Systems Integrator Demonstrates Complete Hardware, Software and Consulting Services at 2006 FMI Marketechnics Tradeshow
CLEVELAND – January 30, 2006 – Agilysys, Inc., (NASDAQ: AGYS) a leading provider of enterprise computer technology solutions, demonstrates its cutting-edge system integration capabilities today at the 2006 Food Marketing Institute’s (FMI) Marketechnics Show, January 30 to February 1 at the Convention Center in San Diego. Within the Agilysys booth #905, attendees will be escorted through one of the U.S. retail industry’s most innovative implementations and integrations of self-service shopping technology.
“As the retail industry evolves into a customer-centric environment, Agilysys Retail Solutions keeps pace with the newest developments,” said Bob Bailey, executive vice president, Agilysys. “We do this by collaborating with our retail customer base to better understand their business needs and rapidly take them to new technology heights.”
Increasingly retailers rely upon system integrators to help differentiate themselves from the competition and to deliver a great customer experience. According to analyst group IDC, IT spending will grow approximately 5.2 percent in 2006.
To help retailers better understand the various technology solutions now available to them that will transform their customers’ shopping experiences, Agilysys will demonstrate the following solutions within their booth:
Kiosk & Digital Media Implementation
Retailers entering the booth may scan loyalty cards and retrieve prices on various products all via ReadySave™ software, developed by Agilysys. Following the ReadySave software demonstration, attendees are presented targeted offers based on previous purchases. Other self-service applications available on the kiosk provide targeted information and functionality, depending upon where the customer is located in the store.
Personal Shopper System (PSS)
The next solution on display was recently implemented at major grocery retailers located in the Northeast, Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states. This solution focuses on providing customers the ultimate in customer service during their shopping trip. Attendees may access and test portable handheld mobile computing devices, which are tightly integrated into the POS and self-checkout systems, to move through the area or store, scanning and bagging purchases as they go. The scanner records purchases, displaying them on a monitor, and keeps a running total of dollars spent during the solution visit or shopping trip.
To expedite payment transactions at checkout, Agilysys offers two different technology solutions for retailers to choose. The first solution enables shoppers to scan an “end of trip” bar code, eliminating the need to unload, scan, bag and reload items from a shopper’s cart. The second utilizes biometric technology to identify the customer by their fingerprint. This solution alleviates the need for consumers to carry loyalty cards and other forms of identification and payment on their person.
Customized Mobile Solutions to Increase Customer Satisfaction and Employee Productivity
The final area of the booth displays the customized mobile solutions created by Agilysys especially for the retail industry. The NextVision mobile and wireless software suite includes: NextCollection™, NextManager™, Next Position™ and NextService™ software modules.
NextCollection module, among other things, allows employees to perform real-time shelf price audits and markdowns.
NextManager module gives store managers the ability to spend more time on the sales floor while maintaining real-time information access and monitoring operations. By demonstrating NextManager at FMI Marketechnics, attendees can see how store managers are more proficient in assisting customers with price checks, checkout and monitoring cashier and register performance.
Next Position module helps managers and associates turn any part of the store into the point-of-sale. Retailers can demonstrate the software in the booth which permits store managers to assist customers with pricing, speed checkout by creating full customer orders on the floor and print receipts inside or outside the store.
NextService module, a wireless mini-kiosk, can be deployed anywhere in a store and offers real-time pricing and promotional offers to customers.
“FMI Marketechnics attendees can see different ways Agilysys incorporates technologies together in a timely manner to provide customers with self-service functionality that reduces deployment risks,” said Paul Civils, vice president of Agilysys.
About Agilysys, Inc.
Agilysys is one of the foremost distributors and premier resellers of enterprise computer technology solutions. It has a proven track record of delivering complex server and storage hardware, software and services to resellers, large and medium-sized corporate customers and public-sector clients across a diverse set of industries. In addition, the company provides customer-centric software applications and services focused on the retail and hospitality markets. Headquartered in Mayfield Heights, OH, Agilysys has sales offices throughout the United States and Canada. For more information, visit www.agilysys.com.
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PR Contacts:
Julie Young, Agilysys, Inc., 440.720-8602, julie.young@agilysys.com
Lisa Zone, Dix & Eaton, 216.241-4629, lzone@dix-eaton.com