> Kiosk Registry Functions Now in the Palm of Your Hand
January 12, 2005
MarCole Introduces Handheld Gift Registry Solution To Maximize In-Store Efficiency
WALNUT CREEK, CA. MarCole Interactive Systems, the leading provider of gift registry solutions for retailers today introduced the industry's most comprehensive gift registry using a Pocket PC handheld mobile computer from Symbol Technologies. With the latest enhancement to Gift RegistryWorks, MarCole's flagship product, consumers can now quickly and easily set-up a registry profile on a Symbol PPT8846 handheld computer, as well as scan and add items to their registry. This new solution will be demonstrated in Booth #1326 at the National Retail Federation's (NRF) 94th Annual Convention & Expo, which is being held this week at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City.

As a result of this enhancement to Gift RegistryWorks, customers can now pick up a lightweight and rugged Symbol handheld mobile computer, the PPT 8846 with Pocket PC, when they arrive in a store and easily create a registry profile simply by following intuitive prompts on the screen. Once the profile is complete, customers can immediately start adding items to their registry by scanning the UPC or SKU barcode on the desired item using the device's built-in barcode scanner. Item quantity can be easily increased, if so desired. With the use of Symbol's handheld, MarCole provides a enterprise solution for retailers seeking to capture, move and manage information at the point of business activity in order to increase productivity and efficiency, while improving customer experience and satisfaction.

"In a busy store, this gift registry process becomes troublesome, as shoppers seeking to simply retrieve and print a registry are forced to wait to use the kiosks or to speak with the bridal consultants as others complete the time-consuming registry creation process. Of course, more kiosks can be added to satisfy peak demand - but in addition to being expensive, these also occupy prime selling space. Furthermore, their need for power and network connections brings additional complexity and cost to the equation," says David Pava, VP of Sales for MarCole. "Similarly, the inability to serve two customers at once is a problem for smaller stores, who do not use kiosks and depend on clerks to enter and retrieve registry information for customers."

"Retailers are seeking new ways to improve their customers' shopping experience and this enterprise mobililty solution clearly improves the gift registry process along with the experience," said Verlin Youd, Vice President of Symbol's Retail Industry Solutions Group. "Not only can shoppers interact in real-time with a store's gift registry, but retailers can simultaneously improve worker productivity and customer service levels as employees are free to spend more time with a greater number of customers."

MarCole specializes in developing leading edge gift registry and related interactive retail applications for retailers. This is not the first time the company pioneered new gift registry technology. Over a decade ago, MarCole was the very first company to incorporate product images into gift registry applications and it was one of the first to integrate scanners with gift registry and offer an off-the-shelf, customizable multi-channel registry solution.

The company's Gift RegistryWorks is a platform independent, scaleable and modular gift registry solution for in-store and web-based deployment, suitable for any size enterprise. It features a multi-lingual user interface and supports any number of occasions including weddings, commitment ceremonies, anniversaries, housewarmings, new baby, birthday, home remodeling, charity and general purpose wish lists. It can be seamlessly integrated with a retailer's existing POS, back-office and e-commerce systems. In addition to the Enterprise Edition for chain stores, the company offers an Independent Retailer Edition and a Gift Registry Software Development Kit (SDK).

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