NMI partners with Instant Systems to power unattended retail innovation

Introduction

Instant Systems is an ISV known for innovating in the unattended retail space. They got their start building software for DVD rental kiosks, and have since used that experience to develop cutting-edge unattended selling options. They use NMI’s payment platform to power vending systems, retail and rental kiosks, and even unmanned stores.

The challenge

As Instant Systems grew their business, they needed a flexible payment system that worked around the globe. While demand for their technology was growing with the rise of unattended selling, using all-in-one payment providers was preventing Instant Systems from scaling. They were forced to perform time-consuming, expensive manual payment integrations for each new customer they brought on board.

“We needed to build a generic payment solution that we could reuse for every new customer in all the areas we operate in,” said Johan Snygg, Instant Systems Sweden AB Chief Software Engineer. “That is why we started to look around for a great payment provider.”

The new integration also needed to be flexible and future-proof
to work for the variety of systems they build:

• Standard vending and kiosk solutions
• Click-and-collect tokenized app payments to vend items using
QR codes
• Tokenized payments to rent equipment like paddle tennis
racquets and balls from kiosks
• Unattended stores controlled by intelligent sensors, with cards
tokenized against an app

How NMI helped

Instant Systems had previously used Creditcall (acquired by NMI in 2018) to power transactions for DVD rental kiosks. So they included NMI in their search for a new payments relationship. They were impressed enough with NMI’s global presence and reliability to choose them as their new partner.

Using NMI’s modular platform, Instant Systems created a payment solution that handles chip-and-PIN payments, swipe transactions and also a payment app. They use it on all new projects, and have retroactively implemented it on older projects like their DVD kiosks. As they continue to create new solutions, NMI’s wide support for payment devices has allowed them to build for a variety of devices using the same integration. In addition to NMI’s flexibility and reliability, the Instant Systems team also appreciate the support they’ve received. “Our NMI account manager walked us through everything when we started. And the support department is very helpful if an issue arises with certain readers or cards,” said Snygg.

The results

Instant Systems is growing faster than ever, and innovating at breakneck speed.

The new payment solution Instant Systems built with NMI has allowed them to grow quickly thanks to the ability to spin up new projects without manual payment integrations.

“When new customers come to us we already have a solution ready for them, which has been very important for winning new business,” said Snygg.

It has also allowed them to push the envelope on innovation even further. In Sweden, Instant Systems is powering an unmanned, cashless shop concept from Pressbyrån. It’s only the second example of an unmanned store in the world, after Amazon Go.

Using software and custom-made sensor hardware from Instant Systems, customers are verified when entering the store, then pick their items and pay — all from a phone app. The live shopping cart means any items picked up are automatically added then paid for upon leaving, with no need for terminals or manual checkout. It’s a seamless, intuitive system that offers a glimpse at the future of physical retailing.

About NMI

NMI is a leading global full commerce enablement platform, processing more than $195 billion in payments annually. We enable payments for over 3,300 partners and over 267,000 merchants around the world and across the entire commerce ecosystem: online, in-app, mobile, in-store, unattended and whatever’s next. We’re constantly innovating in order to power the next era of payments, building in the latest technology so ISVs, ISOs, Banks and Fintech Innovators can focus on what they do best. NMI has offices in the US and UK and serves global customers.