Commentary

Basic software and hardware considerations for retail kiosk projects

When designing a kiosk, It's important to research both your hardware and software to make sure that what you want to build is feasible with the tools you've chosen.

Image courtesy of iStock.

March 1, 2021 by Andrew Savala — CEO, KioskSimple

Self-serve kiosks are being implemented in more retail spaces than ever. Retailers have long recognized that kiosks can reduce cashier hours and labor cost, and minimize human errors. But of late, because of COVID-19, we are seeing an uptick in any kind of self-service opportunities because they reduce human interaction, thereby reducing opportunities for the spread of the virus.

As a consumer, you may have noticed the increased footprint of kiosk solutions in your favorite restaurants and shops. This is very much in line with the overall trend of business automation. In addition, many businesses are implementing an express lane with kiosks. This could be with ordering food at your favorite fast food chain or even quickly getting through checkout at your grocery store. It's convenient for consumers and it increases the speed with which the company can accomplish transactions, thereby moving more product. In addition to payment kiosks, there are also endless aisle kiosks which serve to educate consumers, with the idea being that you can have endless inventory.

Kiosk versus mobile app development

We are seeing similar applications for both mobile apps and self-service kiosks, but there are some different things to keep in mind both for your business goals and as you're planning projects for each of these form factors. The mobile phone requires you to put it in the app store, maintain the code and make updates, worry about touch and take into account standard practices for mobile apps. Whereas with a kiosk you want to keep in mind the various hardware integrations. If you have a card reader, a receipt printer or maybe even other pieces of hardware within the kiosk, then all the pieces need to be able to work together. Also, user access is available on site without your customers having to download or set up anything on their personal devices.

It's important to research both your hardware and software to make sure that what you want to build is feasible with the tools you've chosen. If you accept cash, for instance, it is important to understand your cash flow so you can pick the dispenser that works for the traffic you have. On the other hand, there's a big benefit to the hardware question because once you've landed on the right pieces to go into your enclosure, all of these pieces are known.

With mobile app development, you don't know what model phone the user has, what size the screen is, how old or new it is, how much memory and so forth. For mobile apps, you have to ensure that your app is able to work on a variety of devices. With a kiosk app, once you've settled on the hardware, you only have to program for that set of tools.

Marketing considerations

Another business consideration is whether or not you want the kiosk for marketing purposes. You can have a sleek and minimal design or you can go with something much larger and flashier. You can choose to use various marketing screens to engage with your customers.

Kiosks are also great at advertising deals and special add ons in the midst of an order or customer interaction. On the other hand, it's much harder to get your customers to download an app in your lobby to then perform a service or transaction.

There is a lot to keep in mind as you begin planning your next kiosk project. Fortunately, there are information resources available as the kiosk industry expands at a rapid pace.

About Andrew Savala

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Andrew Savala is the COO of BIxby, with a background in designing and deploying payment kiosk systems. He offers consulting services to companies looking to develop their payment kiosks.

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