News

NCR, A.T. Cross bring shopping lists to the kiosk

June 26, 2002

ATLANTA -- The tools of the shopping list -- pen, paper, and a coupon keeper -- could be replaced with a scanner and a kiosk if two companies have their way.

NCR Corp. (NYSE:NCR) and writing instruments manufacturer A.T. Cross Company (AMEX:ATX) have joined forces to develop a system for shoppers to create lists at home that can be downloaded at stores along with valuable shopping information. The Cross Purchase Pal was unveiled at the Retail Systems technology show in Chicago June 26-27.

With the Cross Purchase Pal, shoppers can use an A.T. Cross key fob or pen to scan items at home. At the store, they can download the list into an NCR EasyPoint kiosk, which will print out a shopping list, coupons, price comparisons, and other information.

Nelson Gomez, NCR vice president and general manager, Web Kiosk Solutions, said the Cross Purchase Pal was designed to ease the burden on shoppers and encourage customer retail loyalty.

"Consumers pressed for time are coming to rely on self-service retail technologies designed to help maximize their shopping experience," Gomez said in a news release.

Officials from the two companies said the system can also be used for bridal and baby registries, catalog shopping, and helping track down specific items within stores.

There was no announcement regarding retailers that planned to deploy the system.