As companies in a range of industries seek to reduce costs, increase revenue opportunities, and improve customer service, they are increasingly turning to interactive kiosks as an additional channel to enable their customers with self-service options. The number of interactive kiosks in operation will rise from approximately 1.6 million deployed in 2011 to nearly three million deployed globally by 2016.
"The self-service technology trend has been occurring for several years, with consumers increasingly seeking greater convenience in the channels that they choose to utilize," says Sam Lucero, practice director, M2M connectivity. "At the center of this self-service technology trend are interactive kiosks. Kiosks are not a new channel by any means, but consumers worldwide have grown more accustomed to using them for everything from self- checkout in the supermarket to checking in for their flight at an airport."
Interactive kiosks are having a particular impact on the following seven market segments:
• Entertainment (e.g. DVD rental, photo printing, movie ticket ordering) • Retail (e.g. self-checkout, deli-counter ordering, product information) • Travel (e.g. airport check-in, hotel check-in/check-out) • Financial services (e.g. bill payment, coin exchange, check cashing) • Healthcare (e.g. patient check-in, patient information, prescription refills) • Municipal & government (e.g. train/bus ticketing, driver's license renewal, tax payment) • Information/other (e.g. human resources)
While the interactive kiosk market is expected to grow strongly over the next five years, there remain challenges to address. "Interactive kiosks in various segments, such as healthcare, can face challenges regarding consumer acceptance, channel conflict with other means of interacting with the consumer, and with automated customer service not meeting a desired level of personalized support," says Lucero.
