More than 80% of consumers want self-service options in stores, and 95% of companies report an increasing number of requests for these solutions.
For retailers, this represents a new potential revenue stream. But capitalizing on it means first making sure that their technology can adequately meet customer expectations for self-service kiosks that are fast, intuitive and simple. Here’s what experts recommend.
RELATED: Self-service solutions from Zebra and CDW support the customer experience.
What Do Customers Want from Self-Service Kiosks?
Self-service kiosks were supposed to make things easier for customers and less costly for companies. But the trajectory wasn’t as expected. In fact, many retailers installed self-service checkouts only to remove them and bring more staff back to stores.
What went wrong? Put simply, the tech wasn’t up to the task. While 60% of American consumers say they’ve used self-service kiosks, 67% say the technology malfunctioned at checkout. The result is a familiar scene: Long lines for self-service that instead requires employee assistance to clear errors and troubleshoot failures. In many cases, the result is a longer wait time at checkout, which can become frustrating.
According to Eric Hilton, regional portfolio manager for North America at Zebra Technologies, shoppers want two things from self-service checkouts: speed and simplicity.