A recent study by founder of Summit Research Associates, Francie Mendelsohn, says that the kiosk industry will see a massive growth in 2010, after recent reports stating that the installation of kiosks has languished.

Kiosk installation is no longer about getting the users to understand the technology as millions of proven that they understand how they work and even prefer self service.

The main area of focus is keeping the consumer confident that they can do better than the shop assistant and that the applications the kiosks have installed give consumers more and different options.

In her detailed analysis of the DVD kiosks industry, Mendelsohn warns that the application will be eclipsed by the digital delivery of films in upcoming years. While the whole Hollywood/DVD saga is going on, consumers are looking into the future and wondering whether digital distribution will ever overtake the rental market.

Video Business recently reported that Sony Home Entertainment and Universal Studios both already offer video-on-demand service in the home through cable pay-per-view provider iN Demand, and both studios are working with others in Hollywood to provide a Web-based VOD service soon.

MOD Systems got their foot in the door on the digital download front with an upcoming pilot deployment of kiosks that allow users to download movies to an SD card, which they then plug into their televisions. While this is a step in the right direction for the industry, however not everyone owns a TV with SD slot cars and built in media players which may make the solution totally impractical on a larger scale. 

Although companies are working in the right direction, the process of installing self service systems needs to fit naturally into a consumers shopping experience.

The Summit report also states that airline self service will continue to grow, moving closer to the idea of mobile capabilities. Already, Canada and Asia are offering the technology and one US carrier is testing it at present.

Recent data from SITA, a provider of communication and IT solutions for the air-transport industry, 44 per cent of passengers indicated positive feelings towards mobile self check-in, and 66 per cent of self service check-in users said they would prefer an electronic boarding pass over a paper version.

Here, airlines are trying to figure out where they can charge a fee in this self service process, while travellers are wondering when they will finally be able to head to security with their boarding passes on their smart phones.

However, us consumers don’t have to worry as kiosk manufacturers have landed on something big so to provide an easier way of travelling, shopping, etc on a daily basis.

Dominique El Bez, SITA’s director of portfolio marketing, said, “It is not about doing the same thing from a different channel, it is about doing things differently.

“Kiosk providers have to adapt rapidly and must consider the kiosk as a component of a holistic self-service transformation.”