News

Prepaid-services kiosk goes nationwide

April 27, 2003

DALLAS -- NACStech 2003 here this week is the home of new technology for the convenience-store industry. Pre-paid card vendor Blackstone announced at the show that it has begun nationwide deployment of its patent-pending interactive kiosk.

"The kiosk offers the retailer an entire category of prepaid products and services like prepaid cellular and long-distance calling cards, gift certificates and gift cards, home phone service and loyalty programs without worries about staffing, inventory, shelf space, training or theft," said Mike Acton, Blackstone's general manager.

Acton said in a news release that the kiosk uses audio and touchscreen displays to guide customers through the entire buying process, including the selection of the best calling card with the maximum minutes. Blackstone did not respond to an inquiry about its technology partners.

Unlike traditional vending machines, the Blackstone kiosk does not display or store live inventory. E-PINs are delivered to customers, and the system prints the requested product onto thermal paper stock once payment has been received. Purchases can be made 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Blackstone updates the products and services, which are automatically downloaded via a dedicated phone line.

"For our consumer test which ran from November 2002 to January 2003, nationally recognized retail chains in the grocery, convenience and pharmacy channels were selected, and kiosks were strategically placed in stores throughout Miami and the outlying metropolitan areas," said Acton.

"At one location, the kiosk sold more [in the prepaid category] in one weekend than the category had done in the entire previous year," he said. Blackstone did not disclose where deployments outside of Miami will begin.