Media Contacts:
Liz Woerth, Ketchum, elizabeth.woerth@ketchum.com, 312.228.6863
Charles Smith, Kodak, charles.s.smith@kodak.com, 585.724.7450
New Evolutions in KODAK Picture Kiosk G4 Platform Improve Retail Digital Printing Experience
Picture Kiosk G4 Software Version 1.0 and Digital Picture Center System Create Multiple Consumer, Retailer Benefits
ROCHESTER, NY, Feb. 17 — Further strengthening its leadership position in retail digital printing, Eastman Kodak Company today announced the introduction of KODAK Digital Picture Center, a customizable modular kiosk system, and the KODAK Picture Kiosk G4 Version 1.0 Software upgrade
The Digital Picture Center includes a “multi station” concept that will virtually revolutionalize how retailers use kiosks to make it quick and easy for consumers to print digital pictures. Specifically, the new configuration allows a retailer to connect several Order Stations to a common bank of printers, reducing queue times and improving throughput.
Building on the momentum beginning with the KODAK Picture Kiosk G4 family introduction late last year, these latest digital printing innovations offer versatile solutions for any retailer’s unique needs while improving the experience for millions of consumers. The KODAK Picture Kiosk G4 family is the newest evolution in Kodak’s award-winning line of nearly 75,000 photo kiosks at retail locations worldwide, making Kodak far and away the most widely accepted photo kiosk at retail.
“As demand for retail digital printing continues to soar, Kodak remains ever-committed to developing the most approachable, highest quality products and services that benefit both retailers and consumers,” said Nicki Zongrone, General Manager, Worldwide Kiosk Systems and Services, and Vice President, Consumer Digital Imaging group, Eastman Kodak Company. “Kodak is the global leader in retail photo kiosks and with the improvements introduced today we are confident that we will assist the industry in meeting consumer demand while providing retailers with continued growth and profitability.”
Zongrone reiterated Kodak’s contention that as film volumes decline, a digital kiosk and a new behind the counter thermal solution Kodak also is introducing at PMA offer the most economic alternative for digital printing at retail for all but the largest retail locations.
KODAK Picture Kiosk G4 Version 1.0
The KODAK Picture Kiosk G4 hardware solution offers faster performance and new contemporary styling designed to elevate the consumer printing experience while helping retailers compete in the rapidly expanding digital printing market. Today’s introduction of the Version 1.0 software provides improved overall performance and is intended to drive those benefits further including:
· Shopping Cart workflow that enables different products to be added to an order without multiple checkouts
· New User Interface with updated graphics and improved workflows, matching Kodak’s EASYSHARE Gallery and EASYSHARE software environments
· Enhanced navigation controls for searching through hundreds of pictures on large memory cards
· Improved advertising and promotional support to drive consumer trial and product up-sells as well as the ability to support specific retailer advertising and promotional activities
· Enables multi Order Station system configurations, allowing retailers to better utilize their capital assets
· KODAK PERFECT TOUCH Technology for high quality images
KODAK Digital Picture Center Improves In-Store Presence of Digital Photography
Creating the appearance of a separate photography center within a retail location, a flexible, modular retail fixturing system is now available to complement the entire portfolio of KODAK kiosks, including the new KODAK Picture Kiosk G4. The KODAK Digital Picture Center provides a long-term in-store strategy for our retail partners, both large and small, with the ability to choose the components that meet the unique space and traffic requirements of any retail environment, and offers them the flexibility to grow to meet their future business needs. The multi-station configuration connects several Order Stations to a common bank of printers, reducing queue times and improving throughput, and is just one of many innovative solutions that the KODAK Digital Picture Center offers retailers. The Digital Picture Center increases the exposure of high-margin digital printing services and other photography products to help drive sales while presenting a seamless, high-tech aesthetic. With a Digital Picture Center solution, consumers benefit from decreased wait times and higher performance kiosks.
KODAK Remote Business Manager Provides Multiple Retailer Benefits
The KODAK Remote Business Manager solution Powered by Esprida Enterprise maximizes equipment availability, profitability for retailers, and enhances the consumer experience.
By networking photo finishing devices to KODAK’s Remote Management System, Remote Business Manager provides many benefits to retailers across the connected devices. When needed, the system automatically communicates with Kodak technicians and store personnel to minimize equipment downtime. Access the centralized management system from anywhere to:
· Automate event-related pricing
· Regulate frequency of in-store promotions
· Eliminate the need to coordinate changes between stores
· Generate reports on sales volumes on single stores, groups of stores or an entire chain, anytime and anywhere
Retailers benefit from proactive service and support that monitors and controls in-store equipment, even performing diagnostics and repair. Remote Business Manager is currently available for trial, and system-wide rollouts can begin April 2006.
Kodak also offers retailers payment processing solutions to enable a fully self-service operation to the consumer, which streamlines the consumer experience and requires less clerk involvement for the retailer.
About Eastman Kodak Company
Kodak is the world’s foremost imaging innovator, providing leading products and services to the photographic, graphic communications and healthcare markets. With sales of $14.3 billion in 2005, the company is committed to a digitally oriented growth strategy focused on helping people better use meaningful images and information in their life and work. Consumers use Kodak’s system of digital and traditional image capture products and services to take, print and share their pictures anytime, anywhere; Businesses effectively communicate with customers worldwide using Kodak solutions for prepress, conventional and digital printing and document imaging; Creative Professionals rely on Kodak technology to uniquely tell their story through moving or still images; and leading Healthcare organizations rely on Kodak’s innovative products, services and customized workflow solutions to help improve patient care and maximize efficiency and information sharing within and across their enterprise.
More information about Kodak (NYSE: EK) is available at www.kodak.com.
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Kodak, EasyShare and Perfect Touch are trademarks of Eastman Kodak Company.
2006
