7-Eleven Franchisees Test NFC Coupon Kiosk

NEW YORK -- Two New York City 7-Eleven Inc. stores are currently testing a mobile smartphone check-in kiosk that allows customers visiting a retail store to download coupons and in-store specials to their handheld devices, reported TWICE.com

The prototype kiosks, operating on Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, use a reader built into their bases to communicate with NFC-enabled phones. The prototypes were manufactured by software designer Solekai Systems and mobile solutions provider Raging Mobile, reported the website.

According to the news source, Solekai and Raging Mobile are planning to manufacture many more kiosks that can produce add-on sales at a wide variety of retail outlets, including convenience stores and electronic retailers.

The news outlet added that the kiosks could be used a form of a robotic sales assistant that can suggest bundled components and add-on product sales to help improve retail margins.