FRANKLIN Tenn. Transactions at self-service kiosks in North America will exceed $607 billion this year and will triple by 2012, a study by research and consultancy firm IHL Group concluded.
"We expect continued double-digit growth in the revenue generated by self-service transactions for the foreseeable future," said Lee Holman, lead retail analyst for Franklin-based IHL, which serves retailers and technology companies. "The results of this study confirm what we've been seeing for the past several years: namely, that consumers are showing a preference for self-service kiosk activity of all kinds."
Holman said kiosks can help retailers and restaurateurs increase customer loyalty and can help control expenses by allowing businesses to "schedule their labor resources for high-volume periods without sacrificing service during non-peak times." IHL's "2008 North American Self-Service Kiosks" report examines the growing use of six types of self-service kiosks where payment is accepted: self-checkout systems; ticketing kiosks; check-in kiosks; food ordering; postal systems; and other retail kiosks.