Why Kiosks will Change Local and Long-Distance Travel:

Kiosks are rapidly changing the travel industry, both on the commercial and administrative side. Deployment of self service kiosks and information points in airports, particularly in immigration settings and check-in areas, has resulted in a significant change in staffing requirements for airlines. With the travel industry shifting away from large staffing requirements, self service kiosks are allowing airlines to minimize per-customer costs and offer more competitive airfares.

Of course, the effects of kiosks aren’t limited to long-distance air travel. Local governments and tourism associations are embracing informational kiosks as a way to make their towns and cities more accessible and traveller-friendly. From mapping kiosks to multi-function information and payment points, kiosks have positively affected the public travel sector.

What Does a Successful Kiosk Deployment Require?

With the advanced that kiosks have caused in these three industries, it’s inevitable that they’ll begin to spread further. However, a successful kiosk deployment depends on more than just presence – effective kiosks need effective placement, on-screen software and navigation systems, and a long-term revenue model.

Self service kiosks can be tailored to an extreme extent – often with specific designs and user-friendly form. On-screen software can be customized to provide limited or relatively open access to information, or even designed with a clear purpose and on-screen journey in mind. From placement to function, accessibility to overall marketing purpose, a range of factors can influence a kiosk deployment.

What is the Future of Kiosks?

The developments in staffing and automation are clear: businesses are embracing automation and self service. Kiosks have, by and large, received a great deal of customer approval. From empowering customers to research independently to reducing staffing costs for businesses, the deployment and usage of self service kiosks has been almost exclusively effective for the businesses and public operations that have employed them.

With this customer and merchant approval, it’s likely that kiosks will spread to more industries and economic sectors. Using retail and travel as a stepping stone, customers should expect to see kiosks become commonplace in public areas, offices, and service-based businesses over the next decade.

Interactive kiosks are quickly shifting from a one-off novelty into a staple asset for businesses. Following the massive success of Redbox – a self service kiosk system placed in shopping malls for DVD rentals – a range of large retail chains, city governments, and travel businesses are beginning to experiment with their own self service kiosks designed for payment, information and education, and automating simple tasks.

Of course, much like business staffing, kiosks are most cost-effective and valuable when optimized for use. For some businesses, this may mean a multi-purpose kiosk designed to minimize overall expenses and streamline in-store operation, while for others it could mean a very defined and single-purpose kiosk, installed with the goal of minimizing specific staffing requirements.

This flexibility is a key aspect of the ever-growing value of touch screen kiosks. From retail to travel, leisure to local government, kiosks can offer value in almost any industry. These three case studies illustrate how kiosks are changing strategy across three different industries: entertainment, retail, and travel.

How Kiosks are Boosting Cinema Profits:
The film industry has been thrown around over the last decade, but a number of recent technical advances are ensuring its profitability. The first is the installation of ticket kiosks in cinemas and theatre lobbies. With the addition of self service ticket points and payment kiosks, cinemas are lowering operating costs and rapidly increasing their profit margins, allowing moviegoers to enjoy relatively lower ticket prices and decreased wait times at cinemas.

Cineworld, one of the UK’s largest cinema chains, have experienced this boost in moviegoer spending first hand. Since installing automated ticket booths, their per-customer spend has greatly increased, alongside higher levels of customer satisfaction and a much more streamlined movie experience. Since installing touch screen kiosks, staff have been able to focus on major customer concerns more immediately, and overall operating costs have been lowered significantly.

The Effects of Self Service Kiosks in Retail:
Self service kiosks are quickly becoming a common sight in retail settings. UK childcare and baby products giant Kiddicare have implemented retail kiosks into their outlets, with some very positive results. Installed with the purpose of freeing staff to focus on customers, the kiosks have achieved their goals effectively, increasing per-customer spend and maximizing Kiddicare’s ability to focus on customer assistance directly.

A range of factors influence the value of these kiosks installations. On-screen software allows merchants to streamline their sales and information process. Similar to the direct sales process, kiosk software is designed to guide customers through a clear on-screen journey. Multi-purpose kiosks, one of the most effective tools for increasing ROI, benefit most from relatively minimal on-screen information and grounded navigational buttons.

The iPad is the topic of conversation the web is buzzing about after the touch screen product was finally unveiled. Last week, Trendrr revealed that there were 177,000 tweets alone in the first hour after the announcement. But what was the sentiment behind those tweets?  

Crimson Hexagon analyzed the content of more than half a million tweets following the iPad announcement. While the results aren’t shocking, what it boils down to is that the Twittersphere is split straight down the middle. 48% of tweeters reacted positively, while the remainder — 52% — had less than stellar things to say about the iPad in a virtual tug-of-war.

Based on the breakdown below, the largest chunk of tweets were very enthusiastic about the iPad, with 29% of people firmly decided on buying it. It may just be Apple ‘fanboy’ syndrome, but even in light of all the negative counter tweets, it’s hard to ignore that nearly one third of half a million tweets — 145,000 to be exact — indicate a decided intention to buy the iPad, with the $499 price point resonating with these future purchasers.

Of the 52% of tweets that lacked enthusiasm for the iPad, the majority — 21% of all tweets — had a bad reaction to the name itself. Nineteen percent just weren’t impressed, and 11% were critical of all the build-up and/or just sick of hearing about it. Those that were disappointed, per the Twitter sentiment analysis, primarily took issue with the iPad not supporting Flash or multitasking.

As a common alternative to in-store staff, kiosks are quickly changing the economics of retail. As retail stores can often achieve greater ROI with multi-purpose kiosks, the staffing requirements of major retail stores are beginning to dramatically change. With informational kiosks, businesses are able to assign more staff to high priority customer service events, lower their reliance on floor staff, and empower customers to shop independently.

Moves towards self service in retail are likely to trickle down to other service-based industries. As a wider range of major companies experiment with in-store retail self service kiosks, smaller retailers and independent stores are likely to follow. With this comes a distinct shift in the way retail stores operate – staffing commitments are likely to be lowered, resulting in a new dynamic for retail stores and a significantly more lucrative per-customer ROI.

The retail industry is already seeing major shifts towards this model. With Nintendo of Japan’s integration of self service kiosks into their retail gaming outlets, customers are able to shop much more independently than before. With ticket machines taking over public transport, self service payment systems dominating supermarkets and shopping centres, and in-store information kiosks quickly moving into retail, the only question left is how quickly other industries will adapt to the new self service movement.

Apple is inviting reporters to an event next week to see what it calls “our latest creation,” which is thought to be a tablet-style touch-screen computer.

The company email offered no specifics about what it would display at the invitation-only January 27 event in San Francisco.

But it comes amid speculation that Apple is close to unveiling the gadget that is bigger than an iPhone but smaller than a standard laptop.

Tablets are one-piece computers with big screens and no keyboards. Such devices have been around since the early 1990s, but haven’t seen much success in the mainstream.

The real questions will be asked after the launch, when focus will fall on who will be providing what types of content (music, magazines, video, games, books etc) for Apple’s new slate.

Recent rumours have suggested that Apple is currently in talks with HarperCollins and a number of other major book publishers suggesting the tablet will be looking to straddle the eReader market.

An electronic touch-screen kiosk at a major hotel was hacked to show an online video demonstrating humorous uses for condoms, prompting an investigation by tourism authorities. The video appeared on a kiosk at the Souk Qaryat al Beri, adjacent to the Shangri-La Hotel and operated by Abu Dhabi Tourist Authority.

“The relevant ADTA department has launched an investigation into this situation, and the kiosk at the Shangri-La has been closed,” said a spokesman for the authority.

ADTA said it would release more information when it became available.

Someone manipulated the kiosk at the Shangri-La to circumvent the visitor advice system and connected to YouTube via a web browser. The prankster appeared to have searched for the word “condom” on the video-sharing site, and the kiosk was displaying the result in full screen.

The Abu Dhabi emirate is renowned for its stringent laws, especially when it comes to the subject of sex.

Several Xen X5 order and payment kiosks are to make their way to the Armoury store at the Emirates Stadium.

The kiosks will be one of the ways in which supporters can buy a stone at Armoury Square which is the new Arsenal landmark that pays tribute to the club’s greatest players and its fans with personalised engraved stones set in to the ground around benches. Located in front of Emirates Stadium, the square is a place where the fans will be side by side with the legends like Dennis Bergkamp, Charlie George and Ian Wright.

Each kiosk is kitted out with a touch screen, chip and pin, a receipt printer and a full body laminate and is linked up to the Armoury Square website. Fans can choose a stone, personalise it with their own message, process the order and pay at the kiosk. Their personalised stones will then become part of a permanent place in Arsenal F.C. history, creating a lasting, attractive feature that will define Arsenal football club and the fans that support it.

The kiosks are helping to create sales in preparation for the completion of the first phase of Armoury Square in Spring 2010 and will then continue to run while the square is developed further.

Mobiles used to be powered by some sort of Duracell-esque energy but these days, with the widespread use of modern day smartphones sapping up juice like a gasping desert wanderer who just found an oasis, there is widespread demand for alternative phone charging methods when people are away from laptops and plug sockets.

Fortunately for those users, who sap their battery with music, videos and web browsing – oh, and the odd phone call – a new kiosk is being deployed that can offer rapid phone charging for little or no money and has already proved successful in Asia. It is now set to be rolled out in the US and then the UK.

Typically comprising of at least one set of connectors for various phone types and a monitor, the kiosks also can include touch capability, a payment mechanism and connectivity for the processing of transactions, remote management and the download of new content for the monitors.

Just as the ATM cash machines provided a new and unique solution for people on the go to acquire cash, the mobile phone-charging kiosk will help them stay connected.

We know all about how touch screen kiosks, once a novelty reserved for high-end museum exhibits, are rapidly becoming an ultra-popular addition to public settings, educational areas, and businesses. Offering easily accessible information in a compact form, touch screen PCs are being embraced by business owners looking to provide easy access, restaurants looking for a foolproof ordering system, and museums requiring a simple solution for exhibit information.

These seven settings demand quick informational access, which is reason no.1 for their success with touch screen monitors. From heavy industry to education providers, with more and more people seeing the value of touch screen technology, expect to see more touch screens kiosks in the following locations:

Educational and Training Organizations
When it comes to education, the name of the game is quick and easy access to information. In the early 1990s, computing – and later the internet – revolutionized education. Access to data became quick, simple, and inexpensive. Now there’s a new revolution going on. Offering simple access for disabled students, attention-grabbing displays for young children, and accessible information for elderly users, touch screen displays are quickly becoming the most popular means of communicating digital information for educators.

Museums
Touch screens have historically been popular in museum displays. Their ability to convey large amounts of information quickly and easily has made them a fantastic alternative to the traditional mouse-and-keyboard style PC display. Offering durability, simple access, and slick aesthetics, touch screen displays are highly popular with museums and public exhibitions.

Industry
Touch screens offer more than just simple access to information. The very design of a mouse and keyboard makes them highly exposed to potential damage or wear. A touch screen, however, is significantly more durable, able to function even when exposed to dirt and grime. This durability makes touch screens a worthwhile investment for industrial settings and potentially unclean areas.

Restaurants and Retail
Using a keyboard and mouse for thousands of transactions a day is hardly efficient. In a busy restaurant, the last thing any employee needs is a cumbersome billing and payment interface. Touch screen digital signage allows employees to input and process payments significantly more quickly than a standard PC interface.

Travel Information and Public Transport
From airports to bus stations, touch screens are quickly becoming the norm for transport related transactions and processes. Printing and processing tickets is made simple with an automated machine display, lowering operating costs for public transportation services. Airports are also benefiting from the use of touch screen machines, which are lowering staffing needs in customs and immigration, and allowing airlines to simplify the check-in process.

Business
With a simple addition from a touch screen kiosk manufacturer, a business presentation can be supercharged and made significantly

more effective. The most effective presentations demand two things – simplicity and control – and a touch screen display gives business presenters both.

Medical Settings
With the medical world demanding clean and quick access to information on demand, touch screens are quickly finding a large new audience. From operating theatres to patient booking rooms, the medical industry is embracing touch screens as a sanitary, ultra-efficient alternative to traditional PC displays.

We’ve all heard about the success of movie rental kiosks, such as Redbox, but the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show has thrown up an intriguing industry incumbent.

DVDs you rent can often end up damaged or unplayable and returning them is as much of a hassle as sending an old fashioned rental back to the shop.

So, Symwave and Xona Media have invented a better way.

They’ve created the MK3 DVD+Digital kiosk, and they’ll be showing it off next year at CES 2010. This kiosk uses USB 3.0 technology to deliver full movie downloads to customers in less than 10 seconds, and will carry an almost unlimited selection of films.

If you don’t have a USB 3.0 capable drive, your old 2.0 stuff will still work with the MK3. Using it is still going to be faster and more convenient than any other movie renting experience. Plus, when you’re done with the film, it just gets deleted from your hard drive. You never have to worry about returns.