News

Circle K bringing informercials to kiosks

February 26, 2002

PHOENIX - The Hollywood Celebrity Diet, the Epil Stop hair removal system, and Body by Jake's Bun and Thigh Rocker are among the numerous products that have popped up on late-night television's parade of infomercials.

Soon their presence will be felt at kiosks.

Kiosk technology company Info Touch Technologies Corp. and marketing firm Net eVantage Inc. on Oct. 30 announced that products offered on the AsSeenOnTV.com Web site will soon be available for purchase at 35 Circle K store kiosks in the Phoenix area.

The kiosks are part of a trial program launched at Circle K stores in Phoenix and Philadelphia this fall. If successful, Phillips 66 Co., Circle K's parent company, plans to install the kiosks in more than 1,100 stations nationally during 2002.

Info Touch, based in Burnaby, British Columbia, has deployed Circle K's Phoenix kiosks. The company will deploy up to 650 kiosks if Phillips 66 goes through with next year's rollout. Info Touch reached the deal with Net eVantage to distribute AsSeenOnTV's products through its advertising division, CMMI.

"We think this is a great way for AsSeenOnTV.com products to be established through a new channel of business," Hamed Shahbazi, Info Touch chairman and chief executive officer, said in a news release.

The kiosks also offer Internet access, video teleconferencing, pre-paid telecommunications, local news and information, bill paying, and access to electronic media that can be burned on CDs. Some services are free while others will have usage fees ranging up to 20 cents per minute.

[Editor's note: Info Touch Technologies became Tio Networks in April 2006.]