NCR Corporation moved a step closer to bringing e-commerce to its ATMs by taking a strategic equity interest in iATMglobal, a San Francisco-based company which provides a turnkey software package that enables e-commerce transactions and fulfillment on ATMs.
NCR and iATMglobal plan to launch the Internet-based technology later this year at convenience stores currently using NCR's MCD ATMs.
Even though it's a brand new company, iATMglobal has a history with NCR.
iATMglobal is an independent subsidiary of TRM Corporation, one of NCR's biggest non-bank customers and a deployer of MCDs in off-site locations such as The Pantry convenience stores. Earlier this year, iATMglobal purchased Strategic Software Solutions, the Scottish software company that created @tmLink, a remote management and monitoring system that is one of the MCD's strongest selling points.
The iATMglobal software, known as RAAP or Remote Access Application Protocol, is built upon the existing @tmLink foundation.
Because of its @tmLink origins, RAAP will offer deployers an entree into e-commerce without an expensive upgrade, said Dan Palczynski, a member of NCR's Marketing for ATM Solutions, Retail.
MCDs are RAAP-ready, and the two companies plan to eventually migrate it to other NCR ATMs, including legacy machines.
RAAP's simplicity will appeal to both deployers and end users, Palczynski said. "The bottom line is it's not going to take a rocket scientist to make it work."
According to iATMglobal and NCR, the software will convert content from existing Web sites, including such whiz-bang applications as ticketing, Internet banking and e-shopping, into an ATM-friendly interface.
"iATMglobal enables companies to transform their Web-based product presentation to the capabilities of current and future ATM technologies," said Shami Patel, president of iATMglobal. "With the initial rollout on NCR's ATMs, the consumer will see the value of this Internet capability and we'll provide the ATM owner with a new revenue stream."
iATMglobal does not intend to charge ATM deployers for the RAAP software. Revenue will come from dot-com companies, who will pay a fee for all successful Internet-related transactions; iATMglobal will share a percentage of revenue with deployers.
While iATMglobal will route all e-commerce transactions, standard ATM transactions can be routed through a deployer's usual processor.
Patel, a former investment banker and venture capitalist, said he has spoken to several interested dot-coms. To sweeten the deal, he said iATMglobal plans to offer them branding opportunities such as on- screen advertisements. "In addition to a new distribution channel, they'll have the ability to touch and engage the consumer."
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