omni-channel retail
bakery counter customers rather than
taking orders, and reduced the risk
of misunderstanding or human error
taking the order. Remote access means
special offers and updates can be
programmed in to kiosks from a central
location and the performance of each
unit can be split out using simple
analytics.
Mobile Devices
A growing number of tasks once
performed at self-service kiosks,
such as airline check-ins, are now
being performed using smartphone
apps. In many ways, however, the
kiosk can compliment use of these
mobile devices. For example, within
a hotel environment guests could
check in with their mobile device,
scan a QR code on the kiosk and
obtain their room keys. At the airport,
travellers can scan the ticket QR code
displayed on their smartphone to
receive travel information regarding
itinerary changes, flight delays and
gate changes, in addition to direct
14 KIOSK solutions
guidance to their departure gate.
In a retail environment, the mobile
device offers the ability to search for
competitive pricing or functionality
before purchasing goods or service at
kiosks.
When it comes to providing a
receipt, mobile devices are playing
a more important role. With the
emergence of digital receipting in
retail outlets the same technology
can be transferred to the kiosk
industry. Star’s digital receipting
service, AllReceipts (developed by Star
Cloud Services) is available free of
charge across Star’s range of encased
printers. Triggered by a traditional
printed receipt, a digital copy of the
receipt is sent to the AllReceipts App
on the customer’s smartphone with
no email address or mobile number
required. Receipts can only be
claimed once and are then deleted,
while saved receipts can be viewed
by date or by retailer with personal
or business tags on the customer’s
device. The latest significant feature
to be added to this service is Receipt
Flip, the first two-sided colour digital
receipt option. Enabling retailers to
take advantage of the reverse side of
digital receipts, as they can on printed
receipts, Receipt Flip allows terms and
conditions to be displayed as well as
store policies, promotions, marketing
material, etc.
Enhancing the functionality of
the AllReceipts service, the Engage
NOW feature allows the retailer to
provide links to promotions, discounts,
coupons, etc on the Engage NOW
landing page. Customers using the
AllReceipts App can simply tap on
the retailer’s logo from the list of
receipts on their smartphone and
be directed to a URL that the retailer
specifies. Engage NOW is secure and
easily customisable, providing a highly
personal customer connection.
Digital receipting eliminates the
issues typically associated with email