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The year ahead: Kiosk predictions for 2014

Retail and health care will be big growth areas for kiosks in 2014.

December 31, 2013 by Natalie Gagliordi — Editor of KioskMarketplace.com, Networld Media Group

Much like the rest of the modern world, the self-service kiosk industry spent 2013 getting cozy with mobile technology, social media and tailored interactive experiences.

Kiosks are now the crux of interactive retail, headache-free air travel and convenient dealings at a slew of the nation's DMVs — a fete that and may have once and for all ridden the industry of the "computer in a box" stereotype.

So with another year behind us, it's time to look ahead and think about what evolutionary changes the industry will experience in 2014. In order to gain a more accurate pulse, we reached out to industry experts and insiders for their take on the year ahead.

Gary Pageau, Principal, Infocircle

I think 2014 will be another transition year for photo kiosks. Cloud access will become increasingly important, which will be a challenge for those large-scale retailers who limit in-store internet access.

Frank Olea, CEO, Olea Kiosks

Olea is seeing significant growth in health care, gaming and government purchasing of kiosks and self-service technologies. I also see other companies looking to kiosk and self-service technologies to augment or shift their businesses into locations you might not traditionally expect to find them.

Companies are always trying to find ways to increase their presence so look for companies to co-locate kiosks in non-competing locations as a way to grow their foot print. Some of these kiosks might include the ship-to locker type technologies as well as other more virtualized services. Transportation is also poised to see some benefit from self-service technologies beyond the basic boarding pass kiosk. We'll continue to see other parts of the airport, train station and other locations start to implement more self-service technologies as time goes on.

Laura Miller, Marketing Director, KioWare

Digital signage and kiosks for buzz ... that's the trend I see coming to the forefront. Opportunities for digital signage, self-service etc., to be responsive show how we will move the industry into the future. Kiosks as stationary, non-interactive, non-responsive and stand alone devices will become interactive, responsive and community building.

Rob Goehring, Chief Marketing Office, TIO Networks

We are seeing more interest from retail chains, both large and small, to increase self-service automation. As retailers look to increase store traffic and basket size, alternative financial solutions in the form of self-service kiosks are definitely of interest. We are also seeing more multi-function kiosks emerge, with requests for more financial services, including money transfer, loans and money orders.

Paul Flannigan, Executive Director, Digital Screenmedia Association

The outlook for kiosks rests in the hands of the users. Users will continue to define how they want to interact. Thus, kiosk designers and manufacturers will continue to pay close attention and respond with better design that fits the experience. Form, in this case, will not just follow function, but follow design.

Mobile technology will continue to play a larger role. The ability to move a kiosk or interactive device anywhere will give a lot of freedom to networks and users that want to change with their customer behaviors. New technology on battery power and mobile connectivity will continue to unlock the device from physically static locations.

What are your predictions for the year ahead? Sound off in the comments below.

Read more about kiosk trends.

Photo by Dan Moyle.