News

NETSHIFT EXPERTISE ENHANCES VODAFONE DEMOBAR

July 29, 2002

The UK's leading public access network solution provider, NetShift is using its expertise to provide advanced application support and a secure network environment for Vodafone's in-store Demobar feature that enables customers to obtain live demonstrations of the latest mobile phone products and services.

Representing highly innovative use of kiosk technology, Demobar installations in over 55 Vodafone retail outlets allow staff to show customers the latest mobile telecommunication products along with a wide variety of the latest services. These include SMS (Short Messaging Service), infrared, Bluetooth, hand-held devices, GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), WAP (Wireless Application Protocol), MP3 and e-learning. Depending on the success of the Demobar in current locations, Vodafone plans to roll out the concept in a further 300 to 350 retail outlets.

The Demobar concept provides a tool to allow Vodafone retail store staff the ability to demonstrate and showcase Vodafone and Vizzavi value added services. The creation of a sales assisted point-of-sale solution took into consideration limitations of store space and the design incorporates a variety of elements. These include a call-to-action mechanism, a 42in plasma screen that allows the display of digital posters, video advertising and service snippets alongside an interactive user interface that is easy for in-store staff to use without allowing customers to have unassisted sessions.

Commenting on the Demobars, Andrew McInerney, project manager for Vodafone UK Technical Development, said: "We are very pleased with the enhancements that NetShift has brought to the Demobar installations and they are already proving extremely successful being popular with staff and customers alike."

The idea behind the technology deployed in the Demobar is to demonstrate the latest in mobile communications products and services. Through innovative design and a full understanding of end customer requirements, the Demobar incorporates current products and features the flexibility required for adding future technological innovations. Mobile phones are never in short supply and the Demobar excels in its capabilities to provide demonstration facilities for up to ten live mobile devices all of which can be exploited by sales staff.

NetShift's expertise has enabled the concept of the Demobar to be further extended into a mechanism for attracting customers in the vicinity, enabling staff to walk them through the products and services of interest and ultimately to lead them to a decision. A number of additional developments are in the pipeline that will enable Demobars to become truly interactive and enable customers to use them without assistance for finding information about value added services, obtaining ring tones and purchasing top-ups.

The Demobar environment is designed to adapt to technology changes as new products and services become reality and this is evident in the way the Demobar has been developed to especially exploit sales of value added solutions available through mobile devices. In addition, the innovative use of remote management technology and the Demobar's touchscreen system enable continuous monitoring of usage and immediate updating of content on request using NetShift Enterprise remote management solutions. This feature enables Vodafone to increase the functionality of the Demobar and attend to other content management issues from a remote location effectively enabling Demobars in all stores to be updated simultaneously.

About NetShift

NetShift is among the leading solution providers of public access/self service kiosk technology in the world. With a deployed base in over 70 countries, NetShift and its global network of resellers are providing solutions and professional services to organisations producing and operating kiosks, ATM's, multimedia payphones, gaming devices and many other self service devices. NetShift solutions are available for individual devices and networks of thousands of devices for information (route planning, tourist information, museum guides etc.), communication (Internet, email, vmail, SMS, telephony etc.) and entertainment (gambling terminals, fun games, online tournaments etc.). NetShift solutions can be seen in leading organisations worldwide in markets as diverse as eGovernment (City Of Rhode Island, Library Of Congress, UK Post Office), Retail (IBM, Macy's), Transport & Tourism (Ordnance Survey Mapping, UK National Trust), Financial Services (Merrill Lynch, Charles Schwab, HSBC, JP Morgan), Hospitality (Marriott Hotels, Hilton Hotels, Hyatt Hotels), Telecoms (Cable & Wireless, France Telecom) and much more. See http://www.netshift.com for further details.

For further information, please contact: John Purcell, VP Marketing, NetShift, Kennet Side, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 5PX, UK.

Tel: +44 (0) 1635 568800 Fax: +44 (0) 1635 568850

e-mail: john.purcell@netshift.com

Web site: www.netshift.com

US office: NetShift, LLC, 3335 North University Drive, Suite 7, Davie, FL 33024, USA.

Tel: +1 (0) 954 433 8838, Fax: +1 (0) 954 433 1383.