Top Ways Interactive Kiosks Drive Consumer Engagement in Retail and Beyond

In-store marketing has turned a corner. Despite analysts’ predictions in the 2010s, online shopping failed to make brick-and-mortar obsolete, but it did change the game. The in-store experience has become more important than ever before. After all, consumers can always resort to shopping online. When they make a purchase in-store, it often comes down to preference. Making sure they’re the preferred options is where some retailers shine, and others drop the ball. Thriving retailers understand that in the new competitive landscape, consumer engagement is key.

Interactive Kiosks: Driving Consumer Engagement

Interactive retail kiosks are changing the game when it comes in-store marketing. These are more than just touchscreen displays. They’re digital kiosks and billboards, they’re out-of-home marketing, they’re gamification experiences, and they connect with consumers in brand new ways.

The rise of interactive kiosks has the potential to unlock new competitive advantages for retailers. These are some of the top ways that implementing interactive kiosks in your stores can drive consumer engagement.

#1 Personalization

The future of in-store shopping is personal. Data analysis and algorithms have changed the way that people experience and interact with brands. With interactive digital kiosks, you can integrate that personalized approach to the in-store shopping experience as well.

Major brands regularly use big data analytics and artificial intelligence to tailor marketing campaigns and product recommendations to their customers. Now, you can bring that degree of personalization into your in-store environment with interactive kiosks that guide customers through their options.

#2 Online-Offline Integration

Omnichannel strategies are helping to bring online and offline worlds together. It’s become remarkably common to see shoppers on their phones scrolling through products while they’re walking through the aisles. In 2021, roughly 20% of shoppers said that they used their phones in-store to find more information about the product and compare prices, while a further 26% sometimes did so.

Digital screens allow customers to access all of that digital information seamlessly. Integrate customer accounts, turn online browsing into in-store shopping, and create a more cohesive, personalized shopping experience.

#3 AI Avatars

Artificial Intelligence is more than just a tool you can use to write your emails. It also has the potential to reshape the shopping experience. We’ve seen AI concierges, avatars, and personal assistants in movies, but now they’re becoming a reality. With the help of interactive kiosks, you can introduce your own branded AI avatar to guide consumers through the in-store experience.

What can AI avatars do? They’re revolutionizing consumer engagement, and interactive kiosks help them move out of the digital realm and into the real world.

Retailers are bringing in AI avatars to take that feeling of a customized shopping experience and turn it up to 100. They want shopping to feel easy, interesting, and personal. They want to take the best experience their consumers have ever had in a store and recreate it ten out of ten times.

AI is able to analyze consumer data in real time and in detail. An AI avatar puts a personable, friendly face to that personalization. They personalize recommendations and offers, and make consumers feel engaged and welcomed when they’re in your store. If you want to make a big impression the next time someone comes to your store, AI avatars integrated with interactive kiosks will change everything.

AI technology is experiencing rapid growth, and the possibilities are evolving every day. The time to create your strategy for integrating AI with your brick-and-mortar experience is now.

#4 Augmented Reality and Immersive Experiences

While AI is grabbing the headlines, Augmented Reality has become a more established technology, and increasingly, it’s an essential one for consumer engagement. Augmented Reality can enhance the retail experience in a number of ways, not least of which is the Augmented Reality mirror. AR mirrors allow consumers to try on different pieces of clothing, cosmetics, accessories, and all kinds of looks without ever actually having to get the inventory.

AR mirrors are an elegant solutions for pop-up shops and interactive kiosks designed to make direct sales outside of the retail environment. Pop-up shops need flexibility and to adapt to small spaces. Often, there is no way to get a dressing room given the circumstance. For apparel retailers and others, AR mirrors are critical for the success of their pop-up shops and out-of-store campaigns.

#5 Faster Transactions

One of the first benefits of interactive kiosks was faster transactions. While technology has enabled so much more today, interactive kiosks still deliver more efficient transactions when they’re integrated with your Point-of-Sales. Busy retailers can reduce waiting times for consumers who don’t want to spend time in line, while also controlling labour costs and improving their sales efficiency.

Faster transactions can make an enormous difference during busy seasons like the lead-up to the holidays. Lining up and dealing with the crowds is a major motivation for consumers to switch to online.

Consumer engagement can improve the time that consumers spend in your store. Making sure that your interactive kiosks can also be used as Points-of-Sales, you can help them make their purchase and get out once they’ve finished.

Beyond Retail: Brand Activations, Live Entertainment, and More

Retail is not the only environment where interactive kiosks can transform consumer engagement. Brand marketers who work with BIG Digital have the power to extend the reach of their activations with our interactive kiosks. We supply indoor and outdoor kiosks, including weather-rated, battery- or solar-powered kiosks that can go wherever marketers need them. They give brand marketers the power to meet their audiences where they’re at, whether that’s at a live music festival, a major sports event, or out on the street.

Kiosks for the entertainment industry are crucial for driving fan engagement. Whatever the event, kiosks are a great way to improve the experience and give fans more to talk about. Interactive kiosks can be used for self-serve transactions, ticket upgrades, sponsorship fulfillment, wayfinding, and gamification experiences.

Talk to our team to learn more about the power of an interactive kiosk in your industry. The possibilities are only growing. We can help you integrate digital kiosks into your next big marketing campaign, in-store environment, or live event.