control all the screens.
The solution
To help it implement a modern, flexible, and easy-to-use digital signage network and content management system, the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas tapped U.K.-based Acquire Digital. Recognized as an industry leader in self-service, digital signage and wayfinding software, Acquire has installed thousands of digital deployments over its 25-year history for hundreds of customers around the world. Many of those deployments include digital signage solutions for hotels and resorts as well as casino digital signage.
Displays and related hardware were supplied by Acquire’s hardware partner YESCO.
One of the first steps in the process was to replace the existing digital signage media players with Acquire’s own player technology. Unlike a traditional media player that just plays digital content on a playlist or sequence, Acquire’s technology incorporates advanced functionality including the ability to perform tasks including playing multiple videos on a single display, placing a transition layer on top of existing content, moving content around, rotating it and colorizing it across all the different displays. Content can be placed in virtual “cubes” and rotated across the displays.
Acquire’s hotel digital signage solutions can also pull in content such as web pages, other videos or live streams and overlay that on top of existing content. Additionally, incorporating an additional media player allows for separate content to be displayed on a portion of the same screen independently, but frame accurate.
If a deployer has video walls or LED displays in unusual shapes, the Acquire system can fill those shapes with content and play multiple outputs. The system can also process 4K output and even decode 8K if required.
The results
Acquire’s work at the Cosmopolitan was completed in May 2022.
One of the main benefits Cosmopolitan was able to achieve thanks to its partnership with Acquire came in the cost of operating the various digital signage systems. Before commissioning Acquire, the hotel was operating a player per screen plus backup players, totaling nearly 70 players. Thanks to its state-of-the-art digital signage software for hotels and vast industry experience, Acquire reduced the number of players required by more than half. Additionally, the Cosmopolitan can now output more than four 4K videos at the same time from a single player. And if one player goes down, then there is always a backup player that will take its place to avoid downtime.
All of this can be controlled from a single dashboard via the Acquire Editor CMS and monitored from the Acquire offices as part of Acquire’s ongoing support and maintenance program. Managing content is accomplished using a simple drag-and-drop interface that already exists in Acquire’s standard user interface but is customized in parts for The Cosmopolitan. Users can learn how to use the system in minutes and update content in real-time. Because different types of content have been designed for different sizes of screens, the software includes a failsafe that won’t allow the wrong content to be dragged and dropped onto a screen that doesn’t match the content size, avoiding embarrassing video playouts.
If any of the media players experience a fault, the Cosmopolitan can quickly swap it out with a manual stream. The resort also benefits from having YESCO staffers based in Las Vegas who are fully trained in using the systems, providing local on-premise support if needed. Acquire also has its remote support tools that alert the company to any issues, potentially even before the Cosmopolitan would know there’s a problem. Acquire also provided full training to Cosmopolitan’s IT department, allowing them to manage most issues in-house. Thanks to those safeguards the likelihood of real problems is very low.
Acquire’s expertise combined with the efforts of YESCO’s technical team, Cosmopolitan’s external creative company and the creative and technical teams at the resort ensured the project all came together smoothly. Because of their efforts, every guest will have an outstanding visual experience no matter where on the property they may be.
LAS VEGAS, Nev., August 1, 2017 —Digital Signage Resolutions (DSR) announces Designate®, its turnkey digital signage solution for easy, affordable and reliable digital signage. DSR has partnered with Shuttle Computer Group for hardware and Xibo for software to create Designate, which is available in three service options: Designate Full Service, Designate Self Service and Designate On Demand, available in both Windows® and Android® platforms.
Click for full size image
Laura Gray, president of Digital Signage Resolutions said, “We have found the best digital signage hardware and software partners to create out-of-the-box digital signage for people who are completely unfamiliar with it, as well as experts who know all about it.”
DSR provides the gamut of digital signage services including in-house content creation and design, digital media players, content management systems (CMS), managed services, and hosting services used in a wide range of applications like retail, restaurant, casino, corporate messaging, wayfinding, etc. Digital signage has become ubiquitous for advertising, menu boards, gaming information, employee data, maps, and more.
With Designate, clients can customize their solution or choose from three deployment options based on their needs:
Designate Full Service: DSR works directly with users to determine which combination of products and services is best for their application. DSR chooses the appropriate Designator™ Media Players, configures the CMS and loads content based on customers’ needs. This option is a plug-and-play solution for companies that have no experience or limited resources.
Designate Self Service: Users purchase Windows® or Android® Designator media players and a subscription to DSR’s Designate Cloud CMS. They configure the CMS and load and schedule content that is directed to the appropriate Designator media player and display. The Designator media player attaches to their monitor or distribution points, users connect to the internet, and content is automatically uploaded to the display.
Designate On Demand: This option provides a cloud-based CMS solution for those who already own media players. Users load Designate software onto their players, purchase a subscription to the Designate CMS, then connect their displays/digital media players to their CMS and display content in minutes.
Designator Media Players are provided by Shuttle Computer Group, Inc. one of the world’s leading designers of small form computers used in digital signage. Four of its most popular digital players are available in an Entry Level, Good, Better, Best offering:
A02A: supports a single display at 4K/Ultra HD with a fanless design to cool its Rockchip processor. A VESA mount and multiple storage choices make this unit a great place to start.
CEL02U has a new elegant, space saving design and can attach directly to a monitor with a standard VESA mount, for an uncluttered workspace or all-in-one commercial application.
CI30SE supports two independent displays, and its heatpipe cooling system and smart fan ensures reliably cool performance for long operation. It has many connectivity options for increased installation flexibility.
CI5170 is designed for high-performance vertical markets; this slim PC has an Intel® built-in graphics engine for crisp, action-packed, clear 4K/Ultra HD video playback. It also supports three independent screen displays and is easily integrated into diverse business environments.
Designate is powered by Xibo, a powerful and reliable open source digital signage solution. The Xibo CMS is the core component of the Designate solution; it plays the role of a central management interface where content is created, designed, shaped and scheduled.
About Xibo:
Xibo is a complete digital signage solution comprised of a web-based content management system (CMS) with a choice of Windows or Android signage software. Based in the UK it started as a university project in 2004 and prides itself on being Open Source and community driven with over 6 years of development behind it. The Xibo development team are constantly reacting to the Designate community and customer feedback to bring new and revised features and functionality to each major release. Xibo powers over 40,000 displays worldwide and counting…
About Shuttle Computer Group
Shuttle Computer Group is the North American subsidiary of Shuttle Inc., a publicly traded company established in 1983. Shuttle specializes in small form factor PC hardware for digital signage, point-of-sale (POS) and interactive kiosks in the retail, restaurant, food service and hospitality industries as well as motherboards and bare bones systems.
Based in Las Vegas, Digital Signage Resolutions provides affordable and reliable products and services that make implementing and sustaining eye-catching digital signage easy. The company also offers exceptional, responsive, and thorough customer service. Its founder, Laura Gray, has 20+ years of experience in digital video and graphics content creation, distribution and management; her team of experts now focuses solely on digital signage. For more information, visit www.digitalsignageresolutions.com.
Frank Mayer and Associates, Inc. has a new in-store
Click to see full image
merchandising program for the flooring and home products market at-retail.
Metroflor Corporation, a leader in luxury vinyl tile flooring solutions and one of the first flooring manufacturers to bring the LVT product to retail, has stepped into the retail marketplace with an innovative new flooring product. The Metroflor Selection Center combines their major product lines on one display, presenting a cohesive brand statement.
The press release is attached. The Metroflor Selection Center program page can be found:http://www.frankmayer.com/in-store-merchandising/metroflor-selection-center/ . The press release can also be found: http://www.frankmayer.com/about-fma/frank-mayer-news/
dave and busters gaming kiosk Click to see full size image.. Cool!
Gaming Kiosk
Frank Mayer and Associates, Inc. has a new interactive kiosk program within the family entertainment gaming industry.
Dave & Buster’s is building on their ability to offer “ticket-less” rewards points directly to the gamer’s card by re-designing their loyalty kiosks. Frank Mayer and Associates, Inc. designed and produced both the Loyalty Reward Kiosk and POWER CARD® Kiosk for use in Dave & Buster’s locations nationwide.
The press release is linked below, titled “Dave & Buster’s powers up their family entertainment loyalty program with re-designed interactive kiosks”. Click on the image to get a better view. Cool kiosk design!
The Dave & Buster’s Loyalty Rewards Gaming Kiosks program page can be found: https://www.frankmayer.com/interactive-kiosk-solutions/dave-busters-loyalty-rewards-kiosks/. The press release can also
o be found: https://www.frankmayer.com/about-fma/frank-mayer-news/
Download now the FMA_Dave&Busters press releaseThe Dave & Buster’s multi-kiosk program is responsive to customers’ changing needs, along with Frank Mayer and Associates, Inc.’s ability to design successful interactive kiosk programs thoroughly and efficiently.
Frank Mayer and Associates, Inc. is an industry leader in the creative design and manufacturing of branded in-store merchandising displays, interactive kiosks and store fixtures for leading consumer product companies and retailers. Frank Mayer and Associates, Inc.’s headquarters are based in Grafton, Wisconsin with offices nationwide.
AR Systems is based in Corona, CA, which is where AVT was based and also where ART is headquartered. Illingworth is chief innovation officer of AR Systems and industry consultant and kiosk veteran Trevor Owen is president.
We track VR and AR and here is some of the recent news.
Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger has no interest in using VR headsets at the company’s theme parks. This is a response to rival theme parks, like Six Flags and SeaWorld, integrating VR headsets to rides. Instead, Iger is open to using AR technology on rides and attractions. Disney’s CEO also said that he makes a weekly trip to the company’s engineering lab, where he wears a head-worn device that enables him to hold a light saber and duel with a storm trooper. This could be a reference to Disney’s partnership with VR startup Magic Leap. — LAT
Facebook could be working on an AR product. The social media giant assembled a roster of tech veterans last year to lead its hardware group, Building 8. Business Insider has learned that the team has been working on augmented reality, cameras and brain scanning technology. Although Facebook has no experience in selling hardware, the moves indicate they may be ready to take on the new and ambitious effort.— BI
According to research from Frank N. Magid Associates, 89% of VR headset buyers said they were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the product. When asked about their willingness to recommend a VR product to family and friends, 81% said they would. 90% of buyers found their device easy or very easy to use and 85% believed their headset purchase was a good value. In terms of the content being viewed on the headset, 72% said they watch non-gaming content on their headset, which outpaced 63% of users who play games on their headset. — DEALERSCOPE
Gorillaz have released a VR music video in anticipation of their new album, Humanz. Directed by Jamie Hewlett, “Saturnz Barz,” is a six-minute VR short film that follows the British virtual band on a journey through space. Viewers can also hear snippets of yet-to-be-released tracks from the album, set to release April 28. The video can be viewed through YouTube’s VR app. — UPLOADVR
Some museums in the U.S. are adding VR exhibits to attract more visitors. For instance, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County has added theBlu, a VR experience that lets visitors explore the virtual ocean. Wevr, the VR company behind the exhibit, loaned the computers and equipment to the museum. “We think that out of home venues such as museums are a terrific space for the public to have their first experience in virtual reality,” Wevr CEO Neville Spiteri told Marketplace. — MARKETPLACE
NCAA March Madness will be available for viewing in VR. Starting with the “Sweet 16” game series, Samsung Gear VR users can download the NCAA March Madness Live VR app to watch the tournament in VR. The app is available for free from the Oculus store, but will cost $2.99 to watch one game, or $7.99 to watch six games. The VR coverage includes arena sounds, multiple court side cameras and VR-specific commentary. — NEW ATLAS
Apple has introduced Clips, a new iOS app that allows users to add filters, text and graphics to photos and video. Some have speculated that the app could serve as a launchpad for the tech giant to test new AR features. Clips works very similar to mashup between iMovie and Snapchat, allowing users to add filters, basic text and contextual elements to video. Unlike Snapchat, users can edit videos of up to 60 minutes. Video clips can be exported to share via iMessage or to social media platforms. The app will be available for free and will be released in April. — THE VERGE
The Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce used VR at SXSW to recruit candidates to work at tech firms in the city. Hundreds of potential employees experienced the sights and sounds of Atlanta through a VR headset. “Virtual reality is a great way to actually transport somebody from the other side of the country to your headquarters here to see what it’s like to work here,” said Dave Beck, co-founder of Atlanta-based VR firm Foundry 45, who was recruiting candidates at the conference. — WABE 90.1
Apollo Box is opening up its AR product visualization technology to all brands interested in selling through its platform. The Santa Clara, Calif.-based startup believes AR can encourage online shopping. Since testing its beta of the product, Apollo Box has sold 1,105 items involving the use of AR. Only 65 products are available for sale on the marketplace through AR, but company co-founder Will Li believes that number will grow. “We believe more brands will work with us after this public launch, and we hope to reach 25 percent of our growing inventory in the next six months,” he told TechCrunch. — TECHCRUNCH
VR is finally getting to be good. I saw some stunning VR on the road, but it’s not enough. In talking with Mark Cuban he said something deep: until we stop getting only mind-blowing demos and games it won’t really go mainstream (he says someday soon we’ll use it to watch boring stuff, not just the amazing games and demo reel stuff that so far has mostly shipped). I say it won’t do that until phones can do six-degrees of freedom VR. Then you’ll see people use it for a wide variety of things, most important being personal media viewing. I’m advising a new company, Inception VR, that is aimed at exactly what Cuban is talking about.
Watch for car companies to start figuring out they have important pieces (brand, stores, and SLAM maps) for mixed reality glasses too. Lots of deals will happen over the next year or two on that front.
Disney has developed software that allows users to interact with real objects while immersed in VR. The company’s research team released a video demonstration showing someone immersed in VR accurately catching a real ball thrown at him. While the VR headset wearer cannot see the real ball, he is responding to a virtual ball being tracked to the physical object. The new system relies on a high-speed motion capture camera called OptiTrack Flex 13, which was previously used by a quadriplegic to drive a race car using subtle head movements. — NEW ATLAS
Some Lowe’s stores are testing out an AR app that helps shoppers find products on your list faster. The app is powered by Google Tango, an indoor-mapping technology that uses special cameras to sense depth in 3D space. This technology can measure objects, map a room and see virtual objects in the real world with AR. The app guides shoppers throughout the store with text and image overlays on their smartphones. Currently, only the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro works with Google Tango, but more Tango-enabled devices are on the way. — CNET
A new AR experience from Pottery Barn allows shoppers to see how a product looks in their home before they buy. The retailer teamed up with Google to create 3D Room View. The app allows shoppers to pick items from an online catalog and use their smartphone cameras to overlay the product into their home. The app is also powered by Google Tango and is only available on Tango-enabled devices. — SF CHRONICLE
Universal Music Group has signed a deal with MelodyVR to create and distribute content with UMG’s roster of artists. The companies will share revenue generated from the content, as it will exclusively be available on MelodyVR’s upcoming app. The VR company will have the rights to the content for an unspecified amount of time before it is opened up to both parties to distribute and monetize on their own channels. The company has also struck a similar deal with Warner Music Group. MelodyVR specializes in creating VR live-music experiences. — BILLBOARD
AccuWeather’s new VR experience lets viewers see forecasts in virtual reality. The app, available for the Samsung Gear VR, provides immersive weather news, innovative forecasts and 360-degree video of severe weather events. New videos will be added to the app weekly. The app is now available through the Oculus Store. — ENGADGET
The Washington Post will begin regularly using augmented reality to add another dimension to its reporting. The Post previously used AR to augment its reporting in 2015 to illustrate the lead-up to Freddie Gray’s arrest and death in Baltimore, but at the time readers needed to download a dedicated app to access the content. The newspaper’s new AR campaign will involve capabilities that have since been built into the Post’s two content-providing apps. The paper will launch one AR experience this spring for a series by art and architecture critic Philip Kennicott. At this point, the plan is for the post to dole out an additional AR story once time per quarter. Joey Marburger, the newspaper’s director of product, says, “We’re still very skeptical about AR as well, but… everyone’s got an AR device in their pocket. That’s potential scale there.” – DIGIDAY
Six Flags New England is adding virtual reality to its Mind Eraser roller coaster, calling it “the world’s first mixed reality experience on a VR coaster.” A ride on the existing Mind Eraser coaster now offers the option of an additional “Galactic Attack” experience, which riders can access via Gear VR headsets. The headsets offer pass-through camera functionality, meaning riders can see their VR content as well as their actual surroundings. – MASSLIVE
General Electric found that augmented reality improves worker performance. AR smart glasses are being introduced in manufacturing, warehousing and field service environments, which can be used to overlay information for training purposes. In a study, GE found that a technician wiring a wind turbine’s control box using an AR headset for instructions was 34% more productive than one using a paper-based manual. GE also found warehouse workers receiving a new picklist order through AR completed the task 46% faster than those using the standard process. The company believes that AR technology will be instrumental in closing the skill gap that is responsible for the shortage of skilled manufacturing workers. — HBR
Oculus has cut prices on the Rift and the Touch Controller. Under the reduced pricing, the Rift and Touch combination is available for $598, amounting to $100 off each piece of VR hardware. The discount also applies to each device if purchased separately. Brendan Iribe, head of the Oculus group, has denied that the price cut is a response to slow sales: “VR is a whole new platform and medium, it’s the first time people are putting a computer on their head. We are cutting the price to bring VR to more people, and that’s always been our goal.” Earlier this week, Oculus announced eight new game titles. (HTC has announced it will not be matching Oculus’ price cut for their Vive headset.). – USAT
Google will make more VR content available through its Chrome browser via an update featuring WebVR technology. As part of a blog post Google published yesterday, the company announced that Chrome will now support WebVR tech, which enables online VRexperiences and is backed by many tech industry giants, like Firefox, Samsung, and Facebook. The add to Chrome boosts WebVR’s profile and greatly expands the platform VRdesigners have to display their creations. Those with access to a Daydream-ready smartphone or a Daydream View headset will find it is “as easy to step inside Air Force One as it is to access your favorite webpage,” according to Google. – MASHABLE
Best Buy and Oculus are closing nearly half of their Oculus Rift pop-up demo stations, reportedly due to slow performance. The installations let interested shoppers try out high-end VR for free, but they reportedly went days without anyone requesting a demo, according to employees. They also said some locations would sell only a few headsets per week during the holidays, and interest quickly declined after that. An Oculus spokesperson said the closures were due to “seasonal change” and noted that other retail outlets like Microsoft stores still offer demonstrations. – VERGE
It’s Sunday morning and you’re fiending for a Sausage Egg McMuffin as you walk into McDonald’s. Near the checkout line you’re faced with a row of self-service kiosks and the choice to either order from a kiosk, or a cashier.
That first screen you see on the kiosk (the kiosk attract screen) is a major determining factor in influencing if you opt to order from the kiosk, or the teenager behind the counter.
Since the point of deploying our kiosk is to promote self-service, using the kiosk is obviously the desired outcome. In this article I’m going to cover the key components for creating an engaging kiosk attract screen to help your customers choose your kiosk over interacting with your staff.
Your kiosk attract screen must incorporate the following:
Redbox makes it abundantly clear at a glance exactly what to expect when interacting with their kiosk.
They do this by boldly featuring two large buttons to signal to the user that they can either a) RENT MOVIES or b) RENT GAMES
The other functions are smaller buttons designed to draw the user’s attention to the two primary functions of the kiosk.
This simplicity also serves to make first time users of the kiosk more comfortable.
Convey the benefit of using your kiosk
McDonalds kiosk attract screen
A common mistake I see is not clearly communicating the benefit of using the kiosk. The customer is always thinking “What’s in this for me?” and your kiosk needs to make this abundantly clear to them.
Back to the McDonald’s kiosk example. I’m not in love with McDonald’s by the way, but their kiosks are a solid example when it comes to usability.
Look at the above photo. In this case, both the function and the benefit are clear.
The function is I can order & pay here. The benefit is it’s FAST & EASY! Wow, what a great reason to avoid getting in the cashier’s line.
Use short, large and easily readable text
MoneyGram kiosk attract screen
The inexperienced kiosk designer will try to cram a bunch of text on the screen. To make matters worse, they reduce the font size to make it all fit.
Our objective for the kiosk attract screen is not to feed the customer a bunch of information. Rather it’s to get them to interact with our kiosk. You can always give them more info once you’ve got their attention.
If you look back over the previous photos, you’ll notice the text is large and easy to read.
Get right to the point of why the customer should use your kiosk and make it short, sweet and easy to read.
Incorporate eye-catching photography
McDonalds kiosk attract screen
If you’re product looks appealing, then why not show it off? You spent a pretty penny on the photo shoot, so let’s make good use of those gorgeous product photos.
Granted if your “product” is renting library books, a photo of some books might not do you justice. In that case, the photo should still convey the benefit the customer will experience by using your kiosk (i.e. fast and easy, skip the line, etc…).
Be relevant to your customer demographic
Coinstar kiosk attract screen
My last tip when it comes to messaging is to stay relevant to your customer demographic. This of course requires knowing who your customers are and what they care about.
Are your kiosks being used by the unbanked in low income areas? Is English their first language?
It’s critical to understand the demographics of your customers in order provide the best possible self-service experience.
According to MARKETING ARTFULLY the top customer demographic categories to look for in 2019 include:
gender
race (ethnicity)
age (date of birth)
household income
home ownership (length of residence, home size, mortgage)
disabilities
education
employment status
children
location
type of car(s)
marital status (head of household, spouse)
savings, cd, 401k
Bonus Tip: Know when your kiosk goes down
Out of order Redbox kiosk
Kiosk downtime is inevitable and may be costing you more than you think. But a down kiosk can put a serious dent in customer engagement and erode trust in your brand.
Therefore, it’s critical to know when your kiosks are down and it’s easy with remote monitoring tools like TeamViewerand LogMeIn that will alert you in real-time.
True story, this tip was a last-minute addition as I was taking photos for this article. I had to wait a long time to use the one working Redbox, because the other one was stuck on the bios screen and a line had formed.
There are also kiosk security ramifications here as this is not your standard out of order screen, but rather allows you to edit the bios.
In Conclusion
Your kiosk is not a giant tablet or smart phone and the tactics for getting customers to engage are unique to self-service.
When customers interact with their mobile device they do so on their own terms. They can digest as much information as they like and there’s no rush to get them away from their device. In fact, the longer they’re on the device the better, especially when it comes to ad revenue.
This is not the case with self-service kiosks, where it’s vital to increase customer throughput and minimizing wait times. You want the customer to use your kiosk to order, pay and move on as quickly as possible.
Keep these tips in mind and you’ll see greater engagement at your kiosks.
Andrew Savala
CEO at RedSwimmer Inc.
Andrew Savala is the CEO of RedSwimmer, with a background in designing and deploying complex payment kiosk systems.Andrew offers high-value, strategic consulting services to companies looking to develop their payment kiosks.
The rise of the machine: Stores and restaurants turn to self-service kiosks
Self-service kiosks at McDonalds restaurants are part of a national trend toward automation at stores and restaurants driven by tech-savvy consumers and the ri…
“Increasing the minimum wage decreases significantly the share of automatable employment held by low-skilled workers and increases the likelihood that low-skilled workers in automatable jobs become unemployed,” the study found.
But McDonalds said the move has nothing to do with cutting labor costs. In fact, the company expects to add employees, banking on a sales boost from the added efficiency and diverting front-end cashier work to other customer-facing positions in the dining room such as assisting with kiosk orders and bringing food to tables.
“It’s all about taking care of the customer and creating a better customer-service experience,” said Sandy Haefner, who started as a McDonald’s employee in 1974, became a franchisee in 1989 and now owns five McDonald’s locations in West Seneca, Lackawanna, Depew, Cheektowaga and Lancaster. “We’re adding that human touch.”
If you’ve ever dumped a jar of pennies into a Coinstar machine or rented a DVD from RedBox, then you’ve helped Bellevue-based Outerwall become a pioneer in automated kiosk technologies. See on www.king5.com
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EcoATM Near Me: Find Nearest ATM Locations
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by RENAY SAN MIGUEL / KING 5 News
Posted on March 31, 2014 at 7:56 PM
Updated Tuesday, Apr 1 at 3:07 PM
It’s new technology that appraises your old technology.
Outerwall’s ecoATM kiosks offer automated recycling of smartphones, tablets and MP3 players. Yet it also gives the Bellevue-based company – parent of the Redbox and Coinstar product lines – a chance to jump-start its revenue growth.
It hopes to do that with kiosks that can evaluate a wide range of devices, determine if they’re in working order, and can tell if they’re stolen. If the device is accepted, the machine immediately pays cash; a working iPhone can net its former owner $185 on the spot.
“It’s one of those businesses that makes sense from a business perspective, from a shared value perspective, but also it’s one that works well for the environment,” said Outerwall CEO Scott Di Valerio.
The company thinks the $15 billion-a-year electronics recycling market can work well for its bottom line. Outerwall made $2.3 billion in 2013, but Di Valerio admits that revenue growth from DVD rentals and automated coin exchanges is slowing down. Last year the company exited three underperforming food-based kiosk business and laid off more than 200 employees, but it also decided to continue its investment in newer product lines like ecoATM.
Right now Outerwall has 900 ecoATMs throughout the country, mostly in malls, but will add many more this year.
This opportunity also pits Outerwall against other companies that recycle electronic devices, such as phone providers like Apple and AT&T, retail chains including Best Buy and websites that specialize in e-waste recycling. Why should consumers choose an ecoATM?
“Some of those other places, you either get credit or you have to sign up for a long-term contract,” Di Valerio said. “Or you have to send your phone in with an estimated price and then you get cash back later at a different price point. So this is really about understanding what my phone is worth today.”
Redbox Instant, Outerwall’s streaming video business that is a partnership with Verizon, has its own big-name competition – namely Amazon and Netflix, and their digitally-delivered movies, TV shows and original content. Yet DiValerio insists that Outerwall is committed to making Redbox Instant a success.
DiValerio likens the Redbox/Redbox Instant synergy to what customers used to experience when they walked into video stores like Blockbuster (which Redbox has outlived).
“You used to walk around the outside walls because that’s where all the new releases were,” he said. That’s Redbox, and Redbox Instant is the center of the store. It’s all the great historical content, and some of the more unique stuff. So we have the best of both worlds.”
That also means no original content.
“We really are focused on movies and movie content, as opposed to maybe our competitors, which have focused a little bit in different areas than that.”
Another new Outerwall product line that’s in the testing phase is Coinstar Exchange, which will pay cash for unused gift cards. Like Redbox Instant, it’s a chance to put a twist on an Outerwall core business. It helps evolve the 23-year-old Coinstar brand, which is vital since Outerwall’s business model involves sharing revenue from its kiosks with its retail location partners.
“We process about $3 billion a year in coins through our Coinstar machines, and more than 50 percent of that is spent in the store in which it’s processed,” Di Valerio said.
Posted on Digital-Signage.blog – Redbox digital signage is now a real thing here in 2021. Should be a good test for DOOH network like Velocity and whether it can increase the visibility and impact of Redbox kiosks. We haven’t seen exactly how they intend to display the digital advertising. Usually that might be via a dedicated topper as opposed to the main user video selection screen. This technology group being used by Redbox is also active in the Checkout Aisle digital signage segment which sports a large number of captive viewers.
Redbox Coming Soon – Kiosk Digital Signage
From businesswire Dec2021 – Redbox promotes new movie releases and its free streaming service, and offer advertising opportunities in high traffic locations. Rebox coming soon with new digital signage for the kiosks.
CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Redbox (NASDAQ: RDBX), a leading entertainment company, today announced it has deployed digital video signage on the top of over 2,000 kiosks across the US, with nearly 4,000 expected total installations. Through a partnership with Velocity, A Managed Service Company, the new video screens give the company a powerful new way to partner with Hollywood studios to promote new release movies, its rapidly growing free streaming service, as well as provide advertising opportunities for national and hyper-local media campaigns that will be seen by millions of consumers in high traffic locations.
“Velocity has been very bullish on the retail sector and is continuously seeking additional partnerships to grow within the industry. We are proud to partner with Redbox to deliver an industry-leading digital signage solution to enhance and elevate the existing Redbox kiosks”
Velocity, which has expanded its footprint of digital signage networks, will source, operate, and support the Redbox signage network. The addition of the Redbox network enhances Velocity’s grocery presence, which was initiated by its acquisition of Impax Media, a checkout aisle digital signage network, in September 2020. Velocity has strategically developed its digital-out-of-home (DOOH) media portfolio to create cross-industry partnerships that connect high-impact environments for its advertising customers.
“The addition of Velocity screens gives us a powerful new way to promote new release titles with our content partners including all major Hollywood studios, as well as provide brands and studios a uniquely customizable out of home campaign, while also promoting our free streaming service and Redbox Entertainment originals in high trafficked locations,” said Galen Smith, CEO, Redbox. “We’ve already seen success with the screens we’ve tested to date, and we’re excited to see this quickly scale and potentially grow to additional kiosks in the future.”
“Velocity has been very bullish on the retail sector and is continuously seeking additional partnerships to grow within the industry. We are proud to partner with Redbox to deliver an industry-leading digital signage solution to enhance and elevate the existing Redbox kiosks,” said Greg Kiley, Chairman and CEO of Velocity. “Redbox is a formidable presence in the retail space, especially in national grocery stores. We look forward to helping Redbox expand its advertising capabilities.”
Direct ad sales for the new screens are handled by Redbox in partnership with Screenvision, and through connected programmatic exchanges.
About Redbox Kiosk
Redbox (NASDAQ: RDBX) is a leading entertainment company that gives consumers access to a large variety of content across digital and physical media. The company operates a rapidly growing digital streaming service that provides both ad-supported (AVOD) and paid movies from Hollywood studios and hundreds of content partners, as well as over 120 channels of free ad-supported streaming television (FAST). The Redbox app is available on major entertainment platforms that include Roku devices, connected TVs, gaming platforms, the web as well iOS and Android devices. Redbox also operates its popular kiosks across the US at thousands of retail locations – giving consumers affordable access to the latest in entertainment. The company produces, acquires, and distributes movies through its Redbox Entertainment™ label, providing rights to talent-led films that are distributed across Redbox’s digital and physical services as well as through third-party digital services. Headquartered just outside of Chicago, Redbox has offices in Los Angeles and Seattle. For more information visit www.redbox.com.
About Velocity MSC
Velocity delivers customized managed services such as IT support, network management, voice and data connectivity, multinational data networking, on-site repairs and service, field project rollouts and implementations, free-to-guest TV and Wi-Fi solutions, digital signage and DOOH media solutions, and more in the retail, hospitality, healthcare, and entertainment industries.
Founded in 2005, Velocity is a privately held company headquartered in Holland, Ohio. Today, the company has approximately 500 employees, 13 redundant data centers, 5,500+ certified technicians throughout the U.S., and 450 carrier agreements and is a CLEC in all 50 states. Velocity is a proud member of the DPAA. For more information: www.velocitymsc.com.
Get out the stethoscope, Nova Scotia movie fans. It appears there may be some life in the movie rental business after all.
Craig Keefner‘s insight:
During the past year, about 135 Redbox kiosks have popped up in Atlantic Canada at Sobeys,Superstore, Walmart, Shoppers Drug Mart and Petro-Canada locations.
Redbox movie rental kiosks are popping up all over the province — and across the Atlantic Canada — as a relatively new Canadian division of Redbox Automated Retail LLC, based in the United States,seeks to replicate in this country the popularity of its movie vending machines south of the border.
Birmingham Alabama, Feb. 20, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Looking for a simple lunch, a deaf woman recently went into an Alabama restaurant and jotted down her order on a piece of paper. The waiter hustled the request to the kitchen, where preparers tried to decipher the woman’s handwriting.
But when the sandwich she wanted was delivered, it contained tomatoes, which she had said in writing she did not want.
Frustrated, the woman went back-and-forth with the waiter for a few minutes to explain exactly what she wanted. The sandwich ended up having to be remade.
“That experience might keep her from going back to that restaurant,” said Grace Vasa, CEO of technology firm Juke Slot. “Unfortunately, such communication mix-ups are not isolated incidents in the larger restaurant field.”
The inability of restaurants to communicate effectively with all customers both threatens to hurt their businesses and serves as an opportunity to generate additional revenue. But what might seem like an operational hurdle actually can be an easy fix with long-term financial benefits.
Self-ordering kiosks featuring capabilities such as sign language and foreign language translations allow people with conversational difficulties to communicate more easily represent solutions that minimize order errors and strengthen the customer experience.
Such technology would enable restaurants to cater to a different segment of the population – scores of people who struggle with basic communication, not only those who are deaf.
Just as important: It’s good business, industry experts say. Implementing kiosk solutions provide an easy avenue for ordering for those with physical impairments, brain injuries and mental disabilities. That can be of particular importance for those with communications problems who also suffer food allergies, to ensure their messages or notes aren’t misunderstood.
“The kiosk is a game-changer for restaurants when it comes to appealing to ALL customers,” Vasa said. “Every community has people who have some kind of trouble placing an order at a restaurant.”
The Americans with Disabilities Act, passed in 1990, requires restaurants to accommodate those with disabilities of all types. So when it comes to accommodating diners with mental and physical challenges, the ADA National Network recommends that restaurants not only make their facilities accessible to all, but also the ability to order, purchase and enjoy a meal as freely as any able person.
Thanks to Ben Wheeler for spotting this. I just heard about Arbys putting in new ADA devices for POS. After Walmart getting hammered I think everybody is reconsidering ADA.
“I’ve come to learn in life that what comes easy, won’t last and that what lasts, won’t come easy. It’s always going to be a challenging journey for something that is worthwhile. We started with the simple goal of needing to connect an ATM cash machine to the internet. We wanted it to be fast, and we wanted it to be easy. We worked harder and harder at making it easier for our customers. We chose to focus on areas intentionally, where others may not have even been looking. Today, the vision is the same: “make it easy.” The goal has changed: “connect the world.” I’m glad that it has been a challenging journey. I’m happy that we’ve all worked hard to simplify doing business with us. In essence, the challenges are what have continued to thrust the solution forward toward success. We believe that success is best enjoyed when we work really hard for it. At the same time, we value it more the harder we work, and our team has embraced that attitude in everything we do. We work tirelessly for you.
![Examples of use last signage. The first sign says accessible EV charging [EV charging logo] use last. The 2nd sign says [EV charging logo], accessible EV charging use last. The 3rd sign says designed for disability access use last. The 4th sign says use last design for accessibility. All signs are blue and white.](https://www.access-board.gov/images/tad/ev/ev-figure-50.png)
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