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Are kiosks still relevant in a mobile world? Part 3

March 20, 2012 by Michael Ionescu — President, Ionescu Technologies

The past two blogs have brought up the concern of kiosks staying competitive in an environment that is seeing the increasing dominance of mobile technology.  At the very end of the day, I think the main aspect of any industry that keeps its relevance is its ability to differentiate. I wanted to examine a few different types of kiosks from around the world to demonstrate some of the “out-of-the-box” thinking that has made some kiosk related services really stand out.  

Red Box:This is a familiar product to those of us in the United States, and it is a great example of how a self service kiosk came into the industry, and, together with Netflix, wiped out movie rental stores. Red Box took the idea of the movie rental and stuck rental kiosks in the middle of easy access locations: your local gas station, the supermarket, McDonald's, etc.  Renting a movie is no longer a separate trip to the store; it can be done while in the middle of your many other chores.  And, in a time when your time is increasingly becoming a rare luxury, saving time is key. Going up to the kiosks and using their services has almost become a subconscious decision.

Best Buy Kiosk:I have seen these kiosks pop up more and more at various rest areas along the highway. They are like mini little Best Buy stores filled with some of the most common things that travelers might buy. Some of them even have ipod touches in them. It seems almost silly to put a Best Buy kiosk in a rest stop, but it actually brings a trusted store brand into a location where people need access to certain travel-related goods in a hurry. Customers are no longer buying items from that local merchant who may or may not have questionable products from non name-brand companies.

Gold-to-go kiosk:These have been popping up more in the UAE and the Middle East, but I’ve heard of some in London and in Florida.  Basically it sells little gold bars that can be customized as a memento of your trip.  It doubles as a good investment because it’s literally gold, so it’s not some random throw-away novelty.  

Cellphone charging:As we rely more and more on our phones to do just about everything, we need more power. Some of the more advanced cellphone charging kiosks can quick charge a phone in about 15 minutes to an 80 percent charge.  I kind of wish I had one for the office and home. But, this is another great way of leveraging a person’s need to draw them in.

All of these kiosks provide very unique, specific solutions to needs at very specific times. These kiosks find a way to integrate into our daily lives making their use immediately intuitive and relevant.  I’ve seen quite a few kiosk systems be put in place that address no specific need but are just used as an afterthought. Many times they go unused.  The best and most successful kiosks are going to be ones that people can make a person’s life a little bit simpler and more efficient.

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