Troubled American video rental firm Blockbuster Inc. may have more competition than previously thought of. The well-known movie rental and retail firm has faced intense competition over the last three years, battling video rental kiosks for control of the home entertainment market.

With two rental kiosk services expanding into America’s Deep South, the retail movie rental firms may finally end up losing their position. Revenues have been down for two years at Blockbuster, with competing companies closing branches and entering bankruptcy as the year has progressed.

Of course, movie rentals certainly aren’t the only area in which self-service kiosks are succeeding. The travel industry has cut spending, and often staff quotas, by installing self-service check-in units at airports and railway stations across the world. Kiosks are also popular in retail, helping large chain stores and independent businesses improve customer service and boost returns.

With a greater number of businesses experimenting with alternative customer service and sales strategies, it seems inevitable that kiosks will become more common in the marketplace. Retail experiments have been largely positive, both for businesses and their customers, indicating that self-service and customer-driven shopping is here to stay.