LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Employee-facing self-service is on the rise, and more self-service devices will be managed centrally in the next several years.
Norma Wolcott, an IBM business-line executive of consumer-service solutions, and Chris Fletcher, research director for AMR Research, conducted the webinar, which offered self-service players tips on conducting industry interviews, delivering compelling self-service information to end-users and engaging consumers in innovative ways.
Based on the findings of a recent AMR Research survey and IBM's experience in the consumer-service market, Wolcott and Fletcher discussed emerging operational best practices to enhance the shopping experience. The pair also touched on current and future use of self-service selling tools, such as kiosks, digital signage, and mobile devices; software applications that are driving investments; cross-industry dynamics driving consumer expectations; and customer examples of successful implementations.
The webinar presented several new industry statistics:
- 68 percent of retailers will have employee-facing portable devices in place by the end of 2010, with an average of 16 devices installed in each store — a four-fold increase from today.
- Only 61 percent of retailers, however, will have deployed consumer-facing portable devices by the end of 2010. Department stores are the exception, in that they are expected to continue using portable devices in the form of gift registry.
- 40 percent of retailers plan to increase self-service spending in 2008 by an average of 17 percent.
- 64 percent of self-service applications will be managed centrally by the end of 2010.
- 72 percent of retailers will provide Web site access within their stores via self-service by the end of 2010.
- 79 percent of retailers say they will have least one kiosk in place for use by the end of 2010, and 49 percent of store locations will have kiosks, nearly double today’s percentage.
Deployment of digital displays also is booming. By 2010, 75 percent of retailers are expected to have digital displays, averaging six per store, commanding a presence in 41 percent of all U.S. store locations.
Go here to view the webinar. 
