Cineworld touch screen by Protouch

FILM producers spend millions each year to draw audiences to their movies. And ADVERTISERS take advantage of the pre-cinema screening of ads and promos to promote their products. But now advertisers are moving their commercials to the entrances of cinemas as well, introducing kiosks and advertising boards to appeal to customer’s cinema experience.

Over the past two years, cinemas have been installing touch screen kiosks so cinema-goers can book and buy their tickets with ease and efficiency without having to wait in the queue.

However, kiosks are not just about ticket collection anymore. Cinema-goers want a more enhanced and rewarding experience when they visit the cinema and kiosk systems are the new and exciting way to do this.

Cineword, the UK’s second largest multiplex cinema chain, rolled out Protouch’s Xen X5 and Xen X4 kiosks into a number of its UK cinemas. The kiosk systems were installed to allow users to pick up tickets as well as support Cineworld’s Unlimited Film programme.

Cineworld plan to install the X5 kiosk into all of its cinemas selling the Unlimited programme. John Anderson Cineworld’s Marketing Co-ordinator said, “The Unlimited programme is a large and important part of our business and distinguishes us from every other cinema company in the UK and Protouch’s X5 kiosk is helping us to advance this programme.”

And the latest new promo is telecommuncations firm Sprint, is sponsoring the new marketing effort of placing 500 self service kiosks in movie theatres so that customers can scan in a code from their phones and get coupons for snacks.

The coupons will vary in discount and price with some allowing a free upgrade to a bigger popcorn or large drink.

Companies have been expanding their products and services into cinema advertising, as they noticed that cinemas are a good place to reach audiences that don’t have too many distractions.

“People with high mobile phone usage do tend to go to the cinema more than people with lower mobile phone usage,” he said. “Years back, when cinema advertising was just launching, people were a little skeptical on how it would be received.

“It has only been around for a relatively short amount of time, but all the research that came back said, despite initial skepticism, people feel that the advertisements are not intruding-in fact, many ways are complementing-the overall event.”

The coupons being introduced via the self service kiosks will definitely encourage more people to visit the cinema and make use of the deals on offer.

“The first was a reward for their own customers, building that loyalty, and the other was the envy factor,” said Christine Martino, national account director for Screen Vision who suggested the idea to Sprint.

The kiosk works by instructing Sprint customers to text a certain world (like Sprint) to a certain phone number. The cinema-goer then receives a text message that includes a string of letters and numbers. The kiosk features a computer screen next to the scanning device, and people hold up their cellphones, scan that code and can browse through a few offers on the screen.

The customer then selects their chosen offer, to which a receipt will be printed that people can take to the concession stand for a free upgrade, such as a larger drink.

Margaret Clerkin, the head of the invention group at Mindshare, Sprint’s media agency and a unit of WPP, said that offering something to Sprint customers was a necessary element. “There is entertainment value provided by cinema advertising, but there is also an exchange of value-can you enhance their experience?” she said.

In time, ScreenVision would like to see other companies like Burger King offer discounts on a post-show hamburger for instance.

“It is a direct reward for the consumer,” said Andrew L.Blacker, senior vice president for marketing at ScreenVision.

Implementing a self service kiosk into your company can really increase the amount of sales that come into your business…if installed and designed properly.

The whole objective of a self service kiosk system is to free up the time of an employee to interact and liaise with customers as well as general management of your store, so any transactions can be made via the kiosk.

Chris Gilder, CEO of Meridan Kiosks, said, “It is foolish to have a salesperson waste time accepting a payment when they could be working on landing new customers.

“A kiosk is a great way to free up that employee to sell more while giving customers a much better experience of not waiting in line.”

Airport self service kiosk are a prime example of an outstanding system which has changed the way consumers travel. Gilder said it took a concerted effort by the airlines to get people to use the kiosks, but now people seek out the kiosks because they know it means a shorter wait.

The best way to start a kiosk design is to plan it as simple as possible with the end user constantly in mind. However, it still needs to be as reliable as possible in order for it to work.

“There are way too many kiosks out there with blank screens,” Gilder said. “Most of the time it’s the result of poor hardware choices. These things are designed to run 24/7.”

Not only is the hardware very important, the software is just as essential to get it right and working for each individual user. The software needs to meet the needs and requirements of each individual customer and allow them to fulfill their order or transaction so that they go away feeling happy.

And it really isn’t just the hardware and software either, the location of the kiosk as well as its shape and style will play a massive impact as your customer needs to see it to use it.

Think about:

• UL (Underwrites Laboratories) –  This is so that the kiosk meets all the health, safety and fire requirements.
• Ventilation – Proper ventilation will ensure that if the fans fail a back up system is in place so the kiosk doesn’t overheat.
• Accessibility – So that you customers and staff can easily access the machine on a daily basis.
• Environment – Will it be in dusty environment so you need fan filters, or outside so it needs climate control. Make sure you are clued up on these requirements.
• Special Considerations – If it is a medical kiosk you need to may consider a privacy screen so people can’t look over at what the user is doing.

For more information about self service kiosks and how it can improve and benefit your business visit our website today on www.protouch.co.uk

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.”

Airlines and airports around the globe are jet setting into the world of self service to enhance customer experience when travelling the world.

And the move to implement self service kiosks has proved a massive hit with passengers after a recent survey revealed that six leading airport hubs across five continents has seen a 20 per cent growth in adoption of self service check-in options over the last year.

This change in passenger habits has also seen more passengers demanding improvements in security procedures and airport dwell times as they check-in less baggage.

The survey conducted by SITA, also found that convenience as much as price is driving online booking which is now close to 100 per cent availability in mature markets, 63.7 per cent of those questioned in the survey booked online.

On top of this consumer habit, passengers are spending more though the airline websites in ancillary services such as hotels and car hire and their numbers are expected to double.

Airlines are now clocking onto this and have designed their websites to become a channel of choice for pre-flight and post-flight customers services. 50 per cent of passengers interviewed, for example, are using airline websites to modify reservations or update frequent flyer information.

The 4th annual SITA/Air Transport World Passenger Self Service (PSS) survey is a detailed look at the attitudes and trends of a representative sample of the 232 million passengers who use these six leading international airports: Harsfield-Jackson, Atlanta; Mumbai International; Charles de Gaulle, Paris; Moscow Domodedovo; Sao Paulo, Guarulhos, Brazil; and OR Tambo Airport, Johannesburg.

The data is extracted from interviews with 2,193 passengers who conducted the survey at the departure gate earlier this year.

The top four steps that passengers would most likely change about their journey was the: security screening, 18.2 per cent, dwell time at the airport before flight departure, 14.8 per cent; in-flight experience, 14.5 per cent and waiting for checked baggage on arrival, 9.3 per cent.

Dominique El Bez, SITA Director, Portfolio Marketing, said, “The survey does provide a good news for the air transport industry, and airlines in particular, because it proves that self-service has passed a tipping point in the last 12 months.

“We have seen a 20 per cent increase in adoption of self service check in options across all these hubs. It is also significant that this holds true among transit passengers who exercised the self service check in option at over 200 other airports.

“The main obstacles to the further rise of self service are check in baggage which is being addressed by the industry through revised bag-drop processes, and the necessity to have access to a printer to acquire a boarding pass through web check-in.

“This last issue is being addressed by the industry through adoption of the mobile Bar Code Boarding Pass (BCBP) which will allow a BCBP to be sent from the web check-in interface to the passenger’s mobile phone. In fact, 66 per cent of the self service check-in users would prefer an electronic boarding pass.”

In 2009, the world’s busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson, Atlanta, found that self service check-in reached a record 83.9 per cent in 2009, up from 64 per cent in 2008.

Web check-in was used by 25.6 per cent of departing passengers at Mumbai International Airport making it by far the most popular self service option for Indian passengers. Kiosk check in is still the most popular self service user option at Atlanta (45.8 per cent) Paris (18.9 per cent) and Johannesburg (8.1 per cent) while web check-in proved the most popular option with passengers in Moscow (9.2 per cent) and Sao Paulo (6.4 per cent).

There has been a very positive attitude among passengers when it comes to checking in with kiosks, with 75 per cent preferring this option to 62.5 per cent opting for website check-in and 44 per cent of passengers more positive towards mobile check in.

Passengers flying on more than 100 different airlines and representing over 80 different nationalities were interviewed during April/June 2009 in this independent survey.

Shoppers are embracing the world of self service kiosks. Many have incorporated the clever systems into their every day lives to make things faster, easier and suited to their needs and requirements.

In recent news, DallasNews.com interviewed several shoppers asking them about their usage of self service kiosks.

One man, Bryon Wiebold, said, “Anything I can automate, I do for the sake of time. It is not that I want people totally eliminated, but I appreciate the option if I am in a hurry or in a bad mood.”

And DIY services are continuing to edge into our every day life, via kiosks, smart-phone applications and the Internet. Already people are doing most of their shopping online or visiting their local supermarket for a sandwich using the touch screen checkouts to process their purchase.

Many hospitals and doctors surgeries have implemented touch screen kiosks to reduce the waiting time for patients when checking in for their appointment.

And taking it that one step further some customers even have machines that give vision exams and scan feet to produce customer insoles.

And the proof is really in the pudding. Kiosk transactions are expected to surpass $775 billions this year, up from $607 billion in 2008. These figures releases by IHL Group, who track the self service industry believe the total could hit $1.6 trillion by 2013.

And businesses are cottoning on to how big this industry is and how it can potential affect sales in their company. The movie rental business are currently in a DVD rental war with Redbox taking the firing line against Blockbuster taking 30 per cent of the US market to continue through to 2010. Blockbuster, on the other hand, are closing 960 of its unprofibable stores and installing 10,000 kiosks in their place.

The turning point for kiosks came in 2001 when Kroger and Home Depot installed self checkouts. Lee Holman, lead retail analyst for IHL Group, said, “After some hand-holding, consumers have embraced it. Now their’s a perception that ‘I can do this quicker.’”

According to an IHL survey, almost 90 per cent of consumers said they used self-checkout ‘even if they didn’t like it,’ Holman said.

And now they are situated across every retail part, supermarket store, airport, train station, in fact any busy place you can think of you will probably find a kiosk or touch screen system.

If you think that a kiosk is the way forward for your business and would like to actively speak to a company that purely deals with kiosks and touch screen systems, then contact Europe’s leading distributor and manufacturer Protouch today.

Many reports and documentaries state that our health system is not moving with the times.

The general public are continuously urging the Government to look into the health service and find where improvements can be made.

One very grey area, which is overlooked by many Government departments, is the use of technologies in coordination with patients’ medical records, and how it can further improve the quality, safety and efficiency of care.

And it’s not just patient medical records that new self service systems can help. If implemented into the health system correctly, health care providers can overcome longstanding hurdles to the successful exchange of health information and meet the challenges of an increasingly complex environment through self service kiosks.

One of the prime examples and problems that the health care industry faces when going digital is determining what to do with all the paper forms that contain vital patient information.

Patient check-in processes creates numerous forms for each patients, including consent and privacy documents which can easily be avoided if kiosks are implemented in their place.

Many medical companies have managed to deluge of paper by scanning or re-entering the data into the medical record, but this practice increases the potential for error and minimises the cost and efficiency that kiosks provide.

If patients are able to register though kiosks and online applications, health care providers are able to capture patient information electronically from the very beginning of an encounter.

This instantly eliminates the need for duplicate data entry and creates a seamless flow of patient information from check-in through treatment and beyond.

In the US alone, more than 200 health care organisations are using self service to eliminate paper forms. One health system estimates that it will save 30 million sheets of paper in 2009 alone though the deployment and use of self service systems and kiosks.

Making the patient registration process automatic can also have a significant impact on efficiency. Self service systems can facilitate the use and exchange of patient information and reduce wait times, which are shown to be 75 per cent shorter when self service technology is in use.

According to a recent survey conducted by Buzzback Research, patients are ready for the change to self service. 72 per cent of US consumers said they are more likely to select a health care provider that offers the ability to interact via online, mobile and kiosk self service channels.

Giving patients the ability to enter and verify their own health information electronically results in fewer errors, improved data quality and ultimately, better care. For example, reviewing and signing consent documents via a kiosk leads to a more comprehensive, consistent informed consent process that better educates patients about procedures and enhances overall safety.

And as the health care industry begins to embrace patients use of IT and self service systems, the more the benefits will start to show for both the health care industry and the patients.

Already, the growth of self service in other industries such as retail, banking and travel further reinforces the productivity and cost gains that self-service delivers and creates a model for how the technology can improve efficiency, lower costs and improve patient experience.

For more information about implementing a kiosk into your business, visit www.protouch.co.uk

We don’t know why this happens but people are naturally drawn to technology gadgets situated in non technology places.

From supermarket self service kiosks to ticket kiosks at the train station, consumers are intrigued as to what is on offer and what information they can find.

A kiosk which has caught the eye of many shoppers is the ‘Shop to Cook’ electronic recipe kiosk. Positioned between the produce and meat departments the kiosk stands out a treat and entices customers to have a sneak peak at what is going on.

Standing at 7ft tall and a couple of feet wide, the kiosk has a large touch screen with “Every Day With Rachael Ray” written across the top. The content for the kiosk is provided by the Reader’s Digest Association, a trusted source by shoppers and owners of the Rachael Ray magazine, as well as Taste of Home and Allrecipes.com.

The kiosks also sells integrated advertising on the kiosks for other companies to advertise their products. That way the kiosk is paying for itself through advertisements.

Another successful recipe kiosk for instore is the Shop to Cook kiosk implemented into hundreds of stores around the USA. Through research conducted by the kiosk manufacturers, they found that 62 per cent of people who used the kiosk for recipe ideas purchased the ingredients on the same day.

The deployment of these kiosks are a prime example of companies having to redefine themselves in order to correspond and adapt to people’s change in lifestyle and the current economical climate.

Electronic publishing is taking over old media traditions as Reader’s Digest filed for bankruptcy protection in August. June saw the publication announce plans to publish just 10 months of the year with its workers forced to take a week of unpaid holiday-those that were not made redundant that is.

Since this dramatic fall Reader’s Digest saw the need to innovate hence starting the Shop to Cook kiosk.

The kiosk offers an array of information for its users. From recipes for produce, meat, seafood, losing weight and a wide range of other categories, visitors simply find a recipe they like, print it off on thermopaper all complete in just a few seconds.

The point of this article is simple. Deploying a kiosk into your business can introduce new and exciting ways for customers to shop. The recipes on this kiosk are also available on the website so visitors can browse from home and then print the recipe in store instead of writing it all down at home.

The move into a kiosk mad world is a slow starter but gradually this is what our life will become. It needs the bigger companies to change their tradtional sales and advertisement mechanisms in order for smaller companies to follow suit.

This month, we are excited to be exhibiting our three off the shelf kiosk designs at the KioskCom Self Service Expo 2009.

Starting on the 30th September at the Olympia in London, we will be exhibiting our Xen Kiosk Series for visitors to view and order on the same day. 

As well as exhibiting our multifunctional kiosk, Protouch’s managing director, Tom Quarry will be taking part in the education programme, holding a seminar at 1.45pm-2.15pm on the 30th September called ‘EPoS for the store of the future.’

Tom will discuss Protouch’s award winning EPoS kiosk hardware, focusing on the Kiddicare case study. Attendees will learn how our award winning kiosk managed more customers with less staff costs, as well as increasing customer spend and enhancing the sales processed in store.

Our stand will be based at 162 and will display the wall mountable Xen X4, the award winning slim floor standing Xen X5 and the larger floor standing Xen X6.

All users and resellers are encouraged to come along to our stand to talk to our team about their kiosk needs. We have a wide range of applications that can be installed onto the kiosks to make them relevant to each business such as: an Internet kiosk, ticket kiosk, payment kiosk, information kiosk, card dispensing kiosk and much more.

We at Protouch want to meet the extremely wide need for self service kiosks and make kiosk deployment simple. Our kiosks offer numerous accessory combinations which can easily be modified, at any time.

Customers simply select what they want, choose their accessories and graphics; resulting in a fully customised kiosk.

Our kiosks on display have already proven themselves to be successful products in varying industry sectors. Refined over the last nine years each kiosk is set to meet three specific economies of scale; quality, price and reliability, suitable for end users and retailers.

This strategy has seen us achieve a top quality kiosk system in the award winning and innovative Xen X5 Kiddicare Kiosk, which will be fully explained in Tom’s kiosk seminar.

As well as the kiosk seminar and exhibition, we will also be taking part in the Minicom Digital Signage Expert Tour KioskCom. This free tour will provide an overview of a selection of carefully hand-picked exhibitors, following the accurate path of the digital signage supply chain.

From content creation to digital measure ment, the tour will outline how they fit into the overall Digital Signage Puzzle.

The tour has been specifically designed to give visitors a bird’s eye view of the overall application by providing the full end-to-end story with real live demos of each piece in the puzzle, and overview of the solution which visitors would not normally get. Visitors can sign up for the tour here.

Xen X4 by Protouch

A self service kiosk can be installed into any business and used to provide a wide range of services to facilitate and enhance customer and staff experience.

Already airports have installed many kiosks so customers can check themselves in when arriving to catch their plane, reducing the queue time and staff needed on the main check in desks. This giant leap for airports has given customers a sense of control of their travel

as well as reducing the frustration many customers have when queuing to check in.

The health industry have also benefited from interactive kiosks which has reduced the pressure of admin work many doctors have to deal with on a daily basis. An interactive kiosk can be installed in any of the departments and used for a range of multi-functional purposes i.e. self check-in in busy offices, informational/web access in waiting rooms, and virtual “nurses stations” on patient floors.

Kiosks can even be installed with printers allowing the printing of patient information, magnetic card stripe readers can be used for patient check-in and to authenticate staff, and signature pads can be used to capture doctors’ signatures on orders.

Government

agencies can also highly benefit from being able to redeploy and configure kiosks with the hardware and software needed for each department. For example, interactive kiosks can be used for self check-in in busy offices, and completing applications online. The signature pad can be used to capture customer signatures, and the printer can facilitate work flow through various stations within an office.

Financial Institutions can use interactive kiosks for a variety of applications withing retail branches, optional devices can be used to take customers well beyond simple online banking in the branch. For instance, customers can retrieve more information via kiosks about services the bank provide instead of waiting in the queue to speak to an advisor. If they want to cash some money in, interactive kiosks can be specially and securely designed for customers to control their account.

The retail industry can definitely benefit from interactive kiosks as they can reduce queuing, provide information about products and services and keep customers come back to your store because of the happy and efficient service. Many retailers such as Argos have implemented touch screen kiosks so that customers don’t have to wait in long queues and can manage their own payments in their own time.

For more information about touch screen kiosks and how they can benefit your business, visit Protouch today.

There are so many different uses for a self service kiosk, and the potential of them can really broaden your businesses horizons and potentially bring more people through your door.

In fact a kiosk can provide so much information and be of a great help to customers, that you can potentially reduce the amount of staff on duty and look to use them for other work and save money in the long run.

While staff supervising kiosks is always a good thing-especially when people may have difficulty in using it the system-you need to make sure that your staff are highly trained in how the kiosk works and to help customer navigate round the kiosk.

There aren’t really any limitations to the software that can be uploaded onto a kiosk, as it is simply a computer that is readily created and developed to provide instant access to information suited for the purpose of your business.

Here are a list of ways a kiosk can benefit you.

1. Price Checking
2. Product Information/Location
3. Guided Selling
4. Electronic Gift Card Purchasing/Activation
5. Store Mapping
6. Coupon Dispensing
7. Self Check-In
8. Web Access
9. Point of Information (For use in Tourist Information Offices, Galleries, Museums)

Kiosks can even been installed with a range of multi-functional programmes so you can give your customers the best of both worlds.

For more information about self service kiosks and how to deploy them into your business, visit Protouch today.

Protouchare the leading distributor and manufacturer of touchscreen equipment and have built a range of different interactive kiosk solutions for a variety of businesses including Specsavers, Man United and Kiddicare.