Innovative Technology’s biometrics division has made significant updates to their MyCheckr age estimation device ahead of the one of the biggest retail shows in Europe – EuroShop 2023. The World’s No. 1 Retail Trade Fair EuroShop takes place in Düsseldorf, Germany from February 26th to March 2^nd and Innovative Technology will be on stand 6B46.

MyCheckr performs anonymous age estimation and can be used as a standalone device or integrated with self-checkout kiosks (SCO) – ideal for any retailer who sells age restricted goods such as alcohol, tobacco or vapes.  In addition, ITL have also announced that the MyCheckr will now be able to display targeted advertisements and collect anonymous analytic information regarding the customers in front of the device. They plan to showcase this to any retailers interested in AI powered targeted ads and customer demographic analysis at EuroShop next week.

Commenting on this Dr Andrew O'Brien, Product Manager – Biometrics said, “We are very excited to showcase the new functionality of MyCheckr.  Not only can it perform anonymous age estimation to aid the till operator, but we can now integrate that functionality into self-service checkouts for an autonomous transaction.  Plus, our new spoof detection will be included as standard on all devices to combat any fraud attempts - come and try it out yourself at the show.”

When asked to comment on the new targeted ads and demographics functionality, Andrew said, “We have been speaking with major retailers with regards to developing MyCheckr and gained some valuable feedback.  As the MyCheckr screen faces the customer it occurred to us that if we can estimate age and gender, it could also be used to display ads targeted to that particular demographic.  Space is valuable in a retail environment so this would be an efficient use of space without needing additional digital or printed signage. In addition, having important customer intelligence is vital for retailers. This is why we’ve added the analytics functionality so that retailers can now see what type of customers are on their premises, and either plan to attract different cohorts into their shop – or even determine effectiveness of new marketing drives designed to attract different customer segments. Demographic data is collected completely anonymously to ensure that consumer privacy is protected.”

Concluding Andrew said, “Not only does MyCheckr ensure retailers protect minors from being sold age-restricted goods, but it also presents an ideal way to personalise ads and give valuable demographic data to fully understand consumer behaviour and provide anenhanced level of customer service. We’ll be in Hall 6 booth B46 so come along and demo this exciting new solution as well as try out our full biometrics range.”

Investors in People is delighted to award Innovative Technology Ltd, Oldham-based cash handling and biometrics solutions provider, We Invest in People, silver accreditation. The accreditation means that the right principles are in place and the people and leaders are making active efforts to make sure that there is real consistency and everyone in the organisation are feeling the effects.

Commenting on the award, Peter Dunlop, Group Managing Director, said: “The IIP Silver Award accreditation is a great achievement for our organisation, and I would personally like to thank everyone who contributed.  For me the most important finding from the survey was that employees feel proud to work at ITL and think it’s a great place to work. People are our most important asset, so keeping everyone committed and loyal is key. There were some real strengths which came through during the review process including a high level of understanding of our values Innovation, Collaboration, Respect & Drive and agreement that these are reflected within the organisation. After celebrating 30 years in business last year, we look forward to a bright future ahead as we continue to develop and transform our business driven by our valued employees.”

Paul Devoy, CEO of Investors in People, said: “We’d like to congratulate Innovative Technology. Silver accreditation for the We Invest in People accreditation is a remarkable effort for any organisation, and places Innovative Technology in fine company with a host of organisations that understand the value of people.”

Ann Marsh, ITL People & Resourcing Manager, commented, “We are thrilled to attain the silver IIP accreditation, with only 15% of organisations achieving silver status, this is a very positive result for ITL against the robust Gen 6 IIP framework. Positive outcomes include employees feeling encouraged to use their initiative and believe they have appropriate levels of responsibility plus the results found that we responded well to the changes and challenges brought about by the pandemic. The review is a great opportunity for us to hear from everyone at ITL and we are using employee feedback to continue to strive for improvements to ensure the learning continues.”

ICE London returned to its usual February slot in the exhibition calendar last week with visitors and exhibitor numbers at record levels. Cash handling and biometrics solutions provider, Innovative Technology (ITL), reported a successful show with a busy stand over the three days.

Commenting on ITL’s involvement, Marcus Tiedt, Sales & Marketing Director said, “It was fantastic to get back to normal and see ICE buzzing with representatives from the gaming industry gathered under one roof after a period of absence due to the pandemic.  Our new NV4000 Spectral banknote recycler went down a storm, with many visitors impressed with the large recycling capacity this unit offers, meaning fewer refills and improved machine uptime – especially ideal for change and redemption terminals. Existing customers already using our Spectral Payout recycler also showed huge interest in implementing this in their higher volume machines to help move customers through the payment process quickly and efficiently.   The team reported other successes including new key OEMs wanting to integrate the field proven NV200 Spectral secure and technologically advanced banknote validator, plus our Smart Coin System for multi-denomination coin recycling proved popular too.”

Marcus continued, “Our biometrics division also had a productive show with visitors keen to learn more about age estimation in gaming machines to ensure player protection.   ICU Lite is a compact, plug-in device that can be connected to existing host machines to flag up if a minor is trying to play an age-restricted game. Combined with any USB camera, this completely off-line age estimation solution gives immediate results with world-leading accuracy. With unlimited age checks for a one-off fee, our biometric solutions are practical and affordable for all. We are already working with some key Operators who are keen to meet their social responsibility obligations by implementing age estimation technology and it was great to see this demoed on their stands.”

Concluding Marcus said, “ICE 2023 was a great opportunity to meet again face to face with colleagues and customers. We look forward to following up on all the positive conversations to create successful prospects going forward.”

CashGenic, Innovative Technology’s hygienic cash automation system, enters the French market as latest partner IPM launch their new Self’Pay payment terminal.

Commenting on their latest partnership agreement, Thorsten Labusch, VP of Sales said, “CashGenic first launched in May 2020 during the COVID pandemic to enable customers to pay with cash hygienically and since then we have acquired several partners throughout Europe.  We are delighted to announce that IPM is our dedicated CashGenic partner in France who will provide the solution to retailers throughout the region.”

ITL’s Business Development Manager for France & Benelux, Stephan Rosseneu,said, “IPM France are specialist in the management of large-scale interactive kiosk projects.  Impressed with the advantages our CashGenic cash automation kit brings, IPM took the decision to build their own payment machine named Self’Pay. Self’Pay allows customers to pay with both coins and notes using ITL recycling technology. Not only does this cash solution make it easy for customers to pay with cash and reduce staff handling money, but it also brings many more advantages to the retailer such as securing cash payments, reducing accounting errors and enabling cost efficiency – all essential for the retail industry.”

Laurent Borel, IPM’s Chief Commercial Officer said, “We have been successfully working with Innovative Technology since 2021 and are now delighted to launch Self’Pay, a fantastic new solution for retailers looking to automate cash transactions. Using Innovative’s intelligent note and coin recyclers we decided to create a complete, all-in-one solution that customers can simply plug in and use straight away. It can be used standalone or connected to a checkout and can be easily customised to suit your business.We will be offering Self’Pay to retailers with a back-office software tool developed by us. The total solution isaffordable, secure, fast, and easy to install thanks to the compact footprint.”

Concluding Stephan said, “I am looking forward to working with IPM to supply our retail customers with a solution that will improve handling of cash transactions in a very cost effective manner.”  

Innovative Technology Ltd (ITL) will be joining industry professionals at the end of this month at ‘EuroShop 2023 – the World’s No. 1 Retail Trade Fair.’ EuroShop takes place in Düsseldorf, Germany from February 26th to March 2nd 2023, returning to its usual time slot in the events calendar.  ITL will be showcasing some exciting new solutions in Hall 6 booth B46 set to transform the retail industry.  

Commenting on their presence at the show, Thorsten Labusch, VP of Sales & Business Development for ITL said, “We will have representatives from both our cash handling and biometrics divisions to demonstrate our latest solutions to EuroShop visitors. On the cash handling side, our new NV4000 Spectral will be a key focal point. We designed this high performance, large volume mixed note recycler specifically for the retailer to accelerate customer throughput. This is the most technically advanced but cost-effective note recycler in its class which ensures fewer refills, and automated float management increases staff efficiency and reduces expensive service calls. Using the NV4000 Spectral alongside the Twin SMART Coin System (SCS), our high-volume, multi-denomination coin recycler, we can now offer the retail industry a long-awaited, affordable solution for high volume applications for both notes and coins.”

Christian Czeskleba, Senior Business Manager for ITL’s biometrics range commented, “A large proportion of the booth this year is dedicated to our biometric solutions offering anonymous age estimation and secure access control.   We will demonstrate how easy and affordable it is to implement highly accurate AI technology for age estimation to help retailers avoid selling age-restricted goods to minors.  ICU Lite can be installed directly into self-checkout terminals or kiosks and MyCheckr is a stand-alone device designed for manned checkouts to give an extra level of assurance when till operators are checking age ID. Our ICU Lite solution can also be used for targeted advertising and demographic data analysis to display personalised content. Come and check out how anonymous age estimation and demographic marketing data can be captured totally offline, with no recurring costs and easy integration.”

Concluding Thorsten said, “On the cash side of the booth the team will also show the Spectral BNF (bunch note feeder) for large-scale cash deposits with a SafeInterface (SI) module option for smart safe applications.  Plus CashGenic - hygienic cash automation solution to automate the counting and handling of cash, therefore saving time and generating greater efficiencies for businesses.  At ITL we pride ourselves on being innovative, trusted and established in the industry. We look forward to seeing existing and new customers at the show and welcome visitors to our stand to find out why.”