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According to a late survey, online shopping sales in America should rise this Christmas period.
Findings by analytics firm comScore reveal that e-commerce sales in the U.S should increase by 15% this festive season as consumers turn to the internet for their Christmas shopping with the enticement of free or low-cost shipping.
ComScore estimate that online sales from November- December in the States will reach $37.6 billion this year, outpacing last year’s growth.
The study of 1,000 shoppers found that 76% of those surveyed said that free shipping was a decisive factor in purchasing products online.
As shoppers all over the world turn to their computers or retail stores in search for some holiday bargains, jump on board the bandwagon and enhance the shopping experience of your customers who come in- store with deployed internet kiosks.
By giving in-store shoppers the option to buy online ranges in-store, they benefit by getting new products sooner and being able to purchase something there and then. And it means that as a business, you don’t have to stock the full range in-store and instead you can just put some items exclusively online.
A kiosk that has access to the internet is further valuable because help instructions can be offered to consumers who find it difficult to use. Rather than needing a human staff member to guide them through the technology, a help guide can show them and also answer any troublesome questions.
What is more, as well as helpful information an internet kiosk can provide information on many other subjects such as facts and figures about the town it is installed in, advice to save the environment, and offer entertainment for hospital bed-sides.
There are numerous surveys on the web that state how essential the internet is for Brits and how without digital services like this, living would be a ‘nightmare’. So cater to modern day needs and install a kiosk that has access to the internet in your business with the help of Protouch.
Pic Credit: What Would Oakley Do
A survey of more than 16,000 consumers show that self-checkouts rank as the number one technology that enhances overall shopping experience.
The 2011 Consumer Insights Panel study, by Empathica Inc, reveals that the self-service is the favourite technology amongst retail shoppers.
The survey asked consumers in Canada and America which technologies they valued the most in their grocery experience. The findings demonstrate that the top five grocery store technologies that consumers value, from the most important to the least, include;
1. Self-checkouts
2. Easy-to-use website
3. Kiosks offering product information, coupons, recipes, etc.
4. Electronic offers sent via email or mobile device
5. Wireless access within store
So it is obvious how much a self-service kiosk can benefit a business and improve customer experience but the research also found that dependent on where we live, influences our technology preferences.
Of the U.S consumer, 65% considered self-checkouts important in comparison to only 54% of Canadian shoppers. This shows that not all retail outlets may have touch screen technologies deployed and therefore this will ultimately affect how valuable we think it is. If there are none already installed, then a consumer will value it as low because they haven’t even experienced the advantages.
The study also revealed differences between sexes. More women surveyed (51%) said they valued grocery store technology in contrast to men (46%). They appreciated the electronic product offers like email and mobile device features and the majority of women (57%) said an easy-to-use website initially influenced the overall customer experience.
The survey further found that 80% of consumers aged between 18-24 years old, said grocery technology was an important factor in shopping experience, so differentiate yourself from other businesses today and cater to consumer’s needs that are evolving from time to time by deploying a touch screen kiosk, with Protouch.
Get in touch to find out more about kiosks and touch screen accessories.
A retailing survey has revealed that the British economy is missing out on close to £850 billion in sales- simply because of poor customer service.
Findings by Best Buy UK show that some 85% of consumers would go out of their way to shop somewhere with better service and therefore businesses with poor service could be losing on their share of trade by up to £847 billion.
The research, which involved over 2,000 adults, found that 71% would pay more for good customer service and 71% wanted helpful and knowledgeable staff available when shopping.
A touch screen kiosk can benefit the retail industry immensely in that customers can be better focused on because staff can give their time to making their experience better, whilst menial tasks are taken care of by kiosks.
Deploying a kiosk is catering to modern day customer’s needs, as the survey found that most people do not want to be approached whilst they shop. Only a small minority, 23%, would like to be offered help within the first minutes.
Steve Jensen, managing director of Best Buy UK, said: “To thrive you’ve got to give customers the service they demand and deserve. We as customers shouldn’t have to put a price on good service. Unfortunately people perceive they have to pay more for what we believe should be a given. Every company is missing out on crucial sales if they don’t make customer service the focus of their business.”
The hospitality sector came out on top in the survey as it was the most likely to have satisfied customers, with 62% of restaurants and 45% of hotels.
Jo Causon, Chief executive of the Institute of Customer Service, said: “It is only companies that make great customer service a priority in store and in the boardroom too that will find success. Every business has to ensure that employees are given the right training particularly on those softer people skills to ensure they’re in the best position to deliver a positive customer experience. You have to fight for every customer now and keep them coming back or your competition will get there first.”
Protouch can help you please each customer by installing touch screen technology that offers more services in-store. A kiosk can help by offering more products online that they can buy there and then, ticket dispensing special deals and way finding features. Consider the future of retailing and better customer service with Protouch.
Following on from our recent post about self-service in health care, the Kioskmarketplace.com has published a white paper on industry findings as a whole.
Kiosks are used across a variety of sectors from education, retail, banking and more and it can be easy to concentrate on a specific category and analyse it individually. But what about the collective deployment of touch screen technology?
According to the Self-Service Future Trends 2011 report, produced by the Digital Screenmedia Association, the industry which will benefit the most from self-service in the next five years is;
- Retail (35.1%)
- Banking/financial (17.6%)
- Restaurant (12.8%)
- Healthcare (9.5%)
- Telecommunications (7.4%)
- Government (5.4%)
- Travel (5.4%)
- Entertainment/gaming (3.4%)
- Hotel/motel (3.4%)
So we have a prediction as to which industry divisions will profit the most from installing touch screen kiosks but what are the expectations as for spending on the self-service technology? More than 96% of respondents said they will spend the same amount or more on the technology in the next 12 months which is great news for businesses like us who manufacture and distribute touch screen units.
More precisely, 67.9% said their spending on self-service technology would increase over the next year, only 3.8% said that it would decrease and 28.2% remained the same. This is a fantastic indicator that despite difficult economic times, businesses are still focused on bettering customer experience and enhancing staff time management.
And the findings further get healthier in that firms believe spending on self-service technology over the course of five years will increase more than 86%. This optimism is enthralling for the future of kiosks, pcs and touch screen monitors.
So we know now that people will be considering self-service units in their businesses but what are the reasons why?
A trend which is becoming more and more popular as of late is the use of smartphones but industry experts argue that its future will complement rather than hinder kiosks.
Almost 70% of those surveyed said the reason they would ponder deploying touch screens is that the devices can increase efficiency and a further 65% said that the customer demand for its convenience was a reason alone.
The top findings also included;
- Just over 60% said customer demand for faster service
- 50% because self-service helps the bottom line
- Just over 40% said for customer demand for complete, accurate information
- Almost 40% as the devices can help brand the company
More answers were customer demand for privacy, courteous service and simply because the competitors are using self-service technologies.
To find out what type of touch screen kiosk would be best for your business, contact the experts at Protouch.
The Kioskmarketplace.com has published a white paper regarding self-service in health care.
Touch screen kiosks, monitors and PCs are used in many industries to better customer experience and improve business efficiency. But it seems that the healthcare industry will benefit 9.5% from self-service in the next five years according to the report.
10% of the survey respondents thought there would be an increase in the works which is a surge from 7% in the 2007 survey.
So, more and more health care organisations are seeking out touch screen technology to slash costs, especially because of current government financial cuts. Kiosks can save costs in the long-run by reducing staff numbers and give employees the chance to better their time doing more important tasks such as tending to patients rather than burdensome paperwork.
So what features are there of a kiosk in health care;
- Way finding
According to the report, 13% of American hospitals use a kiosk for way finding purposes.
- Patient Check-in
The check-in process is the most consuming time spent for patients. Time consumed on filling in forms and making appointments is longer than actual time spent seeing the doctor.
- Educate
Health information can be displayed to better patient’s knowledge.
- Visitor Check-in
As well as checking-in patients, kiosks can also check-in salespeople, vendors and business associates.
- Payment
The survey findings show that 4% of Americans use a kiosk to pay medical bills.
Just in one health care organisation in America, the Adventist Health Systems, 55,000 people are employed to operate 44 hospitals with 7,700 beds. Care is provided for four million patients each year and that is just in the US alone in one company; so imagine how helpful touch screens can be for health care across the world?
Benefits include;
- Reducing paper work and postage costs
- Improved labour costs as staff can see to more patients in a given time
- Increased return on investment
- Reduce waiting times for patients therefore bettering their experience
- Faster payments from patients because it is easier to pay as it is right there and available
- Provide access to more audiences as multiple languages can be displayed which is great for communities that have multiple ethnicities and backgrounds.
So reap the welfares too by deploying a touch screen kiosk in your local hospital and health care organisation with Protouch.
There is an article on Kioskmarketplace.com that argues that self-service checkouts are in danger of checking out.
The site reports how a grocery store chain in America is pulling self-checkout systems from all of its 217 stores to focus on better customer service and how this could mean that self-service is on its way out.
A writer for the FINS career resource website noted that consumer surveys indicate that customers want to talk to people in retail environments but contrary research by Wincor Nixdorf AG shows that the majority of consumers would rather bank with a machine rather than a human.
David Hadesty, VP of Product Management for Wincor Nixdorf’s U.S. Banking Division, said automation is no longer a “nice to have” – it is a necessity and this correlates to the nation’s trust resting in machines rather than man, even in the retail sector.
The FINS piece referenced a recent Consumer Reports survey published earlier this month that indicates that not being able to find a store salesperson ranked among consumers’ top complaints but by deploying self-service units in retail stores for product browsing and purchasing, the staffs’ time is freed up more to better customer experience and be on-hand more efficiently when looked upon to answer questions.
Self-service technology is enhancing many industries including retail, government, banking, transport, education, health and more. And it is no surprise because self-service brings huge benefits to a business as well as the consumer. It reduces waiting times, gives the power to the customer, frees up employees time to do more important tasks and saves costs in the long-run.
The concept of self-service being in danger is absurd- as technologies grow and expand so is customers’ needs. Kiosks, digital signage and touch screen monitors are present to cater to these increasing needs and reflect the ever- changing society.
Visit Protouch to find out more…
PIC Credit: PFCU
Touch screen technology is evident across all sectors and industries and it can be transformed into many appearances from kiosks, monitors, digital signage and PCs.
It can also be converted into ATMs, otherwise known in full as an automated teller machine or more commonly referred to as a cash machine.
A latest survey has revealed that the majority of cardholders protect their PINs and cover the ATM pin pad when keying in the four-numbered digits.
A report by the European ATM Security Team (EAST) in Edinburgh, Scotland showed that 65% of consumers cover the PIN pad protecting their PIN when drawing cash out at a hole in the wall. The online poll found that 23% of cardholders sometimes cover the PIN pad and a worrying 12% of the public never cover the PIN pad, putting themselves at risk of financial fraud.
The poll, which took place between January and March 2011, was undertaken as part of a scheme to educate cardholders to always conceal their pin because it thwarts thieves from using counterfeit copies of cards.
Lachlan Gunn, coordinator of EAST, said: “It is encouraging to see that 65 percent of poll respondents always cover their PIN at an ATM. If you are one of those who never covers his or her PIN, or who does it occasionally, remember that doing this is a top cardholder security tip recommended by EAST and by many other organizations.”
EAST officials recommend that if you cover your PIN you are at least protected against visual compromise. Experts warn that if a magnetic stripe on a card is conceded or skimmed, the criminals need your PIN to maximise fraudulent usage of it.
Gunn added: “Covering one’s PIN at an ATM, or at any other terminal, should be second nature to everyone—after all very few people would hold their wallet or purse open to allow others to easily see how much money they are carrying, so why advertise your PIN?”
Make sure your Touch screen unit is as safe and secure as possible, with Protouch; Europe’s number one manufacturer and distributor of touch screen technology.
According to a new online survey customers prefer depositing money into an ATM instead of handing the cash over to a bank clerk to deposit.
The majority of consumers would rather bank with a machine rather than a human, with the majority of consumers indicating that they would prefer to conduct banking transactions at their ATM as opposed to traditional face-to-face interaction with the bank worker.
More than 74 per cent of participants agreed they hope one day their ATM will offer all of the functionality and services as their bank teller.
David Hadesty, VP of Product Management for Wincor Nixdorf’s U.S. Banking Division, said automation is no longer a “nice to have” – it is a necessity.
“With results of this survey showing consumers crave more features and functionality at their ATM, the opportunity for banks is obvious – invest in more sophisticated ATM technology that is proven to dramatically reduce cash handling costs at the branch, while freeing up valuable associate time for more critical tasks.”
So it seems the nation today has more trust and likeability in a machine than man, which reflects the growing trend in technology and modern needs and desires.
Consumers prefer to interact and make deposits with a touch screen unit than a flesh-bodied person; what does that say about the 21st century generation?
The survey, by Wincor Nixdorf AG, involved 200 consumers aged 18 to 64, who visited an ATM more than three times a month.
It polled consumers on their knowledge, preferences and trends regarding using an ATM.
The future of ATMS and touch screen technology is an exciting and widely speculated concept but who really knows what it will hold. One thing is for sure though; the bank teller’s role is diminishing.
For more news and information on Touch screen, visit Protouch today at www.protouch.co.uk.
Improving your brand and your loyalty to the customer is more important than ever as today’s consumers cope with tighter budgets, busier lifestyles and – in most cases – shorter attention spans.
Kiosk systems, smart phones and social media tools have dramatically boosted brand loyalty if used correctly.
With many technology devices out there, it is hard to decide which one is the best method for you and your business.
So which communication channels work best to entice consumers and keep them coming back for more?
A recent study conducted by New York-based BuzzBack Market Research found that most North American shoppers prefer retailers that enable them to shop consistently across a multitude of channels, such as kiosks, smart phones and social media tools.
More than 80 per cent of surveygoers said that they want more control over where, when and how they interact with retailers, whether it be through Facebook, iPhones or in-store kiosks. 
“Consumers are time-starved, value-driven, digitally enabled and frustrated by inconsistent shopping experiences across channels,” said Mike Webster, senior vice president and general manager of retail and hospitality business for NCR Corp, who commissioned the study. “Retailers must deliver more personalised, unified reactions whether their customers are on the Web, in the store or using their mobile device. For retailers to respond to this new ear of converged retailing, they require solutions that bring these channels together.”
The detailed study on consumer behaviours focused on how consumers use self-service, social media and other technology to shop and in response, how retailers can tap into those channels. And its overall analysis found that customer loyalty is the key focus, with consumers and their desire for retailers to offer a more consistent and seamless shopping experience.
The study also looked at the value of a consistent experience across all channels as well as the value that consumers place on personalisation, such as language, payment systems, brand preference and receipt type. In response, almost half agreed that retail shopping or restaurant ordering would be faster and more convenient if they had a more personalised experience.
The highlights of the study included;
- North American consumers are hunting for bargains and are in fact less loyal to retailers. Sixty-seven per cent said that they would switch between retailers and look for the price discounts and loyalty points.
- Consumers are using technology to find the best deals with sixty-six per cent using the Internet more often to research products and find better deals.
- Personalised offers and information that match their individual preferences are what consumers want. Eight-one per cent of North Americans said they would like companies to integrate social media channels into their mix of communications.
- 40 per cent of consumers want to use mobile devices to locate retailers, download coupons and scan bar-codes.
To view the full white paper released in May 2010 at the Food Marketing Institute showcase in Las Vegas, click here.
Quick thinking companies are nowadays deploying software, linked to enterprise applications like customer data and analytics, in order to deliver timely and relevant communications across multiple points of service, based on their customer’s preferences and location.
“A new generation of consumers craves more personalisation and control over when and how they interact with retailers,” said Dusty Lutz, general manager of NCR Netkey digital signage and kiosk applications.
“Consumers are willing to reward retailers that enable a seamless, converged channel experience across Web, store or mobile channels. Retailers are responding by evaluating technology solutions that help them interact with shoppers based on their individual preferences and location to create a more compelling shopping experience.”
British citizens want to be in charge of their shopping experience. New research found that people want more freedom to shop where and when they like, whether online, over their mobile or in an in-store kiosk.
The NCR Corporation survey, carried out by Buzzback Market Research, found that 83 per cent of consumers wanted the flexibility to research, compare and shop across channels. 84 per cent of survey-goers said they wanted retailers to make sure their social media activities were integrated with their other communications such as websites and email.
However, 46 per cent said that they feel bombarded with irrelevant information and offers over a “dizzying array of touchpoints.”
The solution, says NCR, is to provide shoppers with personalised offers and information, based on analysis of the shopper’s previous shopping history.
“Retailers need to harmonise the total cross-channel shopping experience in the emerging era of converged retailing,” said Rick Chavie, vice president of marketing of NCR’s retail and hospitality business.
A white paper about NCR’s research on converged retailing is available at www.ncr.com/c-tailing
So while customers are clicking on to what retailers need to do, stores need to take note of what changes need to be made for an improved shopping experience.
Customers are fed up with the impersonal and irrelevant offers thrown at them via email or instore, and would like a much more subtle approach that allows them to take charge of their shopping experience themselves.
Kiosks are a great solution as customers are able to acces store and product information, see what deals are on offer as well as printing out vouchers to use while in store.
For more information about how kiosks can help your business, visit Protouch today.
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