An Exclusive Peek Inside Citi’s Banks of the Future
Eight Inc. for Citi
Inside the financial giant's lab, where it's engineering the bank of the future -- to be more like a convenience store
In a retail space, there are three ways to turn customers on: attraction (enticing decor), engagement ("stay awhile" perks), and connection (the hard sell). "The problem with banks," says Chris Kay, a former Target exec who's now managing director of growth ventures at Citi, "is that they're skipping the first two and moving straight to the third." By focusing on the foreplay -- excuse us, "user experience" -- Citi's innovation lab has developed multifunctional ATMs and interactive store displays that seek to attract younger, more tech-savvy customers and transform banks into a destination. Although most of the technology won't be available stateside until later this year (it's being market-tested in Asia), Citi offered us an exclusive peek at what's to come.
1. Tabletop KiosksAnyone, including non-Citi customers, can use Money Touch to learn area real-estate trends or access travel deals. "We want to make banking relevant to people's neighborhoods," says Jeff Semenchuk, Citi's head of growth ventures.
2. Media WallThe two-sided Media Wall will stream local news, weather, and event listings to attract passersby outside. In the bank, it will create "a sense of theater," Kay says, by projecting widgets and video feeds that customers can tap to engage.
3. Smart ATMsBeyond letting users customize their welcome screen, Citi's dual-screen ATMs will learn their tendencies so they can offer a regular withdrawal amount and recommend services. "We're reengineering the ATM to be more than a dumb cash terminal," Kay says.
4. Sales WallFor investments or major purchases such as a new home, the Sales Wall teaches customers about their options, allowing them to have a more informed conversation with a live service rep once they reach a decision and are ready to enter sensitive data.
Phone-Powered PaymentsCiti's "digital wallet" lets users pay for everything from sneakers to subway rides by tapping their phones on a console. The wallet uses near-field communications (NFC) chips -- think Speedpass -- and was recently tested in Bangalore, where Citi partnered with Nokia, Vodafone, MasterCard, and Vivotech (makers of the tap-to-pay consoles) to launch a 5,000-person, 500-merchant pilot program. Citi hasn't scheduled a U.S. launch yet.
Broad line of 3D products from Samsung
Samsung Electronics introduced a series of products that support the playback of images in 3D format. It is already on sale models such as 3D LED-scan screen TV with 240 Hz and holder of many awards 3D Blu-ray player. At last in January of this year's CES show in Las Vegas, Samsung in partnership with the famous animation studio DreamWorks Animation SKG and Technicolor, a company pioneering the development and printing of 3D-content, presented the new line of 3D Blu-ray players, as well as the first disc format 3D Blu-ray with full-length animated film Monsters vs. Aliens. With strong infrastructure, developed by these companies, 3D-image becomes popular and widely available.
In the line of 3D HDTV in 2010 include LED-TV series 7 000, 8 000 and 9 000, plasma panel Series 7 000, 8 000 and 9 000 and LCD-TV series 750. Together with 3D Blu-ray player Samsung BD-C6900, special glasses and new movies in the format Blu-ray 3D TVs from a new line of fully give the depth, color and clarity Full HD 3D image. But if you want to watch regular programs or movies in high definition, this can be done by pressing a button.