Technology that plans your dinner parties

TORONTO, ON - Decisions. Decisions. You're having dinner guests tonight and want to serve precisely the right wine with your meal, pick up a recipe or see what's on special. For the answers you need look no further than NCR's Web-enabled Wines and Spirits Information kiosk.

NCR is showcasing its Wines and Spirits Information kiosk at Grocery Innovations Canada, today and Tuesday at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The self-service kiosk features information from a listing of over 2,500 wines and spirits, pricing, and wines by country, to recipes and food-wine matches.

Guests will be taste testing alcoholic recipes such as beer coleslaw and kahlua kabobs while exploring other self-service devices such as Xpress film check-in, a film processing drop-off and pick-up kiosk, healthnotes, a self-service pharmacy kiosk, and NCR's self-checkout terminal. With Canada leading the world in ATM usage (53* transactions per person, per year), kiosks add yet another dimension to self-service.

Consumers in Saskatchewan are already getting a taste of this type of self-service at the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA). Paul Weber, Vice-president of Operations for SLGA says, "Response to our SLGA Product Information Centre has been extremely positive. The kiosks are very user friendly, and provide our customers with information on in-stock wines and spirits, new products, recipes, special in-store promotions, and draws and contests.

"Our staff also find the kiosk to be a valuable educational tool that can help them become more knowledgeable about the products we carry, which ultimately allows them to better serve customers," says Weber.

Product updates are handled centrally from SLGA's head office, which can also customize the information on a kiosk-by-kiosk, and store-by-store basis to promote special events such as wine-tastings.

The kiosk solution is the result of a partnership between NCR and Regina-based Global Kiosk Systems. Global Kiosk specializes in the development of point-of-sale PC-based interactive kiosk systems and according to Paul Drouin, Managing Partner of Global Kiosk Systems, "NCR's Web Kiosk provides us with a platform that is far superior to that of traditional standalones or networked 'PCs in a box'. The kiosk's flexible footprint allows it to be positioned almost anywhere - on a pole, counter, as a stand-alone, or wherever consumers need easy, self-service access to information," says Drouin.

Brian Sullivan, NCR Canada's Vice president, Retail Solutions Division adds, "For consumers, self-service kiosks deliver a much more interactive shopping experience that can impact their behaviour at the point of selection.

"Web kiosks help them make more informed purchase decisions by giving them access to product-specific information, location of products, product availability, and receiving relevant promotions - all through Web-based technology. For retailers, kiosks give them the ability to blend their bricks and mortar operation with their e-commerce environment," says Sullivan.

About NCR Corporation

NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR) is a US$6.2 billion leader in providing Relationship TechnologyÔ solutions to customers worldwide in the retail, financial, communications, manufacturing, travel and transportation, and insurance markets. NCR's Relationship Technology solutions include privacy-enabled TeradataÒ warehouses and customer relationship management (CRM) applications, store automation and automated teller machines (ATMs). The company's business solutions are built on the foundation of its long-established industry knowledge and consulting expertise, value-adding software, global customer support services, a complete line of consumable and media products, and leading edge hardware technology. NCR employs 32,500 in 130 countries, and is a component stock of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index. More information about NCR and its solutions may be found at www.ncr.com.

NCR and Teradata are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCR Corporation in the United States and other countries.

* Source: Canadian Bankers Association

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