A Gift Card Mall in a Kiosk

The Internet-enabled retail kiosk lets shoppers create customized store- branded and third-party gift cards with personalized "to" and "from" names and single or multiple design full-color graphics. Gift cards can be purchased and dispensed directly from the self-serve kiosk, eliminating the current requirement of purchasing gift cards at the check-out lane or customer service counter.

The kiosks store an unlimited number of graphics, so multiple merchants or brands can be supported on a single kiosk. Here's how it works:

1. Using a touch-screen, the shopper chooses from multiple designs to match the gift-giving occasion, and chooses the denomination he or she prefers.
2. The shopper then types in both the recipient's and the gift giver's name (likely her own) into the "to" and "from" fields.
3. Using a credit card, the shopper purchases the gift card directly through the kiosk. The shopper presses "print" and a personalized, activated gift card is printed in seconds, along with a receipt.

"The Reward and Gift Card Kiosk enables the shopper to custom-design her own gift cards, turning an ordinary cash gift into something personal and special," said Jeff Grider, vice president, Pay By Touch Personalized Marketing. "Since the cards are printed in the kiosk for each individual order, merchants no longer have to struggle with guessing the correct numbers of specialty gift cards to pre-order -- the right gift cards are always in-stock for every occasion, be it a birthday, anniversary or national holiday."

Merchants can also expand the Reward and Gift Card Kiosk to incorporate Rapid Enroll(TM), powered by Pay By Touch. Announced last year, Rapid Enroll technology allows for quick and easy loyalty program enrollment, reducing processing time from weeks to minutes. When Rapid Enroll technology is added to the Reward and Gift Card Kiosk, customers can quickly and easily sign-up and print a ready-to-use loyalty card directly from the kiosk without store personnel assistance.

"Pay By Touch provides retailers with smart, flexible solutions that foster loyalty by delivering value to shoppers," said John Rogers, founder, chairman and CEO, Pay By Touch. "The Reward and Gift Card Kiosk simplifies the gift card process while offering quick and easy enrollment in loyalty programs."

The Reward and Gift Card Kiosk is currently being piloted by one of the country's most innovative grocers, Green Hills Market of Syracuse, New York.

"The Reward and Gift Card Kiosk from Pay By Touch is a hit with Green Hills' shoppers," said Gary Hawkins, proprietor of Green Hills Market and CEO of Hawkins Strategic. "We love the convenience, and shoppers enjoy being able to add a friend's name as well as their own to each gift card. It brings warmth and personality back into the process."

The Reward and Gift Card Kiosk, powered by Pay By Touch is a stand alone, self-serve kiosk that requires no point of sale (POS) system integration and no merchant intervention. For more information, go to http://www.paybytouch.com/cr.