May 22, 2007

Financial Service Kiosks -- ExxonMobil

exxon_kiosk_mar28.jpegExxonMobil Expands Availability of ''ewiz'' Financial Services Kiosks at on the Run Convenience Stores; ewiz Kiosks Provide Convenient Way to Pay Bills and Conduct Other Financial Services.

TIO Networks and ExxonMobil extend strategic alliance

“New Agreement extends contract through 2012"

Burnaby, BC - May 22, 2007 – TIO Networks Corp. (TIO), North America’s leading automated bill payment and financial services network (TSX-V: TNC), today announced a five-year extension to its strategic alliance with ExxonMobil. The relationship, which began in 2004, has been extended through 2012.

Under the terms of this agreement, TIO Networks will roll out the TIO services through the E-WIZ branded kiosks and hybrid ATMs in all corporate owned On the Run and Tigermarket stores. The deployment is expected to be substantially complete by the end of 2007.

TIO’s self-service program will also be available to ExxonMobil’s franchise dealers and distributors who will now have the ability to purchase E-WIZ systems and derive recurring revenues from consumer driven transaction fees.

E-WIZ is an ExxonMobil branded self-service automated bill payment and financial service kiosk program that empowers their customers to securely and conveniently pay their wireless, cable, utility and other bills in cash, purchase prepaid products, gift cards, Prepaid MasterCard®, purchases and reloads, and benefit from additional value added financial services.

The E-WIZ program serves consumers who prefer to use alternative financial service providers for convenience or the lack of direct banking relationships.

ExxonMobil, Exxon, On the Run and Tigermarket are trademarks of Exxon Mobil Corporation or one of its subsidiaries.

About TIO Networks Corp.

TIO Networks Corp. is North America’s largest multi-retailer network of non bank financial services for the ‘cash preferred’ consumer marketplace. The Company operates in more than 2000 locations and provides safe secure access to bill payment and other key financial services. For more information, please visit www.TIOnetworks.com
Behshad Hastibakhsh, Media Relations – TIO Networks

Tel: 604.298.4636, Ext. 250

Toll Free: 888.679.3322

Email: [email protected]


John Lewis, Business Development - TIO Networks

Tel: 416-364-2266

Email: [email protected]

Posted by staff at 10:52 AM

November 26, 2006

Financial Service -- Hybrid ATM Kiosk machines

TIO with over 1,000 machines in Circle K and Exxon Mobil and running 850,000 transactions a month on its network is going to "branch out" into new hybrid ATM Kiosks. To date, diluting the ATM transaction with other services has proven problematic at best. Once heralded as the next mousetrap, it has gone by the wayside reduced to a yearly press release maybe on the now-old VCom and others. TIO has proven itself very resourceful and smart. It'll be interesting to see how they couple the two.

News

TIO Plans To Start Hybrid ATM-Kiosk Deployments by Start of ‘07

(November 22, 2006) The concept of an ATM that also serves as a kiosk for bill payment and other financial services may be getting closer to reality. TIO Networks Inc., a Burnaby, B.C.-based operator of bill-payment kiosks that serve primarily the underbanked, will begin deploying hybrid ATM-kiosk machines by the start of 2007, says John Lewis, business development executive for the company.

Lewis refuses to say where the new machines will be installed, citing “sensitivity” about their locations. Nor will he be specific about how many of the devices, which are being developed by ATM maker Tranax Technologies Inc., are in the plans. “We expect to see some pretty strong deployments early next year,” he says. TIO had expected to begin operating some 40 hybrid devices this spring in conjunction with ATM deployer Cardtronics Inc. (Digital Transactions News, March 2). The company has had to delay the project as it works through negotiations and waits for current ATM installation contracts at target locations to expire, Lewis says. “Everybody’s making money with their ATMs, so there’s some jockeying going on,” he notes. The company has also switched manufacturers since March, when it was working with Tidel Technologies Inc.

TIO currently drives about 1,000 kiosks hooked up in convenience stores that allow consumers to pay bills by inserting cash into a bill acceptor. TIO’s links to the accounting systems at utilities, telecommunications companies, and other billers—including Cingular Wireless and Qwest Communications—allow users to receive real-time electronic account updates. Merchants housing the machines include Circle K Stores Inc. and ExxonMobil Corp., which deployed 100 kiosks this fall in as many of its On the Run and Tigermarket stores in Texas. TIO also drives around 200 clerk-assisted bill-payment terminals.

Banks historically have shied away from dual-function ATM kiosks, fearing that customers wanting to withdraw from or deposit to accounts would grow frustrated while waiting for other people to complete bill payments or phone-card top-ups. At the same time, the two functions serve two often separate demographic groups. TIO’s kiosks are aimed largely at Hispanics, and draw mostly customers without bank accounts who do business in cash. By contrast, ATM users are generally accountholders at banks. But TIO, which earlier this year changed its name from Info Touch Technologies Corp., hopes the dual functionality could help it introduce its kiosks to users who might not have encountered them otherwise, allowing it to drive up usage faster. TIO charges a flat fee for bill payments, which it shares out to retailer and biller partners.

Currently, TIO is processing 850,000 transactions a month on its network. That volume is growing at a 10% rate quarter-to-quarter, Lewis says. How much of a difference the new hybrid machines might make, he says, is impossible to forecast. “It would be just some wild, crazy guess,” he says.

Posted by staff at 08:05 PM

June 01, 2006

Presto Convenience Stores Install Bill Payment Kiosks

Presto Convenience Stores to deploy self-serve automated bill payment and financial services touch-screen terminals in Wichita, Kansas. These terminals enable cash preferred customers to pay a host of bills including wireless, utility and cable and update their accounts quickly and conveniently. Customers will also be able to use the kiosk to purchase prepaid products and services and revalue and/or activate stored value products.

TIO Networks and Presto Convenience Stores Partner to Offer Self-Serve Bill Payment and Financial Services
~ Patrons to conveniently Pay Their Utility, Wireless and Cable Bill with Cash at touchscreen cash accepting ATM-like terminals

Burnaby, BC, June 1, 2006 – TIO Networks Corp., formerly Info Touch Technologies Corp., owner of North America’s leading automated bill payment and financial services network, (TSX-V: TNC), today announced an agreement with Presto Convenience Stores to deploy self-serve automated bill payment and financial services touch-screen terminals in Wichita, Kansas. These terminals enable cash preferred customers to pay a host of bills including wireless, utility and cable and update their accounts quickly and conveniently. Customers will also be able to purchase prepaid products and services and revalue and/or activate stored value products.

TIO bill payment is a convenient safe and secure way to access accounts and view balances on select billers without the need to have account number present. Payments are made by feeding the cash directly into TIO terminal’s note acceptor. Once the cash is accepted, then TIO uses an Internet link to ensure timely posting of the payment. Convenience store patrons can navigate through TIO applications in either English or Spanish and complete financial transactions by either printing or emailing their receipt to an email address of their choice.

“I am excited about partnering with TIO networks. Their kiosk is going to allow Presto to offer services that customers want in a convenient self-serve fashion. Once customers try it and see how easy it is, they’ll wonder how they ever lived without it.” Terry Presta, President of Presto Convenience Stores.

“We are thrilled to partner with Presto, one of the largest convenience store retailers in the state of Kansas, to launch our bill payment and financial services program in Kansas. Together, we aim to offer self-serve automated financial services to the cash-preferred demographic”, said Hamed Shahbazi, Chairman and CEO of TIO Networks. “From bill pay to pre-paid products such as stored value card, the issuance and reloading of cards, we are bringing a world class financial services offer to Presto’s patrons this spring“.

TIO Networks and Presto will share transactional revenues generated from various financial applications. The first 10 terminals have already been installed in the greater Wichita area.

About Presto C-Stores

Presto Convenience Stores, LLC is a chain of convenience stores based in Andover, Kansas. Presto currently has 45 store locations and is expanding every year. Presto offers convenient locations and the best in fuel from Conoco and Phillips 66.


About TIO Networks Corp.

TIO Networks Corp, a strategic investment of Hewlett Packard, is building the largest and most convenient national multi-retailer network of financial services kiosks for the ”cash preferred” consumer marketplace in North America. The company leverages its core competencies in self-service bill payment processing, financial services aggregation and automation to create financial viability for its network and its location partners. With more than 750 locations and 6 top tier corporate owned convenience store chains participating, the TIO brand symbolizes safe secure access to key financial services. TIO Networks’ clients include: Circle K, ExxonMobil, Cingular Wireless, Speedway SuperAmerica, Cricket Communications, COX Communications, Memphis Light Gas and Water (MLGW) and Qwest Communications. For more information, please visit www.TIOnetworks.com

# # #

For More Information Contact:

Behshad Hastibakhsh, Media Relations – TIO Networks
Tel: 604.298.4636, Ext. 250
Toll Free: 888.679.3322
Email: [email protected]

John Lewis, Business Development - TIO Networks
Tel: 416-364-2266
Toll Free: 877-600-6001
Email: [email protected]

Terry Presta, Presto C Stores, LLC.
Tel: 316-733-9056
Email: [email protected]

Visit http://www.kis-kiosk.com/apps/billpayment-kiosk.html for additional information.

Posted by keefner at 08:42 AM

April 06, 2006

Case Study: Kiosks and Customer Service

Through the use of innovative technology (kiosks) and public-private partnerships, service time has been drastically improved. In the Las Vegas area alone, even though DMV has experienced an increase of nearly 20 percent more customers a month since 2000, the department has reduced wait time by more than 40 percent.

A Message from Governor Kenny C. Guinn - April 5, 2006

Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles
Making Great Strides in Customer Service

When I first became Governor, one of my stated goals was to significantly cut wait times for people visiting a Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) office, and to make online vehicle registration and other DMV-related tasks more convenient to complete.

I’m happy to say that today, Nevada’s DMV is doing an outstanding job of meeting that challenge while serving the needs of the fastest-growing state in the nation. Through the use of innovative technology and public-private partnerships, service time has been drastically improved. In the Las Vegas area alone, even though DMV has experienced an increase of nearly 20 percent more customers a month since 2000, the department has reduced wait time by more than 40 percent.

A new North Las Vegas office, located at 7170 N. Decatur Blvd., opened on March 13. It is larger than the building it replaced, with 206 more parking spaces and ten more service windows. The new office is the first in the state to offer two outside self-service kiosks, which are available to customers 24 hours a day. The kiosks are similar to bank automated teller machines. DMV customers can use the machines to complete simple renewal transactions, use cash or credit cards to make payments, and receive documents on the spot.

Thanks to a public-private partnership with the American Automobile Association (AAA), the popular kiosks are also available at two Southern Nevada AAA offices: one located at 3312 W. Charleston Boulevard in Las Vegas, and another located at 1000 N. Green Valley Parkway in Henderson. Those kiosks are available during normal AAA business hours. There are now 22 kiosks available to motorists statewide. Since the beginning of the program in 2004, the kiosks have been used to successfully complete more than 284,870 transactions.

Innovative technology like the kiosks has proven effective in reducing wait times and improving customer service, while also saving substantial tax dollars. Recent enhancements to DMV’s online services, including renewal of certain business licenses, license plates, and the use of electronic checks to pay fees, are also making a difference. Another web enhancement that has proven popular is the ability to design, view, and check for the availability of charitable or specialty plates. Since first unveiled a year ago, there have been more than 1.1 million inquiries for specialty plates via the web.

I applaud and appreciate the efforts of the management and staff at the Nevada DMV for their efforts and commitment to making substantial improvements in service for our citizens. The Nevada DMV’s commitment to customer service and technological solutions has enabled the department to better keep pace with our state’s growth. Motorists can view the full range of DMV-related online services at www.dmvnv.com.

Posted by keefner at 08:56 AM

April 03, 2006

Case Study: Financial Service Kiosks in Convenience Stores

Would you like some financial services with that coffee?
Convenience stores, best known to weary motorists as sources for drinks and snack chips, are starting to gain a reputation as good places to pay bills, cash checks, send money and buy cellphone minutes. Automated teller machines have long been a staple in these stores, but now several major chains are installing kiosks that are able to do a lot more.

source link

Way ahead of the curve is 7-Eleven, which is introducing its second wave of custom-made terminals called Vcom's this year. Often referred to as A.T.M.'s on steroids, the more than 1,000 Vcom's dispense cash, sell Verizon services, handle bill payments and let customers send money to other people. They can also cash checks to the penny, simultaneously snapping front-and-back digital images of the checks and dispensing a receipt with the images on it.

Aiming to keep up with 7-Eleven, Exxon Mobil and Circle K have introduced bill payment kiosks in some areas, with plans to take the programs national. Sunoco just set up a pilot involving the same type of kiosks. These machines are expected to become standard in convenience stores of all sizes.

"The convenience retailers want to become a bank for the unbanked," said Hamed Shahbazi, chief executive of Info Touch Technologies, a company in Burnaby, British Columbia, that supplies hardware and software for the Exxon Mobil, Circle K and Sunoco programs and others. "They're getting all this pressure from the Wal-Mart's of the world, and they're trying to respond."

The Circle K and Exxon Mobil machines are far more basic than 7-Eleven's Vcom's, which have been called overengineered. Several dozen customers polled informally outside a 7-Eleven in Winter Springs, Fla., recently said that they had never used the Vcom inside, and one woman who said she did use it once to withdraw cash complained that it was "confusing" and "complicated," and added that she would not use it again.

"There were just too many steps," said the woman, Peggy Baker, who teaches French in Winter Springs. "And the $1.75 transaction fee was too much — it was painful." She said she was not interested in the other Vcom features, which require users to enroll and enter a Social Security number on a touch screen.

But several customers using a bill payment kiosk in a Cingular Wireless store in Astoria, Queens, last month raved about the ease and convenience of the terminal, even though they had to pay a $2 fee and round their total up to the nearest dollar, because the terminal did not accept coins. The kiosk, supplied by Info Touch Technologies, is the same type used by Exxon Mobil and Circle K; clerks in the Cingular store said that at least 50 people a day used the machine — more on weekends — and that the only time it malfunctioned was when it was too full of cash to accept any more.

"I use it all the time to pay my bills; it's pretty good," said Daisy Borges, who works in the linens department of a home accessories shop near the Cingular store and who dropped in to pay her $39.99 monthly Cingular phone bill during a lunch break.

Ms. Borges said she used to mail a check to pay the bill, but switched to using the kiosk three months ago. "It goes faster, it works better," she said. "I'm pretty sure that my money goes to the right people."

And the $2 fee? Ms. Borges shrugged and said, "Nothing is free in New York."

At convenience stores, companies have found the kiosks make business sense. If a machine is handling a money transfer or a bill payment, no cashier is involved in the transaction — which typically involves $200 or so in cash — reducing the likelihood of employee theft and freeing clerks to handle other transactions. And when people come in to a store deliberately to pay a bill or withdraw cash, they may well be tempted to pick up a soda and a sandwich. In addition, the customer gains privacy and may be able to avoid a separate trip to pay a bill.

"What most companies are looking at it for is to drive new customer traffic as opposed to driving revenues from the specific kiosks," said Jeff Lenart, a spokesman for the National Association of Convenience Stores, a trade group.
It is difficult to pinpoint how much extra revenue the terminals generate in incremental food and product sales, Mr. Lenart said, but the idea is to get people to start changing their habits so that they shift their bill-paying or other chores to a convenience store from elsewhere.

"What is very exciting is to see a brand new person come in and use the machine and see how easy it is," said David B. Taylor, category manager for store services for Exxon Mobil, which began installing eWiz bill pay terminals in Memphis in 2004. "Some of those folks may take a bus to a bill payment center, and now they find they can just go down to the corner and pay their bills. It has made their lives easier."

But it is not just people without bank accounts who use the kiosks. ChoicePay, the company that executes the bill payments for the Vcom's at 7-Eleven, has also installed several bill payment terminals of its own in some supermarkets in Tulsa, where ChoicePay is based. Those terminals typically handle 1,500 to 2,000 bill payments a month — 85 percent of them paid in cash — and 55 percent of the customers do have checking accounts, said Greg Adelson, ChoicePay's president.

"At 7-Eleven, what we have seen is that the number of transactions has continued to increase and the average size of the transaction has continued to increase," Mr. Adelson said. "That could be utility bills going up, but it might be an indication that people feel comfortable putting that much money into a kiosk and getting instant credit" for the paid bill.

The goal of the Vcom program is to make 7-Eleven a major financial services brand, said Rick Updyke, vice president for corporate business development. Plans call for the installation of Vcom's in all 5,400 domestic 7-Eleven stores and for the imminent addition of a feature that will let customers make deposits to any bank account, which Mr. Updyke said would be "the first step in making the Vcom a branch bank or financial institution."

Other retailers, as well as banks, have taken heed. Exxon Mobil has so far installed 77 eWiz terminals but plans to make eWiz "a standard program at all our facilities," Mr. Taylor said. The biggest challenge, he said, is to get a critical mass of billers to sign up in a given market, so it will take some time before eWiz is ubiquitous.

Exxon Mobil also plans to add functions to the terminals, which charge $3 for a bill payment. Soon eWizzes will handle money orders and sell prepaid phone cards, among other things, Mr. Taylor said.

Circle K's Zaplink terminals already offer bill payment (also for $3) and Web browsing, so that customers can check e-mail. One day they will offer money orders, cellphone top-ups and a menu of other products and services, said Dan Stiel, manager of financial services for Circle K. But the stores' A.T.M.'s are unlikely to be retired anytime soon.

The machines attract "two different audiences and two different expectations in terms of speed," Mr. Stiel said. Someone eager to withdraw cash from an A.T.M. does not want to stand in line behind someone paying an electric bill, and the person paying the bill does not want to feel pressured to hurry, he said.

In choosing locations for Zaplink terminals, Circle K deliberately picked areas in Arizona, Texas, Florida and other states with high immigrant populations, with the idea that immigrants would be less likely to have bank accounts and more likely to relish a convenient option for paying bills. And in some 7-Eleven stores where there are high immigrant populations, Spanish is the top language option on the machine.

Mr. Lenart of the convenience store trade group said he tried a Zaplink terminal in Phoenix, paying $3 for Internet access and using it to create a video postcard of his infant son. "I thought it was really cool," he said.

But the idea does not appeal to all convenience store companies, Mr. Lenart said. He said he was promoting Zaplink's virtues to an executive from the Wawa chain, which is based near Philadelphia. "He said: 'It doesn't work for us. Our customers don't want to find out that they can't get a parking space because there's a couple of people surfing the Internet. They don't want to have to walk down a different aisle because there are a couple of people clustered around a kiosk.' "

Posted by keefner at 12:49 PM

March 04, 2006

Circle K Financial Bill Payment Kiosks

EL PASO, Texas – Twenty-five ZapLink kiosks from Info Touch Technologies Corp., owners of the TIO Network, are being installed in select Circle K convenience stores in El Paso, Texas..

El Paso Circle K Stores Get 'Zapped'

Through this expansion, Info Touch and Circle K will now offer cash-preferred customers secure and convenient access to bill payment and financial transactions at self-service automated kiosks, 24 hours a day.

"Zaplink and the TIO Network is an important part of Circle K's strategy to empower our customers with convenient and hassle-free ways to pay bills and manage personal finances,” said Dan Stiel, manager of financial services for Circle K. "Our customers in El Paso will discover our self-service Zaplink kiosks to be fast, friendly and reliable."

The kiosks enable cash-preferred customers to securely access personal accounts and view balances on select billers without the need to have an account number present. They can also pay a host of bills including wireless, utility and cable and update their accounts in real time. Payments are made by inserting the cash directly into ZapLink kiosk's bill acceptor. Once the cash is accepted, the payment is immediately posted through Info Touch's TIO network. Circle K customers can navigate through bill pay and other TIO applications in either English or Spanish and complete financial transactions by either printing or e-mailing their receipt to an e-mail address of their choice.

"Market research indicates that nearly half of the Hispanics are unbanked and more than 78 percent of the population [in this market] is Hispanic,” said Hamed Shahbazi, chairman and CEO of Info Touch Technologies. “This data confirms there is market demand for non-traditional financial solutions. By delivering convenient access to affordable financial services, we improve the quality of life for residents of El Paso and execute on our recurring revenue transaction business."

Since September 2001, Info Touch and Circle K have launched approximately 300 Zaplink kiosks in Arizona, Florida, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas.

Posted by keefner at 09:27 AM

January 11, 2006

Cingular Wireless Bill Payment Services Added to Kiosk Network

Announcement that Cingular Wireless real-time bill payment has been added to the TIO kiosk network.

CNW Group

Info Touch adds Cingular Wireless Payment Services to the TIO Network

BURNABY, BC, Jan. 11 /CNW/ - Info Touch Technologies Corp. (TSX-V: IFT) today announced an agreement that enables Cingular Wireless LLC customers to make real-time bill payments with cash at Info Touch's TIO branded self-service automated terminals in the United States. Cingular Wireless LLC, a joint venture between AT&T Inc (NYSE: T) and BellSouth Corporation (NYSE: BLS), is the largest wireless carrier in the United States.

This agreement enables Cingular customers to check their balance due and make real time cash payments on their accounts at hundreds of automated cash accepting kiosk terminals located in convenient retail locations across the United States.

The bill payment application developed by Info Touch and Cingular will be able to support most of Cingular's subscribers at any participating TIO location by June 2006, with the remaining subscribers to be enabled by
mid-2007.

About Info Touch Technologies

Info Touch Technologies, a strategic investment of Hewlett Packard, is building the "TIO Network" the largest and most convenient national multi-retailer network of financial services kiosks for the cash preferred consumer marketplace in North America. Info Touch's "Premiere" software is the industry leading software platform for the delivery of automated financial
services such as bill payment, money transfer, digital merchandising, PIN dispensing for pre-paid products and services, maps and directions, check cashing and electronic coupons. Info Touch clients include: Circle
K/Alimentation Couche-Tard, ExxonMobil, Speedway SuperAmerica, Cricket Communications, COX Communications, Memphis Light Gas and Water (MLGW) and Qwest Communications. Details of the company are available at
http://www.infotouch.net/.

About the TIO Network

With more than 700 locations and 6 top tier corporate owned convenience store chains participating, the "TIO Network" is the largest national multi-retailer network of self-service financial service kiosks in North
America. Services offered under the TIO brand umbrella are tailored specifically for the cash preferred consumer marketplace. The TIO brand symbolizes safe, private, cost effective access to quality financial services for the cash preferred consumer. More than 250,000 people a month pay their bills in cash with TIO.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor any other regulatory body has reviewed and therefore does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For further information: please contact: Chris Ericksen, SVP - Info
Touch Technologies Corp., Tel: (604) 298-4636 extension 266, Toll Free:
1-888-679-3322, Email: [email protected]; John Lewis - Linear
Capital Corp - Info Touch Investor Relations, Tel: (416) 364-2266, Toll Free:
1-877-600-6001, Email: [email protected]

Posted by keefner at 07:56 AM

December 01, 2005

New Bill Payment Kiosk website launched by Info Touch

InfoTouch launched new website which features the TIO self-service financial bill payment kiosk network.

related link

Excerpt:

a cash preferred bill payment network transacting via nationally deployed self serve kiosks

TIO customers� lives move quickly and so when it comes to paying bills or conducting financial services, they look for the most convenience and efficient way to pay their bills. TIO enables its consumers to quickly, safely and effortlessly pay their bills and participate in a wide range of additional financial services.

From California to Florida, TIO Kiosks currently process a payment every 12 seconds!. Fully secure and based on cash input, TIO kiosks are the fastest way to pay your bills - right in the comfort of your local convenience store.

TIO - the fastest way to pay in cash!

TIO provides a close and convenient cash solution for your bill payment and financial service needs. From paying your bills to purchasing wireless airtime to conducting other financial services, TIO makes it easy, quick and convenient to take care of your financial needs.

Posted by keefner at 03:52 AM

November 26, 2005

Kiosk Systems and Bill Pay Kiosks Reach Unbanked

Kiosk bill pay and bill payment solutions for the unbanked are gaining in importance.

Original story on Selfservice World

SelfServiceWorld News

Get back to story list
Reaching the unbanked

Twenty-two million households in the United States do not have a checking or savings account, according to a May 2005 research report by the Chicago-based Center for Financial Services Innovation. And bringing financial services to those households is quickly becoming big business.

The unbanked are a good market to reach, said Will Sowell, general manager of CashWorks, an automated check-cashing and bill payment solutions provider. "The underserved population � spends an estimated $10 billion annually on transactions such as check cashing, money orders, money transfers, prepaid cards and bill payments."

In general, the unbanked are people who have been ignored by financial institutions, so they�ve had to seek services like check cashing from other outlets.

Potential for revenue

According to CFSI�s report, the majority of the unbanked and underbanked are more likely to go to retailers for financial services. As a result, banks and credit unions have their work cut out to get them in their lobbies.

Salisbury, Md.-based ESP Consulting Group found that only 52 percent of the U.S.�s ATMs are owned by financial institutions. The rest are owned and operated by independent sales organizations or retailers. The CFSI report noted, "A fifth of ATM transaction volume growth, which represents 1.19 billion transactions and $2.4 billion in revenues, has been picked up by non-bank firms. This substantial growth in non-branch ATMs signaled a major turn in retailers� involvement in the provision of financial services."

In other parts of the world, FIs have spearheaded the effort to reach unbanked and underbanked populations. But in the U.S., alternative service providers such as check-cashing companies and retailers stepped up to the plate before FIs.

There is a great deal of excitement about automated financial services at the retail level in the U.S., according to Dave Grano, president and CEO of Oregon-based VERO, a financial technology company that is developing check-cashing methods to help FIs and retailers reach unbanked customers through ATMs. That excitement is why many companies are joining the force.

"We�re in the process of launching several projects in urban areas," said Vijay Chattha, spokesperson for advanced-function financial management firm Swipe USA. "Overall we are coming at it from a retail standpoint. Basically, our goal is to bring dignity to some of those customers who are underserved or unserved right now."

Kiosk developers Info Touch Technologies and Kiosk Information Systems have partnered to develop solutions to reach the unbanked. It�s a niche the two companies fell into, said Info Touch chairman and CEO Hamed Shahbazi.

"Phoenix was our original market, and it�s a heavily Hispanic market," Shahbazi said. The 2000 U.S. Census shows that of the unbanked, 46 percent are black and 34 percent are Hispanic. Some experts believe even those estimations are far too low.

"Just by matching some of the services up with a demo, we were able to see what services were going to take off. � We were the first in the market to work with this segment of the population, and that�s where we�re focused."

Posted by keefner at 02:49 AM

July 12, 2005

TIO Network expands with Speedway SuperAmerica LLC

Info Touch Technologies Corp. (TSX-V: IFT) today announced the deployment of 15 Speed e-connect kiosks at select Speedway SuperAmerica LLC (SSA) locations in Toledo, Ohio.

This expansion follows the successful January 2005 launch of a �Speed e-connect� network in Dayton, Ohio. Through this initiative, �cash preferred� convenience store patrons now can securely and conveniently pay their bills in cash anytime at their local Speedway store. �Cash-Preferred� Speedway customers at 15 stores now have access to Bill Payment and Financial Services through computerized TIO self-service terminals

Powered by Info Touch's industry leading Premiere software, �Speed e-connect� terminals provide customers with convenient access to a wide variety of services, including bill payments for wireless, utility, cable and other service providers. Bill payment services typically carry a small convenience fee for usage.

�Speed e-connect� terminals are affiliated with Info Touch�s TIO Network, which is currently serving customers in 22 U.S. states, Puerto Rico and British Columbia. Info Touch and SSA plan to unveil additional �Speed e-connect� products and services such as money order, money transfer, prepaid credit and debit cards, check cashing and mobile content. The services will be geared toward the growing, cash-preferred market.

�SSA and Info Touch are focused on delivering a host of tangible benefits to cash preferred customers," said Hamed Shahbazi, chairman and chief executive officer, Info Touch. �Our research supports the notion that the cash preferred customers are a growing, vital and underserved demographic all over the U.S.�

About Speedway SuperAmerica LLC

Speedway SuperAmerica LLC, headquartered in Enon, Ohio, is the nation�s third largest company-owned and -operated convenience store chain with more than 1,600 stores located in 9 states. Most of the stores are operated under the Speedway and SuperAmerica brand names. Further information about Speedway SuperAmerica can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.speedway.com.

About Info Touch

Info Touch Technologies, a strategic investment of Hewlett Packard, is building the �TIO Network� the largest and most convenient national multi-retailer network of financial services kiosks for the non-banked consumer marketplace in North America. Info Touch�s Premiere (powered by Surfnet) is the preferred software platform for the delivery of automated services such as bill payment, money transfer, digital merchandising, PIN dispensing for pre-paid products and services, maps and directions, check cashing and electronic coupons. Info Touch clients include: Circle K, ExxonMobil, Alimentation Couche-Tard, Speedway SuperAmerica, Kum&Go, Maverik, NOCO, Cricket Communications, COX Communications, Memphis Light Gas and Water (MLGW) and Qwest Communications. www.infotouch.net.

About the TIO Network

The �TIO Network� is the largest national multi-retailer network of self-service financial service kiosks in North America. Services offered under the TIO brand umbrella are tailored specifically towards the non-banked consumer marketplace. The TIO brand provides a beacon that symbolizes fair, convenient and secure access to financial services for non-banked consumers.

For further information, please contact:

Behshad Hastibakhsh, Media Relations � Info Touch Technologies
Tel: 604.298.4636, Ext. 250
Toll Free: 888.679.3322
Email: [email protected]

John Lewis, Business Development � Info Touch Technologies
Tel: 416-364-2266
Toll Free: 1-877-600-6001
Email: [email protected]

Linda Casey, Public Affairs�Speedway SuperAmerica LLC
Tel: 419-421-3262(office)
419-348-4851(cell)
Email: [email protected]

Posted by keefner at 08:37 PM

May 25, 2005

Financial Services to Grocers and C-Stores

Convenience and grocery stores are in trouble. Long-standing revenue streams like cigarettes are disappearing in a puff of smoke. Intense pricing pressure from Wal-Mart has flattened margins for the foreseeable future.

An aging store asset portfolio drains available working capital. And the channels have blurred � with Starbucks coffee at Safeway and gasoline at Wal-Mart.


story link

Convenience and grocery executives are desperately looking for new growth drivers. And smartly, they�re looking beyond physical products � you can only stock the shelves with so much stuff � and they�re finding success with services.

The success convenience and grocery chains are having with prepaid wireless has led them to look for other services beyond prepaid and to evaluate the consumers who are purchasing prepaid phones and refill. These chains are finding a plethora of deliverable services which, like prepaid wireless, are targeted toward the unbanked market � people who through choice or necessity manage their finances outside of the traditional banking system. Some call this activity �fringe banking.�

The unbanked population, estimated at over 40 million strong, or over 30 percent of the U.S. population, is made up primarily of teens and young adults, minorities and the working poor. They�re already shopping in convenience and grocery locations, yet these locations have not offered the services they need in order to manage and access their money, forcing them to make special trips to outlets outside of their daily routine.

Services expand
Convenience and grocery stores will now become �banks� for the unbanked. They�ll seek to offer point-of-sale or kiosk-driven services, which will allow unbanked customers to manage their money, pay their bills, purchase and consume products and services, and make their lives a bit simpler.

Prepaid wireless is one service already offered at many of these stores. This market has exploded from $4.5 billion in 2000 to over $23 billion in 2004 � driven by youth, minorities and unbanked customers. Another service, prepaid debit cards, is currently a $600 million market. The Pelorus Group expects it to grow to over $5 billion by 2007. Next Estate Communications reports that 65 percent of prepaid debit users are under the age of 35 years.

Payroll check cashing can also be offered. The Financial Service Centers of America (FiSCA) reports that this $60 billion industry processes over 180 million checks a year, growing 10 percent annually. Walk-up bill payment would be another convenience for the unbanked. Checkfree, the online bill-payment service, reports that 20 percent of American households regularly pay their bills in person.

Offering money transfer service can be lucrative for convenience and grocery stores. Celent expects the global money transfer market to surpass $170 billion in 2006. InterAmerican Bank reports that over 60 percent of foreign-born U.S. Latino adults send money back home regularly.

Retailers look for partners
Overburdened convenience and grocery merchants will look to one-stop full-service distributors to carry the load � bringing in the offers, enabling the transactions and developing the signage and display. For these distributors, banking services would allow them to establish deep relationships with the merchant from a product portfolio and technology perspective and would enable them to cash in for years to come.

Distributors of prepaid telecom have been playing a key role in the U.S. prepaid supply chain � securing the locations, deploying the delivery technology, communicating the offer and enabling the transaction. But margins are getting squeezed; many of the best locations have been secured, competition is fierce and consolidation is rife. The addition of new revenue-driving products and services to the portfolio is crucial.

Offerings that appeal to the same consumer base as prepaid telecom, utilizing the same point-of-sale or kiosk-based delivery technology, make fringe banking, or banks for the unbanked, a natural for distributors to take on and for retailers to migrate toward.

To be successful in this space, distributors will need to:
� develop the relationships with the necessary product and service providers to form the comprehensive bank for the unbanked offering
� educate their retail partners as to the opportunity and the requirements
� create the point-of-sale and/or kiosk delivery network necessary to successfully deliver the offering
� design clear, concise and relevant marketing communications inside and outside the store to drive adoption and demand
� develop a deep and continual understanding of the unbanked consumer, including who they are, what they need, how they want it delivered and how to reach them

Achieving critical mass
This year promises to be the year fringe banking breaks out. Circle K and 7-Eleven are rolling out check-cashing services to all stores. Stored value gift and debit cards are all the rage. Prepaid wireless continues to explode. Kiosks and multiapplication point-of-sale devices make product delivery possible. All of this is happening while the nation sees a continued explosion in Hispanic population, an increase in population living below the poverty level and a reduction in the number of traditional banking outlets.

Retailers, distributors, processors and product and service providers are all taking note, and many will develop a sense of urgency in 2005 to win in this space, to prosper and to survive. Will you?

The author is president of Tefisto Partners, a consultancy focused on the stored value and fringe banking space. He can be contacted at (602) 750-8055 or visit the company website at www.tefistopartners.com.

Posted by keefner at 02:40 PM

May 05, 2005

Billpayment and QuickTrip

New Bill Payment and Check Cashing Kiosk Expected to Drive Increased Store Traffic and Sales; QuikTrip and CashWorks Team to Rollout New Easy-to-Use Kiosk.


Research shows 65 million underserved Americans lack fundamental financial services.

Read More

Posted by keefner at 04:05 AM

January 11, 2005

Next Gen POS Delivery

Kiosks Are The Next Generation Of POS Delivery

The Prepaid Press
Jan 10 2005 : With about 30 per cent of the US population standing in line every week to pay bills at utility firms, retailers have an opportunity to profit from offering bill payment functionality over their POS network. As an example, a retailer selling mobile phones can offer a customer paying a bill, a plan that is better value than their current contract, and often a new phone. Evidence suggests that nine times out of ten, a bill-paying customer faced with this offer, will switch to the new plan on the spot, which in turn could generate up to USD 300 in commission for the retailer that sells the new phone plan.

If a convenience store offering bill payments at the POS processes 2,000 to 3,000 bills a month, this translates to USD 2,000 or USD 3,000 in extra revenues for minimal effort. Retailers wanting to accept bill payments at the POS can install a module that also delivers PIN-based products such as prepaid wireless. Kiosks, the next-generation of POS delivery, will grow by 20 per cent to 2008 in acceptance terms, according to the Prepaid Press, and can deliver up to USD 1,200 in gross revenues. Depending on whether a kiosk is owned by the store or by a distributor, retailers can take 10 to 20 per cent of these revenues.

Posted by Craig at 02:34 PM

August 30, 2004

Bill Pay Kiosks at Denver Airport

Info Touch Technologies Launches Cricket Bill Pay Service at Denver International Airport

BURNABY, BC, Aug. 24 /CNW/ - Info Touch Technologies Corp.
(www.infotouch.net) (IFT: TSX Venture Exchange) announced a new distribution
point for its automated self-serve bill pay services at 32 "Shibby Branded"
kiosks at the Denver International Airport. The kiosks are co-owned and
operated by RHMES Communications of Denver, CO and Kiosk Information Systems
of Louisville CO.
Powered by Info-Touch's industry leading Surfnet Premiere software, the
kiosks will enable airport employees and air travelers to pay their Cricket
wireless bills in cash and/or credit card as well as other post paid bill
payment and financial services applications. Payments by check are expected to
follow soon afterwards.
The stakeholders of the project expect to derive revenues from the
convenience fees paid by consumers in order to pay their Cricket or other
bills of their choice. All applications will be available in Spanish and
English.
"We're always looking for new ways to enhance our customers' experience,"
said Tom Williams, area general manager for Cricket. "With self-serve bill
pay, we're providing another easy and convenient payment option. We look
forward to being part of this growing technology focused on serving our
customers."
President and CEO Rick Malone said, "The Denver Airport is the fifth
busiest airport in the US and is an ideal location for this sort of
application due to its approximately 23,000 employees. Also, new low-cost
carriers have changed the demographic of air travel and we believe that the
Shibby terminals at DIA are a compelling opportunity for bill payment
services."
"There is a growing demand for alternative modes of payment amongst
approximately 30% of America's population who fall within the 'unbanked' or
'underbanked' demographic, as they may not have a bank / credit card account
or prefer cash to other methods of payment," said Hamed Shahbazi, CEO of Info
Touch Technologies Corp. "Shibby is a great example of the Company's 'indirect
distribution' model where IFT can leverage its software application and
monetization program without funding new kiosk infrastructure."

About Cricket Service

Cricket is a simple and affordable wireless solution offering unlimited
anytime minutes within your Cricket(R) calling area over our high quality,
all-digital network. Cricket(R) service is an affordable wireless alternative
to traditional landline service. With a commitment to predictability,
simplicity and value as the foundation of our business, Cricket designs and
markets wireless products to meet the needs of everyday people. We offer
unlimited anytime minutes starting at $29.99 a month (plus taxes and fees)
with no long-term agreements required. Operating in 39 markets in 20 states
stretching from New York to California, Cricket(R) service is available to
customers in more than 840 different municipalities. For more information,
please visit www.mycricket.com.

About KIS

Founded in 1993, KIS is the established leader in the design and
manufacturing of indoor and outdoor kiosks, public Internet stations and other
electronic self-service informational terminals. Recognized as one of the
fastest growing companies in the United States, KIS' growth over the last nine
years has earned the company a place on the Inc. 500 list and on both the
Colorado Fast 50 and the nation's Technology Fast 500 by Deloitte & Touche.
KIS has provided innovative kiosks for a who's who of corporate clients
including McDonalds, Citibank, IBM, Disney, Borders, Mercedes Benz and Conoco,
as well as numerous government agencies and universities. Having produced
thousands of kiosks for over 1000+ different applications, including human
resources, interactive and transactional retail, and security applications,
KIS has the most in-depth experience and expertise in the kiosk industry.
Contact KIS at 303-466-5471 or www.kis-kiosk.com for more information on its
complete line of kiosks and contract manufacturing capabilities.

About Info Touch Technologies

Info Touch Technologies provides software, and personal financial
services through secure kiosk networks. Surfnet is Info Touch's trademarked
technology for the secure and convenient delivery of e-services, including but
not limited to bill payment, wireless Internet access, maps and directions,
money transfer, PIN dispensing for pre-paid products and services, electronic
coupons, video/text/photo e-mail and general Web-browsing. For more
information, visit www.infotouch.net.

(*)The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed this news release and
does not accept responsibility for its adequacy and accuracy.

%SEDAR: 00010068E

For further information: Cricket Media Relations: Kristin Parsley
Atkins, Tel: (858) 882-9105, [email protected];
Cricket Colorado Office: Tom Williams, Tel: (720) 374-1825,
[email protected]; KIS Kiosks: Tom Weaver,
Tel: (303) 661-1652, E-mail: [email protected]; Info Touch Technologies
Corp.: Behshad Hastibakhsh, Media Relations, Tel: (604) 298-4636, Ext. 250,
Toll Free: 888-679-3322, Email: [email protected]; Linear Capital Corp.
(Investor Relations - Info Touch Technologies Corp.): John Lewis,
Tel: (416) 364-2266, Toll Free: 1-877-600-6001, Email:
[email protected]


CNW Telbec

Posted by Craig at 06:11 PM

December 30, 2003

Utlity Bill Pay

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. is hoping a new outreach initiative will attract customers to its discount program for low-income households.

PG&E officials said new statistics show that many cities continue to lag behind in taking part in the California Alternative Rate for Energy, or CARE, program.

In a push to boost enrollment in the free program, PG&E has unveiled a self-service kiosk system at customer service centers around the Bay Area.

Under the program, eligible customers can save 20 percent on monthly gas and electric bills. The average household saves between $15 and $50 a month.

Although some East Bay cities have a high number of CARE customers, many continue to lag in participation.

Dublin and Pleasanton both have 35 percent of eligible customers enrolled in CARE; Fremont has 60 percent of eligible customers participating. In contrast, 88 percent of Oakland eligible customers have signed on.

"We don't know why the numbers are low for some cities," said Jason Alderman, a spokesman for PG&E. "It might be language or cultural issues. It may be people are reluctant (to sign on) because they don't like to ask for help."

CARE eligibility is based on household size and annual income. A household of up to two people must have a yearly income of $23,000 or less; a household of three must have $27,000 or less; a household of four must have a maximum income of $32,500.

The new CARE self-service kiosks allow customers to quickly apply for CARE while waiting to pay their PG&E bills. PG&E has placed 45 kiosks in its Northern and Central California offices.

The one-page confidential application is available in English, Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese.

Customers can request CARE applications by calling PG&E's toll-free line at (866) 743-2273. Applications can also be filled out at www.pge.com/care

story link

Posted by Craig at 04:08 PM