Retail Kiosk Solutions: Ensuring Success In Self-Service And Digital Merchandising

Self-service and digital merchandising is rapidly emerging as a vibrant new channel full of promise in both customer and employee-facing applications. Today, interactive and dynamic devices such as kiosks, digital signs and PC workstations are in use as virtual sales assistants, and for inventory extension, self-ticketing, gift registries, loyalty programs, e-banking, employee HR self-service, and countless other applications. The self-service channel holds many promises for companies that embrace it – higher sales, lower costs, faster cycle times, and enhanced customer and employee satisfaction.

A self-service project is often risky and challenging for an IT staff trying to build a software platform with the features and functionality that make this promise a reality. But this doesn't have to be the case. Regardless of what point you are on the "self-service curve" – you may have an initiative in the planning, development, pilot or wide-scale deployment stages – choosing a skilled, experienced partner can help you do things right the first time. Working with a partner with expertise in self-service can save a struggling project or to make a relatively successful deployment even better, likely for a fraction of the cost and time you had budgeted.

Think of this white paper as a practical guide to making a self-service or digital merchandising project run a bit more smoothly. In it are three key subjects:

• A checklist of what a first-class self-service initiative requires; we recommend comparing what you're doing to our checklist to see what you have a good handle on, and what you may be missing;
• The common risks associated with a self-service initiative that is built entirely "in-house," and how these risks can be avoided by working with a partner with a proven software platform designed specifically for the management and operation of self-service and digital merchandising networks; and
• Detailed thoughts on how best to integrate that software partner into your self-service project plan.

Ensuring success in self-service and digital merchandising – the title of this white paper – isn't an impossible task. We hope this concise, but comprehensive, read proves just that.