Is Self-Service Kiosks the Future of Retailers?

By: Retail CIO Outlook | Monday, August 03, 2020

Designed to both improve the in-store experience and cement the gap between brick-and-mortar and e-commerce stores, retailers today are putting retail kiosks to great work.

FREMONT, CA: It’s no secret that many traditional brick-and-mortar stores struggle to keep up with competition from online retailers. Today, it is a very different picture, and that’s because every digital activity generates data. Instead of running blind into the world of marketing, physical retailers can now use those digital data to map every stage of the customer journey by using self-service kiosks. Here is how brick and mortar retailers are putting their retail kiosks to work.

The modern consumer wants to buy something, rather than have something sold to them. Younger customers especially tend to prefer the self-service option, often considering sales representatives to be the dinosaurs of the retail industry. To that end, digital kiosks present something of a bridge between online retail and in-store experiences where people still like to be able to see the products on offer before they buy. That’s why retail kiosks can use technology to help guide shoppers. Many retailers recently implemented a kiosk system that asks users questions to help them choose gifts and make other purchases. The idea is to offer an unparalleled retail experience that serves seamless convenience and the added comfort of skipping the checkout queues.

Retail kiosks have also proven enormously effective for stores and venues across a wide range of industry sectors. Retailers worldwide are now using digital menu kiosks to speed up ordering while also using the opportunity to promote related up-sells. The fashion industry has also seen an influx of the adoption of retail kiosks. Some have introduced large touch displays in stores allowing shoppers to find, customize, preview, and order things.

Retail kiosks ultimately improve profitability in several ways. These include providing more data-driven insights, improving operational efficiency, reducing staffing requirements, increasing upselling opportunities, and accelerating sales by offering more options for customers. Furthermore, kiosks are more than just self-service devices, but they are digital signs that can display marketing messages to attract attention.