August 9, 2002 - East Valley and Scottsdale Tribune -
BY MICHELLE SWAFFORD


When customers stop for a gallon of milk, tank of gas or their morning coffee at Circle K, they can shop and get pre-approved for a home using the latest technology at 24 East Valley locations.

Entry-level builder KB Home teamed up with Vancouver, British Columbia-based Info Touch Technologies Corp. to highlight available floor plans, communities and financing options through ZapLink kiosks that are slightly bigger than an automated teller machine with a credit card swipe, bill acceptor and voice-activated Internet protocol telephone.

Customers can pick up the telephone and be connected through the Internet to a KB Home sales office.

KB Home is the only homebuilder under contract with the Canadian company and offers various incentives such as free satellite television service coupons for checking out what KB Home offers. The coupons can be redeemed by printing out the coupon and taking it to a local KB Home sales office.

Coupon requests have increased over the last few months, and KB Home's Web site is consistently in the top 20 requested sites, said Paul German, business developer at Info Touch Technologies.

"KB Home really wants to get people's attention," KB spokesman Richard Sewell said. "We want to forge relationships with customers, so we can be in their sights and minds wherever they go."

The Internet changed the way people purchase homes, and more than 50 percent use the Internet before making purchases, Sewell said.

Kiosks are located in 35 Valley locations and within four to six months, there will be 105 kiosks in the Valley.

"Circle K sells convenience," German said. "We are a destination point for consumers to access convenience through e-services."

KB Home wants a piece of the action and contacted the company last fall for beta testing.

"As a homebuilder we need to be where people can get information," Sewell said.

Circle K's average customer is 31 years old, which is close to KB Home's target market, he said.

Nationally, approximately 1,400 people stop at each Circle K location daily, German said.

"At the end of the day, Circle K customers are (KB Home's) customers," German said.

If customers have trouble finding a KB Home community, they can use a maps and directions service and print out the information. Other services available through the kiosks are Cricket and auto insurance bill pay, e-mail, Web surfing, and vendor coupons. In September, consumers will be able to access and print their credit reports from the kiosks. The kiosks have a toggle button that converts the text from English to Spanish.

Advertiser-linked services are free for consumers, while surfing the Internet and other services cost $0.20 per minute. Advertisers such as KB Home pay $100 to $150 monthly per kiosk. Advertising fees will be reduced as more kiosks are added, German said.

The kiosks, coupled with 17-inch monitors over the cash registers, offer customers information on Circle K vendors and local companies who advertise with Info Touch Technologies. Current advertisers include Cricket, Coca Cola, Pringle's, M&Ms and CarFax.

— Tribune writer Michelle Swafford can be reached by e-mail at mswafford@aztrib.com or by calling (480) 898-6533.