News

Here's to innovation

Editor Chris Zimmerman has seen evidence that kiosk leaders are working to bring bright ideas and creative answers to customers.

January 14, 2004

I'm impressed with how aggressive our industry has been as of late. I've heard about or seen numerous announcements that show kiosk and self-service leaders are working hard to bring bright ideas and creative answers to customers.

It seems that the survival-only instinct that has been keeping companies in business during the recent economic slide has been replaced by healthy, competitive fire and a desire to show customers what self-service is all about - making life easier for users.

Chris Zimmerman, editor

In my years as a technology reporter, I've covered the huge networking companies like Cisco and Nortel, as well as various telcos and service providers. Sometimes I could hear in their customers' voices the frustration about long waits for innovation. Sure, the announcements would come out about new bells and whistles, but it would often be many months before the promises were delivered.

Things move much faster in this industry. Of course, in many cases, our vendors have the benefit of being relatively small and nimble. Creativity, passion and quick decision-making are often traits of this environment. But I think the vendors deserve credit for knowing that they have to entice customers about their technology fast, or the opportunity might be gone for good.

Following are recent, impressive examples of innovation in the self-service industry:

RFID

NCR is leading the way in terms of finding ways to pair radio frequency identification and kiosks. The vendor is studying RFID used with its EasyPoint kiosks for self-checkout.

"There are several opportunities for RFID with kiosks," said Dan White, technical evangelist for RFID in NCR Corp's retail solutions division. His title alone says so much about the company's eagerness to bring new convenience to the market.

There are obstacles to overcome before RFID becomes mainstream technology. These include cost, lack of standards and concerns about privacy. But vendors are tackling these issues through EPCglobal, a consortium of companies and educational groups.

EPCglobal has a lab at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where NCR is testing RFID and self-checkout in a simulated store environment.

NCR also has its own Retail Technology Management Center in Atlanta that creates and tests proof-of-concept prototypes.

See related story, "RFID has future in kiosks."

Wireless connectivity

Wi-Fi may still be a ways away, but that didn't stop BMW and Netkey. BMW wanted the ability to put branding kiosks wherever it wanted, including high-profile public spaces, to promote the automaker's new sports activity vehicle. But the company knew logistics would be tough.

The goal was having a unit that truck drivers could unload, plug in and leave. BMW and Netkey worked out a proprietary wireless connectivity solution that allows just that.

Bob Ventresca, director of marketing at Netkey, said the project was a unique challenge. BMW's Bob Plante said the companies didn't even have time for a field test. They put the kiosks out with full confidence, and are thrilled with the results.

See related story, "Wireless, surfboard-shaped kiosk key to BMW marketing campaign."

Biometrics

Kinetics just announced this week that it has developed a self-service airline check-in counter that doesn't need a credit or airline card, but only the swipe of a finger.

The company is awaiting an OK from the Federal Aviation Administration for the so-called "K-Pass." And the vendor said two airlines are already interested in the system.

Kinetics founder David Melnick said fingerprint check-in is simply giving consumers what they want -- more of their own, valuable time. That opinion shows sensitivity to customer needs.

See related story, "Kinetics awaits OK on biometric check-ins."

Digital prints

Kodak proved that it knows what customers want by moving quickly on technology to allow Picture Makers to print digital photos taken with cell phones. The technology will soon be in place at CVS Pharmacies across the country.

See related story, "Nat'l pharmacy first to plan mobile-image printing on kiosks."

All of these examples are very encouraging to me. I've also heard of great innovation in design work -- such as the surfboard-shaped BMW kiosk with a changing graphical face; and a transluscent, amber-colored kiosk from SeePoint that looks like a bar of Neutrogena soap (the product it is representing).

Please email me with any other evidence of industry innovation. If this pace keeps up, 2004 will be a good year, indeed.