STRATEGIC PARTNERS
From the golf course to the gas pump, companies are experimenting with new ways to reach consumers via kiosks. by Katherine L. Sears, associate editor
March 11, 2002
So, you're fed up with your job, the kids are screaming that they're hungry, and your car's gas gauge is sitting on empty.
Don't fret. Your neighborhood kiosk is ready to fill your needs.
Drive up to a gas pump where a kiosk, produced by Radiant Systems Inc., will display simple instructions for fueling your car. Perhaps you'll see a weather report, complete with a colorful map.
After you've gassed up, drive to McDonald's and order your meals with the touch of a finger. You can do this while keeping an eye on your munchkins, who are crawling around a maze to reach a slide. Later, pop into a nearby mall and search for a job on a kiosk deployed by the Adecco employment agency.
While this scenario is not available to everyone yet, the reality is extremely close.
Kiosks have come a long way from their humble beginnings as marketing units for businesses or bridal registries for department stores. As companies discover new applications for them, kiosks will likely become a more important part of our lives.
IT time
Recently, Sun Microsystems unveiled a new scoring system accessible through 125 kiosks deployed at the 1999 Sprint International PGA golf tournament in Castle Rock, Colo. The system, developed by Sun engineer Darrel Ward, allowed spectators to keep abreast of scoring through Java technology. Constantly updated data allowed spectators to see players' scores as quickly as one minute after a hole was played.
Although they looked more like computer-aided workstations, the Sun kiosks also offered virtual renderings of each hole. With the click of a mouse, detailed statistics and data on one's favorite golfer could be quickly found. The kiosks were installed at various locations on and off the course; a "super kiosk" in the clubhouse featured a 60- to 75-inch monitor.
Sun spokesperson Anne Little said the technology benefitted both spectators and media representatives. "It just really enriches the entire experience because you have access to all different kinds of information."
Sun deployed the system as part of its sponsorship package of the tournament with Sprint International, Little said.
No plans have been made to use the scoring system again, she added. "We're just hoping that the technology speaks for itself and that people will see how advanced it is over other scoring systems."
Get pumped
A veteran in petroleum and convenience store technology, Radiant Systems Inc. has been experimenting with new ways to enhance the consumer experience at the pump while helping retailers advertise in-store promotions. Besides this industry, the Atlanta-based company develops applications and smart devices for retail and food service areas.
Through an agreement last year with Tokheim Corp., Radiant's consumer-activated fuel pumps should see wider deployment. The kiosks utilize colorful graphics and a touch screen to guide motorists through the fueling process.
While consumers wait, they may be treated to a weather report or news briefs from the kiosk screen, which is integrated into the pump. The pump is also capable of printing coupons of the consumer's choice.
"There are a number of ways we can go, but one may be a promotion of something that's going on inside," said Mark Schoen, Radiant's director of marketing. "We have the ability to build the intelligence into the software application into the pump dispenser."
Schoen explained that the flexible technology, which utilizes Windows CE operating system, helps the retailer drive sales inside his store. While many pay-at-the-pump customers avoid walking into the store, they may change their habits if offered an incentive at the pump, he said.
"Our mission is to revolutionize the consumer experience," Schoen added. "We try to help the retailer be more efficient and, therefore, help serve the customer better."
Although the pumps are Web-enabled, Schoen emphasized that consumers won't be able to check their e-mail or browse the internet, dispelling misconceptions sparked by recent publicity. "No petroleum retailer is going to jeopardize their business by tying up the lines to the dispensers," Schoen said, adding that the service is designed to last the duration of the transaction -- 90 seconds to two minutes.
So far, Radiant has deployed prototypes of consumer-activated pumps at 25 sites in Sacramento, Calif., Chicago, and Houston, as well as in Globen, Sweden and Zurich, Switzerland. That number is expected to grow through a contract its partner Tokheim recently signed with BP Amoco.
Did somebody say McKiosk?
McDonald's recently deployed a prototype of an ordering kiosk at a franchise in Wyoming, Mich. The kiosk has sparked mass media attention and jokes from comedians such as David Letterman, who recently quipped: "To make it just like the real McDonald's experience, some of these machines will actually have acne."
But McDonald's doesn't plan to replace its young clerks anytime soon. Spokesperson Lisa Howard said the kiosk is being offered as a convenience for parents who bring their children to the restaurant's PlayPlace.
The kiosk accepts cash, but doesn't dispense it. Food and change are delivered by a worker directly to the customer inside the PlayPlace. The kiosk also talks and uses colorful graphics to guides consumers through the ordering process. An order is not complete until cash is actually inserted into the machine, which allows for changes and prevents problems from children playing with the unit.
Howard said the prototype was just deployed two months ago, adding that it's too soon to speculate as to the fast food giant's future applications of such kiosks. "It's just a test. It's not really meant to address labor. It's just meant to add another dimension to customer convenience."
Touchy situation
Adecco has put a new spin on job placement with its installation of 116 kiosks in 25 states through its Job Shop program.
The kiosks help publicize the Adecco brand, which formed in 1996 as the result of a merger between Switzerland-based Adia and French company Ecco, said Linda Tucker, director of recruiting for Corporate Job Shop. Headquartered in Switzerland, Adecco claims to be the world's leading job services company.
The bulk of the kiosks are in malls, with 14 located at community colleges or universities and the remainder in social service agencies. Tucker likens the reasons for Job Shop to a double-edged sword.
"On one side of the sword is to kind of help us recruit. The candidates are the products that Adecco goes out and sells. The other side of the sword is to brand us so people know what Adecco actually does," she said.
Completing a job placement form through the kiosks requires about four minutes, Tucker said. Users select from a group of 11 job categories and then complete questions pertaining to those categories, as well as standard job application questions. Users pay no fees even if they're placed in a job.
According to Tucker, more than 130,000 of the 1.3 million people who have touched the kiosks have completed applications, and 62,000 of them have found jobs.
Tucker said the computerized form provides a "mini-snapshot" of the candidate. One misconception: Users often believe nothing else is required to land a job. If applicants are considered, they will be contacted; they are then required to visit a nearby Adecco branch and complete any required skills tests.
The mobility of the kiosks adds flexibility and expands marketing strategies. Adecco can place a Job Shop kiosk whenever it learns a large corporation has opened a facility in a specific area.
"I can put that Job Shop out and we can immediately start communicating," Tucker said, adding that she can schedule interviews by renting a hotel suite for a day. "A lot of other companies can't do that because they don't have this kiosk that can go out and start immediately recruiting."
Job Shop also cuts back on Adecco's overhead, as well as refines and broadens its reach over other marketing efforts, such as newspaper classifieds. "The kiosk is better because instead of us fishing with a little fishing rod, we now have a fishing net that goes out wider and farther than any of our competitors," Tucker said.
