The Client

In November of 1998, the Shopwise Supercenter, the first supercenter in the Philippines, opened in Festival Supermall, Filinvest-Alabang. In the following years, thousands of customers have made Shopwise their shopping destination
of choice because it is one of the most comfortable and efficient places to shop for fresh goods, groceries, clothes, toys, and home items, all under one roof.

Today, Shopwise is recognized as a Supercenter chain, with branches in Makati, Libis, Cubao, Antipolo, and Manila, all of which boast of the original Shopwise traits - wide aisles, simple layouts, a clean and uncluttered atmosphere,
and the friendliest shopping hours for both busy housewives and working shoppers.

Shopwise was experiencing extended queues due to the speed and reliability of its older POS systems, as well as its growing number of shoppers. According to the CIO of Shopwise, Mr. Carlos Yu, "The Challenge we are facing is Speed. The current POS units were old, and the specifications would not be able to run our GUI basd POS application unless we used a very old version of linux!"

The IBM Solution

The IBM SurePOS 300 model, complemented with an all-IBM set of peripherals, enabled the customer to upgrade their current software to improve speed and at the same time, take advantage of IBM's reliability and service capability. Shopwise CIO Carlos Yu: "IBM is IBM, There was never any doubt in our minds about the EXCELLENT quality and support we would receive. With IBM the real challenge has always been finding the right business partner! In our case, working with Future Logic and Continuum has been A GREAT EXPERIENCE!"

IBM introduces new 17" IBM Anyplace Kiosk models
IBM’s first 17" ultra-compact kiosk delivers enhanced customer experience

RALEIGH, NC — 16 May 2006 — IBM announced today its first ultra-compact kiosk with a 17" touch screen. The new IBM Anyplace Kiosk 17" models are designed to enable business innovation in a bigger, bolder way. They can now be used in more ways to heighten the customer experience and expand the usage of self service kiosk solutions across a variety of industries, including retail, travel and transportation, entertainment, and healthcare.

Highlights of the new models include:

• At 17 inches, models offer a big screen in an ultra-compact all-in-one unit

• 1280 x 1024 resolution offers better clarity and more detail than smaller IBM models

• The bigger touch screen makes it easier for several people to view at once.

“Clients around the world have asked for a larger kiosk screen and we’ve responded,” said Christopher Wong, Director of Marketing and Strategy for IBM Retail Store Solutions. “I believe you will see these ultra compact kiosks in more and more environments as people use and seek out self service in a variety of consumer-facing environments.”

The IBM Anyplace Kiosk 17" model is part of IBM’s comprehensive kiosk offerings, which now include three touch screen sizes: 17", 15" and 12". The IBM Anyplace Kiosk combines a 1.30GHz processor, advanced infrared (IR) touch screen display and optional peripherals in a slim, tapered design, offering a cost-effective opportunity to install an informational kiosk virtually “anyplace”. With the capability to show full-screen video as well as high quality sound, the kiosks can deliver a variety of applications including product information, self-ordering in restaurants, unattended check-in for hotel guests, healthcare screening statistics and much more across a variety of segments including retail, travel / tourism, communications, financial, government, transportation, entertainment, healthcare and other sectors.

The IBM Anyplace Kiosk 17" model will be available in the Philippines soon.