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Wall mounted kiosks are no different from normal every day touch screen kiosks except from one key aspect; they are fixed to the wall.
They are not units that stand free on the floor but rather are smaller units mounted to a wall or partition for consumers to access.
As with all touch screen technology, kiosks can offer an array of multi functions and each and every model is different and specialises in a particular field; be in ticket dispensing for airports, touch screen interface for health clinics, or barcode scanning in retail.
Whatever your reason is for deploying a kiosk one thing is certain in the retail sector; the units can showcase your products, increase sales, use space more efficiently and save money.
Here are some advantages on why an interactive wall mounted kiosk can improve your business;
- Improve your brand/advertising/showcase products
A wall- mount kiosk can be used to invite consumers to it to purchase items not available in store as well as screening advertisements and brands to raise awareness. When not being used for its interactive screen, it can run off adverts and images to catch consumers’ attention even if it is subconsciously to grab potential buyers.
- Increase organisation
Any in-store kiosks provide efficiency for staff members. It can aid employees to fulfil tasks and administration much more effectively to ease the strain on workload and reduce time taken, leaving more opportunity for other jobs to be completed.
If you are worried about ‘face-to-face’ customer service fading or hesitant about how this will impact your business please refrain; millions of people bought Christmas gifts online in 2010, reflecting the shift in consumer purchasing trends.
- Increase sales
Due to kiosks enabling consumers to make specific searches in-store, it is more likely they will find something they need and therefore buy it; increasing the chances of purchases being made.
-Use space more efficiently
A wall-mounted kiosk utilises space much more proficiently which is extremely important in a retail store. Every square foot is valuable, as it could mean another stand to put products on, so in this context you can be more resourceful and see a substantial increase on the return on investment.
Retailers who can benefit from a wall mount kiosk are;
- A large store, to reduce time taken to find items with way-finding software.
- A small store, to maximise usage of valuable space.
- Restaurants/convenience stores, to order food, play lottery, apply for a job more easily.
Environments that also call for wall units tend to be high in footfall and therefore space is too valuable to use up; such as: cinemas, stations and airports.
As you can see, a wall mount Touch screen kiosk has many benefits to which you, the employer, can utilise and bring to the work place.
Speak to the experts today at Protouch.
Last year was a fantastic year for us; we won best use of technology in the hospitality and leisure sector in the Retail Systems Awards, Carnival UK deployed our kiosks at sea on their cruise ships, and retail store Matalan launched a concept store featuring our kiosks.
So it is no surprise that we are very excited about the upcoming year and what 2011 will bring!
In terms of the touch screen technology industry, businesses and companies are constantly looking for the next big thing to please the customers and better their experience to keep them coming back for more.
This is especially difficult to overcome, with the challenge of an already weakened economy and falling sales.
However, industry experts have agreed that the goal and top trend for 2011 is to combine kiosks, tablets and mobile technologies to keep the clients and consumers buying and using the technology.
The Touch screen tablet, such as the iPad, is said to rise in the market this year alongside app developers, as a definite trend to watch out for that impacts the kiosk industry.
This is exampled by the news story we previously reported upon, in which kiosks were installed at New York’s John F Kennedy and La Guardia airports where the consumer could order a meal deal on an iPad.
And only last week the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office made public Apple’s patent “Social Networking in Shopping Environments” which described how in-store kiosks would allow customers to access an item list and information on their phones and then share.
As stated, it is expected the mobile and kiosk industries will also work together, with the convergence of all technologies helping to engage the customer in its fullest.
Shoppers will be able to log in to their accounts via store kiosks but also online or on their mobile phones; with the kiosk acting as the focal point as it coordinates the overall customer experience.
It seems the public is more accepting now than ever of self-service machines, with them being so user friendly.
Tom Quarry, Managing Director of Protouch, said: “We are very proud of the success we have had over the past year and are more determined than ever to have a fantastic 2011. Touch screen kiosks are having a massive impact on businesses and will only become greater and more influential as the year progresses. To meet with this extremely wide need for self service, our kiosks are continually evolving and utilising the many innovative devices that are in demand across all industry sectors.”
To install a Touch screen kiosk in your business, contact Protouch today.
Digital signage is enhancing many industry sectors and business but now it seems it is being used to benefit editorial advertising…in bathrooms.
Ads in toilets are nothing new; most advertising appears above the toilet or on the back of the door when you walk into the cubicle.
However, a fresh new marketing tool is being developed which features the promotion in the bathroom mirrors using digital signage.
The company Mirrus, in Huntersville, North Carolina, America are finalising the analysis of its’ mirror-based digital advertising platform in restrooms.
They will feature in Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, following successful installs in sporting venues around the country.
In the Mirrus Digital Advertising Mirror and the Mirror Image Digital Network, toilet mirrors display digital advertising until the system’s sensors detect someone approaching the mirror, which causes the ad to shrink into the corner of the mirror.
Consumers are then free to look the mirror without obstruction while washing their hands or if they want to, continue viewing the ad in the corner of the mirror.
Mirrus is testing the effectiveness of the advertising proposal, using consumer questionnaires and surveys to measure its efficiency and rates of performance alongside global media research agency Millward Brown.
Big-name brands like Microsoft, Geico, Zappos.com, Unilever, SC Johnson and Coca-Cola are participating in the final round of study.
The digital ad mirrors are currently installed in college football stadiums in North Carolina, Virginia and Georgia, as well as in Dallas’ American Airlines Center.
The company hopes to install the kiosks
in dressing rooms and at the point-of-purchase in the near future.
John Moyer, Executive Vice President of Airport Development and Relations for Clear Channel Airports, said: “It is something that is attractive, is kind of fun and interactive to a degree, and just makes the experience of moving through one of these facilities ever so slightly more entertaining and cutting edge, elevating airports as a media to be a bit cooler, for lack of a better word.”
Install digital signage in your business with www.protouch.co.uk, Europe’s number one manufacturer and distributor in Touch screen technology.
We have previously talked about the benefits of touch screen kiosk in the retail sector and how self-service units are fast becoming popular and a common sight in the settings.
Once installed, they replicate the advantages of online shopping at home but in-store, and give staff more time to concentrate on assisting the customers and their needs.
In many cases more than 50 per cent of transactions take place at self-service kiosks and customers spend more at kiosks than at tills due to cross selling methods, so surely these units are easing the strain when shopping at Christmas time?
We all know what it is like when you are rushing around doing some of that last minute buying, whether it is for presents or Christmas Day grub. The shops are bustling with people trying to find that great gift with queues backing up to the end of aisle and overall, it can be a very stressful ordeal.
By deploying touch screen kiosks, the on-screen software allows merchants to streamline their sales and information process quickly and efficiently; meaning less queuing time, fewer dissatisfied customers and more sales handled for the pre-holiday season.
They are ideal for queue management and with minimal on-screen information it makes them both accessible and easy to use; increasing the customer experience.
Away from the concept of payment, the retail kiosks will also be aiding the Christmas shoppers in malls where they haven’t been before. They are perfect for interactivity on way-finding for consumers who get lost or do not know where to go.
To install a Touch screen kiosk in your retail business, visit www.protouch.co.uk now.
Self Service Kiosks are a fantastic advancement of technology and have made everyday activities a whole lot easier and simpler to do.
The advantages of kiosks to a customer include consistent, valuable service 24 hours a day and this benefit can be particularly vital in non-staff attended outdoor environments such as car parks which are typically self-service.
Outdoor kiosks require a different approach to indoor kiosks and need to be designed specifically for outdoor deployment in public areas. Overall an outdoor kiosk needs to be suitable for operation in any urban setting and should therefore be fully weather proof, highly robust, readable and sturdy.
Here are some key points that you need to know to ensure your outdoor kiosk is a success.
Display Screen
The screen must be designed for high glare settings and be anti-vandal. This requires a high- luminance, transflective LCD and an ambient light sensor that automatically increases and decreases brightness when necessary, to make it easy to read in the dark or when the sun is shining. The screen should also use toughened glass and a protection bezel and needs to be suitable for use with gloved hands.
Material
An outdoor kiosk needs to be made from a powerful material such as special anodized aluminium and special powder paint for outdoor use. It requires internal heating / ventilation system to keep the PC at optimum running temperature and a water proof shell. The kiosk and its accessories are stabilised and secured through bolts set into a purpose-set concrete base and a sophisticated locking mechanism.
Applications
Outdoor kiosks can be used for any application and are most commonly found as: Payment kiosks in car parks, Information and help kiosks in towns, Way finding kiosks is tourist and business areas and Ticketing kiosks in transport stations.
There are multiple benefits to these Touch screen self-service kiosks being installed in your business. Visit www.protouch.co.uk today to find out more.
Olympian 40" Kiosk
Going to university is a fantastic opportunity to get ahead in life by getting a degree as well as learning life and social skills from living away from home.
Up until the recent student fees fiasco, in which students have been protesting across the UK in accordance with the government’s plans to raise the yearly tuition fee to £9,000; more and more students were leaving college and opting to go to university.
It can be a daunting task moving to another town and starting a new chapter in your life, so tools that can ease the transition for example by helping you when you get lost around campus can be really beneficial for new students; especially to keep them motivated to stay on the course and not go back home.
For university staff, it can often be hard at times to keep such a large body of students informed of campus news, university events and course schedules.
An interactive digital signage can help make this less of a challenge by;
- Distributing the latest information to students through the replacement of bulletin boards
- Substitute paper signs, being more economically friendly and cost saving
- Provide a smarter more advanced way to communicate, reflecting society’s expectations
- Send out emergency knowledge quickly and efficiently
- Feed information and world-wide news sources to departments
- Aid the student’s media clubs through interaction and distribution
- And create interactivity with way-finding maps
The Saint Louis University (SLU) in Montreal, America, has recently installed a digital signage platform to not only keep the students up-to-date on everything that is going on but also campaign awareness and issue emergency alert systems in the event of incidents or last minute notifications.
The solution enables issues and campaigns to be aired; reaching a mass wider audience and increasing its possible impact; for example the university’s “We are ALL Billikens” campaign, shedding light on the importance of hazing prevention.
The digital signage network, which is the first of its kind at the university, has multiple screens located in different buildings across campus as well as the halls of residence.
All notices now go into the system, streamlining the operations; making it easier for staff to manage the content via a simple navigation web control screen.
Craig Williams, SLU’s Manager of Multimedia Services, said: “As a communications vehicle, it has cleared up the clutter in the hallways and allowed us to take down all the paper signs for a significant cost savings over time.”
The unit allows world-wide content to be filtered to relevant courses; for example the U.S. News & World Report RSS feed in the Busch Student Center and the NASDAQ feed in the John Cook School of Business.
Furthermore, video coverage from SLU-TV, the university’s student-run television station, will be fed across the network.
It is hoped and expected that the university will add more touch screens
in the future.
To find out more information on how a kiosk can aid your school or university, visit www.protouch.co.uk.
17" Geode Interactive Digital Signage
Digital Signage in the transport industry is of no new relevance due to its presence in airports with self-service kiosks, digital signs in terminals and digital boards with arrival and departure information to keep travellers up-to-date.
But it is the manifestation in public transports that is leading the way; and the rest of the transportation industry that is catching up.
How is interactive/ touch screen digital signage used in taxis?
- Customers can play games to pass the time
- Credit-card payment
So what are the advantages of digital signage in taxis?
- Makes the experience easier and more interactive for customers
- For long journeys it defeats boredom
- It is more convenient for customers so they don’t have to carry cash around with them
- If you have run out of money you can still afford to get home
Because digital signage has become so versatile and affordable, it can be used in taxis as a credit card terminal with the screens used as interface software; increasing the number of credit card payments in a cab through the payment screens.
Back in 2007, cabbies in New York threatened a two-day strike when they were forced to accept credit card payment.
Digital Signage can really aid the taxi driver themselves too as well as the business with it being reported they make more money on tips when riders pay with a credit card than paying with cash.
Although different companies and different countries have their own version of taxi digital signage, all systems have various common factors, such as the average screen size being 10 inches.
It can be used to convey important information like news, weather and sports as well as provide entertainment; featuring interactive touch screens, audio and video.
The touch screen technology is really benefiting the transport industry in a number of ways, so why not jump on board the band wagon and install digital signage in your business with Protouch today.
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.
A good or bad Touch Screen User Interface can make or break a touch screen kiosk. It is the point of access that allows the interaction between humans and machines and is made up of an operating system and software.
Kiosk software has several roles, a) it locks down the application in order to protect the kiosk from wandering users, b) it can offer remote monitoring to manage multiple kiosks from another location and c) it is the source that guides a user through the kiosk application. The operating system is the tool that runs the kiosk.
It has been reported a successful self service kiosk will attract customers and keep them engaged through its simplicity, functionality and content. Therefore, it is vital that you ensure your User Interface has been developed to maximise usage, popularity, accessibility, interaction and improve customer satisfaction.
So what are the crucial points of a Touch Screen User Interface?
- Make the home page and navigation clean and simple to understand by reducing the number of elements
on the screen such as icons, buttons, photos, etc. Various demographics must be able to use the unit; the elderly, children, disabled etc, without assistance.
- Use a limited number of colours, font types and font sizes in order to keep the screen clean, while retaining brand awareness and consistency. This is important for marketing usage to grab attention and for readability.
- Show content in stages by spreading it across screens and dividing it into steps. Displaying too much information in one space creates confusion and messiness whereas split up screens, topics and categories are easier to use and understand.
- The system and software need to ensure a successful integration between application, hardware and your back office system and arm you with a secure kiosk network delivering tailored content 24/7.
Ultimately, by paying attention to the specific needs of the customer and developing seamless interaction between hardware, software and user, you can safeguard your kiosk and develop a success application.
Check out the kiosk software on offer at Protouch today.
Recent research by the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) has revealed had the linesman who disallowed the infamous World Cup Frank Lampard goal been born deaf, he might have approved it.
This is due to the fact that adults that are deaf from birth react more quickly when seeing objects than hearing people.
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