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Retail Systems Automate by Craig Allen Keefner

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Netflix CEO: Sorry, we're not making a streaming device - CNET From www.cnet.com - May 30, 8:09 AM Reed Hastings says Netflix has no interest in making its own video-streaming device like Amazon's Fire TV, nor will it pour money into licensing live sports. Craig Allen Keefner's insight: Netflix, as superfans may recall, once had a hand in developing a streaming box. Roku founder Anthony Wood once worked at Netflix as its vice president of Internet TV, helping on a project to deliver movies directly to subscribers' televisions over the Internet. But Netflix later jettisoned the project to Wood's own company Roku, which eventually released the streaming boxes many use today to watch Netflix in their living rooms. "We're working with over 1,000 devices now," he said. "There's no value-add for us to do a device."     Restaurant Saves Thousands in Overtime and Cuts Wait Times in Half with Mobile POS Upgrade | News | Hospitality Magazine (HT) From hospitalitytechnology.edgl.com - May 29, 3:19 PM Dallas-based Smokey John's, forgoes manual tracking with an iPad-based point of sale roll-out. Craig Allen Keefner's insight: Restaurant Saves Thousands in Overtime and Cuts Wait Times in Half with Mobile POS Upgrade     Cleveland Clinic forms joint venture with maker of walk-in kiosks - ModernHealthcare.com From www.modernhealthcare.com - May 21, 7:06 AM MedCity News Cleveland Clinic forms joint venture with maker of walk-in kiosks ModernHealthcare.com Cleveland Clinic and HealthSpot, a Dublin, Ohio-based company, have signed a letter of intent to form a joint venture that will allow more patients... Craig Allen Keefner's insight: The HealthSpot station's two-way high-definition video screen delivers a unique face-to-face experience between patients and medical providers. An array of digital medical devices embedded in each unit - stethoscope, scale, blood pressure cuff, pulse oximeter, thermometer, otoscope and dermascope - streams medical information to the provider and patient in real time. "Healthcare innovation is essential to make care more accessible to patients. This relationship allows patients to utilize the latest technology to connect to Cleveland Clinic experts in a more convenient way," said Toby Cosgrove, M.D., Chief Executive Officer and President of Cleveland Clinic     Insteon, Microsoft Strike Retail Pact From www.twice.com - May 15, 4:07 PM Insteon products will be available June 1 at MicrosoftStore.com, and by early July, the products will be rolled out to the vast majority of Microsoft's 53 retail stores across the U.S., Insteon said.     HealthSpot raises $8M for telemedicine kiosk business From mobihealthnews.com - May 8, 2:17 PM HealthSpot, a Dublin, Ohio-based company building telemedicine kiosks for workplace and retail locations, has raised $8 million from undisclosed investors, bringing the current raise, which began in March 2013, to $18 million total. Craig Allen Keefner's insight: HealthSpot kiosks are designed for supermarkets, pharmacies, and healthcare facility waiting rooms.board includes former Cleveland Clinic CEO Floyd Loop and Cardinal Health SVP Christi Pedra.company has pursued a partnership-heavy strategy, most recently teaming up with MedAvail Technologies, a company making telepharmacy kiosks, in January. The agreement will initially allow the two companies to co-locate their kiosks, so that a customer can get a prescription from a HealthSpot physician and immediately pick it up at a MedAvail kiosk. In the future, the technology might be integrated into a single offering.company has also campaigned for telehealth reimbursement legislation in Ohio, culminating in the signing of Ohio House Bill 123 last January. The law will make it easier for telehealth care in Ohio to be reimbursed by Medicare.     Optimizing Retail Solutions | Kiosk Industry From kioskindustry.org - May 6, 11:43 AM Craig Allen Keefner's insight: Writeup on optimizing retail solution in-store and mobile by Laura Miller     Porch.com new deal with Lowe's puts kiosks, signage and experts in 1,700 stores From upstart.bizjournals.com - May 5, 2:13 PM How exactly did Porch.com founder and CEO Matt Ehrlichman land a deal with Lowe's that puts the seven-month-old startup he started in his basement in front of customers in 1,700 stores nationwide? It's kind of a funny story. Craig Allen Keefner's insight: Neat story on how Lowes connected     iControl To Target Retail With DIY Home Automation From www.twice.com - May 5, 12:19 PM iControl Networks, a supplier of home-automation platforms to such service providers as cable operators and monitored-security companies, plans to offer a self-installed home-automation/security system through brick-and-mortar and online retailers Craig Allen Keefner's insight: The Wi-Fi- and Z-Wave-enabled Piper hub incorporates high-definition wide-angle pan-and-tilt camera with zoom. It also incorporates motion detector, noise-sensing microphone, indoor/outdoor temperature sensors, and a humidity sensor. It connects to hundreds of Z-Wave-enabled accessories, including door and window sensors and smart plugs to control table lamps, the company said. The hub and accessories can be monitored and controlled via smartphones, which also receive alerts and display the hub's camera video.     Mannequins evolving into dependable salespeople From seattletimes.com - May 5, 11:07 AM Researchers report that 42 percent of customers said mannequins influenced their purchasing decision, ranking just behind friends and family. And now they're more creative than ever. Craig Allen Keefner's insight: To change it up, some retailers have gone plus-sized and curvier, and others feature more athletic and toned mannequins. Others are trying different facial features, eco-friendly materials and even digital components.     Blackhawk Launches Virtual Gift Cards for Smartphones in Canada | PYMNTS.com From www.pymnts.com - May 2, 6:46 AM The application allows customers to safely store eligible payment and gift cards on their smartphones and make purchases directly from the phone by simply

PGA Tour Goes High Tech With Innovative LAVU iPad POS System From www.digitaljournal.com - May 29, 3:21 PM Albuquerque, NM (PRWEB) May 29, 2014 LAVU Inc. is pleased to announce their debut as a hospitality technology provider for the PGA's 2014 Memorial Tournament. The mobile iPad POS from Lavu will be paired with the latest in 'smart' technologies offered by industry leaders Epson and APG Cash Drawer to accommodate 200,000 golf fans and professionals at concession stands and shops.     The Future Of Retail Will Feel Like Stealing From www.businessinsider.com - May 21, 8:47 AM Say good-bye to cashiers and self-checkout. Craig Allen Keefner's insight: The retail endpoint is embedded smarts everywhere. Question is by when like always...Thanks Kirk at Arcatech!     AVT Receives Purchase Order for 1,000 machines from OpticWash -- CORONA, Calif., May 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- From www.prnewswire.com - May 19, 2:47 PM CORONA, Calif., May 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- AVT Receives Purchase Order for 1,000 machines from OpticWash. System generates ongoing revenues in the $3.49 billion optical industry.     Asda restructuring puts 4,100 managerial jobs in consultation From www.thegrocer.co.uk - May 15, 8:17 AM A major restructuring at Asda will put some 4,100 managerial jobs into consultation, while boosting the number of section leader roles.     Putin to MasterCard And Visa: "Pay Up" | PYMNTS.com From www.pymnts.com - May 6, 1:41 PM Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed into law legislation that puts major constraints on foreign card brands doing business in that country, especially Craig Allen Keefner's insight: Under the new law, international payment systems, such as Visa and MasterCard, reportedly must pay Russian authorities heavy security deposits if they want to continue operating in Russia beyond July 1, according to The Moscow Times. Russian lawmakers wrote up the legislation at Putin's request after Visa and MasterCard blocked transaction activity at several local banks sanctioned by the U.S. government after Russia reunified with Crimea.     Restaurants Make the Move to Tableside POS From hospitalitytechnology.edgl.com - May 6, 11:19 AM Mobile point of sale is entering an adoption curve, as restaurants make the shift from wait-and-see to deployment. According to HT's 2014 Restaurant Technology Study, tableside ordering and payment devices are the single largest growth area in full service restaurants, with a third of respondents planning a rollout by the end of next year Craig Allen Keefner's insight: He was also surprised at the number of people choosing to use the mTablet over the kiosk or the cashier, even when there is no line, and compared it to those who choose self-checkout at a grocery store even when there is not a line at a cashier. "Many prefer to do it themselves, and many young people find it faster," he notes. "The mTablet is built so if you have an iPhone or iPad, it's very easy to figure out how to use. We have a lot more people using them than we expected."     Aislelabs Launches the First Marketing Automation Platform for Physical Retail Locations - Directions Magazine From www.directionsmag.com - May 5, 12:21 PM Aislelabs Engage, the cloud based offering, provides unmatched capabilities to marketers enabling them to segment and target customers based on behavior inside retail locations. Craig Allen Keefner's insight: Aislelabs Engage offers a cross platform mobile SDK that integrates effortlessly with any app owned by the retailer or a third party. The SDK utilizes Bluetooth Low Energy (iBeacon), WiFi and GPS based technology to pinpoint the mobile device to a precise indoor location. This enables marketers to engage in location sensitive marketing driven using real-time personalized push notifications. The Aislelabs platform also includes an enterprise grade iBeacon deployment and management platform.     The New Luxury Retail Experience: Digital, Immersive, Experiential, Theatrical From sodaspeaks.com - May 5, 11:37 AM Craig Allen Keefner's insight: in the launch of the flagship store in Beijing, Burberry leveraged 4D video projection mapping to transform real models to holographic ones, who would burst into liquid or clouds of red powder or multiply like a David Copperfield magic trick.     Lowe's goes big on home-improvement startup Porch.com - Fortune Features From features.blogs.fortune.cnn.com - May 5, 11:04 AM Lowe's is going national with its Porch partnership -- promoting the listings site in every single Lowe's store. We've got a question: Why? Craig Allen Keefner's insight: DIY Home Improvement with expert assist coming to Lowes via Porch     Refreshing breakthrough as Sydney unveils digital vending machine toiletries | TheMoodieReport.com From www.moodiereport.com - May 1, 4:12 PM Refreshing breakthrough as Sydney unveils digital vending machine toiletries

Gartner's 2013 Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies Maps Out Evolving Relationship Between Humans and Machines

As consumers shift many of their purchases online, will physical retail stores even have a reason to exist? That's the difficult question AT&T T +0.43% retail executives asked themselves two years ago as they began a process to redesign and reinvent all 2,300 company-owned retail store locations in North America. Today customers in La Grange, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, will be the first to experience a new concept store AT&T leaders believe reflects the future of retail. 

The convergence of online and offline represents a big opportunity for retailers and brands that can see past the confusing threat of mobile showrooming.

The density of pedestrian traffic on the sidewalks of New York City make it an optimal place to grab attention with an eye catching or innovative store window display. For the NYC debut of their casual clothing and accessories line Kate Spade Saturday, the brand created four walk up shoppable interactive windows in formerly vacant retail stores.

NEW YORK --  Shares of Best Buy rose 16 percent Thursday after it announced plans to create store-within-store kiosks for Samsung products - a vote of confidence from a major consumer electronics retailer that the brick-and-mortar format is still an important way to sell products.

The battle between Walmart and SuperCenters against Amazon and its Web escalate.  How they mitigate the advantages of each other, how quickly and effectively is the question to be answered.

AVT continues it's press barrage with announcement it will integrate Intel products into their automated retail systems, touting that the partnership will position the companies at the forefront of the future of intelligent vending. This on the heels of busiest trading day ever of its stock in December, a caviar dispensing customer featured on ABC News, and the vending report noting record growth for the industry.

CAMP HILL, Pa. -- Rite Aid unveiled what it called its "next generation" Wellness store as the chain reported a decrease in same-store sales Thursday.