Trend: Interactive Kiosks

Kiosks are becoming ever more interactive catering to a variety of services and gadgets.

Trend Description

The possibilities are infinite. Bank machines do not just offer cash anymore, but a huge variety of financial services. A whole array of services such as downloads of computer games, music, and information is just around the corner. Nowadays, ATMs can not only be found at financial institutions anymore, but in every corner grocery store or mall enabling customers to take care of basically all their financial needs and duties like paying bills, conducting money transfers, etc. The new interactive kiosks offer downloads of different files, be it music-related, gaming-related or pure information like maps, city-guides, schedules, news.

Cases

Gaming kiosks – Japan

In Japan, kiosks and vending machines are very popular. Almost everything can be bought from a machine from stockings to liters of sake. Now there are also gaming kiosks, system-specific download stations which offer demos, trailers and other gaming-related files. So far these kiosks exists for Nintendo DS and the PlayStation Portable. There is also talk about Nintendo announcing that the DS download stations will be available in the US shortly. Also, an Xbox 360 Gaming Kiosk is supposed to be in the works.

Vcom’s

7-Eleven stores all over the US are already introducing a new kind of ATM terminals, called Vcom’s. There are more than 2500 Vcom’s available so far, dispensing cash, selling services of the wireless carrier Verizon, and handling bill payments and other E-commerce services such as sending money to other people. Customers can also cash checks; the receipt also features digital pictures of the checks front and back. Other stores and gas stations like Exxon Mobile, Sunoco and Circle K have plans to introduce similar kiosk-style ATMS. The Vcom requires users to sign and enter a Social Security number on a touch screen.

Zaplink terminals

Zaplink terminals let customer not only pay their bills. For US$ 3, users can surf the Internet and create video postcards, send money, buy auto insurance, download ringtones for cell phones and coupons for store purchases. So far convenience stores mainly deployed these terminals in areas of Arizona, Texas, Florida and other states with high immigrant populations. The idea is that these people are less likely to have bank accounts and will really get use out of the feature to pay their bills via these terminals

Trend Impact

The acceptance of ATM kiosks is great and the possibilities seem to be endless. New services to be offered from Vcom are loan and credit services, deposit capability, event ticketing, travel directions and road maps. Additional services, such as touch-screen access to online shopping and E-commerce including patented Pay Cash System™ will allow customers to pay at the kiosk with cash, as well as with a check, money order, or credit card. Other features are Instant Auto vehicle insurance and a stored value program that will enable consumers to store money on their Vcom card after either cashing checks at the kiosk or loading cash onto the card. And don’t forget: There is not only E-commerce, entertainment content offers a huge potential too: games, videos, music, news, TV-shows!

Zaplink

7-Eleven and Vcom

NCR Vcom

Xbox 360 Retail Experience

Rate this post:

No rating yet