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Notable kiosk deployments of 2011

KioskMarketplace.com points out a few of the year's successful kiosk projects.

December 14, 2011

It seems new uses for kiosks emerge every year, and 2011 was no exception. From phone charging to predicting the future, kiosks have invaded a variety of industries. Here's a look back at some of the year's notable launches.

Industry: Bill pay
Although bill-pay kiosks aren't new, TIO Network Corp. recently deployed one of the largest networks the state of California has seen. Utility company PG&E's nearly 6 million customers in Northern and Central California are using the mobile bill payment platform to make bill payments via mobile phones.

"The deployment included ADA-compliant kiosks to adhere to the most recent requirements for ADA accommodation by the state," said Joseph Nakhla, COO of TIO Networks. "This represents one of the largest kiosks deployment in the U.S. by a utility and is also complemented by TIO's mobile applications to provide a truly multichannel convenience for PG&E's customers."

The mobile application allows customers to make payments using their credit or debit cards, facilitated with the help of Denver-based cloud computing application developer IPCommerce. Customers may also make payments using their bank accounts.

Industry: Travel
Self-service has been a staple in the airline industry for years, but this year a new kiosk popped up inside Hudson News stores throughout U.S. airports. KEO, developed by KEOConnect and Frank Mayer & Associates, developed the kiosk that allows travelers to leave their phones locked up and charging at airport stores while they shop and eat between flights.

KEO not only provides free phone charges, it also has updatable video content including travel tips, entertainment, seasonal guides and product recommendations. The touchscreen technology updates travelers with up-to-the minute flight info, news, weather, sports and more. KEO will also be incorporating multimedia capabilities including movies, music, magazines and books in the near future.

Passengers are responding well to the pilot programs already running in several Hudson News stores throughout the country's largest airports, according to Ron Bowers of Frank Mayer.

"Hudson News has been very excited about the success and the impact it has had on sales, along with the convenience it has offered the traveler and airport operations," said Bowers, who isn't yet allowed to release the final tallies but said they were positive.

The phone charging process can take 10 minutes or up to 60 minutes, so there's a lengthy set-up process to ensure the phones are locked up safely. It takes users through nine screens before the registration is done and charging can begin.

"Yeah, it is a learning curve, but your phone is your whole life, so you have to know it's safe," Bowers said.

Industry: Predicting the future
Perhaps the most unusual self-service deployment of 2011 was the August launchof the Psychic Friends Network kiosks.

In addition to its pay-per-minute phone calls with psychics, the PFN rolled out psychic-reading kiosks to allow customers to get a fully-interactive personal reading with a psychic via a high-definition screen built into the kiosk.

According to the announcement, Mike Lasky, the CEO of The Psychic Friends Network who did more than $1 billion dollars in business with a customer base of 9 million customers, is now working closely with New Age Entertainment to bring it worldwide in all media venues.

Industry: Sports
The Cincinnati Reds deployed kiosks, designed by KIOSK Information Systems, this year in hopes of better connecting with fans.

The baseball team met its goal, according to Josh Blair of nSixty, the company that developed the kiosk technology. Blair said 3,803 people have used the three kiosks inside Great American Ballpark, which give fans the chance to conduct "virtual" interviews with their favorite players. They can share those videos via e-mail, Facebook and Twitter. So, far the kiosks have helped create 705 videos.

The machines, designed by Kiosk Information Systems, have fully-automated video recording stations, touchscreen displays and an instant upload and email notification system for providing on-the-spot video recording functions. Each also has a coupon printer that gives users a 2-for-1 admission coupon to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum, with random users receiving a free admission coupon.

Click here to watch the video Blair and his son made at a recent baseball game.

Industry: Green
Although developed in 2008, ecoATM announced this year that it received $14.4 million in funding to expand its kiosk system that buys back used electronics directly from consumers for cash or store credit.

The funding from Coinstar, Claremont Creek Ventures and Silicon Valley Bank helped the startup to manufacture and deploy about 100 machines this year. Plans are in the works for up to 1,000 by 2012, and then thousands beyond that, according to Mark Bowles, ecoATM co-founder and chief marketing officer.

"It provides a valuable, convenient service that consumers appreciate," said Adam Ortlieb, associate director, marketing of Seiko Instruments. His company provides the kiosks with printers that produce receipts, coupons and bar codes. "By comparison, the last time I upgraded a cellphone, the provider offered to accept my old phone as a donation. There was no compensation. For retailers, it is a solution they do not have to invest resources in to maintain, and it can drive incremental revenue via in-store redemption."

According to the Consumer Electronics Association, U.S. consumers collectively buy about 500 million new electronic gadgets each year, and upgrade cycles are short as manufacturers tempt consumers with new features. The average U.S. household now owns 26 different consumer electronic devices for a total of nearly 3 billion devices. The majority of these devices are still in good working condition when consumers upgrade.

Industry: Restaurant
Kiosks busted lines and improved customer service this year, according to David Jones, CEO of Blazing Onion Burger Company, who owns four restaurants in or near Seattle. His guests order and also pay at the kiosks, which then send text messages to notify customers when their orders are ready for pick-up.

Jones expects a good ROI on his $25,000 investment for two kiosks; the machines' up-selling capabilities are already showing positive results. For example, the average counter or table order at the restaurant is $13, while the average order placed at the kiosk is $15, Jones said.

Industry: Health care

SoloHealth kiosks have been around since 2007, when the company launched its first eye-screening machine, but this October it secured $8.2 million in financing led by healthcare IT industry veteran and founder of HBOC, Walter Huff. SoloHealth has so far raised nearly $13 million, including an undisclosed amount from Coinstar Inc., owner of redbox DVD kiosks, as well as a $1.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.

The news comes as SoloHealth prepares for a nationwide rollout in 2012 of its next-generation health and wellness kiosks, the SoloHealth Station, with the goal of replacing many of the 25,000 blood pressure machines found today in retail locations nationwide.

"We are excited and energized to announce this additional round of funding as we enter into a pivotal and opportunistic time in our business with the planned nationwide rollout of our award-winning SoloHealth Station," said SoloHealth CEO and founder Bart Foster in the announcement. "We've had a tremendously positive response from all the audiences that the SoloHealth Station touches — consumers, retailers, health and wellness marketers, and the healthcare industry. We are quite bullish on our future and our ability to contribute toward a healthier, more efficient American healthcare system.

What did we miss?
Leave your picks below for of the year's most notable kiosk projects. Also, next week KioskMarketplace.com will feature notable technological developments that have improved kiosks this year. If you have a nomination, leave a comment below, or contact Cherryh Butler at cbutler@networldalliance.com

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