We can’t imagine life without our smartphones – up next, smart vending kiosks?
From our research here at underscore we understand that the next generation of intelligent vending kiosks could use digital signage to attract more buyers to purchase products, bring in added revenue through third-party advertising, help extend a retailer’s footprint and even improve the customer experience and their engagement.
Also, as mobile interactivity and mobile payments technologies continue to be integrated into retail, these kinds of hybrid kiosks will offer another venue for interaction and with technologies like near field communications on the rise, the kiosks can become interactive with consumers’ smartphones as well.
For instance, a vending kiosk could also offer coupons for items not in stock or to other retailers or vendors, or consumers eventually could just use NFC and their smartphones to simply pay for the items they want from the vending machines and dispense with using cash, coins or credit cards.
For us at underscore the big question is what kind of sales lift do these kiosks offer, and the answer, so far, is that it’s too soon to tell but these are interesting developments for sure.