RETAIL TECHNOLOGY
RETAIL TECHNOLOGY
Diebold Nixdorf , Mastercard to provide self-service solution for retail , banking
CONNECTED commerce provider Diebold Nixdorf last month announced a partnership with Mastercard to deliver a managed solution for the retail and banking sectors .
The solution combines Diebold Nixdorf ’ s expertise in omni-channel innovation and consumer transactions on the front-end , with Mastercard ’ s “ state-of-the-art ” processing services and extensive global network capability on the backend . The holistic , single-window solution , leveraging Diebold Nixdorf AllConnect Services infrastructure , will initially be available in Asia-Pacific for banking clients , followed by retail clients in the region .
Delivered completely via an “ as a service ” model , the offering is designed specifically to enable customers to dramatically impact their channel operations , the company said . As an endto-end managed solution , this will enable financial institutions and retailers to adopt and integrate emerging solutions rapidly and efficiently .
“ At Mastercard , we are always considering what the future can bring , especially in the context of evolving the digital ecosystem . Today we have a great opportunity with Diebold Nixdorf to deliver the next wave of digital products , with global scalability , for financial institutions and retailers ,” said Rama Sridhar , executive vice-president , Digital and Emerging Partnerships , Asia- Pacific , Mastercard . “ This partnership will offer customers access to a much richer , deeper and broader set of highly sophisticated Mastercard services that are specifically designed to drive smarter and faster investment decisions .”
This announcement builds upon Mastercard and Diebold Nixdorf ’ s existing collaboration announced earlier in June , in which the two firms paved the way for ATM innovation through a
new mobile experience that will bring the conveniences of digital payments — such as increased speed , security and transparency — to cash withdrawals .
“ Banks and retailers recognise that the core to success is the ability to better understand , connect and deliver differentiating services to consumers . To achieve this , they must have laserfocus on their core business ; that can only come with having peace of mind in a secure , managed and future-ready channel ,” said Olaf Heyden , Diebold Nixdorf ’ s senior vice-president , services . “ This exciting new partnership with Mastercard will deliver exactly that . Our customers will drive faster adoption of new capabilities and emerging technologies , significantly reduce costs to upgrade legacy solutions and deliver operational excellence — all while providing increased security and personalisation .” ra
Convenience store chain opens second VR theme park in Seoul
SOUTH KOREA telecommunications company KT Corp continued its partnership with convenience store company GS Retail to open their second joint virtual reality ( VR ) theme park , VRIGHT , near the main gate of Konkuk University in eastern Seoul recently .
VRIGHT combines KT ' s latest information and communication technologies ( ICT ) — including fifthgeneration ( 5G ) networks , VR and augmented reality ( AR ) — with GS Retail ’ s expertise in operating offline retail spaces and its distribution business , the companies said . KT is targeting an annual revenue of ₩ 100 billion ( US $ 88.9 million ) for its VR business by 2020 , when the country ’ s immersive media market is expected to hit ₩ 1 trillion .
“ KT is leading innovations in VR and AR technologies to develop and introduce next-generation services for its immersive media business ,” said Koh Yoon-Jeon , chief of KT ’ s Future Business Development Unit . “ We will strengthen partnerships with content creators , simulator manufacturers and other small and medium-sized enterprises at home and abroad .”
The new VR park opened to the general public last month and it has 30 new games , rides and immersive experiences in partnership with leading South Korean game developers , including Smilegate and Appnori .
In March this year , KT and GS Retail opened their first joint venture VRIGHT in Sinchon , near Yonsei University in western Seoul . The twofloor theme park has welcomed more than 18,000 visitors since it opened , and it has popular VR room activities and attractions including Special Force VR : Universal War , a first-person shooting game , and HADO , a multi-player AR dodge ball game .
KT said it will open more VRIGHT parks this year under its direct management . The company plans to franchise its VR entertainment
Players pose before starting Special Force VR : Universal War , a first-person shooting game , at VRIGHT in Sinchon .
business next year , after developing a business model to sell its VR content and platforms to individual operators in South Korea and overseas at appropriate prices . ra
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