ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — IBM has announced that Sports Authority, a full-line sporting goods retailer, is using IBM self-service kiosks to provide skiers and snowboarders a faster way to purchase ski-lift tickets. The IBM AnyPlace Kiosks, running Livewire interactive software, are installed in 24 Colorado Sports Authority stores, enabling the company to automate a manual system and significantly reduce the amount of time ski-lift ticket-shoppers stand in line.
In the four months since installing the new kiosks, ticket sales have increased 500 percent over last year's numbers, according to Sports Authority. Also, previously at resorts, customers would spend as much as 30 minutes waiting in lines. Using the self-service kiosks, shoppers at Sports Authority are now able to pay for and print tickets for up to 14 area resorts in less than a minute. The self-service ski-lift shopping kiosks were developed by IBM in collaboration with Livewire International Inc. to deliver improved customer service, flexibility and a convenient sales tracking system for retailers and busy winter resort communities. According to Livewire, a provider of turn-key self-service kiosk technology, its ski ticketing system has been operational for seven years, and is now used in over 200 locations throughout the U.S. ski market.
