Types of retail kiosks

Retailers are adopting kiosks to reduce queues, personalize the shopping experience for customers and improve customer service. As retail kiosks become ever more innovative and able to complete an increasing number of different functions within a shop/store, the possibilities for modern retailers are almost endless.

Interactive retail kiosks offer retailers an excellent opportunity to get ahead of their competition and deliver a great digital shopping experience that attracts customers from all generations. They are a great way to deliver the convenience that is most associated with online shopping within shops, all while preserving the unique and much-loved features of physical in-store retail. In this article, we explore the key types of retail kiosks and recommend how they can be used by retailers to deliver a great retail experience.

KEY TYPES OF RETAIL KIOSKS AND HOW TO USE THEM

Retail kiosks are available in many shapes and sizes. Deciding between the many different types of kiosks can be a challenge, but not when you have a kiosk design and manufacturing specialist like Pan Oston to guide you. Most retailers will benefit from introducing multiple types of kiosks. However, some may select one type to complete a single function or to deliver a slower and more gradual rollout. Whichever approach you choose, you are likely to benefit significantly from their use.

SELF-SERVICE CHECKOUT KIOSK

The most common area where retail kiosks are deployed is in the checkout zone. Self-service checkout kiosks are deployed by all types of retailers from supermarkets and DIY chains to fashion shops and garden centres. Adopting self-service checkout kiosks is a great way to empower your customers to shop their own way and beat the queues that are often an unwelcome feature in checkout zones without self-service technology.

Customer frustration in retail checkout zones is more prevalent than it should be given that kiosk technology is available to reduce it significantly. Frustrated customers can be incredibly costly to retailers, as they are more likely to leave your shop for a competitor and their customer loyalty is likely to be damaged in the longer term. In order to protect your bottom line, trying to eliminate as much customer frustration as possible is key.

Adopting self-service checkout kiosks in your retail checkout zone is easier than you might think. Choosing a Pan Oston self-service checkout kiosk with its modular and component-based design will provide you with the maximum possible flexibility to create a solution that meets the needs of your customers. Our ESSENCE and SLIM product families offer a great range of kiosks and checkouts that can transform your checkout zone and delight your customers.

INFORMATION KIOSK & INTERACTIVE KIOSK

Information is everywhere and having the right information at your customers' fingertips is valuable to all retailers. Imagine being able to present an interactive map to customers so they can find a specific area or product in your shop/store easily or showcasing your product catalog in an interactive way. All of this and much more is possible by adopting an information kiosk. Improving access to key information can help to increase sales, boost customer satisfaction and streamline retail processes.

Delivering a modern customer experience is easy with an interactive retail kiosk. It is possible to provide a customized user experience to every customer that they can interact with in their own way. This type of retail kiosk is also well suited to providing help & advice in the form of FAQs or a live chat, both of these tools can save your customer service team a significant amount of time.

Information kiosks and interactive kiosks can be the perfect addition to most retail spaces. If you are considering an interactive kiosk, why not choose a Red Dot Design award winner? Our BLUE FIRE kiosk is functional and stylish and boasts a premium touchscreen for a great user experience, multiple integrated hardware options, integrated payment solutions and all the connectivity options that a retailer needs. Simply choose from our range of design & branding options to apply your corporate colours and wrap images or even advertising onto the body of the kiosk. The BLUE FIRE kiosk family is easy to service and easy to use, making it the perfect choice for retailers and their customers.

PRE-ORDER & SELF-ORDER KIOSK

Space is very much a premium for retailers, in many shops/stores it is not possible to showcase every product range and product to your customers. A self-ordering kiosk is the ideal solution to this critical problem, as it makes it possible for you to provide your customers with an unrivalled product range in an interactive and user-friendly way. This has the potential to increase your sales significantly as your customers will not be restricted by the product range on display or product availability. Further to this, as the retailer, you will have the opportunity to promote other products through cross-selling and up-selling opportunities. It is an example of how physical retail can provide an engaging and interactive experience that can complement many of the popular features of online shopping.

It is also an excellent solution for providing a pre-ordering facility in your shops/stores. What do your customers currently need to do to pre-order a new product? If they have to join the main queue in your checkout zone, they are likely to become frustrated while queuing, at which point they may decide to abandon their pre-order attempt. They will also be extending the queue for customers that are purchasing products that are available, which will be to the detriment of their customer experience. Why not provide a fast and personalized pre-ordering experience that will delight your customers and secure the all-important pre-order? Delivering a superior pre-order experience that guides customers through the process of securing the product/s that they desire and empowers them to pay their own way by cash, card or contactless payment.

Introducing a pre-order kiosk or self-ordering kiosk into your retail space is easy when you choose a forward-thinking technology partner such as Pan Oston. We are experienced at helping retailers across all sectors to make the most of retail kiosk technology. Our award-winning design team have created a number of kiosks that are well suited to pre-ordering and self-ordering functions in the retail environment. Choosing one of our kiosks will provide you with a sustainable solution that will future proof your business. Expect minimal maintenance and easy upgrades with plug and play functionality. Our BLUE FIRE, ESSENCE and SLIM kiosk product families offer an excellent range of self-ordering kiosks to choose from.

WHAT IS THE BEST KIOSK SELF-SERVICE SOLUTION FOR YOUR SHOP?

Our team of retail kiosk specialists are ready to help your shop/store find the perfect kiosk solutions. We deliver innovative kiosk solutions that are modular or fully customized to your requirements. Our kiosks offer the ultimate flexibility to retailers as they are software and hardware independent, which gives you the freedom to choose the technology that best fits your shop/store and any existing retail systems that are in place. Every step of the process is proactively managed by our team of experienced specialists from the initial design to the final installation.

Our client base includes retailers of all sizes including M&S, SPAR, COOP and BRP Systems. Pan Oston's team of over 170+ specialists with over 50 years of experience have in-house design, manufacturing and project management capabilities that are ready to help you transform your retail space. Choosing Pan Oston means that you will be working with an award-winning company that has won the prestigious Red Dot Design award for our BLUE FIRE kiosk range.

Why not find out how we can help your shop/store make the most of retail kiosks? Contact our UK sales team today to discuss your requirements with one of our specialists.