ATLANTA -- Prepaid products and point-of-sale (POS) technology provider InComm, which specializes in retail prepaid services, subscriber services and payment solutions, said that it has streamlines contract services offerings, and that it has forged several deals in early December, including with The Pinnacle Corp., Green Dot and Signature Days.
InComm said that it now offers technical solutions that enable retail customers to order and manage postpaid services, including wireless, broadband or TV. Merchants and their customers can leverage the firm's [image-nocss] technology to sign up for postpaid services, pay their monthly services bills and do many other things at convenient retail locations such as convenience stores, grocery stores or big-box retailers.
The company has developed many technological solutions that make buying easier for consumers, create revenue opportunities for retailers and provide a large distribution network for service providers outside their own retail store networks, it said. InComm identified a need for a solution that simplified the service offerings of contract-based service companies like wireless carriers and cable providers so that retailers can offer these services to their customers.
We knew the solution had to require minimal training for retail employees, and it had to be processed in less than five minutes for the consumer, said InComm president and CEO Brooks Smith. What we ended up with is about a two-minute process to sign up new customers for most national contract service providers.
InComm has integrated with several leading wireless, cable and other subscription providers to enable its partners to sell subscription services to customers using InComm's proprietary In-Store Sales Support Software.
The web-based application provides a standardized interface across all services, so the sales process for adding a subscriber for one provider is very much the same as the process for another provider. The software completes the signup process in a fraction of the time required by most other processes today.
Retailers connected to InComm use the technology to offer their customers postpaid wireless, cable and satellite TV, broadband, telephone services and more. In addition to subscriber services, InComm has also created retail technology solutions that enable leading retailers in a number of categories to offer the most popular products in prepaid wireless, gift cards, downloadable music and ring tones, prepaid debit cards, long-distance and more.
Meanwhile, InComm has announced a partnership with The Pinnacle Corp., Arlington, Texas. Pinnacle's Palm POS will interface to InComm's suite of prepaid and postpaid retail solutions that include wireless, gift cards, pre-paid debit cards, music, ring tones, games and more.
Our partnership with Pinnacle will enable retailers to offer popular products and services in a number of categories through a familiar interface, said Smith.
Our relationship with InComm will provide for our clients an additional option for prepaid provider choices that integrate directly with Palm POS and eliminate the requirement for additional and costly peripheral hardware, said Drew Mize, Pinnacle's vice president of retail solutions.
Next, InComm has signed a distribution agreement with Los Angeles-based Green Dot Corp., a provider of retailer-sold prepaid debit cards and operator of the Green Dot Financial Network, to enable the two companies to share technology, retail networks and marketing opportunities.
Green Dot will be able to use the InComm Fastcard Network for activation of its prepaid debit cards, and InComm will have access to the Green Dot Financial Network for reloading of its own prepaid debit cards. The two companies will also share resources and channels to extend the reach of their products and services.
This new partnership significantly enhances both companies' product portfolios and levels of customer service. By joining together InComm's activation technology with the Green Dot Financial Network and Green Dot card products, we are able to offer prepaid card customers an unparalleled level of security, flexibility and selection, Smith said.
Green Dot's mission is to be America's No. 1 financial services provider to the financially underserved community, said Steve Streit, Green Dot president and CEO. Partnering with InComm strategically positions Green Dot for significant growth by introducing our innovative suite of retail financial services products and Green Dot Financial Network cash acceptance services to InComm's extensive retail footprint.
Green Dot products are sold at major retailers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, including Rite Aid, CVS pharmacy, Walgreens, Radio Shack and others.
And InComm has partnered with Chicago-based Signature Days, an online provider of experience gifts, to bring experience gift cards to retail store locations nationwide.
Major national and regional chain stores that will carry Signature Days prepaid gift cards include Wal-Mart, Raley's, RaceTrac, Winn-Dixie and Schnucks Markets. Customers will be able to choose from four categories of experience gifts, including Action & Adventure, Wine & Gourmet, Health & Fitness and Experience, and conveniently load prepaid gifts of $25, $50, or $100 using InComm's Fastcard network.
Signature Days CEO Andrew Playford said, Our unique portfolio of exclusive and novel experiences is the perfect complement to retailers' existing gift card programs. We offer them opportunities for creative cross-promotions of products and experiences that will give their customers exceptional theme gift packages unavailable elsewhere.
Playford added that Signature Days gift cards enable retailers to expand their holiday gift offerings without investing in inventory and shelf space. Signature Days experiences are prepaid at the point of sale and easily redeemable on the Signature Days web site.
Signature Days is offers experience gifts for every occasion. The company offers a unique selection of thousands of different experiences and activities in more than 50 U.S. metro areas.
InComm's retail distribution network of more 145,000 locations includes three of the four largest grocery store chains, the four largest big-box retailers, seven of the top 10 drug store chains, 10 of the top 15 convenience store chains, the four largest electronics retailers, the three largest office supply chains and three of the largest dollar store chains.
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