By: Jennifer Clark, Content Strategist at ScanSource
Resellers know that interactive digital touch displays, also thought of as kiosks, are becoming a staple in the retail market. They’re everywhere from airports to fast food restaurants to shopping malls. And whether they help check you in or out, kiosks add a new level of efficiency and automation customers are coming to expect from most retail outlets.
While they are certainly nothing new, kiosk capabilities are expanding to provide a seamless omnichannel experience for customers who expect to fuse automation and online shopping with in-store convenience.
Retailers looking to increase consumer engagement are shifting from static displays and mannequins to model their clothing, to that of digital menu boards and rotating content that advertises more options in less space. As a result, resellers looking to represent innovative and new technology, should strongly consider entering the kiosk space.
Aside from just functionality, the cool factor—as silly as it may sound—is a driving decision maker for many end users regarding which technology manufacturer to implement. Sleekly-designed kiosks that mirror the handheld technology we’re accustomed to have a heightened advantage, while unique software functions are also high on end users’ lists.
Speaking of software, this is the real driving factor behind a positive user experience. While some might think kiosks replace the human element in retail stores, they actually enhance the overall experience. Interactive digital displays yield the ability to offer customized options and shopping efficiency customers prefer. As millennials, and even younger generations, have high expectations for any retail experience, the kiosk provides the ability to combine automation and self-service with choices and the immediacy they’ve come to expect.
When looking where and how to sell this technology, don’t feel limited by vertical. Everyone from gas stations to hotels to airports and office buildings have the need. Kiosks provide automation and more choices that are often slowed down by humans. In addition they yield increased customization and ultimately, a higher customer experience. This is needed no matter the vertical.
To help you get started in this space, you and your customers need to truly immerse yourself in the cost benefit of owning a kiosk. While there is an upfront investment, kiosks provide ROI unlike any other device and payoff in return. Look at the advantages they bring to customers as well as store owners, and share those benefits with your end users. Further, if you can educate yourself to make recommendations based on size of the displays, height, lighting, and connectivity, you’ll position yourself among the leaders in this interactive technology.
