From Left: Hayley Meenan-Wilkin, Head of Web Operations, Tesco.com Centre: Mike Woods, Sales Director, Protouch Right: Darrel Boxall, Managing Director, XN Leisure

We have won the Retail Systems Award for the third consecutive year. 

We previously scooped awards in both 2008 and 2009 for best use of technology and EPoS innovation of the year, and this year we were awarded best use of technology in the hospitality and leisure sector.   

Tom Quarry, Managing Director of Protouch is delighted by the achievement. He said: “We are very proud to have won a kiosk technology award three years in a row. This is fantastic recognition of our capability across the self service industry”.   

We received the award in partnership with XN Leisure and Aberdeen Sports Village Leisure Centre for their ‘Virtual Receptionist’ kiosk solution during the awards ceremony held at Grosvenor House Hotel in London’s Park Lane on 28 October 2010.   

“The award went to a project that is helping a company to control costs, increase profitability and efficiency while at the same time increasing the standard and quality of service,” announced the Retail Systems judges.   

The 2010 judging panel included: Luke Phillips, Head of Information Systems, Kurt Geiger; Sharon Peters, Programme Manager at Retail Systems, Marks & Spencer; Hayley Meenan-Wilkin, Head of Web Operations, Tesco.com; and Scott Thompson, Editor for Retail Systems.   

Now into its fifth year, the Awards look to recognise excellence and innovation in the field of information technology within the UK retail sector.   

The ‘Virtual Receptionist’ automated the whole booking, ticketing and payment process for Aberdeen Sports Village and is now used by 80 per cent of its members.   

It has leveraged Aberdeen Sports Village resources by turning receptionist staff into Customer Service Ambassadors and has greatly enhanced customer experience by increasing the speed of transactions and efficiency with which customers can now check in and make bookings.   

For more information on our touch screen kiosks, visit us today.

And as kiosk deployment has become just as common as having a television in the home, more and more people are jumping on the bandwagon to try and con consumers and business owners about their dodgy kiosk systems.

Just last week, the city of Washington DC reached an settlement with a kiosk leasing firm that agreed to stop harassing five African American churches for payment after they latched onto a deal that proved too good to be true.

Although this is the first case the city has filed against three equipment leasing firms and two kiosk salesmen and their companies, it is alleged to be involved in a complicated and incriminating  deal combining kiosks, con men and black churches. The con has spread from coast to coast with a number of churches hit by the scam including ones in California and Michigan, as well as the nations capital.

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Kiosk Con Artist Michael J Morris

Press reports showed that Morris and Perkins embarked on their criminal business around ten years ago. Their plan was to visit African American churches around the country as executives of Urban Interfaith Network and Television Broadcasting Online (TVBO), companies based either in Washington or suburban Maryland. Morris and Perkins lived in suburban Maryland.

Mike Cox, Michigan attorney general, stated that both Morris and Perkins offered churches free kiosks that would be placed on site to provide outreach, education as well as Internet services to parishioners. In return, the kiosks would carry a advertising from a national sponsor that sought to reach the parishioners.

As an added inducement, Morris and Perkins told some of the churches that they would earn revenue of their own from the sponsor’s advertising. Churches were told that no contract was needed and all the legality stuff was simply a formality that didn’t need to be addressed but insisted that it still needed to be signed. So as pen went to paper church parishioners signed their contract without realising they had agreed to pay the full price for the kiosk.

Kiosk Con Artist Number 2 William T.Perkins

From the contracts, Morris and Perkins contacted equipment leasing firms and asked for loans to purchase the kiosks, using the church contracts as collateral. Once they received the loans – valued at as much as $27,000 per kiosk – the pair used money to get bare bones equipment from the churches and further made initial monthly leasing payments to the equipment  providers.

Peter Nickles, the city’s attorney general said, “The churches either did not get the equipment, or if they did, it wasn’t working, and if it was, the sponsorship deals never materialised.”

On another side of town, the leasing firms were led to believe they would be seeing monthly checks from the churches for the kiosk systems. There was usually little money to pay the lease fee already, and there was no sponsor for the kiosk advertising.

The deals continued to come in and leasing firms billed the churches for the kiosks with some of the contracts having full access to the churches finances.

“The firm could draw down from the bank account of the church. They charged the lease payments. In one case the firm took $60,000,” said Nickles.

After a while the churches contacted the authorities and Michigan arraigned Perkins and Morris in October 2009. Michigan plan to begin its case against them in Detroit’s 3rd Circuit Court at the end of September, a spokesperson for AG Cox said.

Perkin’s and Morris’s attorney, LaRene & Kriger of Detroit, didn’t return calls.

The case caught the attention of Nickles and California attorney general Edmund G. Brown Jr who found that after the churches learnt of the alleged scam, there was still a continual attack on the parishes by equipment leasers enforcing the terms of the leases, filing lawsuits against the churches to collect payment, interest and late fees.

These equipment leasers in April 2009 were charged with defrauding the churches. One of the companies – Balboa Capital Corp settled their case in Washington just last week, agreeing to stop collecting on the leases with several of the churches and to pay two of the churches $4,000 in total. Balboa wrote in their legal filings that it was “not complicity in the alleged scheme” and agreed to the settlement to avoid litigation costs.

Nickles said he will continue to pursue the other two lessors and as the cases go on, the churches have worthless equipment situated in their parishes that have completely gone to waste.

This stressful situation has a knock on effect on you, the shop owner, who loses custom because adults with children are under pressure to put their children first.

And with the school holidays in full swing, many parents’ are having to drag their kids around the shops in order to get their weekly shopping which most of the time doesn’t go down too well with the little ones.

Which brings us nicely onto the features of a self service kiosk. A kiosk system deployed into a store is designed to allow consumers to conduct tasks, view products and services etc in order to make their shopping experience easier, faster and with less hassle.
Many companies around the world have installed kiosk systems to allow users to get daily tasks done a lot quicker and providing a new type of customer service.
However while this type of kiosk is a very efficient and very reliable system, when it comes to children the whole kiosk usage needs to be played in a very different court.
For example, if a parent is off shopping with their child and the child clearly doesn’t want to be there, you often see the adult distracting the child with toys, treats or the promise of a present if they behave themselves throughout the shopping trip.
So why not provide a solution that will effectively help everyone? Installing a children’s kiosk can not only keep a child entertained, but it allows the adult – your customer – to relax while they shop, browse through the products knowing that their child is being kept happy and entertained. And in the long run, this could potentially lead to a sale of your goods because the customer has more time to browse through your products.
To give you an idea of what we mean, here are a few examples of children’s kiosks already deployed in stores, and the effect they have had on the store, customers and their children as a whole.
Peek-a-Book

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Peek-A-Book

Peek-A-Book is an innovative and creative kiosk that gets children excited about reading. Featuring audio-visual presentations highlighting new to classic books, children are enticed by the kiosk to find out more and further buy or borrow the book to see how the story ends.
At present the kiosk is deployed across five libraries in Pasadena featuring different books that kids will love and enjoy.

Generation Cures Kiosk

Situated at the children’s hospital in Boston, the staff decided to deploy an interactive kiosk system for visitors and patients to play and make their time in the hospital a little more uplifting.

The kiosk engages children through online games, animated stories and patient-directed videos.

For example, the kiosks animated Zebrafish series – named after the small, yet very powerful, transparent fish perfect for studying disease – tells the story of friends who form a rock band. When a band member falls ill the kids begin to see how they can use their music to help their sick friend.

Science Stations

Two, huge vertically mounted screens invite children behind the scenes with three Giant Panda-based stories of Zoo science; veterinary medicine, reproductive science and animal management.

Whatever you need a kiosk system for, make sure you consider your customer and their needs and requirements. Stepping outside the box with a child kiosk can really help your customers in the long run, and potentially bring more sales to your business.

When installing a kiosk system there are many things that you need to do to ensure that you get a return on investment. However, there are still many people who fail to follow basic rules when planning their kiosk project which leaves them out of pocket and with an unwanted and useful kiosk stuck in the storage cupboard.

To give you a few pin pointers here are five helpful tips to take you in the right direction

Offer customer a valuable experience

Think of why your customer would invest their time and effort into learning how to use a kiosk? Will the services you provide boost their overall customer experience and will they be able to access more information and services about the products and services you offer?

A kiosk is about improving a customer’s experience in your business. Airline check-in kiosks have been a massive success because they accommodate to the customers needs and reduce queueing time, which is what customers want. Even people who don’t use them appreciate that they reduce queue time so they are a winner all round.

Make the process fast

You may have a good looking kiosk and offer lots of advice and information for your customers but making the process long winded can be a problem and a bit of a bore for your customer. They may lose interest in what they set out to do and they won’t come back to use your kiosk again. Make sure you keep the transaction process simple. Just a few steps and a few touches of a button for them to get the answer or information they want.

Help customers out

Some customers will be slightly nervous about using kiosk systems and won’t know where to start. It is a good idea to keep staff handy to help customers who are struggling to use the kiosk. Kiosks are there to also free your staff time but it is important that you don’t desert the kiosk leaving customers to struggle.

Deploy it in the right place

The location of the kiosk has a lot to do with its success. Make sure it is seen as soon as your customers enter the store and put it in an accessible location so people can get to it as and when they please. Stuffed in a corner will do no one any favours.

Test out your kiosk

Don’t just assume that deploying the kiosk will bring you business straight away. You have to test it, trial it, improve it and make sure that your customers are happy with the kiosk system. Because you have worked on it for so long you will know it inside and out and where everything is, but your customers will not. Get a fresh approach on the kiosk system to see what your customers think of it and whether it will benefit your business and what grey areas you need to improve.

And not only that, self service kiosks can no be integrated with the device and many businesses are jumping on the bandwagon.

However there are some sceptics when it comes to the iPad, with people commenting on its durability etc, so we at Protouch thought we would have a look at this mad craze to see if the introduction between the two devices goes down well.

Applications

It is clear why the iPad is appealing to the kiosk industry. Touch screen technology, customisable application software, and a multi touch user interface. The only main difference is that the iPad is portable and delicately designed.

With the iPad craze, kiosk manufacturers are trying to find new ways in how they can integrate this modern technology into their offerings and services.

Brian Ardinger, Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President at Nanonation said that his company has a long history of Apple-related product development and has expanded these efforts to include iOS projects for the iPhone and iPad.

“We recently showcased an application designed for sales associates in a retail enviroment at the KioskCom show in Vegas in April of this year,” Ardinger said.

Furniture company Room and Board, contacted Nanonation to feature an application which would allow users to browse inventory and provide customers with a sign up form to receive special offers.

The first iPad ticket kiosk was rolled out at the Malaysian Kuala Lumpur Airline. The SITA Lab developed the MNkiosk, which allows users to book and purchase flights, search for flight schedules and flight status and check-in, as well as choosing their preferred seat.

And retail giant Gap has also jumped on the iPad bandwagon. Its application software, developed by AKQA, is described as a ‘social shopping experience.’ Users are able to customise their outfits within the Gap brand and ask for advice from sales assistants.

Versatility

Founder of iPad-kiosks.com, Blain Warkentine, is iPad business enthusiast working to get products to market. Warkentine said that service industries need to be more efficient, however the iPad may not always be an answer for them.

A prime example would be the food-service industry which demands a quick and efficient service than the iPad can currently provide if used improperly, however if used correctly it can still deliver some benefits. During rush hour lunches the iPad could be integrated into restaurants with the option to remove the iPad from its kiosk mounting offering a mobile menu for customers. This can virtually eliminate wait times. Then once the rush hour is over, the iPad can be restored back on its stand for customers to use as a kiosk to order meals.

“Every technology platform offers positives and negatives. Traditional kiosk platforms have excelled at issues such as peripheral support, remote management and enterprise integration,” Ardinger said. “The iPad doesn’t pose an immediate threat for some of the kiosks developed specifically for retail environments like the IBM Anyplace Kiosk and others. These solutions have been retail hardened, offer a variety of peripheral support options and have a longer legacy of application development.”

Some people think the iPad is a fun and cool accessory however it just isn’t robust enough for public developments.

“While these kinds of consumer-grade products are powerful and fun devices, right now they simply cannot stand up to the daily wear and tear a kiosk is subjected to,” said Bob Ventresca, vice president of marking for NCR Netkey.

Cost

Expect to be paying between $3,500-$8,000 for the touch screen kiosk, printer enclosure and software. Applications and customised materials cost within the region of $1,000 -$10,000. Extra software from$2,500-$20,000.

“Many retailers have already created apps on the App Store: Walgreen, Target, etc./” Warkentine added. “The investment was made for customers’ devices, but the need for that customer to have the app and the device is no longer required with iPad-kiosks.

“In the end though, it will come down to what experience the retailer wants to create and matching it with the technology that enables them to best develop, deploy and support it.”

Wine kiosk at Pennsylvania grocery store

So, in December 2009 the Government body who issue the alcohol licenses decided to pilot two wine kiosks across grocery stores in the state.  And the launch last week did not receive a warm welcome for many local citizens or opposing Government and Union bodies.

Implemented by The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) two of the wine kiosks began operating at local grocery stores in Dauphin and Cumberland counties.

Over the next 30-45 days the beta test machines will be closely monitored and if all goes well, PLCB Chairman P.J Stapleton said they will start the rollout of 98 more machines statewide, giving wine drinkers in Pittburgh the chance to buy a bottle or two from a vending machine by autumn 2010.

The 40-square-foot machines will operate from 9am to 9pm, Monday through to Saturday. More than 53 types of wine stored at 62 degrees will be available to purchase from the kiosk system. Prices will range from $10-$20 a bottle.

Users are asked to swipe their drivers license and then look at a high definition camera to allow a worker at a call centre to verify identity of the purchaser. Once approved, the customer has to blow on a screen housing a Breathalyzer. If a breath of alcohol level of .02 or higher is detected, the consumer will be unable to make the purchase.

The kiosks touch screen also guides shoppers through the wine selection process and offers food pairing tips.

Wine kiosk vending machine

All the machines are to be placed in grocery stores but the final list of locations has not been confirmed.

Stapleton said, “Consumers are yearning for additional consumer convenience. Customers are going to local supermarkets to pick up a couple of great steaks and bring them home for dinner and now they can bring home a cabernet to have with them.”

At present, Pennsylvania is the only state using such kiosk systems.

Their are many people who have been outraged by the kiosk, including the union that represents the state store employees. The Independent State Store Union spokesperson, Ed Cloonan, said, “Cigarettes are banned from being sold in vending machines in Pennsylvania supermarkets and yet Americans’ number one drug of choice will now be vended only in Pennsylvania by the PLCB.”

Cloonan has coined the wine kiosks ‘Rube Goldbery-like contraptions.’ In retaliation to the kiosks, The Independent State Store Union has filed suit in Commonwealth Court to stop the placement of wine vending machines in grocery stores. “Alcohol is not a Red Box DVD – it is the most abused drug in every town, city and state in the USA,” says David Wanamaker, Vice President of ISSU.

And it’s not just the Union that are unhappy.

At the blog The Wine Culture Project, the kiosk has been singled out as the ‘worst wine idea of the year.’ Writer John Kafarski laments what it will do to the wine buying experience, turning the product into ‘nothing more than soda in a vending machine.’ Shoppers will be unable to look at a bottle, hold it in their hands and read the labels before committing to the purchase.

One person had a major issue with the breathalyser function, not only that you are putting your mouth up close to something that other people are also breathing into, and it’s not being cleaned between uses, but the fact that there is need for this function for the kiosk to work within regulations in the first place.

“I think that it is incredibly restrictive,” said Neal Ward, sommelier at The English Grill in Louisville, Ky, a AAA Four Diamond restaurant with a wine cellar that is considered to be one of the best in the Midwest. “You have to prove that you are not drinking in order to buy a bottle of wine? Come on, that smacks of Big Brother. I don’t see where forcing a person to take a breathalyser test serves any purpose other than to frustrate the consumer.”

According to the PLC press release, the breathalyser is set to the state’s zero tolerance level of .02 blood alcohol – so in other words, if a shopper has had a beer with dinner, he would be unable to complete the purchase.

Transition Optical kiosk system

A global lens manufacturer is piloting 10 educational interactive kiosks at partner retail locations to educate eye wear shoppers about its adaptive lenses and illustrate how photochromic technology works.

The Transitions Optical interactive kiosk offers more than 100 lens options and believes consumer education is a key aspect to advancing its product portfolio and partner sales efforts.

The free-standing touch screen kiosk uses 72 UV-LED light bulbs to simulate outdoor UV rays to demonstrate how fast a transition lens responds when exposed to daylight.

A kiosk user simply places a demonstration card under the bulbs and within 12 seconds can see the lens react.

“The kiosk helps consumers actually ‘see’ the transformation of the lenses turning a different colour right before their eyes,” said Sandy Berman, account executive of Frank Mayer & Associates, manufacturers of the kiosk.

The interactive kiosk works by demonstrating to consumers how transition lenses react to different simulated lighting situations.

“It is unique because it gives a convincing demonstration and backs up the demonstration with actual facts and benefits of the product,” Berman said.

The kiosk aims to educate shoppers and provide a self assessment aspect so consumers can determine which lens fits their lifestyle as well as providing in-store information about the products on sale.

The retailer and manufacturers main goal is to drive sales of eye wear featuring the Transition lens technology.

Renee Himel, retail marketing specialists at Transitions Optical, said, “The biggest challenge was balancing consumer, partner and our own needs and wanting to deliver an educational and engaging interactive experience. The key for us was to include our retail partners early on as they provided input that drove the content use and footprint of the units.”

Another unique aspect in deploying self service technology in the optical field is understanding the relationship consumers have eye care professionals, Himel explained.

“Consumers expect to have a conversation with their eye care professional and we took that insight into consideration

Viewing the lenses

 when developing our kiosk,” she said. “We made sure that the eye care professional could use the kiosk as an education and sales aid and walk their patients through the lens buying experience.”

These types of interactive kiosk systems have proven to be a huge success over recent years, particularly within consumer related industries where the customer requires a product or service and the kiosk becomes an accessible tool for their needs and requirements.

Not only do kiosks work for the retailer, they can also have a massive impact on the way a company is run. A similar project to the Transition Optical kiosk is the installation of touch screen equipment across UK Specsavers stores by Protouch.

The high street superbrand came to Protouch to find a solution to making their services more efficient and Protouch had the solution they were looking for – Geode 12.1″ touch screen monitors.

Around 3,000 were installed across 700 of Specsaver’s stores, on sales counters and within their in-store laboratories for order processing.

As a result customer service became more efficinet and staff had much less paperwork to fill out on a daily basis.

The touch screen technology provided an essential role optimising sales and services in this major retail environment, and since its success Specsaver has come to Protouch ever since for all its touch screen monitors.

Recently an additional 2,000+ Protouch Aspect 15″ LCD touch screen monitors were put straight into the eye-test rooms throughout all its branches.

There is a bubbling market for home automation systems and as touch screens solutions offer both functionality and aesthetically pleasing design they could be an ideal fit within this industry. 

The integration of touch screen hardware into our homes would be relatively simple with a demand for touch screens to fit at key convenient ‘stations’ within the home, such as, by the front door, next to the bed, within reach of the sofa.  Size and design of the units would most likely be influenced by the location and the functions they provide.  At the ‘touch’ of a button we could have systems in place that allow us to turn on/off  lighting, control heating and water, activate music, or pre-set ‘moods’ for rooms from any point within our homes.  For example: a hallway may lend itself to a simple touch screen unit used as a central ‘hub’ with general running of household controls, such as security and lights. Whereas a lounge may support the use of a more complex all-in-one touch PC offering entertainment value and allowing users to access the Internet, watch films, set-up music (sound and visuals) all in one.

I foresee touch screen based home automation systems revolutionizing our homes and leading us towards an easier and more indulgent lifestyle.  Home automation systems have the ability to be as complex or as simple in functionality as we demand; the level of software, size and design are all open to individual taste and needs as with most modern day technology.  What’s more, the touch screen concept not only presents beneficial solutions for everyday living, but it also offers solutions that could greatly enhance the lifestyles of the disabled, handy-capped and elderly people with regards to greater independence and freedom within their own homes.  

As touch screens allow for both multifunction and customisation each unit can be adjusted according to the individual taking their physical disabilities such as arthritis, mobility, eye sight, etc, in to account. As a result one unit could operate several household items and also adjust font sizes, key sizes and sound levels according to the individual’s needs.

Obviously, cost is a consideration. However, touch screen systems are now appearing on the domestic market and are far more accessible to the general population at affordable prices. So, what else is holding us back? Fear of the unknown and lack of understanding are certainly playing a part, but as the general public continues to embrace the technology the potential for touch screens in the home is huge and could lead to a dramatic change in how we are able to run and live in our lives.

While consumers sit and wonder how to spend their cash, developers of the self service industry are finding ways to integrate the iPad into their systems to keep up-to-date with the advanced technology, and whether the move to do it will actually be worth it.

The Apple iPad launched in April 2010 sent the tech insiders, gadget lovers and hungry media into a spin. Coined as the crossover of all technologies the iPad acts as a laptop, mobile device, television, radio and iPod.

And while the iPad is still young and its full implications are still being defined, the self service industry are investigating ways to incorporate it into their products and services.

“There is a lot of hype about the iPad, but very few people have actually touched one,” said Brian Ardinger, CMO for software developer Nanonation. “There are a lot of things that aren’t known about how it will work in the long term.”

However these thoughts haven’t crossed the mind of some technology driven customers who wanted the iPad before it had even been made.

“As soon as it was announced, our phones were ringing with clients wanting to apply it,” said Ardinger.

In April 14-15th Nanonation unveiled a suite of iPad applications at KioskCom in Las Vegas. The apps were designed to leverage the iPad’s perceived strengths for both customer – and employee – facing applications.

This could feature a variety of programmes including employee-carried iPads with readily available customer service information, or iPad-based employee training materials that can easily be updated and deployed during the workday.

The iPad’s 9.7 inch (diagonal) screen,  touchscreen interface, ability to communicate via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 3G connections, and its assisted GPS capabilities could make it very well-suited to applications requiring high mobility, frequent updates and an easy-to-use interface.

“We are looking at what engagement our clients are trying to create-that helps determine what platform is best suited to make that happen,” he said.

Ardinger said that the company’s experience developing applications for Apple’s iPhone helped smooth the transition into this new technology.

However, the iPad isn’t bringing smiles all round for everyone.

One of the biggest affects the Apple iPad could have is on the DVD kiosk rental world, with the introduction of the movies and television programmes installed onto the iPad.

Users will be able to install an application which allows them to watch movies and tv shows streamed to the mobile device instantly.

“The innovation and consumer appeal of the iPad make it a perfect device for instantly watching TV episodes and movies streamed from Netflix,” Netflix co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings said in a company press release.

This may see DVD -rental kiosks such as NCR’s Blockbuster Express industry giant redbox depend on the success of the iPad.

And the success of the iPad is set to grow as Apple projects sales of more than seven million units in 2010. as well as being seen as the highest competitor for the DVD rental market share.

With any new technology device comes questions, glitches and scares of new competitors etc. But it is still early days for the iPad and its tech savvy applications may not meet the eye of some consumers. However Apple have always produced high quality devices such as the iPod and iPhone which have been massive hits with consumers over the years, it will be hard not to see this work.

Kiosk manufacturers such as the DVD rental kiosk world may have a scare on their hands but with the iPad being a costly device it will be a long while before the whole world jumps on the bandwagon. So we can’t see the DVD kiosk world falling any time soon.

For information about kiosk solutions and how to integrate them into your business, visit Protouch today.

This super creative use of a kiosk system shows how versatile and wacky you sometimes need to be to make your interactive technology stand out.

Combining this augmented reality and digital signage opens the door to a wide range of creative opportunities. Whether you are a child or an adult, it would be pretty hard to drag yourself away from this kiosk.

Customers simply hold a Lego box upto the screen to see the pieces inside rendered as an interactive 3D image! How cool is that?

For this to happen a camera and display screen has been built into the interactive kiosk to allow  Lego packaging to reveal its contents fully assembled within live 3 animated scenes. This new age technology is an unforgettable experience for store visitors and acts as a powerful assisted selling tool that makes the image on the side of the box come to life.

It simply gets the customer excited about the product – that is composed of individual pieces – then giving him the ability to hold the potential purchase in his hands and examine it from every angle.

The kiosk can be found in LEGO stores around the world.

For more information about interactive kiosk systems and how they can work for you, visit Protouch today.