New Developments for NCR

Some important news flow directed our attention to NCR Corp. ( NCR - Analyst Report ) . The company has entered into an agreement with the retail major Marks & Spencer, to set up new multimedia zones in its stores on a trial basis. The zones will combine digital discovery touch screens, video walls and displays of actual outfits which will enhance the shopping experience.

This new device is called Style Online touch screen. The device is intended to help shoppers keep up-to-date information about the latest fashion trends and provide a digital stylist tool that enables shoppers to combine different garments and accessories to provide a customized solution to the prospective buyer.

Moreover, NCR recently introduced its first cloud-based POS software platform that helps retailers manage transactions, track sales and inventory, process credit cards and market to customers on both POS touchscreen terminals and Apple mobile devices.

It is specifically designed for retailers and service providers that do not have a particular store but want to enhance the efficiency of their business process. This new solution would also help merchants to better manage their transaction data, near their store and at any other location where their customers might involve into a transaction with the outlet.

So, it is evident that NCR is exploring new opportunities and also streamlining its operations to focus on its core competencies. NCR also reported decent third quarter results, with revenues improving across all business segments. However, sales for the upcoming quarters may be affected by the recent European debt crisis coupled with the reduction in the IT spending forecast.

NCR’s focus on emerging markets is palpable. A few months back, the company entered into a strategic alliance with Scopus Tecnologia for manufacturing and developing ATMs in Brazil.

As evident from the last quarterly performance, revenue contribution from the emerging regions was up from the year-ago level. We believe that NCR’s relentless efforts in the emerging region could result in more stable revenues.

NCR has a Zacks #3 Rank, implying a short-term Hold recommendation.