The ATM Annuity division of National Data Systems (NDS), a member of the Bytes Technology Group, has launched the latest in their wide range of co-branded Absa ATM machines.
The National Cash Plus EasyPoint 5303 boasts the lowest break-even point in the franchise ATM environment. It is an entry-level self-load ATM aimed at the middle range of the retail market. NDS is the leading supplier of ATMs in SA and currently supplies and supports almost 70% of ATMs used in southern Africa.
The National Cash Plus offering includes software developed internationally by NDS parent organisation, NCR and is adapted by NDS to suit local requirements. All ATMs are monitored and managed remotely and NDS regularly installs the latest software updates. Absa Bank, which NDS has been in partnership with for almost two years, hosts all transactions. More than one in three ATM installed worldwide are NCR ATMs.
Benefits to the retailer are enormous, with most retailers enjoying major increases in sales within the first week of installation. Not only does the retailer receive a rebate from the first customer cash withdrawal, but he also avoids additional costs to his business, such as credit card fees, by encouraging cash payments.
In this way, incidents of bad cheques are reduced. Instead of making cash deposits daily, the retailer replenishes the ATM himself, saving cash deposit fees and allowing clearance of his tills more frequently. Additionally, dependency on cash-in-transit companies is avoided as cash is circulated via the ATM, ensuring less cash is transported to the bank.
The ATM, with its compact `footprint`, is enclosed in a built-in cubicle, so clientele cannot observe the routine of the cash hoppers being changed. This makes the ATM far less vulnerable than a front-loading model.
Global experience has shown that retailers who have installed ATMs have experienced increased customer volumes while market research has also indicated that an in-store ATM can boost a retailer`s turnover up to 30% per month, without any additional advertising and promotional expenditure.
"An in-store ATM has become one of the conveniences customers now expect from a retailer. People want easy access to their money and shop-owners find that they obtain new customers because people come in to draw money and most of them then buy from the shop," says Stephen van Basten, sales manager of the ATM Annuity division within NDS.
"In addition, customers find an ATM in a brightly lit and busy shop so much more convenient and more secure than in a deserted shopping centre or mall where they feel vulnerable," says Van Basten.
Installations of the EasyPoint 5303 have already occurred in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. In addition, NDS has installed almost 500 franchise ATMs with Absa countrywide and boasts a vast service organisation with technicians based in all major centres. Some of these installations include the country`s leading blue chip organisations within the retail and petroleum industry.
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