Interactivity, particularly with touch screen kiosks, is something many of your customers have come to expect. They want to be able to engage with your business without having to wait for a store assistant to be available. 26% of shoppers say that engaging digital content influences their purchasing decisions and 22% say they shop longer as a result. An even more significant indicator of the demand for interactivity in your store is that a global average of 57% of customers say digital experiences play an essential role when choosing which store to shop in.
How can you provide your customers with interactive elements in your store to keep them engaged and to stay longer? Touch screen kiosks are a particularly effective way to achieve this. Keep reading to find out what touch screen kiosks are and examples of how you could implement them.
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How could a touch screen kiosk benefit your business?
What are touch screen kiosks?
Freestanding Touch Kiosks provide a user-friendly way for your customers to interact with your business without the need for an available human employee. The specialised display responds when your customers press on the screen with their fingers. By doing this, users can engage with your business by finding the information they desire and having it displayed on the screen. This is something traditional or static displays can’t do as they are set to only show specific information that your customers cannot interact with.
These devices are typically placed in easy-to-access areas, so that important functions like your checkout and wayfinding are readily available to all. Your customers will appreciate this, as 66% of consumers prefer self-service over interacting with an employee because it is faster and less stressful.
A touch screen kiosk consists of a screen held in place by an attached stand or enclosure and specific software depending on the purpose the kiosk will serve. In terms of the hardware, touch screen kiosks, such as LamasaTech’s Guida kiosks, are made with industrial-grade components providing them with high levels of durability to protect them in busy public environments.
The software loaded onto your touch screen kiosk will depend on how you intend to use it. For example, retail stores and supermarkets may use these devices as self-service points allowing their customers to quickly move through the checkout process without having to wait for a human till operator to become available. In this case, the kiosk would have payment and checkout software installed to allow customers to complete transactions. If the touch screen kiosk was being used as a freestanding display to present an interactive advertisement, then a digital signage platform, such as PeakSignage, would be installed.
How could a touch screen kiosk benefit your business?
Reduce waiting times
Touch screen kiosks can provide your customers with an alternative method of gaining information, like the Guida Indoor kiosk seen below, or completing a purchase. Without this option, your customers have to wait for one of your sales assistants to become available. On busy days this wait could go over 9 minutes, which is the amount of time shoppers are likely to give up waiting and leave. In fact, 86% of consumers will avoid a store if they think that the queue is too long.
Interactive solutions, such as touch screen kiosks, can reduce the waiting times in your store by 40%. Your customers can gain the information they want without having to wait for human assistance and then quickly checkout using the self-service kiosks.
To learn more about self-service kiosks and what they offer, visit this blog post.
The touch element of these kiosks means that the desired information or action occurs instantly, which helps to speed up this process. Your customers do not need to wait for a sales assistant to locate the information they want, instead, they can approach a touch kiosk and search for that product or store information. This is then displayed instantly with no waiting involved.
Increased revenue
Introducing touch screen kiosks that can provide your customers with product information or store details means that your employees can dedicate their time to other important tasks. As a result, you’ll see an increase in the efficiency of your workforce as they are not having to spend as much time assisting customers. Your business will then benefit from a reduction in operating costs and expenses as your staff can complete their duties more quicker.
An important benefit this technology can provide you with is that it will allow your business to serve more customers. As mentioned above, touch kiosks provide fast service. Not only does this keep waiting times down but also means your business is able to serve more customers. You’ll also be able to attract an increased number of customers with this self-service technology which can further boost your business’s income. According to research on restaurants, more than 65% of customers said they would visit a restaurant more often if self-service kiosks were offered. This can be translated to various industries as customers in general are looking for ways they can interact with businesses and get the information or service they desire quickly.
Higher customer retention
In order to retain the loyalty of your customers your business needs to provide them with the service they are looking for. As mentioned above, customers are actively looking to engage more with businesses that can provide interactive self-service options, such as touch screen kiosks. 30% of customers prefer to order from a kiosk versus a cashier even if the lines are the same length. By offering your customers this option you will be providing them with their preferred choice of service, which will encourage them to return to your business again in the future.
Also, your customers are looking for fast service. 49.4% of retail customers use self-service checkouts because they find the experience to be faster. As stated above, this is a capability of touch screen kiosks. These devices are able to fulfil your customer’s needs immediately with no waiting involved. Achieving this will provide your customers with a positive customer experience, further encouraging them to return to your store in the future.
Examples of uses
Advertising
One way you could deploy your touch screen kiosk is as an advertising display. Unlike a traditional display, your customers would be able to interact with your content, which provides a much more engaging experience. For example, the content on your display could be a game where your customers have to tap matching products. You could also include a leaderboard to encourage them to return and try again. By engaging your customers for longer you are able to communicate your messages clearly and reaffirm them in your customer’s minds.
Another useful feature that specifically outdoor touch kiosks provide, like the Guida kiosk seen above, is increased accessibility. Having your kiosk placed outside of your store means that you can continue to communicate your messages to passing potential customers even when your store is closed.
Information
Touch screen kiosks are particularly effective as information points. Whether it’s inside a shopping centre, tourist information or a corporate building, these devices can be loaded with all of the relevant information about the area that your customers may need.
The home screen on your kiosk could have various categories of information that your customers could desire. For example, in a shopping centre, you may have information on the different stores located here as well as opening times and where the emergency exits are located. Your customers would be able to tap on a specific category to bring up the information they desire and immediately become informed.
Wayfinding
As a wayfinding kiosk, you’ll be able to inform your customers about the nearby area and direct them to the locations they desire. Similar to the information kiosk, your touch screen kiosk could have a set of categories on the home screen for your customers to tap on. For example, you could include restaurants, events and local stores. Your customers would simply tap on the location they want to go and would then be shown directions for how to get there from their current location.
Although often seen in retail environments, large corporate buildings can also find wayfinding particularly useful. Due to a large number of offices, it can be difficult for your visitors who aren’t familiar with the layout of the complex. Having a touch screen kiosk with wayfinding software will allow them to type in name of the room they are heading to or select it from a list, this would then bring up directions helping them to navigate to their destination.
Ready to add the benefits of a touch screen kiosk to your business?
You can explore our kiosk range here.
LamasaTech is a leader in digital display technology with over 12 years of experience. We support customers across a range of industries including retail, military and defence, government and public sector, technology, hospitality and education contact us today!
