Customer Experience

2022 Kiosk Marketplace Census Report: Rapid growth returns in 2021 as consumers embrace self service

The Census provides statistics on the self-serve kiosk industry's size, operating metrics and outlook.

March 2, 2022 by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

2021 marked a turning point for the self-serve kiosk industry as consumer acceptance of self service reached a banner level, driven in part by the coronavirus pandemic.

In 2021, the self-serve kiosk industry took on new relevance as many closed businesses and organizations reopened and sought technologies to protect visitors, customers and employees. The industry resumed the double-digit growth curve of the three consecutive years prior to 2020.

Global sales of interactive kiosks — not including ATMs and food vending machines — reached an estimated $12.1 billion in 2021, marking a 14% gain over the $10.6 billion in 2020 and surpassing the $11.9 billion in 2019, according to the Kiosk Marketplace Industry Census.

The Census, now in its fifth year, provides statistics on the self-serve kiosk industry's size, operating metrics and outlook. It holds the distinction of presenting statistical information generated from both user organizations and suppliers of self-serve kiosks. Where most kiosk market studies offer supplier-provided information, the Kiosk Marketplace Census information is mostly user organization provided.

The data in the report's 47 charts is based on online questionnaires completed by Kiosk Marketplace readers in November and December of 2021. Readers were asked about their number of installations, plans for future deployments, operating costs, investment in research and development, sales methodology, kiosk content strategy, return on investment, outlook on technology, level of optimism and expected challenges.

The charts and commentary in the 67-page report are based on input from nearly 300 questionnaires as well as phone interviews with Kiosk Marketplace readers.

The report is divided into five reader segments:

1. User organizations that host kiosks (retailers, consumer brands, governments, restaurants, gaming establishments and transportation services).
2. Kiosk hardware manufacturers.
3. Kiosk software manufacturers.
4. Value-added kiosk resellers.
5. Kiosk hardware component manufacturers.

Much of the growth in 2021 was driven by a reviving retail industry, the largest single self-serve kiosk user segment. Highlights include:

The consumers' acceptance of e-commerce during the pandemic played an important role in the demand for self-serve kiosks, as the consumer tendency to use technology to shop encouraged brands and retailers to expand self-service offerings.
Another factor was rising consumer acceptance of mobile payment. The survey once again found "integration with mobile order-and-pay" as one of the topped ranked technologies by both kiosk user and supplier organizations.
One sign of rising consumer acceptance of mobile payment was the continued expansion of the fully automated store concept pioneered by Amazon Go stores in 2016.
Many retailers in 2021 found self-checkout technology a great way to extend their operating hours with less overhead than a traditional storefront. In many instances, retail kiosks intended as temporary measures to serve customers during pandemic closures became permanent fixtures.

Survey respondents were significantly more optimistic in 2021 than in 2020.

The report is available for purchase at the Kiosk Marketplace online store. To order the report, click here.

For an update on how the coronavirus pandemic has affected kiosks, click here.

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