STRATEGIC PARTNERS
Lief Larson, founder and former editor-in-chief of Kiosk magazine, offers some practical tips on making a kiosk project successful after it is plugged in and turned on.
November 13, 2005
It is a reality that a ton of planning goes into a kiosk project. From hardware selection to software design, perfecting the configuration and operation of the deployment can be a daunting task, to say the least. Once the program is launched, however, one of the most important components remains, and it is a step that a lot of people skip.
Post-deployment marketing?
You've invested tens of thousands of dollars, or in some cases millions, in a self-service application built around a specific user/customer and a specific purpose. If people have done their jobs, the enclosure design and supplemental signage of the kiosk make the purpose of the kiosk easy to recognize and understand by customers. But assuming that the mere existence of the kiosk will ensure usage is naive. A post-deployment marketing plan can help you introduce the kiosk to your users/customers and even get them to use it.
When is the best time to plan?
While it is never too early to plan, it is also never too late. The important thing is to publish the message in as many different directions as possible. Not only will different types of media appeal to different types of customers, but the shotgun approach gives your message its widest reach.
What tactics are worth considering?
Over my six years with Kiosk magazine, I've seen all types of interesting gimmicks to build awareness for the kiosk or to get consumers simply to use them. One good example is grocery stores that advertise specials or print coupons only good at the kiosk.
Kodak, for another example, ran national television advertising spots for its PictureMaker kiosks. British Telecom created an innovative program called "What's Your Party Piece," where customers were prompted to use the kiosk's picture phone to e-mail a crazy face or a joke for a chance at cold, hard cash. Then there was the jewelry store that ran its usual radio spots, but this time it talked about its new kiosks and how customers could use them to search a larger inventory of rings and diamonds. The point is, knowing your audience and talking to them about the kiosk through traditional marketing methods can prove one of the best ways to have customers walk in with anticipation of the new technology.
And don't forget the word-of-mouth factor. Educating a smaller, selective group of customers on the technology can often yield great results. Many times I've been in the self-checkout line at the grocery store or Home Depot and watched one customer teaching another customer how to use the system. Once people learn how this technology can simplify their lives, they seem to feel an innate responsibility to evangelize to others.
Market internally, too. Another important tactic is to pitch store employees on the concept of the kiosk and how it can be used as a sales tool and to make the store operate more efficiently. When kiosks were in their infancy, I would often encounter salespersons or store representatives that had no more idea how the kiosk functioned than the customer did. Today, as part of the sales process, many deployers are training employees on the purpose of the system and how to use it.
Who's doing what now?
I've recently seen two major post-deployment marketing programs that appear to be effective.
First is McDonald's local spot advertising to support the rollout of its Redbox DVD kiosks, which are now in more than 400 of the quick-serve restaurants. In the television ads, the kiosk is the center of attention (as is the fact that a DVD costs only $1 for the first night). In-store, the spots are supported heavily with signage. The program is extremely impressive, both for its technology as well as the post-deployment marketing strategy.
The second post-deployment marketing program that stands out right now is that of the Automated Postal Center from the United States Postal Service. In a move to extend quick, easy and convenient access to postal products and services when and where customers want it, the Postal Service late last year introduced its new self-service kiosk. The machine lets customers weigh and send packages and letters, buy stamps and some extra services, and search for ZIP codes at times convenient to them, in some places even 24/7. Available services include express mail, priority mail, first-class mail, parcel post, delivery confirmation and stamps in self-adhesive sheets of 18.
After announcing a rollout of some 2,500 APCs around the country, the Postal Service supported rollouts with a postcard sent to residents in ZIP codes where terminals were available.
The marketing programs show that to reach new people to get them to use new technology, a deployer's best friend can be the tried-and-true marketing means and savvy that have served businesses well for decades.
Lief Larson is founder and former editor-in-chief of Kiosk magazine.
This article appeared in theC-store Self-Service Executive Summary, Winter 2005.
