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Introduction
Multimedia kiosks are workstations which are specifically designed for public access. They may be standalone or networked through to a larger computer system. The description "multimedia" implies that they present information in a variety of different media, including, for example, text, sound, graphics, images and video. The database which contains this information may be stored on a remote database or on a local optical disk. In a number of environments in which it is useful to offer public access to a database, a kiosk format with the workstation just displaying a screen to the user is to bust and attractive. Some kiosks also have keypads and card readers, but the most common means of communication through a kiosk is via a touch screen. Multimedia kiosks are an attractive and interesting means of presenting information, and have been used in advertising, retailing, banking, education and training and the provision of information and advice.
Multimedia kiosks, together with the communication facilities of the information superhighway, have the potential to redraw many of the traditional boundaries both within retailing and between retailing and other customer service-based businesses. Kiosks can be used to provide information and advice on goods and services and to allow the customer to execute transactions associated with, for instance, purchasing goods and services together with banking transactions. This article explores some of the potential and pilot applications of multimedia kiosks in retailing and identifies the factors that are likely to influence the success of such technology.
The potential for multimedia kiosks in retailing
Multimedia kiosks are being tested by a number of retailers in the USA and the UK, and many more retailers are believed to be testing kiosks behind closed doors. They can be viewed as a significant advance in in-store promotions which have, until recently, relied on paper-based product catalogues and promotional brochures, with all of their attendant problems. Norris[1] claims that "the multimedia kiosk is the marketing organization's opportunity to regain control over the ultimate stage in the marketing cycle: the point-of-purchase decision".
A recent survey by Group X and Verdict Research[2] reported a dismal level of ignorance of products and disinterest in customers among UK shop assistants. By contrast, kiosks are knowledgeable, reliable, trustworthy, quick and never get bored, tired...