The word “kiosk” was originally used to describe small, open pavilions or garden structures in Persia and Turkey. Over time, it evolved to refer to any temporary sales or information booth, like those found in malls or airports. Today, kiosk has taken on a new meaning, however, that is rooted more firmly in technology.
In today’s business world, a kiosk is a freestanding, interactive, or non-interactive computer terminal designed for public use to serve a specific application. These units are the backbone of the self-service movement, enabling customers to order and check out without interacting with a human, navigate a building, and more. They’re essential components of modern customer experience.
What Does a Kiosk Do?
Modern kiosks are designed for maximum durability and focused utility. Generally, they fall into two primary categories:
Interactive: These transaction-focused kiosks require user input to complete a task or query. Examples include self-checkout terminals, ATM machines, and restaurant ordering screens.
Non-interactive: These are primarily large displays designed for information output, advertising, or public service announcements. While they might be technically classified differently, they occupy the same space and serve a similar public display function.
Kiosk hardware tends to be industrial-grade due to their placement in unsupervised, high-traffic areas. Depending on the function, they typically have a durable touchscreen and input devices like a keypad, barcode or QR scanners, strip/NFC readers for payment methods, or cameras for security or facial recognition. They could also include output devices like printers, speakers, and specialized dispensers.
Kiosks typically run on stable, often stripped-down versions of operating systems like Windows IoT or Linux that are designed to minimize memory footprint and resource usage. Users navigate the kiosk software in an application layer that locks down the OS and keeps them from exiting the main application to access the desktop or browse the file system. They rely on constant, secure internet connectivity for real-time payment processing, inventory synchronization, and remote software updates.
Major Types and Applications of Kiosks
Kiosks are everywhere these days. They serve a wide range of purposes, including:
Retail and Point-of-Sale (POS)
The most common retail application is self-checkout kiosks, like at a grocery store or cafe, that allows customers to scan and pay for items independently, speeding up transactions and reducing staffing needs at the register. These kiosks may also offer quick sign-ups to rewards programs or coupons.
You might also see endless aisle kiosks that allow customers in a physical store to browse a retailer’s entire online inventory to order items not available in-store and arrange for delivery.
Food Service and Hospitality
Self-ordering kiosks are becoming increasingly popular in fast food, allowing customers to use large touchscreens to customize orders, view nutritional information, and pay instantly without needing to speak to someone behind a counter. In fact, 61% of fast food customers report wanting more access to kiosks.
Hotel lobbies also offer check-in kiosks that let guests bypass lines by self-serving.
Informational and Wayfinding
Wayfinding kiosks are common in large, complex venues like airports, convention centers, and hospitals. These interactive maps provide precise, turn-by-turn navigation guides and are similar to simplified directory and service kiosks that provide up-to-date information on things like public transport schedules or appointment wait times.
Transportation and Government Services
You’ve likely seen ticketing kiosks at airports or train stations that allow you to print boarding passes or purchase subway passes. Some advanced kiosks may have integrate passport scanners for identity verification.
Government agencies use kiosks to streamline processes like renewing vehicle registrations, applying for licenses, or paying municipal fees, cutting down on administrative overhead.
Why Kiosks Are Used
Kiosks offer scalable, reliable performance while enhancing the customer experience. That’s really it; they simply make businesses run better. But that’s a little vague, so let’s focus on a few key reasons why they’re so useful:
Operational efficiency and staff optimization: Kiosks handle repetitive, transactional tasks with higher speed and fewer errors than human staff. That allows businesses to move employees from basic order-taking to more high-value roles, like quality control or specialized customer service.
Improved customer experience: Nearly 80% of American consumers value speed and convenience in a customer experience. Kiosks can provide a personalized, efficient customer experience to help customers browse menus, customize orders, and pay without feeling rushed. They can even get multilingual support, if necessary.
Revenue generation and upselling: Kiosks are a great way to increase Average Order Value (AOV). They can be programmed to suggest upgrades, add-ons, and bundle deals to more efficiently upsell than a human rep.
From improving customer experiences to increasing your business’s bottom line, kiosks can have a significant positive impact.
FAQs
Digital signage is a non-interactive display used for static information or advertising. Kiosks are usually interactive and designed to complete a transaction or perform a specific task.
They certainly can. Because customers input their orders directly, human error from staff miscommunication or transcription is virtually eliminated, leading to higher accuracy and fewer service issues like wrong orders. If the tech works, orders should be more accurate.
Modern, interactive kiosks require constant connectivity (via Ethernet, WiFi, or cellular) to process payments securely, synchronize inventory and order data, update software, and collect real-time data on user interactions.
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