unattended payment
Payment Convenience
and Beyond
Laurel Wolfe reveals the type of technical
innovation required to unlock self-service
power for today’s connected
‘omni-shoppers’.
By Laurel Wolfe, Marketing Director, VeriFone Europe
Introduction
There’s more to today’s digital kiosks
than queue busting. Rapid adoption of
digital technology is changing the way
Europeans shop. Consumers can now
access more channels, payment types,
buying opportunities and rewards than
ever before. More tech-savvy than
ever, these ‘omni-shoppers’ are also
switched on to accessing automated
services, which is creating a new
expectation at physical sales points
and driving new opportunities for selfservice kiosks.
One consumer survey shows 61 per
cent of global consumers are willing to
shop in an omni-channel, self-service,
completely automated store, with
vending machines and kiosk stations
offering a virtual customer service. The
survey also confirmed that 52 per cent
would prefer self-checkout stations in
order to avoid waiting in line to make
purchases.
So it’s no surprise that the global
interactive kiosk market is set to grow,
20 KIOSK solutions
with some figures reflecting double
digital revenue growth of 11.40 per cent
CAGR and volume growth of 11.81 per
cent up to 2019. It’s also expected that
the retail industry will account for the
largest share with 46.35 per cent of the
market by revenue.
Within the retail sector, the grocery
segment will continue to account for
a high proportion of self-service units.
However, the future will also see a
broader range of retailers implementing
self-checkouts, motivated by demand for
faster, easier and more economical ways
to accept payments with less cost. Many
are also eager to embrace new technical
developments to improve interactivity,
reach and life span – helping them to
drive sales and boost ROI.
An Omni-Channel Experience
High on the list for merchants
concerned with building their ‘omnichannel’ experience are touch
screens combined with multimedia.
This functionality can link the online
experience with physical sales and is
ideal for hospitality, entertainment
and indeed any service-based sales
environment. NFC also has tremendous
potential, not only to allow consumers
to pay using their mobile phones,
but also by facilitating new types of
targeted and value-added services,
such as e-vouchers, loyalty apps and
promotions.