Matalan, the leading clothing and homeware retailer, has picked our self-service Xen X4 EPoS kiosks to use in its’ new pilot multi-channel retailing in-store.  

The pilot is being deployed in Matalan’s new High Wycombe store and will provide an additional means for customers to purchase products and services across the entire Matalan range.   

They were looking to provide in-store access to their entire product range including the extended lines that can only be found online.  

By incorporating our transactional kiosks they are able to display products that cannot currently be found in-store. In turn the kiosks also accommodate customers without internet access and enhance the shopping experience of customers who come to the store.   

As a result, it will allow Matalan to drive incremental revenues in-store by increasing average basket size and cross/up selling.  

Ross Williams, Ecommerce Trading Manager, said: “We are always looking to improve our customer’s shopping experience, by giving in store shoppers the option to buy from our online range, they benefit by getting new products sooner, and also by being able to select from our full range.

“We recognise a shift in our customers shopping behaviour, and are looking to use technology to service customer requirements however they wish to engage with us.”   

We are providing the total solution; hardware, software and a managed service with support and maintenance.

The Xen X4 kiosks feature a keyboard and 80mm receipt printers running a secure browser version of their website. Customers simply browse the website as they would at home then add their desired items to basket and proceed to check out where they can pay and arrange in-store collection or delivery.  

The kiosks were launched at the store opening yesterday, on November 18th.

Protouch are the UK’s leading supplier of touch screen and kiosk systems and winner of Retail Systems Awards in 2008, 2009, 2010.

Visit us at www.protouch.co.uk.

Carnival UK, the Britain’s largest cruise ship operator, is piloting our kiosks at sea.

Starting on the Cunard brand, the global cruise company is deploying the Xen X4 kiosk across its iconic cruise ships.

They will be used initially to run a cash depositing system for crew members to administer on board accounts and provide an information portal.

Until now Carnival has found it difficult to remove inefficient cash on board processes.  As one of the largest vacation companies in the world with a fleet of 11 UK Ships, and 96 ships globally, the mixture of cash and other processes is unnecessarily taking its toll on man hours.

With the new automatic system, crew members will be able to use the kiosks to top up their accounts without the need for staff assistance. They simply insert their Personalised Crew cards to check their card balance, top up their account, check currency crew exchange rates and also view personal details.

Julian Banasiewicz, IT Projects Manager at Carnival UK, said: “The business response towards the kiosks has been very positive with the kiosks taking £40,000 in the first 3 weeks at sea. We are very pleased to continue our relationship with Protouch across our iconic Cunard and P&O Cruise Ships for further rollouts, and hope to extend the functionality of these kiosks in the future.”

We are providing the total solution; hardware, software and a managed service with support and maintenance.

Carnival UK elected for the Xen X4 kiosks featuring note acceptors, 80mm receipt printers and magnetic stripe card readers.

The kiosks were launched on new ship Queen Elizabeth for its maiden voyage on October 12^th. A successful trial will see Carnival UK rollout out the kiosks across its high profile P&O Cruises and Cunard, brands.  Future initiatives include a review of Passenger facing functions to extend the use of our kiosk technology to automate passenger processes on board.

If you are looking to deploy a kiosk system into your business then we recommend that you have a look at our critical guide which looks at the things businesses need to consider when deploying a public facing kiosk. You can access the Kiosk Guide here.

For more information visit Protouch today.

Touch screen kiosks have had a superb impact on the leisure industry; by installing ‘virtual receptionists’ they automate bookings, ticketing and payment systems. Customers can check in by themselves for activities such as a Badminton sessions or to book a football pitch, make on screen payments, print off their receipt and book future appointments. This has quickly and efficiently eliminated the need to queue.

Example;

- The Xen X4 Fast Track was installed at The Aberdeen Sports Village.

It propelled the leisure centre to the forefront of the technological, self-service arena within the industry, with 80 per cent of its members now using it as opposed to the reception desk. 

This has allowed the reception staff to focus more on customer service, giving them more quality time with their customers and therefore enhancing the customer experience greatly by increasing the speed of transactions and efficiency.

Cinema

The film industry has benefitted from kiosks so much so, ensuring its profitability. Ticket kiosks in the theatre lobbies can be installed, with self-service ticket points and payment kiosks.

These kiosks;

-          lower the overall operating costs

-          increase the profit margins for the company

-          lower the ticket prices for the cinemagoer

-          decrease the waiting times for the customer

-          increase customer satisfaction and see them return to use the services. 

Example;

-The Xen X4 Ticketing kiosk at Cineworld

Cineworld, one of the UK’s largest cinema chains, has experienced this impact in cinemagoers spending first hand. Since installing touch screen kiosks the margin the customer spends has greatly increased, alongside high levels of customer satisfaction and a much more efficient movie experience. And, its staff have been able to focus on major customer concerns more immediately.

For ways in which you can adopt a self-service kiosk into your leisure business visit Protouch today, the leading distributor and manufacturer of touch screen equipment in Europe.

We’ve been shortlisted in the Retail Systems 2010 Awards for the category ‘Best Use Of Technology In The Hospitality And Leisure Sector.’

The Protouch, Xn Leisure and Aberdeen Sports Village leisure centre joint entry is shortlisted for its innovative ‘Virtual Receptionist’ kiosk solution that has provided Aberdeen Sports Village with an automated booking, ticketing and payment system.

The ‘Virtual Receptionist’ has propelled Aberdeen Sports Village to the forefront of the technological, self service arena within the Leisure industry with 80 per cent of Aberdeen Sports Village members now using it as opposed to the reception desk. 

Protouch Xn Leisure Kiosk

Not only has it leveraged Aberdeen Sports Village resources by turning receptionist staff into Customer Service Ambassadors, it has allowed staff to offer more quality time with their customers as well as greatly enhancing customer experience by increasing the speed of transactions and efficiency. Customers can now check in for activities, collect tickets and make future booking enquiries quickly and efficiently, eliminating the need to queue. 

The Xen X4 wall mounted kiosk offers a 19″ touch screen, RFID smart Card Reader, receipt and ticket printer and branding while running a booking and on screen payment application that provides fast track entry and a secure monitoring system using membership cards linked to turnstiles, barriers or doors.

We look forward to the awards ceremony due to take place at the prestigious Grosvenor House Hotel London on 28 October 2010 where the winners will be announced.

About Xn Leisure

The leader in Leisure Management Solutions for over 28 years, Xn Leisure serves over 5,000 users and is the technology partner of choice for the Leisure Industry. Offering a wealth of industry knowledge and expertise Xn Leisure is engaged in a programme of continuous strategic investment in people, systems and processes. 

This month, we are excited to be exhibiting our three off the shelf kiosk designs at the KioskCom Self Service Expo 2009.

Starting on the 30th September at the Olympia in London, we will be exhibiting our Xen Kiosk Series for visitors to view and order on the same day. 

As well as exhibiting our multifunctional kiosk, Protouch’s managing director, Tom Quarry will be taking part in the education programme, holding a seminar at 1.45pm-2.15pm on the 30th September called ‘EPoS for the store of the future.’

Tom will discuss Protouch’s award winning EPoS kiosk hardware, focusing on the Kiddicare case study. Attendees will learn how our award winning kiosk managed more customers with less staff costs, as well as increasing customer spend and enhancing the sales processed in store.

Our stand will be based at 162 and will display the wall mountable Xen X4, the award winning slim floor standing Xen X5 and the larger floor standing Xen X6.

All users and resellers are encouraged to come along to our stand to talk to our team about their kiosk needs. We have a wide range of applications that can be installed onto the kiosks to make them relevant to each business such as: an Internet kiosk, ticket kiosk, payment kiosk, information kiosk, card dispensing kiosk and much more.

We at Protouch want to meet the extremely wide need for self service kiosks and make kiosk deployment simple. Our kiosks offer numerous accessory combinations which can easily be modified, at any time.

Customers simply select what they want, choose their accessories and graphics; resulting in a fully customised kiosk.

Our kiosks on display have already proven themselves to be successful products in varying industry sectors. Refined over the last nine years each kiosk is set to meet three specific economies of scale; quality, price and reliability, suitable for end users and retailers.

This strategy has seen us achieve a top quality kiosk system in the award winning and innovative Xen X5 Kiddicare Kiosk, which will be fully explained in Tom’s kiosk seminar.

As well as the kiosk seminar and exhibition, we will also be taking part in the Minicom Digital Signage Expert Tour KioskCom. This free tour will provide an overview of a selection of carefully hand-picked exhibitors, following the accurate path of the digital signage supply chain.

From content creation to digital measure ment, the tour will outline how they fit into the overall Digital Signage Puzzle.

The tour has been specifically designed to give visitors a bird’s eye view of the overall application by providing the full end-to-end story with real live demos of each piece in the puzzle, and overview of the solution which visitors would not normally get. Visitors can sign up for the tour here.

Self service systems can be ideal as ticketing kiosks to take the pressure off the box office during busy hours. That way the hours of service are extended beyond normal box office hours and can reach remote locations and tap into heavy walk-by traffic.

Main features:

Collecting Tickets 

Customers who have booked to go to the cinema online or by the telephone can collect their pre-paid tickets via a self service kiosk.

Tickets are generally printed using the kiosks internal printer.

Booking and Purchasing Tickets

If the box office is busy or there are no staff around, customers can simply walk in and book and purchase their tickets directly from the touch screen kiosks at their leisure. You can even allow customers to pay by means of gift cards, coupons or credit/debit card.

Collecting tickets via subscription

Subscribers can use subscription card / credit card to collect their event tickets.

Real Time Pricing and Availability

Using a self service kiosks allows customers to know that the tickets are definitely available, that they can choose their own seats and that the pricing is up to date.

Touch Screen Ticketing Interface

The screen should look and feel customisable so that it is easy to use for customers and provides all the relevant information they need to purchase or collect their cinema ticket.

A kiosk manufacturer who has recently helped a cinema chain increase their self service usage is Protouch. The cinema giant rolled out the manufacturers Xen X5 and X4 kiosks into a number of its UK cinemas. The kiosks are used for both Cineworld’s Unlimited film programme and for ticket collection.

John Anderson Cineworld’s Marketing Co-ordinator said, “The Unlimited program is a large and important part of Cineworlds business and distinguishes them from every other cinema company in the UK and Protouch’s X5 kiosk is helping advance the programme.”

For more information about self service kiosks and how they can benefit you visit Protouch today.

Cinema giant, Cineworld have rolled out Protouch’s award-winning Xen X5 and Xen X4 across a selection of its cinemas nationwide.

The self service kiosks will be used for both Cineworlds Unlimited Film programme and for ticket collection.

In 2008, Cineworld, the second largest multiplex cinema in the UK installed the kiosk into five of its cinemas, including Glasgow, West India Queys and Cheltenham.

The self service kiosks are situated at the foyer and are used for customers to sign up to the Unlimited Film Programme that entitles visitors to watch any film, any day, at any time and at any Cineworld Cinema from just £13.50 per month.

Cinemagoers simply sign up by entering their details into the self service kiosks.

From this an A4 receipt with a photo of the member on is printed out, which they can use as identification until their membership card arrives in the post.

In the six months that the self service kiosks have been operating, the cinema chain have seen impressive results, with membership increasing 100 per week.

Due to this success, Cineworld plan to further install the Xen X5 kiosk into all of its cinemas, selling the Unlimited programme.

John Anderson, Cineworld’s Marketing Co-ordinator, said, “The Unlimited programme is a large and important part of Cineworlds business and distinguishes them from every other cinema company in the UK and Protouch’s X5 kiosk is helping advance this programme.”

On the back of the success of the X5s. Cineworld has greatly expanded its kiosk operations and is now rolling out 34 of Protouch’s new Xen X4 kiosks into 13 of its UK cinema sites.

The X4s will be used by cinema goers for the ticket purchase and collection and will run as either a wall or floor mounted kiosks using the latest Chasis Printer technology for printing ticket receipts.

Collectively, the kiosks have brought down ticket purchasing handlin and paper costs and are particularly beneficial for managing customer data.

Protouch are currently Europe’s number one manufacturer and distributor of touch screen equipment. Their award-winning Xen X5 is the star of the Xen kiosk range after winning the Retail Systems Awards 2008 EPoS Innovation of the Year.

For more information about Protouch and its products, visit www.protouch.co.uk

Here is our new video for the Xen X4 kiosk.

The Xen X4 is the perfect solution for retailers looking for a flexible self service solution in a busy environment.

The great thing about the Xen X4 is the fact that it can be wall mounted or displayed on a custom made stand to fit around you and your business.

The Xen X4 can be used as a chip and pin and reciept printing device, perfect for cinemas and train stations for customers to quickly purchase their tickets at their own convenience.

For more information about the Xen X4 and how it can help your business, visit Protouch today.

Manchester United fans will be jumping for glory as Protouch install their sleek Xen X4 to make supporters dreams come true.

The premiership football club has installed the Xen X4 self service kiosk at Old Trafford to offer fans the chance to purchase personalised Man U gifts on site, as a gift or a keep sake for yourself.

The new self service kiosk works by running a version of the www.personalisedfootballgifts.co.uk website, which creates photo gifts that turns fans into Manchester United stars.

Photos include fans being signed to play for Manchester United, or Alex Ferguson holding a shirt with their name on.

To get their hands on the photos, fans simply need to enter their names into the self service kiosk, which will show them a preview and then finally print a receipt. The receipt is then taken to the cash desk where they can pay and collect their dream gift.

For more information about the Xen X4 and other self service kiosks visit Protouch.

Protouch have been shortlisted at the Retail Week Technology Awards for their innovative self service kiosk range, for No.1 UK nursery supplier, Kiddicare.

The X5 Kiddicare kiosks have been shortlisted, alongside three other entries, to win the EPoS Intitiative Award.

The touch screen technology was created by Protouch ad K3, using the award-winning Xen X5, to provide greater functionality and clear benefits to both Kiddicare’s business and its customers.
The awards ceremony is due to take place on June 16th at the prestigious London Hilton on Park Lane, which will see hundreds of experts and professionals in the technology retail industry come together to celebrate the developments of innovative technology.
Tom Quarry, Managing Director of Protouch, said, “This is the third time we have been shortlisted for an award and we are delighted at the success of the kiosks and the industries recognition that we are leading the way for in-store EPoS kiosks solutions.

“We are continually working alongside other companies to provide solutions for their customers’ retail needs and are now developing new EPoS solutions such as are new Xen X4, which is being trialled by several big brands and looks to have great success also.”