5 Powerful Ways Kiosks Enhance Customer Experience

In-store kiosks are fast becoming a familiar part of our daily lives. From ordering burgers to books, kiosks have become popular across industries taking over tasks you usually need to hire staff for. The humble kiosk has in fact become so integrated into our daily infrastructure they can be hard to spot. Though we might all easily recognize a kiosk in the form of a supermarket self-checkout machine, a simple iOS or Android tablet can also serve as a mobile kiosk, or be fitted in-store with complimentary hardware.

Kiosks create new opportunities for enticing customers to purchase more. Equipped with a complimentary Point of Sale software, they help personalize product offers and optimize inventory management. In fact, kiosks are a key marker in the customer journey: 60% of consumers say they would prefer to use a self-checkout machine, while 46% say they would like more self-service options as self-checkouts and kiosks improve their shopping experience. 

Let’s take a look at how kiosks can make your customer experience memorable. 

Reduce in-store waiting time

Kiosks are a fantastic way to reduce waiting times in-store. The customers can use the self-serve kiosk to order their desired food at the deli and meat sections, wander through the store, and pick up their orders at the deli counter when they are ready. A kiosk with a digital inventory management system allows customers to quickly check if an item is in-stock and place their order – leaving them more time to browse your store. 

As the technology works across several devices, staff members can meanwhile fulfill the order before sending a notification to the customer’s personal device letting them know it’s ready to pick up. The customer can then use a QR code to identify and pay for their purchase. 

How convenient! 

To fight the spread of COVID-19 during the pandemic, the food industries established curbside and in-store pickup. But that’s not the only reason why these options have become popular. Post-pandemic, consumers are still keen for stores to continue offering services for the fast and convenient shopping experience they create. 

Kiosks can not only reduce the need for face-to-face interactions but also help to stop lengthy queues from forming. The only requirement for making kiosks work is integrating them with your POS, and the mobile app and web browser options. This allows customers to access real-time information on available products via your app or e-Commerce. That’s why an integrated system is necessary for POS software to drive sales. 

Establish consistent customer service

People’s preference for using self-service machines has been exacerbated by new hygiene concerns. In-store kiosks are a smart investment for stores looking to move with the times and respond to safety worries. 

What’s more, kiosks provide a wide variety of automated functions at a consistent level, with less room for possible mistakes from tired or busy staff. They are an easy and dependable way for businesses to provide a reliable service for their customers that leaves more time for staff to work on improving customer experience in other ways. Whilst automation might be good for some parts of the business, humans are still a valuable asset in ensuring product quality and a friendly smile, as well as analyzing data to look for ways your business can innovate and grow. 

Promote brand loyalty

The appetite for innovation in the grocery industry is bigger than ever. Customer demand for online ordering options skyrocketed during the pandemic and experts suggest that these new digital shopping trends are quickly becoming a habit. ​​The reason why people shop at smaller grocery stores is because of the unique ambiance and harmonious shopping experience not provided by larger industry chains. However, independent stores still need to keep up with providing a high standard shopping experience by making ordering and paying easy, and fast.

A convenient kiosk that reflects your online and in-store branding, promotes brand awareness that keeps customers loyal. It could also be an opportunity for up-selling and own-brand range you may be looking to promote. By integrating a kiosk module with your POS system, shoppers can get the same discounts or loyalty credits in an app, at the in-store cash-out system, and when ordering in-store meat at the deli section. Kiosks help create an enjoyable and seamless shopping experience that keeps hungry customers coming back for more. 

Customize customer experiences 

Digital kiosks allow you to harvest valuable customer data. By collecting your customers’ purchasing data, grocers can better predict what their customers will want based on their usual habits. For example, shoppers can be recommended products related to their past sales. If a customer buys tomatoes, pasta, and basil, the system can suggest the customer to add “Parmiggiano” as well, to complement the ingredient list. Just like that, the software will recommend the users new products based on their past purchases. Automated cart fulfillment and repeat orders keep track of purchasing patterns, better predicting customer needs. This in turn increases the likelihood they’ll return. 

Technology is a fast-evolving industry and independent grocers have to learn quickly how to keep customers happy if they want to keep up with industry giants. Kiosks will play a large part in creating tailored and enhanced shopping experiences that exceed customer expectations. 
Find out more about how a kiosk could work for your business by booking a demo now.