News

Where the eyes meet the shelf

April 12, 2005

Some grocery stores still have little red boxes that stick out from their shelves with a light on top that invites shoppers to grab a coupon.

That idea isn't as popular anymore, but the concept behind those boxes — creating an interaction point at the actual shelf space where products live — is taking root in the kiosk realm. Small interactive digital displays are replacing the little red box, and doing more than offering coupons.

Someday these small devices will be common in many types of retail stores, and as a result they might not get as much attention as they do now. Early adopters, though, "can get some serious competitive advantage," according to Greg Swistak, executive director of kiosks.org association, a professional membership group for the kiosk and self-service industry.

Retail employees are increasingly required to be knowledgeable in a variety of areas, but dedicated employees who are experts in their product lines are becoming increasingly rare.

"Minimum wage employees don't always have the ability to explain a complex product to a customer," Swistak said. "So a customer either comes to the store already armed with information, or they get the information there in the store. But the high school student that works there probably doesn't have the expertise to explain the differences between complex products."

Mounting an info-dispensing kiosk near such complex products is one solution with a great deal of potential.

In the thick of it

Intermedia Kiosks, an Owings Mills, Md.-based developer of multimedia kiosk-based ordering solutions for the hospitality and food service industries, has worked with clients like Stop & Shop, Giant Eagle and Sodexho. Intermedia uses IBM's Anyplace Kiosk with its solutions.

The touchscreen is less than three inches deep, weighs less than 12 pounds, and excels at full-screen video — making it ideal for CD/DVD preview stations, product information, guided selling, ordering and hotel check-in applications.

"With its small size, retailers have the flexibility to deploy and place it anywhere in the store," said Bruce Rasa, marketing manager for IBM, "whether that is shelf-mount, wall-mount, end-cap, tabletop or a floor stand."

Al Schreitmueller, vice president of operations for Intermedia, said his company works in grocery and c-stores, two markets that he calls "especially brutal." He said he needs to keep an eye on both price and cost while ensuring that maintenance is as simple as it possibly can be.

"The typical kiosk has components that are part of a complex chassis," he said. "Replacing paper for the internal printer requires some training." He said that one of his clients, a grocery store chain, wanted easily swappable components on its kiosks.

"The modular VESA standard bolt-on design of the Anyplace lends itself perfectly for this," he said. "We also designed a kiosk pedestal that allows the chain to use their POS printer in an external tray so that they have the same serviceability benefits."