Info Touch Press Releases
|
|
|
|
|
|
September 20, 2005
|
|
September 20, 2005
|
|
September, 2005
|
|
September 16, 2005
|
|
September 15, 2005
|
|
September 15, 2005
|
|
September 14, 2005
|
|
August 30, 2005
|
|
August 30, 2005
|
|
August 30, 2005
|
|
August 30, 2005
|
|
August 29, 2005
|
|
August 29, 2005
|
|
August 4, 2005
|
|
July 21, 2005
|
|
July 21, 2005
|
|
July 21, 2005
|
|
July 20, 2005
|
|
July 20, 2005
|
|
July 19, 2005
|
|
July 14, 2005
|
|
July 14, 2005
|
|
July 14, 2005
|
|
July 13, 2005
|
|
July 12, 2005
|
|
June 2005
|
|
June 1, 2005
|
|
May 16, 2005
|
|
May 10, 2005
|
|
May 10, 2005
|
|
May 10, 2005
|
|
May 4, 2005
|
|
May 3, 2005
|
|
May 2, 2005
|
|
March / April, 2005
|
|
April 27, 2005
|
|
April 26, 2005
|
|
March 29, 2005
|
|
March 28, 2005
|
|
March 3, 2005
|
|
March 3, 2005
|
|
March 3, 2005
|
|
March 2, 2005
|
|
March 2, 2005
|
|
February 25, 2005
|
|
February 24, 2005
|
|
February, 2005
|
|
January 27, 2005
|
|
January 27, 2005
|
|
January 25, 2005
|
|
January 25, 2005
|
|
January 24, 2005
|
|
January 19, 2005
|
|
January 18, 2005
|
|
January 18, 2005
|
|
December 2, 2004
|
|
December 2, 2004
|
|
December 2, 2004
|
|
December 2, 2004
|
|
November 8, 2004
|
|
November 3, 2004
|
|
October 5, 2004
|
|
September 27, 2004
|
|
August 25, 2004
|
|
August 25, 2004
|
|
August 19, 2004
|
|
August 15, 2004
|
|
July 23, 2004
|
|
July 1, 2004
|
|
June 1, 2004
|
|
June 1, 2004
|
|
April 7, 2004
|
|
April 7, 2004
|
|
April 6, 2004
|
|
April 5, 2004
|
|
April 1, 2004
|
|
April 1, 2004
|
|
March 31, 2004
|
|
March 25, 2004
|
|
March 24, 2004
|
|
March 23, 2004
|
|
March 22, 2004
|
|
January 21, 2004
|
|
December 31, 2003
|
|
December 22, 2003
|
|
December 8, 2003
|
|
November 13, 2003
|
|
October 29, 2003
|
|
October 28, 2003
|
|
October 28, 2003
|
|
October 23, 2003
|
|
October 22, 2003
|
|
October 22, 2003
|
|
October 22, 2003
|
|
October 21, 2003
|
|
October 20, 2003
|
|
October 17, 2003
|
|
October 16, 2003
|
|
October 15, 2003
|
|
October 14, 2003
|
|
October 8, 2003
|
|
October 1, 2003
|
|
August 21, 2003
|
|
August 15, 2003
|
|
August 14, 2003
|
|
July 29, 2003
|
|
July 23, 2003
|
|
July 17, 2003
|
|
July 10, 2003
|
|
June 26, 2003
|
|
June 20, 2003
|
|
June 18, 2003
|
|
June 12, 2003
|
|
June 11, 2003
|
|
June 1, 2003
|
|
May 23, 2003
|
|
May 22, 2003
|
|
May 21, 2003
|
|
April 7, 2003
|
|
April 3, 2003
|
|
April 2, 2003
|
|
April 1, 2003
|
|
March 31, 2003
|
|
March 28, 2003
|
|
March 20, 2003
|
|
February 28, 2003
|
|
February 27, 2003
|
|
January 29, 2003
|
|
January 22, 2003
|
|
December 19, 2002
|
|
December 18, 2002
|
|
November 25, 2002
|
|
November / December, 2002
|
|
November 15, 2002
|
|
November 6, 2002
|
|
October 18, 2002
|
|
October 17, 2002
|
|
October 17, 2002
|
|
October 15, 2002
|
|
October 15, 2002
|
|
October 1, 2002
|
|
September 23, 2002
|
|
September 19, 2002
|
|
September 17, 2002
|
|
September 17, 2002
|
|
September 16, 2002
|
|
September 16, 2002
|
|
September 10, 2002
|
|
September 4, 2002
|
|
August 26, 2002
|
|
August 23, 2002
|
|
August 22, 2002
|
|
August 21, 2002
|
|
August 20, 2002
|
|
August 20, 2002
|
|
August 19, 2002
|
|
August 19, 2002
|
|
August 12, 2002
|
|
August 9, 2002
|
|
August 9, 2002
|
|
July 19, 2002
|
|
July 3, 2002
|
|
June 18, 2002
|
|
June 11, 2002
|
|
May 27, 2002
|
|
May 24, 2002
|
|
May 24, 2002
|
|
May 9, 2002
|
|
May 1, 2002
|
|
April 18, 2002
|
|
April, 2002
|
|
April 10, 2002
|
|
April 10, 2002
|
|
April 9, 2002
|
|
April 9, 2002
|
|
April 8, 2002
|
|
April 5, 2002
|
|
April 4, 2002
|
|
March 25, 2002
|
|
February 28, 2002
|
|
February 18, 2002
|
|
February 9, 2002
|
|
February 7, 2002
|
|
February 6, 2002
|
|
January 31, 2002
|
|
January 25, 2002
|
|
January 23, 2002
|
|
January 23, 2002
|
|
January 22, 2002
|
|
January 11, 2002
|
|
January 7, 2002
|
|
January 3, 2002
|
|
December 26, 2001
|
|
December 25, 2001
|
|
December 15, 2001
|
|
December 12, 2001
|
|
November 30, 2001
|
|
November 28, 2001
|
|
November 19, 2001
|
|
November 16, 2001
|
|
October 31, 2001
|
|
October 19, 2001
|
|
October 17, 2001
|
|
October 17, 2001
|
|
October 17, 2001
|
|
October 17, 2001
|
|
October 17, 2001
|
|
October 3, 2001
|
|
September 28, 2001
|
|
September 27, 2001
|
|
September 21, 2001
|
|
September 20, 2001
|
|
September 17, 2001
|
|
September 17, 2001
|
|
September 17, 2001
|
|
September 7, 2001
|
|
September 5, 2001
|
|
September 5, 2001
|
|
September 5, 2001
|
|
August 31, 2001
|
|
August 14, 2001
|
|
August 10, 2001
|
|
July 30, 2001
|
|
July 30, 2001
|
|
July 23, 2001
|
|
July 18, 2001
|
|
July 18, 2001
|
|
July 11, 2001
|
|
July 11, 2001
|
|
July 9, 2001
|
|
June 27, 2001
|
|
June 27, 2001
|
|
June 26, 2001
|
|
June 25, 2001
|
|
June 25, 2001
|
|
June 22, 2001
|
|
June 20, 2001
|
|
May/June 2001
|
|
March 28, 2001
|
|
March 13, 2001
|
|
December 25, 2000
|
|
November 1, 2000
|
|
October 31, 2000
|
|
October 10, 2000
|
|
July 15, 2000
|
|
July 7, 2000
|
|
April 4, 2000
|
|
February 15, 2000
|
|
January 25, 2000
|
|
January 18, 2000
|
|
|
|
Self-service kiosk industry shows signs of recovery
Globe and Mail • By DENISE DEVEAU • July 1, 2004
After months of false starts and languishing returns, the Canadian self-service kiosk industry seems to be making a comeback.
Following an 18-month slump, the market for high-tech kiosks showed a cautious upswing last year, according to a report from Summit Research Associates Inc., and the numbers are looking good for this year. Some players reported up to a fourfold increase in business in 2003 compared with the previous year, it said, and more than 250,000 kiosks are expected to be installed in North American stores and public areas by 2005.
Digital photography kiosks, airline check-ins and retail self-checkout are among the applications Summit credits with helping to "jump-start the kiosk industry once again." Several Canadian developers and enclosure manufacturers are leading the charge in key areas, according to Summit president Francie Mendelsohn, who says Canadian companies are "pushing the envelope."
"There are absolutely some leaders in Canada, both in terms of innovation and market share," Ms. Mendelsohn said. "The Kiosk Factory's Famous Players [system] is still one of the best there is. TouchPoint saw the need for digital photography [kiosks] early in the game. For sheer drop-dead impressive [interface development], you need look no further than St. Clair Technologies. And bill payment is turning into a very lucrative market for Info Touch."
The success of these companies lies in the ability to find a profitable business case.
Hamed Shahbazi is chairman and chief executive officer of Info Touch Technologies Corp. of Burnaby, B.C., a specialist in financial transaction software and payment services for electronic kiosks. He says in recent months, the company has focused less on new sales and more on maximizing recurring revenue by attacking an overlooked but profitable market: Convenience store chains.
Since reformulating the business plan, Info Touch has landed contracts with Circle K Corp. and Exxon Mobil Corp., as well as Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. (which purchased Circle K in December, 2003) for deployment of its ZapLink E-Services Program for Mac's Stores in Canada. Info Touch's 2003 revenue was triple its 2002 numbers.
Kiosk Factory in Toronto, a software developer whose $5-million Famous Players project ranks as one of the largest kiosk jobs in Canadian history (not including the rollout of automated banking machines), reports it is showing a dramatic increase in revenue this year. Says company president Julian Brown: "Kiosks were dramatically oversold and estimates were inflated. Designs looked fantastic, but there was no concern for basic ergonomics. A lot forgot to address the fact, is the thing useful? Does it render a business process more efficient?"
He says despite the market saturation, kiosk ticketing has been a solid revenue generator with a strong business case. The Famous Players system, for example, accounts for $500-million a year in revenue at a cost of approximately 2 cents per transaction.
"That's about one-fifth of what it costs to have a teenager in a glass box," Mr. Brown said.
One of the longest-standing Canadian players in the kiosk biz (20 years and counting), interactive application developer St. Clair Interactive Communications Inc. of Toronto, says it recorded its highest gross margin ever in 2003, although it won't go into specifics. President Doug Peter credits the recovery to some major inroads in Europe, as well as moving "further upstream" with remote management and content management applications.
The killer app, he says, is multi-channel software that allows users to have one application driving the kiosk, as well as other customer-facing devices (handheld, display screens, price checks).
"As far as we know there are only two in the world that can do this -- us and IBM," he said.
Canada is well positioned to capitalize on the improving market for kiosks from the point of view of expertise, market watchers note.
As Ms. Mendelsohn says: "I have long wondered why is there so much talent in Canada that doesn't seem to be here in the U.S. One of the strengths is back-end management and interfaces. Others [outside Canada] are now getting into the same thing -- but late."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
