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What do millennials want from kiosks?

Business should not fear millennials, for their needs are much simpler and easier to understand than one might think.

May 22, 2015 by Bradley Cooper — Editor, ATM Marketplace & Food Truck Operator

The way people talk about millennials, you would think they were magical creatures rather than real people. Some businesses and people look at millennials as a group to fear rather than simply another key group of consumers. As a millennial myself, I can shed some light on this generation and what they expect from a kiosk.

The first element to consider is my generation's preference for self-service. For example, more than 20 percent of millennials prefer self-service checkout to cashiers, according to an article by BizReport. In fact, only 37 percent are likely to ask for help at retailers. Most of the time, I simply want to find what I am looking for myself and I almost always use self-service checkout. This means on a practical level that kiosks should be easily operable by users and not require significant employee aid.

A second element to consider is that millennials are used to interacting with many different platforms at the same time. It is not unusual for me to switch between devices simultaneously to complete a task. This means that a kiosk isn't necessarily going to impress us as we engage with multiple technology platforms constantly. Thus, kiosks should perform on the same level as all our other devices.

If your kiosk is slow or the touchscreen is inaccurate, you will quickly lose millennials as they turn to other platforms to finish a task, or they simply walk away. With Google only a tap away, millennials can easily find alternatives to your kiosk. With these issues in mind, how then do we make kiosks stand out to millennials? I will suggest three key factors.

The first is reliability. Your kiosks must be quick, convenient and perform well on a consistent basis. While millennials are used to technology, that doesn't mean they have patience for technological flaws. With a group that prefers not to ask for help, you need to ensure your kiosks perform reliably without a lot of employee aid.

The second is accuracy. If I am using a touchscreen and I can't select what I want, I will likely become a bit impatient. Another example would be if I can't find an item on a store inventory kiosk even though the store's website said that item was available. Millennials expect accuracy not only on your touchscreens but also across all your platforms. This includes social media.

The third is uniqueness. Why should I use your kiosk over my smartphone, tablet or desktop? Perhaps it is a product, such as Redbox's new DVDs that you can't get on Netflix. Or perhaps it is a service such as Coinstar's ability to easily give me a gift card for my extra change. You have to answer the question of what draws people to your kiosk that they can't get somewhere else.

Millennials are hardly a mysterious group. They simply want speed, accuracy and self-service. This isn't much different than the generations before us; however, we grew up with technology so it takes more than a flashy box to impress us. We want something genuine and unique.

About Bradley Cooper

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Bradley Cooper is the editor of ATM Marketplace and Food Truck Operator. He was previously the editor of Digital Signage Today. His background is in information technology, advertising, and writing.

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